Bad Influence by Brandon Massey

Author:Brandon Massey [Massey, Brandon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-25T00:00:00+00:00

27

They arrived at Six Flags Over Georgia shortly after the park opened at eleven. It was a gorgeous day: cloudless and sunny, with temperatures in the low eighties and a cool breeze to temper the fierce Georgia humidity.

Adrian’s simple goal for their visit was to ensure that all the children—including Scarlett—had fun and stayed out of trouble.

Despite Scarlett’s behavior thus far, Adrian still believed the teenager was harmless. She thrived on attention; she made remarks designed to trigger shocked gasps and expressions of disbelief, but it was all empty chatter. As he continued to tell himself, she was just a kid. A brainy and smart-mouthed kid, but only a child, all the same.

“Let’s take a group picture,” he said after they passed through the park’s entrance.

He found an employee willing to snap the photo. The four of them posed in front of a big, colorful sign that announced: Six Flags—Thrill Capital of the South.

The employee handed back his phone, and he reviewed the picture. Scarlett had poked two fingers behind Willow’s head, giving his niece a pair of bunny ears. The kid couldn’t resist an opportunity to mock someone.

He opened his text messaging app and sent the photo to Lamont with the comment: chaperoning kids here makes working at FiPro feel like a vacation. He closed with a smiley-face emoji.

Was it brown-nosing on his part? Maybe, but if he didn’t toot his own horn, who would?

In seconds, Lamont responded with a thumbs-up emoji. Score. Adrian smiled to himself.

“What do you all want to do first, kids?” he asked the girls.

“Please tell me you aren’t going to follow us around here everywhere, Mr. Wall,” Scarlett said. “No offense, sir, but you’ll embarrass me. I’m fourteen years old, not four, like Willow.”

“I’m twelve!” Willow said. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Hey, I like rides, too,” Adrian said. “I love roller coasters. I’m a thrill junkie.”

“Daddy, please,” Harper said with an eye roll. “Can we meet you somewhere later?”

He looked from Scarlett, to Harper, to Willow. They shifted on their feet, eager to be set free.

“What will I do all by myself?” he asked.

“There’s plenty of stuff here for old people,” Scarlett said.

“I’m not that old, kid.” He studied their faces again. “Can I trust you all to stay out of trouble?”

“Yes,” they answered in unison.

“All right, we’ll meet in three hours to touch base,” he said. “I’ll text you, Harp. And text me if you need anything at all, okay?”

“Aye, aye, sir.” Scarlett gave him a mock solute.

He watched the children scatter away from him like leaves in the wind.

I hope I don’t regret this later.

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