“Of course I did. I know appearances aren’t everything, but I never thought he was a good guy.” Chase and Ashlyn had been “dating” for a couple of months. They’d met at the gas station where he worked. She spilled fuel on her hands while pumping—possibly on purpose, knowing Ashlyn—and was “forced” to go inside the convenience store and ask for the restroom key. He flirted, she batted her eyelashes, and suddenly my closest friend was involved with someone she knew almost nothing about.
Chase had been Ash’s first real boyfriend, but the guys she’d crushed on in the past were good students, wore clothes that were hole-free, and used hair product generously. Chase, on the other hand, told her he’d dropped out of high school due to “family issues” but was planning to “get a GED real soon, baby.” She fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I’d hoped he was just something she needed to get out of her system. There was no doubt that her father, Arthur Zanotti, millionaire real-estate developer, would freak out as soon as he learned his precious princess was spending time with someone like Chase. Luckily for her, he hadn’t picked up on that tiny detail of Ash’s life. Until now, at least.
“Chase wasn’t exactly the kind of guy you’d bring home to meet the parents,” I told them. I started doodling on the pad of paper in front of me, until Belén closed her hand over mine, halting the pen from moving. I scowled, but stopped drawing and continued.
“Anyway, I drove to Mason’s while Ashlyn and Chase sat in the backseat.” Him whispering and her giggling, me feeling like a chauffeur. “After we parked, I went to the art supplies and they went to the makeup.” I remembered wandering through the racks of crayons and markers, grabbing a set of charcoal pencils and a small sketchpad that would fit perfectly in my favorite hobo-style shoulder bag.
“And then what?” Mr. Alves nodded for me to keep going.
“I went upstairs to check out the tablet computers.” I was saving to buy one, but babysitting money only went so far. I almost passed out when I saw the price for the one I’d been admiring, which had led to a disappointed sigh. I still hoped that by the end of the summer, maybe, I would score enough cash to get it.
“Lynn, make sure you make a note about our client having been in the electronics department,” Mr. Alves said to his secretary. “Tatum, did you notice anything odd while you were there?”
“On my way back downstairs to pay for my stuff, I saw Ashlyn and Chase making out in the cell phone aisle. That made me want to throw up, so I turned around immediately and went to pay.” Ashlyn had been up on tiptoe, her mouth suctioned to Chase’s, while his hands roamed over her back. Blech. I liked kissing as much as the next girl, but in the middle of a store, where anyone could walk by? No thanks. I’d sent Ash a quick text telling her I’d be in the car and not to take all day.
“You didn’t happen to notice any Mason’s employees near them?”
“Nope.” I paid for my pencils and pad, went to the car, and pulled it up in the loading zone, hoping they’d see me when they came out.
“Okay, and what happened when they exited?”
“When they finally came out, Chase went to open the backseat door, but it had automatically locked.” When he couldn’t get in, his face had turned stormy. I had fumbled with the buttons to let them in, which in hindsight was probably lucky. Those extra few seconds were enough time for the Mason’s security guard to come marching out, black walkie-talkie in hand, shouting.
“Once the guard showed up, things started getting bad, fast.”
The doors had finally unlocked, and Chase clambered into the car, knocking his elbow into the metal doorframe in the process. He swore loudly. I looked behind me at Ashlyn, who was cowering next to him like she wanted to slide down under the seat in front of her. The security guy pounded on Chase’s window so loudly, I screamed.
“Shut up, Tatum.” Chase had glared at me in the rearview mirror with his teeth bared, like he was ready to bite me. I looked away and found myself eye to eye with the livid security guard, gesturing for me to roll down the window. I did.
“Is something wrong, sir?” I’d clasped my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.
“You and your friends need to exit the vehicle, miss.”
Mr. Alves glanced over his secretary’s shoulder to make sure she was getting all of this. “Go on.”
“I got out of the car right away. Ashlyn did too.” With what can only be described as a guilty look on her face, eyes downward, refusing to look at me or the guard. “Chase foolishly remained seated and cursed at the guard, until three more came and physically removed him from my car.” The men had patted us down; legs spread, arms wide like wings. I’d never been so utterly embarrassed in my life. Even though the evening air was warm and humid, I’d shivered on the sidewalk, waiting to find out what was going on.
“They got nothing from me and Ash, obviously, but I guess you know what they found on Chase.” The men pulled four brand-new iPhones from Chase’s ragged jeans, and a stack of gift cards from the waistband of his boxers.
Mr. Alves checked his papers. “The monetary amount Mr. Massey stole totaled over three thousand dollars, and it seems he had a little help from a Mason’s employee, who left the locked cases open for him and activated the cards.”
“What a jerk,” I said under my breath.
We had taken a little ride in the cop cars that showed up minutes later, and Ashlyn and I ended up together. I remembered looking at her pointedly as we sped to the station.
“Did you know he was going to take that stuff, Ash?” She didn’t answer me. I stared harder, hoping the weight of my glare might force her to turn her head, but no dice. “Ash? Did you know? Did you help him? Because if you did, you not only put yourself in danger, but me too. I thought you were smarter than this.” It was a cheap shot, and I knew it.
At smarter, she’d turned her head, her blue eyes neon with emotion. “Everything is going to be fine. This isn’t a big deal. Why are you being such a brat?”
My cheeks flamed. “Excuse me? Not a big deal? You and your loser boyfriend shoplift and try to use me as your getaway driver, and I’m getting scolded for being mad? No way. This could ruin our lives. You do not get to call me a brat. I have every right to be upset. You do not. Right now, you don’t get to be anything.” I glanced forward and realized the policeman driving the car was watching us in his mirror.
Ashlyn waved her hand, dismissing me. “Whatever. We didn’t do anything wrong. Chase’s friend gave him the phones. He said he put them on layaway and they could be paid for in installments. It’ll all get sorted out.”
I’d gaped at her. Who was this person, and what had she done with my intelligent, fun, loyal best friend? “If you believe that, there’s a beach in Antarctica I’d like to sell you.”
My cheeks warmed with anger again, just recalling that awful scene. Next to me, my dad squeezed my hand under the table.