Page 121 of Off the Rails

But where I hoped to find allies to my complaints, I only found concerned glances. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

Blade looked to Nash, who sighed. “I know you didn’t mean to lose the money. But next time, come to us for help, yeah?”

Hot anger flared in my gut. “Are you seriously taking her side?”

“Not taking sides,” Nash held up her hands.

“We all know that Cy is a hothead.” Blade chimed in.

“I just… want to make sure you get the most out of your money if you win again.”

“If?” I scoffed. Nothing they were saying was too out of line, but Cyrus’ rage and my own bruised ego had me entirely on edge. “Whatever. I’m done talking about this.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Trinket…” Blade leaned back, reaching for my ankle across the couch, but I shifted away from her.

“I’m not being like anything.”

“You don’t have to talk about it any more right now if you don’t want to, but just do me a favor…” Nash pulled out her phone, and a second later, my phone buzzed with a text. “Take a look at that website when you’re feeling up to it. They’ve got some great financial tips for beginners, and some stuff on investing too. If you don’t want our help, that’s okay, but at least now you’ve got somewhere to start.”

“No thanks.” I grumbled, keeping my gaze locked on the TV screen.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Blade and Nash exchange an exasperated look before deciding to drop it. My relief was underlined by a twinge of disappointment as Nash went back to her cooking and Blade went back to her channel surfing.

They’re only trying to help.

And clearly they knew something that I didn’t. This apartment, the fancy cars, the cash they carried — the wealth was coming from somewhere, and it didn’t seem to be Cyrus’ alone.

Once their attention was fully diverted, I picked up my phone, trying to keep my face casual as I clicked on the link. The Break the Bank website’s big, bold banner popped across the screen, followed by a syllabus of free educational videos and many blog posts promising a free, non-judgmental place to learn about managing your money.

Bookmarking the tab for later, I closed out the website and returned my attention to the kitschy nineties gameshow Blade had finally settled on. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I knew that I needed the help. And I was grateful that they were willing to offer it.

Not that they needed to know it.

66

TESS

I hated to admit it, but with the new dance studio in place, I was really starting to feel at home at Feverpoint. For maybe the first time in my life, I was able to have a routine. The daily exercise helped me clear my head.

Plus, it gave me an excuse to spend more time out of the apartment.

The carousel was at the heart of the park, just one section over from the fake jungle the Freaks called home. But I made a point of taking a longer route, jogging through a new section every day as a warm up for my dancing.

Today, Stellar Station was my stomping grounds. As my feet pounded the pavement, I scoped out the space setting for potential hiding spots. They were a lot easier to see in the light of day: a few deeper pockets in the crater field where I might be able to hide, the darkened tunnels of the Alien Assault ride.

If I could just memorize a few spots in each sector, I might be able to find my way back to them once the adrenaline of the hunt set in. With each jog, I felt better and better about my odds in the next Fright Night.

I’ll get my money, and then I can finally decide what I want to do.

The prospect of getting to choose my own fate still felt foreign to me. All my life I’d been shuttled around to where other people thought was best for me or left to make due with the crumbs off someone else’s table.

But $40k… I could do anything with that. And for the first time in my life, I actually had no clue what I wanted.

My mind changed all the time. A few weeks ago, I was set on milking this game for all the money it was worth. And after the run-in with Rubin, I promised myself I would take the money and run. But now, I just felt conflicted.

Sure, the Freaks had lied to me about who they were. But so had I.

And Blade and Nash made it easy to forgive their transgressions. It wasn’t just the grand gestures, though those certainly helped. It was the fact that they both kept showing up every day, taking care of me even when I could hardly look at them, apologizing until I finally believed it.