“It’s supposed to,” he says.
“So, if you won’t talk about school growing up, let’s talk about college,” Ark says.
I squint my eyes at him. “OK. You first. Where’d you go?”
“I didn’t. How about you?”
“Me either.” I’m lying, but so is he. So fuck it.
JD’s chest rumbles with a laugh behind me. “You two are something else. Why waste so much energy being hostile?”
“We’re not hostile,” I say, feeling very hostile.
“Whatever.”
“OK, then,” Ark continues. “I’m a Gator. University of Florida. Your turn.”
And this rings true for some reason. He does have a slight southern accent to his speech. “Columbia,” I say.
“Columbia?” JD says. “Dayum, girl. You grew up rich and smart. How the fuck did you end up here?”
“It’s a long story.” My eyes never leave Ark’s face.
“We have time,” Ark says, staring back. “Give it a go, Blue. You’re gonna have to tell us eventually.”
How did I end up here? It’s been so long since I thought about it, I have to trace back my steps. “My best friend from when I was a kid—”
“School?” Ark interrupts. “Or home?”
“Home,” I answer, acutely aware that he’s fishing for details. “She moved to Denver and so I followed her here.”
“How old are you?”
“Jesus, Ark,” JD says. “It’s not an interrogation. Calm down.”
“Twenty-four,” I answer. And it is an interrogation. I’m just having a hard time piecing together why this guy feels the need to interrogate me. He’s protective, I get that. He’s controlling, and that too makes sense. But why me? I’m not that pretty. I’m at least fifteen pounds underweight, my hair is brittle, and my skin is pale. I look weary, even after a few days of rest. I look downtrodden. So why is he so interested? Why are either of them so interested? “How about you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“Twenty-five,” JD adds.
“So, your friend came to Denver and…”
I lift my knees up and wrap my arms around my legs, hugging them to my chest. “She came to Denver and worked as a waitress at first. But then…” I have to stop and make this part up. “But then she called me and said she was pregnant and could I come spend the summer with her and babysit.”
Ark narrows his eyes at me. “Why would she assume you’d drop your life and go help her?”
“We were BFF’s, ya know? And I wasn’t working.”
“So you came to Denver last summer?”
I shake my head.
“Summer before last?”
I nod.
“Well, fuck, Blue. That’s a long time to be in town. What the hell have you been doing here?” JD is starting to put things together. Ark has always known. It’s like he took one look at me out in the rain that morning and he could read my mind. But JD was just along for the ride. “Blue?” he prods, poking me to keep it fun.
But the fun is gone. I have to make a decision and I have to make it right now. Trust them or not. And if I do, then yeah, that’s a big move. And if I lie, they will know. I won’t be able to stay here much longer. A day or two at the most.
And then where would I go? I can’t call my father. That would be a huge deal. I can’t just go back out on the streets. There’s no way they won’t still be looking for me. They know I have no ID, no clothes, no passport. I can’t leave the country. I can’t go to the local charities, they’d find me first thing. I can’t even go to the police. Who knows how many officers they have on the payroll? And who knows how high up they go?
“You gotta trust someone,” Ark says, calm as can be. He’s used to this. Something about his detached professionalism is very familiar to me. And he’s right, I do need to trust someone. But two guys who make porn for a living? Really? “Start with the brand.”
JD’s whole body stiffens behind me when Ark says the word brand. I shake my head automatically at that one. “That’s an ending, not a beginning.”
“Fair enough. What happened when you got here?”
“We had lunch at a place down on Colorado Boulevard.”
“What city did you come from?”
“Montreal. I was home for the summer when she called. That’s the only way she knew to get a hold of me.”
“And you just took off for Denver.”
I know what he’s implying. And fine. Whatever. Who cares if he figures out I come from privilege? “I told you, I wasn’t working. I couldn’t find a job. I had nothing preventing me from going.”