Believe Me, I'm Lying Read online

‘But—’

  ‘End of discussion. Please leave my office immediately.’

  I scowled at him and he motioned for me to leave. I stood up, purposefully knocking over the chair I’d been sitting on in the process. Jaw clenched, I stomped towards the door.

  ‘This is why I shouldn’t hire children,’ I heard him mutter to himself.

  I slammed the door as hard as I could, heading into the staff room to grab my coat from my locker. I didn’t look back as I left the room, heading straight through the exit, ignoring looks from my co-workers, who’d never liked me much anyway. Well, they wouldn’t be having me in here as a customer.

  I opened my umbrella before stepping out into the downpour. Scowling, I made my way down the street, trying to avoid the puddles. I hated rain – everything bad happened when it rained. Today was no different.

  The walk to my apartment only took ten minutes, but during those ten minutes, I became incredibly cold. It was October! It shouldn’t have been this chilly out! But then again, New England, especially Vermont, had an incredibly indecisive climate. I hurried up the steps to my apartment complex, but instead of going straight to my apartment, I went to my neighbor, Will’s.

  I knocked on his door and after a moment Will opened it. His green eyes widened in surprise. ‘Harley? What are you doing back so quick?’ he asked.

  ‘I got fired,’ I muttered, pushing past him and into the apartment and trying to hold back the tears that threatened to roll down my face. It would be worthless to waste them over this.

  ‘You got fired?’ he responded in disbelief. ‘Why?’

  Giving him a flat look, I crossed my arms. ‘Because a certain someone’s little brother made her late to work one too many times.’

  Speaking of the devil, Elliot ran into the room, his mop of curly chestnut hair as messy as usual. He raced up to me and clung to my leg, a goofy grin on his face. ‘Pig!’ he cried, gazing up at me happily. ‘You’re back!’

  I frowned back down at him. ‘I told you to stop calling me Pig.’

  ‘No! Pig is Pig,’ he stated stubbornly.

  I scowled at him. Pig was what my mom used to call me because I ate a lot, and I guess it’d stuck with my four-year-old brother. It wasn’t a nickname I particularly enjoyed.

  ‘You’re early,’ Elliot said, still smiling. ‘Why?’

  ‘Um, I got a day off,’ I responded, not wanting to have to explain what had happened. Explaining things to Elliot was not fun – he asked way too many questions.

  ‘So we can play?’

  ‘We can play,’ I said with a laugh. ‘I just need to talk with Will for a moment.’

  My brother nodded his head in excitement. ‘I’ll go get it started!’

  He ran off, probably to go turn on the Wii, his latest obsession. I turned back to Will with a sigh, flopping onto the couch. ‘I don’t know how you can put up with his energy all the time,’ I said, watching as Will took a seat on the recliner across from me.

  ‘I’m not that old,’ he pointed out. ‘I’m twenty-seven.’

  ‘I still feel bad for leaving him with you all the time. Doesn’t he distract you when you have to write?’

  He shook his head. ‘Not at all. He’s easily entertained. And you shouldn’t feel bad, since I’m the one who offered to watch him when you have to work. I don’t see why you just won’t let me adopt you two.’

  I smiled, rolling my eyes. ‘I can support the two of us. You do enough. You watch Elliot almost all the time, you home-school me, and you cook dinner for us almost every night.’

  ‘It’s basically like I’m your father then,’ he pointed out with a grin. He and I were good friends back in the day, even though he started out as my babysitter. We were more alike than you’d think. ‘You should think about it again, Harley. You could go back to normal school, and—’

  I shook my head, cutting him off. ‘I like my life.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really,’ I responded, looking him straight in the eye. ‘After losing my parents I realized family is what’s most important. I want Elliot and me to stay together. And not going to high school, well . . . the part about not having a lot of friends kind of sucks, but at least I don’t have to deal with the drama. And I don’t have to wake up early all the time either.’

  He grinned at me. ‘I like your attitude.’

  ‘You say that all the time,’ I pointed out, smiling.

  ‘But it’s true,’ he insisted. ‘Even after all the tragic events in your life, you’ve managed to stay positive. After the accident, you didn’t hesitate to drop out of high school and start working so that you and Elliot wouldn’t be separated. It’s very admirable, and not many people could do it.’

  I blushed a little, clearing my throat. ‘It’s not that big a deal . . .’

  ‘And now you’re being modest.’

  I scowled at him, crossing my arms. ‘Whatever. I need to start looking for a new job right away.’

  He gave me a worried look. ‘Are you OK with this month’s rent? I can pay it if you—’

  ‘I have it,’ I interrupted, shaking my head. ‘Thank you for the offer, but I’m not going to take your money. I only have to do this for another year. Then I can receive my inheritance and be all set.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘So, has your editor asked about your manuscript lately?’ I asked, trying to change the topic.

  His face instantly paled. ‘Unfortunately, yes. She wants it by next Monday – but I’m not even close to being done . . .’

  I laughed out loud. Will was always like this – waiting until the last second to finish his manuscript so it could be turned in to his editor. He was a writer – and a good one at that. That’s how he managed to look after Elliot for me all the time; he worked from home. Sometimes I felt bad for unloading my brother on him, but Will had been a family friend for a long time.

  ‘Well, keep working on it,’ I urged him. ‘We don’t want a repeat of last time . . .’

  The last time his editor, Kate, had been here when the manuscript hadn’t been finished on time, I’d thought I was going to witness a murder. Kate had lectured him for five minutes straight about responsibilities and deadlines – it had actually been very entertaining. I chuckled at the memory, and Will pursed his lips at me, guessing what I was thinking about.

  ‘There won’t be a repeat,’ he said stubbornly. ‘I’ll get it done in time.’

  ‘Sure you will.’

  ‘I will!’

  I ignored him, getting up and walking over to the computer desk. I sat down in the swivel chair, spinning around to face his laptop. After pressing the on button, I leaned back and waited for it to load. A few seconds later Will appeared, hovering over me.

  ‘Yes?’ I inquired, looking up at him.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m going to apply for a few jobs,’ I told him, typing in his password and logging in. ‘The sooner I get one the better.’

  ‘Ah. Good thinking, kiddo.’

  ‘Pig!’

  I swiveled the chair around to look at Elliot, who was frowning at me. ‘Yes?’

  ‘I thought we were playing!’ he complained.

  I made a face. I didn’t have time to play with him. Turning to Will, I gave him a pleading look.

  He smiled and rolled his eyes. ‘Pig is kind of busy, so why don’t I play with you instead?’ he said, walking over to Elliot.

  ‘OK!’ my brother said, sounding excited.

  ‘Don’t call me Pig!’ I called at them as they walked away. I heard Will laugh and I scowled. That nickname was so unfitting! I didn’t eat that much any more. OK, that was a lie: most of the time I preferred food over people, so I probably did eat too much . . . but I wasn’t even overweight.

  I turned back to the computer again, gazing at the screen. Forest-green eyes appeared in the reflection, and I stared at them for a moment. My eyes were the only trait that my mom had passed on to me, and every time I saw them, I couldn’t help but r
emember her. The desktop background appeared, making my reflection disappear, but the memories lingered. I blinked a few times to clear my thoughts before clicking on the Internet browser.

  I brought up Google, frowning as I thought of places to apply to first. Tapping the keys absentmindedly, I finally decided I would start with the most known stores. Walmart was up first. Well, it was better than nothing.

  Two grueling hours later, I had applied to six different stores. Hopefully ones that would hire seventeen-year-old girls full time. Not many stores did that, though – the bakery had been the exception. But now I had been fired from it . . .

  ‘Geez, Mom, Dad. Couldn’t you have just been rich and made things easier?’ I joked out loud, gazing up at the ceiling.

  It had been almost a year since their death. Some people called me cold for being so upbeat after losing both of my parents, but they were wrong. I missed my parents like crazy; no one could understand how much I missed them. But I knew they wouldn’t want me becoming depressed, and I didn’t want that, either.

  And so I became who I was today: independent, optimistic Harley Allen.

  Who needed to find another job, and as soon as possible.

  I let my head drop onto the desk. ‘Ugh.’

  Chapter Two

  ‘Hello, Harley, this is Sarah Goyle from SuperSaver calling about your job application.’

  My ears perked up and I turned the volume on my cell phone up a few notches. Hopefully this was a good message.

  ‘We’re sorry, but I’m afraid we’re looking for someone a little older and more experienced for—’

  Scowling, I slammed my finger down on the delete button, not bothering to hear the rest. That was the fourth store to call over the past few days and say they were looking for someone older and more experienced. How experienced did you have to be to hit a few stupid buttons on a cash register? I’d seen teenagers younger than me working at the grocery store every time I went!

  ‘Pig?’

  I twisted around in my chair, glaring at my brother. ‘I told you not to . . .’

  My voice trailed off when I noticed the solemn expression on his face. I softened my gaze and stood up. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes, taking a few steps forward, and I knelt down beside him and put my hands on his little shoulders. ‘What’s wrong, El?’

  ‘I had a dream about Mom and Dad,’ he told me, sniffling again. ‘Pig, I want to see them.’

  ‘Oh, Elliot,’ I sighed, gathering him in my arms. ‘I’ve told you – you can’t see them any more.’

  ‘Because they’ve gone somewhere better?’

  I nodded, rubbing his back soothingly. ‘Yes, but don’t forget they are always watching over you.’

  ‘I miss them,’ he told me, sounding like he was about to cry again.

  ‘I miss them too,’ I responded, my chest and throat constricting. It took a few moments for me to get my voice under control. ‘But we need to stay strong for them. No more crying, OK? They won’t be happy if they see you so upset.’

  For the most part, when Elliot started crying I ended up crying too and it was just one big mess. However, right now I’d gone two months straight without crying over my parents’ death. Elliot still cried once in a while, but that was to be expected. My mom had been right; he was too young for this. He couldn’t understand how they couldn’t come back to see him.

  Elliot nodded his head against me, breaking me out of my reverie. I pulled away from him and poked his forehead and he frowned, batting my hand away. ‘I heard you were on fire,’ he commented after a moment.

  I raised an eyebrow at him. ‘What? I’m not on fire . . .’

  ‘Will was talking on the phone, and said you got on fire.’

  Now I was even more confused. ‘No . . . I never got nor caught on fire. I don’t know what he’s talking about. What else did Will say?’

  ‘Your job?’ Elliot asked more than stated.

  ‘Oh!’ I said with realization. ‘While he was on the phone he told someone I was fired?’

  Elliot nodded, his eyes widening fearfully. ‘So you were on fire? Pig, you’re not a marshmallow!’

  I shook my head quickly, trying not to laugh at his random association of fire and marshmallows. ‘No, no, being fired is different than being on fire.’ I didn’t even bother mentioning the marshmallow part. He gave me a baffled look and I decided to change the subject. ‘Forget about it. Are you hungry? You slept in pretty late today,’ I commented, leading him to the kitchen.

  ‘I want eggs,’ he told me, climbing onto a chair.

  I nodded. ‘Sure. Want to crack them?’ I added, seeing the solemn look still on his face.

  He immediately smiled, nodding his head eagerly. ‘Yeah!’

  Together, we whipped up some scrambled eggs with a dash of eggshell, and sat at the kitchen table to eat.

  ‘Pig, you make the best eggs!’ Elliot said, digging his spoon into his breakfast.

  ‘Don’t call me Pig,’ I said in an exasperated tone. ‘My name is Harley. Har-ley.’

  ‘Pig is Pig!’

  I groaned in frustration. There was no getting through to him. Warily, I returned my attention back to my eggs and placed a forkful in my mouth, chewing slowly. I had to admit it, though: I was a pretty good cook. Which was why I’d been working at the bakery. Even my ex-boss had complimented me every day on my skills. I scowled at the thought of him. How could he fire me so easily?

  My thoughts consumed me as I ate, a frown now appearing on my face. I needed to find more places to apply to. A week had already passed since I’d been fired, and I was just wasting my time by applying and being told I was too young to be hired. If I didn’t get a job fast, I would be in some serious trouble. Renting an apartment wasn’t cheap, even with the discount my landlord gave me. Plus, with the way Elliot ate, buying food could become a problem as well. I didn’t want to sign up for state benefits – and they might ask awkward questions, or try and put us into foster-families – but if worse came to worse . . . Hopelessness started to well up inside me, but I kept it down. I couldn’t give up yet.

  A knock at my door brought me out of my thoughts. Sliding off my stool, I walked over to the front door and my jaw dropped when I realized who was standing at my door – the lawyer who had been assigned to Elliot and myself after my parents’ death.

  ‘Rob,’ I said, a little surprised.

  ‘Harley,’ he said, smiling at me. ‘Did you forget I was supposed to come today?’

  Feeling a little embarrassed, I nodded. ‘Uh, yeah. Sorry. You can come in.’ Thank God the place wasn’t a mess.

  ‘I’ll be quick,’ he promised, following me into the kitchen. ‘Elliot, how are you doing?’

  ‘Great!’ Elliot chirped, a spoonful of eggs in his hand.

  ‘Want some eggs?’ I offered, a little awkwardly. I hardly ever saw the guy, so it was a little strange when he was around.

  ‘I’m good,’ he answered, his eyes still on Elliot. ‘He sure has grown these last few months.’

  I smiled. ‘Only because he eats like a cow.’

  ‘Well, he’s a growing boy. It’s good to see you two are staying healthy. Will must be a good guardian.’

  ‘He is,’ I said, keeping my eyes on the table. Rob was under the impression that Will was living with us. Which was partially true. He just happened to live next to us, instead of with us. And it wasn’t like Rob ever checked to make sure of that either. He was also under the impression that Will was now our legal guardian – which he wasn’t. I didn’t have one and neither did Elliot. I had just told Rob that Will had wanted custody of us, and so far, he’d been too busy to check that the paperwork had actually happened.

  ‘Anyway, I’m here to talk about your inheritance. Oh, and I brought in your newspaper for you.’ He tossed it on the table, offering me a smile.

  ‘Thanks,’ I responded. ‘So, what about my inheritance?’

  ‘Unfortunately, you still can’t receive it until your eighteenth birthday,’ he t
old me, frowning. ‘I’m sorry. I tried to find a loophole, but . . .’

  ‘That’s OK,’ I sighed. After my parents died, everything had been left to me – they’d never gotten around to writing a new will after Elliot had been born, though obviously I would share everything with him. The only problem was that I couldn’t get anything until I was at least a legal adult, aka my eighteenth birthday.

  ‘Good news is that it really isn’t too far off, right? Are you happy where you are now? You can always move in with a foster-family,’ Rob suggested.

  I shook my head immediately. ‘No, I’m happy – I’m really happy here. Thanks, though.’ Although it was tough living by myself, there was no way in hell I’d ever ask to move in with a foster-family. There was a huge chance Elliot could be separated from me and I’d never let that happen.

  Rob reached across the table and patted my hand. ‘You have a good head on your shoulders, Harley. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just let me know. I’m here to help you.’

  I grinned at him. He was a good guy really. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Tell Will I said hi,’ he continued, looking around for my supposed guardian. ‘I’m guessing he’s out.’

  ‘Yep, he’s getting, um, groceries. I’ll tell him you said hi,’ I promised, standing up from the table. ‘Say bye to Rob, Elliot.’

  ‘Bye to Rob, Elliot,’ Elliot parroted with a giggle.

  I rolled my eyes while Rob chuckled. ‘See you later, Elliot. Keep in touch, OK, Harley?’

  ‘I will. I’ll see you around. Thanks for trying to get me my money early.’

  ‘Sorry it didn’t work out,’ he apologized, before leaving.

  I was sorry too. Letting out a small sigh, I went back to the kitchen. While not being able to get any of my parents’ money was upsetting, I knew I would get it eventually and life would be a breeze after that – I could quit working full time and go to college, whilst still raising Elliot. I just had to make it through one more year. Barely even a year.

  And to do that, I needed a job. And fast.

  I eyed the newspaper. Might as well give it another shot. So with a forkful of eggs in one hand and the newspaper in the other, I started my job hunt.