419 It Ain’t Me (1/2)

After everyone was seated, Mr. Atkins took a deep breath and started from the beginning, sounding more clear than before. "Mr. Duncan called me to say the news knows that CPS is looking to get in touch with him. He believes there was a leak. Someone probably sold the info to a news station to make some money."

"Why would they do that?" Dave questioned.

"What does this mean exactly?" Kyle asked.

"Well, for starters, someone probably heard a famous person was involved and wanted to make a quick buck for whatever reason why. Mr. Duncan has assured me that they're looking for the leak and that person will immediately be fired." Mr. Atkins continued. "As for what it means...we can't be too sure just yet."

"Is Jake going to become famous?" Noah asked, frowning.

"No, he's still a minor so the news won't be able to release his name to the public." Mr. Atkins looked me in the eye. "But they'll be rehashing the story of you and your mom."

I gulped. "Soo. My brother will be asked about our mom?"

Mr. Atkins nodded. "This isn't the worst thing that could happen if we try and look at it in a better light. The state was having trouble reaching him in order to confirm his relationship with you. Right now they're trying to find some DNA sample to confirm your relationship with him and your father." He took a deep breath. "Maybe with the reporters asking the questions in public, he'll take the initiative to reach Mr. Duncan."

"This doesn't sound so bad." Noah spoke up and I agreed with him.

Mr. Atkins lips thinned. "Just because the news can't legally publish Jake's name, doesn't mean there aren't other ways. There are blogs, anonymous commenters, and even Jeremy himself can announce Jake's name." He gave me a sad smile. "I can't guarantee your privacy."

"Does this have any effect on us adopting Jake?" Mrs. Atkins spoke up for the first time.

Mr. Atkins shook his head. "Hopefully not. Best case scenario, we confirm his relatives, they agree not to fight for custody, then we go through the courts."

"Yay!" Noah jumped up. "This doesn't sound like bad news to me."

I nodded in agreement and so did the twins. With the news out in the open, I felt a little more free. Jeremy is going to know. He's going to know I made it to safety.

In the end, with Noah's excitement and urging, everyone agreed on The Arcade for dinner and some fun. We didn't know of the storm that was heading our way.

***

Sunday mornings were the most relaxed. No games. No mandatory practices. Mrs. Atkins would have breakfast ready before she and her husband would leave to show some houses to clients.

Sadly, it's not how this Sunday started.

"Jake!" Noah yelled, waking me up.

I turned over to look his way. Seeing that he looked upset and angry, I sat up with urgency. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Noah started to tug at me, getting me to hurry out of bed. "Come look at this! You have to see this!"

I fumbled out of bed and let Noah drag me to his laptop. A video was paused on the familiar face of Jeremy Patterson.

"This is the post-game conference. Some reporter asked about your mom!" Noah hit play.

["Jeremy, have you heard that your estranged mother is in prison?" A reporter asked.

His eyes widened for a second, then relaxed to a neutral expression. "No, we aren't in contact. That's the meaning of estranged. But I can't say I'm surprised."

"So you don't know why she's in prison?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I obviously don't. Is this really relevant to the game?"