A Taste of Cinnamon: Vale's Story

Chapter Seven

To say I'm frustrated right now would be a huge understatement. It's taking everything I have not to throw this wrench across the garage and scream. For the last several hours, I've been bouncing ideas around with Tyler on how we can help Gen get her tuition money. I already plan on selling both my cars, but I don't think that'll be enough. And seeing as I'm still working on the Dodge, I'm not sure I'll have it finished before the summer ends. There's a lot more wrong with it than I originally thought, which means I'm going to have to make a few trades myself to get this damn thing running.

"You know," Tyler says slowly as I growl in anger, my head buried beneath the hood of the truck as he stands beside me holding the flashlight (because that's about as useful as Tyler can be in the garage). "Maybe this whole trading game thing isn't the worst idea in the world."

An angry sigh escapes my lips as I lift my head up and look at him. "How can you possibly say that? She's going to be meeting these weirdos online, Ty. You know how dangerous that is?"

He nods his head. "Yeah, I do know," he replies slowly and carefully. "But Vale, just think about. They always say there's safety in numbers right?" he asks, and I nod my head. "Okay, well, then that's your answer. As long as we don't let her meet these people alone, then she'll probably be fine."

"Probably being the key word in that sentence there, Ty," I grumble as I slide my hands through my hair. He gives me a sympathetic look as I bow my head. "But I see your point. I just can't always go with her."

"But one of us can," he responds. I'm not sold on the idea, and he knows it. "Okay, dude, what's really going on here?"

My eyes widen in surprise as warmth begins to spread across my body. "What do you mean?"

Tyler grins. "I mean, we've pretty much been talking about Gen since the moment I got into your car earlier. Are you really that bothered at the idea of her doing some trades to go to school? Or are you more bothered that she's probably going to go to that school."

My jaw drops and my brow furrows. "What the fuck does that mean?" I ask, feeling a mixture of shock and anger flowing through my veins.

"You know what it means, Vale," he says. "You and Gen have been best friends since you were toddlers. Is it possible that maybe, just maybe, you don't want her to go?"

Goddamnit. Tears sting the corners of my eyes as I swallow hard and bury my head in the hood of the truck again. "It's not like that," I say firmly in a sorry attempt to hide the emotion in my voice. Fuck, I don't even think I felt so miserable when my mom left. But just the idea of Gen going to Boston is making me feel sick to my stomach in a way I've never felt before. "It's just... I want her to be safe, Ty. I need her to be safe."

He nods his head. "I know. We all need her to be safe, Vale. And I think, as long as we all agree to help her with her game, she will be."

I'm not so sure, but I know that if I carry on with this conversation, I'll give myself away. And I've managed to hide it for this long. So I drop it for now. We sit in silence for a while as I continue to work on the truck, but I swear my mind is racing as I think about what Tyler said. There's no way I would never be so selfish as to try and prevent Gen going to her dream school. I mean, come on. I've been nothing but supportive of her and all her endeavors. And I have every intention of continuing to support her. But maybe, deep down, Tyler is right. Maybe it's not so much that I'm worried about Gen trading with total strangers. Maybe it's more that I'm worried she'll succeed without my help. Maybe I'm worried she'll leave for Boston without ever knowing how much I truly love her.