Accepted Hearts

Chapter 12 / Used to This

Chapter Twelve
Used to This

Malia spent all night on the phone with lawyers.

After Nolan awkwardly excused himself and left, Olivia had finally returned and showed her the room. It was large enough to fit two beds, and the closet seemed big enough for both girls to share, but the lack of privacy and overall uneasiness Malia still felt after learning Olivia's brother lived in the apartment too still lingered.

But rather than outright abandoning the idea, Malia said she'd take time to think it over, and she certainly had. The word temporary kept lingering in her mind, from the moment she had left the apartment yesterday. She knew, whether Olivia's brother lived there or not, the move would have always been temporary. She didn't expect to have lived with her friend forever, or even for too long of a time.

The main goal—the urgent one—was to be out of the manor for August twenty-eighth. After that, surviving away from Carrington Manor until she got her trust fund was the next plan.

Taliana had made sure that Kendrick set up trust funds for both Malia and Blair. Despite her thinking her mother was a fool for being with him, Malia knew she was never an idiot. Her mother had always been slick, and getting Kendrick—a man known for his greed and power obsession—to actually establish funds for two kids who weren't even his showed how much power her mother did have. If only the woman had used those smarts for other things—like picking up on how her daughter felt. But alas, no one was perfect, and the trust fund Taliana had gotten her would end up saving Malia.

Malia had hoped she'd have access to it by the time she turned eighteen, but she learned right before her birthday that wasn't the case. Her mom mentioned it in passing on her graduation, which led Malia to fall into a ball of pity and not even attend the ceremony. She hadn't wanted to think of it since then, but after realizing money truly did matter, and her time of staying with Olivia would run out soon enough, she needed that money.

She knew Jalen would've understood. And surely enough, he hadn't hesitated to send her the number of a lawyer he'd been in contact with about his own trust fund. After speaking to some of them, Malia felt sick, and in desperate need to hear someone else's issues with the matter.

"This might sound invading as hell, but what are the terms of your trust fund?" Malia had asked after dialing Jalen's number at three in the morning, and only being mildly shocked he was even up to answer. "Because I just spoke to four different lawyers and they all can't get me immediate access to mine."

A yawn had come from her best friend, and she took a moment to wonder if he'd been sleeping and she woke him, or if he was up and unable to fall asleep. It wouldn't have been the first time Jalen lost sleep due to issues—especially issues involving a girl. "It used to be that I'd get it as soon as I was eighteen," Jalen answered bitterly. "But now I need to either be twenty-five or married. Ironic, huh?"

Malia had paused to bite her lip in concentration. "Holy shit. That sucks. You think you can wait six more years, or should you just go off and get married?"

"Both options are bullshit. Six years is a long ass time, but marriage..." His voice had trailed, and she pictured her best friend shuddering at the thought. She knew he had ill thoughts about marriage, and with the shit he'd gone through surrounding the idea, she didn't blame him one bit for never wanting to get married. "What about your trust fund terms?"

"Well, hearing yours makes mine not seem that bad. I have to wait six months after I turn eighteen. So, basically, I have till January fifth to get my money."

"I'm hanging up," Jalen had replied in a dry tone.

Malia had let out a laugh, and he joined in. She knew that even if Jalen had the option to switch lives with her, he wouldn't have. He knew too much about her past to have ever wanted to really walk in her shoes.