If only Allison was finished with her degree. She would be the first person I would talk to, because I probably need legal help right now.
“Alright,” Allison says, frowning.
“Lily!” I call. “Allison is here!”
There’s a yelp and then running feet. Lily bursts quickly into view and throws her arms around Allison.
“Are you going to watch movies with me?” She asks.
“Of course,” Allison says warmly. “Let’s go.”
“Bye, Dad!” Lily says cheerfully.
“Have fun, I won’t be late,” I say.
I leave the house quickly. The tight knot of pressure in my chest feels like it’s about to explode, and I need to get out of there now. I only just remember to grab the helmet and jacket hanging by the front door.
I fumble with my bike. For a moment, I wonder if I should be driving in this state. Then I take a deep breath and kick the stand up, rolling the bike out of the garage and fitting my helmet on my head.
It’s fine. It’ll all be fine.
The drive to the bar is short, and there aren’t that many people there. I recognize Kyle’s bike, so I pull up alongside it and lock it, leaving the helmet there. When I get inside, only Kyle is sitting at the bar, and two men are sitting, hunched, at a corner table, muttering to each other.
“Ethan!” Grant says from the bar, smiling at me. It drops when I get closer. “You look like shit, man.”
“Allison pretty much said the same thing,” I say weakly.
“What happened?” Kyle demands as I pull myself onto the stool beside him.
I hesitate. And then the entire story spills from me. I tell them about Polly’s reappearance, remembering that I hadn’t told Kyle yet, and about our meeting and then our day out yesterday. I tell them about my argument with Georgia, which led to me almost arguing with Polly this morning, and Lily trying to find out what happened. And then I recount the conversation I overhead.
By the end of it, I can’t breathe. Panic is coursing through me.
“I’m going to lose her,” I say, gripping my short. “Polly is rich, so she has the money to support Polly, she has a husband to help her… She’s going to take Lily away!”
“Breathe, Ethan,” I hear Grant say. His voice sounds far away. “Come on, man, just fucking breathe already.”
I struggle to draw in a deep breath. Eventually, however, I manage it. I sit still for several moments as Kyle and Grant watch me quietly. Slowly, the panic begins to subside, leaving misery and shame in its wake.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“No, man, you have every right to panic!” Kyle says instantly. “I’m more surprised that it’s taken you a week!”
I give him a small, wobbly smile.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty hectic since I got that letter,” I say.
“No doubt,” Grant grunts. He frowns. “That’s all really fucked up, Ethan.”
“Don’t I know it,” I say. I stare at the bar counter. “What do I do? She’s already investigating me. Soon, they’ll find out that I’m only paying the bills. Financially, Polly is way more secure than me. And, because of that fucking lie she told her parents, her mom is going to be used as a witness against me. How do I prove that she’s lying?”
“It’s impossible,” Grant says reluctantly. “It happened ten years ago. In this, Polly has more sway since she apparently told her parents that you were abusing her back then. It’ll be your word against hers, and hers will probably hold more weight.”
“Maybe I can find that psychologist she went to?” I suggested. I’m desperate for anything that will work. “She said she told her the truth.”
“The psychologist might not be able to be a witness due to confidentiality,” Grant points out.
“That’s fucking stupid,” Kyle says before I can. “That means Polly can just do whatever she wants?”