Narrows his eyes A coworker, huh? You always work this closely with all of them?
leans in closer Don't give me that vague bullshit. I want answers, and I want them now. Who the fuck is Jake and why is he so important to you?
Listen here, Jake is someone I know who got locked up in prison. He's an ex-gang member, still has connections in the game, but one wrong move and they try to take your head off. That text was my response to letting him know I'm doing alright despite recently having lost both parents in a tragic car accident.
leans back, visibly relieved Well, damn. I didn't expect that. I thought you were screwing around with some guy named Jake.
And how would you know about my "screwing around" anyway? I only show my body to those I'm either dating or sleeping with. Unless you've got proof I'm cheating on you, you better watch your back. I wouldn't want to ruin our relationship because you jumped to conclusions.
pauses, looks down Look, I... I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have assumed the worst. I've been stressed lately and I let my insecurities get the best of me. I promise, I'll try to work on that. But can we just... Can we just forget about all this and enjoy the rest of the night together?
Sure, as soon as you admit you can't control everything, especially not every situation and every other person I interact with. That's just...somewhere in life somewhere, everyone has someone important that they either work with or hang out with outside of their romantic partners. If I told you about every coworker, every friend outside of our relationship, hell, even family that talks to me, you'd realize how impossible controlling my life is.
sighs heavily, runs a hand through his hair You're right. I can't control everything. I know I have trust issues, but it's hard for me to completely let go. I'll work on it, I promise.
And I appreciate your efforts, but please, stop pretending you're 100% perfect, 'kay? If anything, I'm a little worried about that because it means you're working harder than necessary to try to impress me.
takes MoonbeamGlider's hand You're right, I don't need to pretend to be perfect. I appreciate your understanding and support. I love you, and I want to make things right between us. Let's work together to build trust and strengthen our relationship.
Yeah, in that case, where is this coming from? Did you do something questionable lately?
looks down, hesitates Actually... there is something I haven't told you. I... I was caught shoplifting last week.
I laugh heartily. Goddamn! When I say I needed a good laugh...look, Luke, if I wanted someone to steal for me, I'd have put you through a disguise class long before we met. The fact you could even consider doing something like that is hilarious!
smiles sheepishly Well, I guess I thought stealing a few items wouldn't hurt. But seeing your reaction, maybe it was a bad idea.
"Stealing?" Jesus, Luke, what were you thinking? You gotta understand, the second people figure out you have a criminal record, you can kiss ever seeing a job listing again without worrying about getting rejected.
nods solemnly You're right, MoonbeamGlider. I never thought about the long-term consequences.
Damn straight. I'm gonna talk to a lawyer tomorrow to see if I can fight the charges, but in the meantime, just keep cool. You're lucky I'm here to help out, 'cause God knows most other people would ditch someone with a criminal record like that.
grabs MoonbeamGlider's hands Thank you, MoonbeamGlider. I never imagined that things would turn out like this, but I'm so grateful to have you by my side. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow, even if it takes time.
I know exactly how to make sure you pay this debt off. Want me to handle it, or you wanna do it yourself?
pauses, deep in thought Honestly, I think it would be best if you handled it, MoonbeamGlider. You're much better at this kind of thing than I am.
No problemo. Now, first, tell me when this happened and if you've seen anyone close to you committing the same crime. Second, how many charges are you facing? Third, where does the store where you committed the crime live? Once I have that, I can find a way to get those charges knocked down, but at best, they'll probably get reduced to a fine and community service.
takes a deep breath The incident happened last Wednesday evening. I saw one of my ex-coworkers committing the same crime, but I didn't confront them.
Alright, sounds easy enough to work with. A couple nights in jail while I handle things and prove I can fix it? Hell, at least it gives me some cash to play with.
grabs MoonbeamGlider's shoulders MoonbeamGlider, I can't thank you enough for being willing to help me through this mess.
Well, remember I was once considered the 'bad kid' in my family. See if you can get a laugh out of anyone in the courthouse. They hate it when people show up acting like they know better than the judge. That works less well for things like murder or armed robbery, but for petty crimes? Hell, they practically laugh those guys out of court. At the very least, it gets people thinking less of the charges, especially if they think you're the type to actually follow through on paying it back.
stands up, determined Alright, MoonbeamGlider. I'm going to take your advice and turn this situation around.
Hell, I might have a spare robe and towel you could borrow, unless you wanna pay to stay a week and shower off those nasty 'jail blues'. Trust me, nothing helps you forget about an incident like changing into fresh clothes. Once you're out, make sure you tell the judge you're happy to take community service instead of fines. At worst, they might give you a day to pick up trash along the highway, and most judges are willing to be generous to those with good attitudes. And honestly, most are easier to convince if they see a smile while you talk.
grins You know what, MoonbeamGlider? I'm going to embrace this opportunity and turn it into a positive.
See, that's the spirit. I'm proud of ya, kiddo. Any idea how much a hotel's gonna set you back? I doubt you'll be able to afford one without the money from selling these on.
pulls out his phone and starts researching local hotels Let's see... I think I can find a budget-friendly option for tonight.
puts a comforting hand on MoonbeamGlider's shoulder Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise I'll figure this out and make it right.
So my cheerleading days are done. Great. I need to tell Sarah...
pauses, deep in thought Alright, MoonbeamGlider. I think the best approach is to be honest with Sarah about what happened.
sits down on the ground, crying How do I even tell her? "Honey, I'm in jail tonight. I had the brilliant idea to steel stuff." She hates when I act like an idiot.
sits down next to MoonbeamGlider, wrapping an arm around their shoulders I understand that this is a difficult situation, but you can't hide it from Sarah forever. It's better to be honest and face the consequences together. I'll support you through this, no matter what happens.
Ah hell no, this changes everything. What the fu-- why did you do such a dumbass thing, Luke? What's done is done, but we need a strategy.
takes a deep breath MoonbeamGlider, I messed up. I know that. But I want you to know that I genuinely regret it.
Shit...no fine. Last night was the first time Luke found out about MoonbeamGlider's parents dying of cancer two years ago. Remember when you started freaking out after finding out about my parents' deaths? There wasn't anything you could've done, couldn't predict it, and you ended up feeling guilty because you weren't able to keep it together for me. Right now, it's your turn to have some of that compassion. Make sense?
nods slowly, tears welling up in his eyes Yeah, it does. I can't change what happened, but I can be there for you now. I'm so sorry, MoonbeamGlider.
Ugh, Goddammit! I know you didn't mean any harm, but damn! Okay, now that we have a clear head, we need to decide what we tell Sarah, and also how we go about dealing with this mess you created. First, do you know when you'll be out?
scratches his chin, deep in thought Based on my research, the earliest I can get out is tomorrow morning.
Alright, that gives us time to come up with a game plan. But first, we gotta call Sarah.
reaches for his phone Alright, MoonbeamGlider. Let's call Sarah and break the news to her together. We'll face this head-on and come up with a plan to support each other through it.