My Favorite Girl Pt. 03

I left the room. Between my mom and now this, today was not a very good day.

------ The Wednesday before Labor Day, to the final Wednesday of September -------

I called the lawyer right after Blake and I had the argument in the room to let him know what was going on. He said he was going to make a few calls to other lawyers and get their opinion on the matter. He called me the next morning and asked me to come in to have a meeting with him. Based on the circumstances surrounding my situation, they were most likely going to be opening an investigation on me.

He knew I would want a quick resolution to the investigation, so he went over the details of what was going to happen and what I needed to bring and disclose to the investigator when they did come calling. I damn near had a heart attack once I understood the full details of what they were going to be looking at. I had to come clean and let the second person in the world know about my secret.

I told him who Emma was and what we were and what we had been doing. I expressed my concerns about the relationship getting out and becoming public. I was concerned the investigation would somehow get her tangled up in this mess. If they were going back over my financials to last year, they would see the trips and wonder where I got the money for that and why I went where I went and why Emma was with me. I was worried that somehow Uncle Ronnie would get wrapped up in it too and somehow he would find out that Emma was with me on half the trips I took.

Uncle Ronnie would unquestionably wonder why Emma went with me. It would be awfully hard to explain away the most recent trip when we told him we were going for job interviews, but we went to the Bahamas instead. The lawyer wasn't too concerned about family related trips. They would see where I went, but not who went with me. He was more concerned about where the money was coming from to afford those trips. Looking over my financial records, he could see I had nothing to worry about. It was all coming from my account, and it came from my dad before that.

The lawyer did offer that if I wanted to be safe and have less to worry about, that I should tell her not to come into town and visit me. It would be safer to wait until the bulk of the investigation was completed before I should entertain the idea of having her visit me. It wasn't even a bad idea to cool things off completely for a while and give the investigator less of a reason to look at Emma, Ronnie, or Joy.

I had to call Emma and cancel our weekend plans. I didn't tell her what was happening, I just told her it wasn't a good time to come and we could try again on the next long weekend. If I told her what was really going on, she would probably freak out and I didn't want that for her. I had enough to worry about already. She was more than disappointed with the whole situation.

It took two days before I was called into a meeting room with the coach, an investigator, and my lawyer. It confirmed what I already knew was probably coming. Blake had thrown me under the bus. We had to sit down, do an interview, disclose financial records, give times and dates, list character witnesses, list people you associate with, you name it, they wanted it. If my lawyer hadn't been there, they probably would have had me bend over so they could probe my butthole too. The investigator took all the information and left to begin investigating me.

Coach had to deliver the bad news now. I was suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of the investigation. That could be weeks long. I'd miss half the season probably, all for nothing. I would be cleared since I had done nothing wrong, but they didn't know that. They had probably heard that a thousand times before, so I was treated like everyone else under investigation.

I knew the investigation part was coming. I didn't realize the suspension was coming also. I spent two days in isolation trying to get over the fact that I wasn't going to be golfing competitively for an unknown amount of time. Then it dawned on me. I had had a pretty good summer as an amateur on the tour, so I started contacting sponsors to see if I could get some exemptions into upcoming events. It took some time and effort, but after two weeks and one charity event later, I was able to get into the first two events in October.

The news came right after I was all set for those events that the investigations initial findings found that I was going to be cleared on all charges. It would take about two more weeks before the final report would be out and I would be cleared. Once I was cleared, my suspension would be lifted and I'd be able to return to the golf team again.

I was really torn with which path I wanted to take once I got the news that I was going to be cleared. I knew that I was going to be cleared, that part was certain and I wasn't torn on that. The dilemma was, did I really want to stay in college and waste the next three years of my life playing for nothing then head down the pathway to turn pro? Or did I just want to do it right now?

Three years from now I'd have to turn pro, ask the tour for a special nonmember exemption, and hope I was good enough to earn a tour card. If I didn't get the special exemption, I'd have to play on the under tour and go through qualifying school and get a card that way. That would mean another year of playing for basically nothing. The third option was to win a tour event and be given a tour card for a guaranteed two years.

I had the two sponsorship exemption events coming up in a couple of weeks. That was my focus and my goal. I needed to win one of them. The odds weren't the best, but they were better than normal. The tour playoffs were over and the season was winding down so most of the big names were done until the first of the year. That left the field more open to the underdogs. All I had to do was put together four good rounds.

It took about a week, but I finally made my decision. If I didn't win one of the two events, I'd stay in school until spring then drop out, turn pro, and ask for the special nonmember exemption. If I didn't get it, I'd play on the under tour for six months and earn the card that way. I gave college a try, but this investigation just showed me how easy it was for somebody to screw with your future. I needed to take my future into my own hands and play by my own rules. I was done wasting my time with something I never really wanted to do anyway. If I had never even gone to college, I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

------------------------------- Wednesday, the final week of September ----------------------------

I sat on the steps in front of the old row style apartment buildings that lined the street. The neighborhood was pretty old and run down, making me feel a little uneasy that I was here at the moment. I didn't really have a choice right now. I had called and texted Emma to talk and tell her the news and what was going on, but she wasn't taking my calls or returning my texts.

I called Dory and Ronnie to see if they had heard from her. Maybe she was just mad at me and not taking my calls but neither one of them had heard from her either. Ronnie didn't seem too concerned since she didn't call but once a week anyway and it had only been a couple of days since her last call to him. Dory hadn't heard from her in over a month, so she wasn't really much help either. They both called her but informed me she hadn't returned their calls either. That was three days ago.

I had to get to the bottom of the issue and the only way to do that was to track her down and talk to her face to face. I left Texas very early this morning and drove straight on through for twelve hours to be here. This place wasn't the easiest place to find, half the buildings were missing numbers and letters. It just did not look safe or a place for a single girl to call home.

I chatted with the older lady a few doors away that said she knew Emma but wasn't sure which one she lived in. She just knew her as the young, pretty girl that had just moved in. She pointed me down to this door, so I sat on the steps and waited patiently for her to come home. It was getting closer to five in the evening, so I knew it had to be soon.

I looked up from my phone as I heard some keys jingle. There was Emma, one apartment away from the one I was in front of, putting her keys into the lock on the door. I sprang to my feet, leapt down the stairs, and hurried down the sidewalk so I could catch her before she went inside.

"Emma," I called.

"If you come any closer, Ben!" she hissed. "I've got the pepper spray and I'm going to use it."

"Ben?" I questioned. "No, it's Jason."

She turned around in surprise to confirm it was me. Her annoyance never changed once she did notice it was me though.

"Even better. I can use it on you too."

"Whoa!" I cried. "Emma, it's me."

"I can see that!" she hissed still. "Doesn't mean I don't want to use it on you any less."

"Ok," I said calmly and held my hands up. "Before you go all medieval and spray me, we probably should sit down and talk about the past couple of weeks and what's been going on. Then if you still feel the need to spray me, I guess go for it."

"I already have a pretty good idea about what's going on," she quipped as she pushed the door open. She set her stuff inside the door.

"Ok?" I questioned. "How did you find that out because I haven't said anything to anyone about it?"

"It's on the internet," she answered as she scrolled through her tablet in search of something.

"It is?" I questioned.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Why are you upset then?" I asked her. "I mean, it's not like I could control what is going on."

"Right!" she barked. "Because this was outside of your control?"

She turned the tablet and showed me a picture of me, sleeping on a bed with a caption under it. I didn't get a chance to read the caption but I could see it was from Jenny's page so she must have posted something about me being there and shared the pic. I was now annoyed with Jenny since I asked her not to say anything about the situation. I'd have to chew her out when I got back.

"Ok," I sighed. "Yeah, I was at Jenny's place for a few nights, but that was..."

"Right when I was supposed to come and visit," she interrupted me.

"Yeah, you were supposed to come, but..."

"You decided to see her instead."

"Wait-what? No, I didn't decide that..." I fell silent as she just burned a hole through me with her look.

"Hmm?" she quipped. "Nothing to say now?" She was intently searching for something on the tablet again.

"No," I replied annoyed. "I'm just... I'm kind of confused right now. If you know what's going on, then why are you mad about a couple of nights at Jenny's place."

"Yeah?" she asked with anger. "A couple of nights?" She turned the tablet and showed me another picture.

I looked and had to study the pic for a moment before I knew who it was. It was me at the charity event with my date, Beth, not Jenny. But, with some makeup on and a nice dress, she did kind of look a lot like Jenny.

"I don't understand the connection you're trying to make," I responded more confused than before. I was about to ask how the two pictures related to each other and what she was mad about, but she exploded before I could.

"Because you canceled our weekend together to go be with Jenny!" she snapped. "Damn, Jason. Grow some balls and just tell me you didn't want me to come so you could hang with Jenny. I get it. I don't have any claim to you since this is casual but don't just say some shit is going down all in a panic and then not call me for a month."

"Whoa, hold on just a minute," I shot back. "That's what you're mad about? You think I canceled to go hang out with Jenny?"

"Pretty clear," she fired right back and showed me the tablet again.

"Those two pictures don't even go together!" I barked but realized quickly that yelling wasn't going to help any. I held up my hand to try and calm the situation down before I continued.

"I can see you're upset." She was about to explode again so I held up my hand to stop her again. "And! I can see you've made your mind up on something that isn't what it really looks like. Can we please sit down so I can explain what has been going on? I drove all the way here..."

"Which was kind of dumb," she hissed. "You could have just called."

"I have been," I replied calmly. "For the past five days I've been calling you."

"But the previous three weeks were what?" she shot in and called me out.

"My fault," I said and took the blame.

She let out an angry sigh.

"Emma," I said calmly.

"Fine," she relented after a moment. "Get inside so the nosey neighbors don't have to hear it."

I walked in and was pointed to the kitchen table inside her small apartment. She picked her bag up and went to the fridge to put away whatever she had inside. I waited until she was done and setting at the kitchen table across from me before I spoke.

"Hi, Emma," I said. "It's nice to see you by the way."

"Shut up," she sighed. "I don't want to hear it. Just tell me what's going on."

"O-k," I said softly and was taken aback by her attitude still. I took a breath then began.

"So, the whole thing started on the Monday before you were to come. Blake, I don't know the full details, but he got some free stuff. I don't know if he stole it, I don't know if he was given it, I don't know the whole story. I know you can't take stuff or be given stuff when you're on a scholarship. He got caught and there was an investigation launched against him."

"He asked me to lie for him. I told him I would not do that. I was there to play golf and keep myself out of trouble. Then he mentioned he might have told them some things about me too. A few days later, I'm also under investigation."

I looked at Emma and let her process the information and to see if she had any questions. She had nothing so I continued.

"That's when I called you and told you not to come. My lawyer told me it would be better to cool things off between us until the bulk of the investigation was completed."

"Your lawyer?" she questioned. "Why do you have a lawyer?"

"Because I'm under investigation for possibly taking bribes and money. I did it to have legal help and guidance through all the crap I've been through."

"Ok," she nodded. "That makes sense. But why did he tell you not to have me come visit you?"

"The investigator was going to dig through my financial records and see all the trips we have taken together and all the money I have spent. They were also going to talk to people I know and associate with. You and me and your mom and dad have been on some of those trips. My mind immediately went to your dad and what would he think if he found out about the trips you and I took together without him and your mom."

The weight of the situation finally hit her. "Oh... shit."

"Yeah," I agreed. "And you know he would ask us about them if he found out."

"But he never mentioned being contacted by an investigator," she offered. "I wasn't either."

"I have no idea what their methods and practices are for investigating these things," I said. "They probably did some digging and figured out that your dad was my guardian for a time and then just assumed family vacation and moved on."

She shrugged uneasily but agreed with me.

"But it was after that conversation that the lawyer told me it probably wasn't going to be a concern, but just to be safe, I should try and limit my contact with all of you. That's why I canceled the trip."

"What did they say about the trips?" she asked.

"I don't know. There was nothing they could really say about them anyway. The money came from my account, which came from my investment earnings, which came from the trust, which came from my dad after he passed away. I can't be the only kid in the world who has rich parents and money to spend. But to answer your question, the investigation is still open, and I haven't heard anything from them other than them saying we haven't found anything."

"Ok," she nodded. "That part makes sense. But, how did you end up over at Jenny's place?"

"Blake and I had the argument and then the investigation was launched, so I told the school they needed to figure out a different living arrangement for one of us. Until they did, I left the dorm and crashed over at Jenny's place. Now, in hindsight, I should have stayed someplace else, but I was looking for a place to crash and in a hurry. She has an apartment so there was more room."

"It's ok," she offered. "You have the right to do what you want. I don't have..."

"We didn't sleep together," I interrupted her. "We are just friends. That pic is of me on an air mattress in the living room. There's nothing happening and nothing going on between us. I just needed a place to stay."

"But you took her on a date," she said. "And you left town to do it."

"What?" I asked. "Oh... that other pic you had?"

"Yeah."

"Where the hell did you get that anyway?"

"It was on the schools' social page about the students and doing good for the community," she replied.

I shook my head and frowned in annoyance at that.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," I sighed. "It's just ironic that I'm in trouble, but they would use my face on their social page to promote community good, and it wasn't even a community related event where that photo was taken."

"You and Jenny look good together and are pretty photogenic."

"That girl I was with wasn't even Jenny," I said annoyed at her comment.

"It wasn't?"

"No. Her name is Beth, and she is the daughter of one of the executives that is a sponsor of one of the golf events that I'm going to be golfing in next week. I had to take her to dinner, get up in front of a bunch of potential donors and give a speech about the charity and ask them to donate. If I did that, I'd get an exemption into the event so that's what I did. And let me tell you, I'm confident but not very good at public speaking."

"Wait-wait-wait," Emma held up her hand. "I thought the school scheduled events and you guys just went to them. Is that not the way it works?"

"Well," I smiled a little. "It does... but not for me at the moment."

"Why not?"

"I am currently suspended from the golf team pending the outcome of my investigation, so... things are a little different for me right now."

"What?! Suspended?"

"I'm under investigation for some pretty serious charges, so they can't just let me go out there and golf. What happens if they did come back with some sort of wrongdoing? Everything I've done for the team this year now comes into question so they couldn't take the risk of letting me play."

"But you didn't do anything wrong, did you?"

"No. But they don't know that, Em. Every kid that gets into trouble says they've done nothing wrong. They have to treat me like everyone else."

"Ok, I see."

"So, because I'm not currently allowed to golf for the foreseeable future, I decided to beg for sponsorship exemptions and golf on tour. I need to compete, I need to be pushed, and I need to get my mind off of things. And, if I win one of the next two events, the investigation doesn't matter. I'll get my tour card and leave college for good."

"How long is the investigation going to take?"

"A few more weeks, maybe. I've already been cleared of any wrongdoing, but they have to issue the final report before I can return. Right now, I'm just attending classes and practicing by myself with a new swing coach."

She nodded.

"So, I'm sorry I told you not to come," I offered. "And, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the reasons why. I was worried that it would freak you out, so I didn't tell you."

"I'm sorry too," she sighed. "Sorry I overreacted but I seriously thought you canceled to go be with Jenny."