I sat in my car, parked in their driveway. The newspaper sat in the passenger seat, like an ominous being, waiting to attack. The sun had risen, but clouds had moved in, creating a gray veil over McLean.
The longer I sat here, doing nothing, the more time was wasted. What was I waiting for? I snatched up the newspaper and scanned the front page.
The short version?
Max was accused of insider trading for six of his clients. None of those clients’ names were listed. The article didn’t say the proof they had or the person behind the accusations. But at the very end it said that anyone accused of insider trading could face up to 20 years behind bars and a ridiculous amount of fines.
This entire story was cloaked in mystery. None of it was true. I knew that. I knew that Max was smart enough not to go down the road of insider trading, but not everyone else would. Even if the charges were dropped, it didn’t matter because it would blow up into this huge scandal that would ruin Max and his family’s company.
Lana’s dad had a hand behind this. I was positive.
With the paper in my hands, I got out of my car. I had no idea what the hell I was going to do. I just knew I had to something.
I barely thought twice about barging into Lana’s family’s house. There were voices coming from the kitchen and upstairs. They soundproofed my entrance well enough that Lana and her mom didn’t look up when I walked in. They were in the formal living room. Lana was sitting on the couch and her mom was sitting across from her in the Louis XV armchair. Her mom’s back was straight; her feet leaned to the right with one tucked behind the other. Lana had her hands on her lap. Her right knee wouldn’t stop bobbing.
I slid into the dining room, opposite of the formal living room.
Neither one said a word. Her mom reached for her coffee on the polished table in front of her. She held the saucer and stirred the spoon slowly, staring down at the liquid. Lana watched her with a nervous look in her eyes.
“Stop moving,” her mom lashed out.
Lana stilled.
Her mom took a sip of her coffee before she placed it back on the table. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. Her fingers curled around the edges of the arm of the chair. She looked regal and proud, like a queen sitting on her throne, knowing that no one would speak or move until she moved first.
Her mom cleared her throat and looked at her only child. “You know your dad didn’t want to have to do this.”
“But he did.”
Her mom’s eyes narrowed as she leaned close. “And do you know why? You fabricated a lie. The only reason this boy is in the position he’s in right now is because of you. No one else but you.”
“I didn’t fabricate anything!”
Her mom laughed mockingly. “Of course you didn’t.”
Lana ignored her mom’s words. “He was just trying to help me.”
“But you’re lying,” her mom said vehemently. “You’ve always imagined things that were never there.”
A wounded look crossed Lana’s face. Her leg started to bobble again. “You know Dad did it. I know you do.”
Her mom didn’t say a word. She just sat there, staring at Lana with an unreadable expression.
Lana stood up and walked around the coffee table. “I can never understand why you avoided what’s been going on. Or how you can sweep it all under the rug, trying to pretend that nothing is wrong. How could you ignore me when I needed you the most?”
“Enough!” Lana’s mom lashed out. She quickly stood. I could see her hands shaking with anger.
It would only take three steps for her mom to walk forward and embrace her. But Lana’s mom treated the space between them as if it were miles. As long as Lana lived, her mom would never be the one to take that step forward.
“Accept your life,” her mom said.
“What?”
Her mom lifted her chin. “Do not play the victim and sit here with that pitiful look on your face, hoping that someone will feel sorry for you. You have to accept this life you have.”
“What kind of life is this?” Lana whispered.
Her words were pointless. She was just talking to her mom’s back. Lana stood in the room alone. Her mom entered the foyer, humming a pretty tune. A maid walked up to her with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. Lana’s mom smiled brilliantly, and bent her face to smell them.
“They are beautiful,” she said approvingly. “Just beautiful.”
With a pat on the maid’s shoulder, she continued to walk down the hall, her heels echoing loudly.
I turned back to Lana. She stared in my direction for a moment. It took her awhile to notice I was staring back at her.
She blinked furiously before she hurried across the foyer.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
I pulled out the paper and held it in between us. She didn’t grab for it. Just stared at Max’s face with blank eyes.
“You know already, don’t you?”
She looked down the hall for a second before she nudged her head at the front door. “Outside?”
I nodded and followed behind her. The door shut with a firm click. Instead of diving right into the conversation, Lana sighed and sat on the top step, staring at the long, winding driveway with a contemplative expression.
“I found out last night,” Lana said. “You were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. You needed a break from everything. I came back home to find out what was going on.”
“Why… why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Because you need a break from everything. Look at what this has done to your life. Your entire summer went to shit.”
“You think that’s your fault?”
“I know it is. Just like you think it’s your job to be there for me. It’s my job to protect you from my life.”
“That’s not true!”
“Everything is ruined,” she whispered brokenly.
It was like she couldn’t even hear me.
A chill went down my spine.
“No, it’s not. The charges will be dropped and everything will smooth itself back out.”
“Can you stop?” Lana exploded. I pulled away. She laughed sadly and stared down at the grass. “You heard my mom back there. None of this would’ve happened to Max if I hadn’t been involved!”
“Your mom is also the same person that chooses to believe her husband over her daughter. Don’t listen to her. She has no idea what she’s talking about.”
Lana hugged her knees close to her chest. There was a defeated look in her eye. It was the same one she had the night I found her in the barn.
“You’re not moving back home, are you?” I said with alarm.
She didn’t say a word. I had my answer.
“You’re not going to do that.” I grabbed onto her arm, my grip tight. “You’re going to go back to your apartment. You know why?”
She looked over at me; her eyes were glassy.
“Because you’ve made so much progress.” I smiled encouragingly. “Come on, Lana. You have your own apartment. Your very own that allows you to come and go as you please! You’re creating a life built around your own choices. Last year, would you have been able to do that?”
“No,” she whispered.
“You think you have to move back because everything feels so hopeless right now, and you don’t think you can be on your own, but you can.”
I stood up and held out my hand. “What do you say? Are you ready to go back home?”
“Yeah.” She took my hand. “I’ll do it.”
“What will happen to Max?” she asked me as we got inside the car.
I stared at the steering wheel. “He’ll get out on bail. The charges will be dropped and everything will be okay again. I promise.”
Lana looked at me doubtfully. And could I blame her? I didn’t believe myself.