The Way Things Are by A.J. Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

has as much time as possible to complete his community service obligations.”
    Patrick squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out that damn voice. “Hmm?”
    “Ten hours of community service might not seem like much, but I’ve found that when kids put community service off until they last minute, they never get done.”
    “I agree, but….” Patrick wondered if the pizza boxes could be written off as a mere consequence of moving. He might just leave all of their shit in boxes so he had a ready-made excuse to avoid cleaning up for a while. “Our apartment really is a mess.”
    There was a long pause, and Patrick dared to glance at him. “I’m sure it’s fine,” he said at last. “I try to work closely with my clients’ parents. I’d like you to think of me as a partner in this process, and I’m not going to judge you for not being able to pull off the whole Better Homes & Gardens thing. Can I call you Patrick?”
    “Patrick, Pat, whatever. We’ve been through this a few times, so it’s nothing new. Unfortunately.”
    “I kind of figured. Between the detention screening intake forms, the probation assessment done at the hearing, and the report from the arresting officer, I’ve got three different statements about how often Jay’s been arrested.” Ken turned toward the back seat for a second. “There are no records of you facing any charges in King County prior to this, but your probation officer in New York faxed me your case file when I contacted him. There’s a lot to it.”
    “Yeah, Jay’s old PO and I had a bet going about how long it’d take before he had to get all of Jay’s paperwork and shit together. I figured it’d be at least two weeks…. He won by three days.”
    “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jay muttered.
    “I know you’re a good kid,” Patrick said. To Ken, he added, “He really is. But he’s kind of obsessed with art. He draws all the time. He was eleven the first time he got arrested for vandalism, and he’s been arrested a lot since then.”
    Patrick knew there was no way around explaining his son’s problem, even if it sounded like bullshit every time he said it out loud. “He’s got a graffiti problem. I know how insane and stupid that sounds, but it’s the best I can come up with.”
    “And what were the results of those arrests?”
    “The first few times, they made him do community service stuff but kept it off his record. The fourth time, he was formally charged, and the punishment has been worse each time. Fines, restitution, community service. They even made him serve two weeks in juvenile hall, but none of it did any good. I moved us here hoping that things would be different if I got him out of New York, but you can see how well that’s worked.”
    “What do you mean when you say none of it did any good?”
    “I mean it doesn’t stop him from doing it again. He’s always sorry. He always feels bad. But he always does it again.”
    “Maybe we can work on that,” Ken said quietly. “Will he face any kind of punishment or restriction at home because of this most recent arrest?”
    “Oh, he’s grounded. I work nights, so I’m going to have to call the house phone on my breaks to make sure he’s home overnight.”
    “All night long?”
    “Yeah.” Patrick shrugged. “I admit I hate waking him up at night. But it’s the only way I’ve figured out to keep him home. I’ve even tried babysitters, but as soon as they’re asleep, he’s gone.”
    “Does he have a cell phone?”
    “Yeah, just a basic one for emergencies. And that reminds me, I’ve got to shut it off.”
    Patrick tried not to gasp as that beautiful, easy smile lit up Ken’s face again. “You’re taking away his cell phone?” Ken asked.
    Patrick forced himself not to smile in return. “You know about call forwarding? It can transfer any call to one number to another number. You can set it up automatically, and there’s no way for the person calling to know which