“Thank you … How did you find out?”
“From the family newsletter.”
“Right.” I had no idea we had a family newsletter. “Of course.”
My mom held up her finger as if to say she’d be right back and left me alone in the bathroom on the phone with her uncle that I’d never met before.
“Has your mom told you that I’m a real estate investor?”
I didn’t know you existed before two minutes ago, was what I was tempted to say. “Um … no.”
“Well, I am, and I can talk to you about that some if you’d like, but what I really wanted to tell you is that it’s important for you to diversify your investing. Sure, put some in the market, but also make sure you have some real estate and other investments, too.”
Had my mom called her uncle after I’d bought the car? She was probably concerned that I hadn’t seen a financial advisor yet, just like my dad. “Oh yeah, that’s probably important,” I replied, putting down my toothbrush.
“It is important. I think you should start off small for now. I have a property I’m looking at that I’d love to go in on with another investor. I’d like you to be that investor.”
“Me?”
“Yes, my dear. You could be a real estate mogul at eighteen years of age.”
“How much would I invest?” I asked cautiously.
“We’d each put in five hundred grand. The property is very undervalued right now. It’s the perfect time to buy. I’d like to fix it up, then turn around and sell it. You could make a twenty percent return on your investment in a couple months.” Uncle Barry sounded proud.
“Why don’t you just buy the whole thing yourself?”
“That’s the thing. I have some money tied up in other properties right now.”
Where was my mom?
“Can I send you over some paperwork to look at?” Uncle Barry was asking.
“Sure.” Paperwork was harmless.
“Great.”
We said our good-byes and I set the phone on the counter. I’d have to find out more about real estate stuff. But if my great-uncle Barry already knew the business, why not invest with him? It would probably make my parents feel better, too.
Pulling up to the school in my new car was more embarrassing than I’d anticipated. Lots of people drove expensive fancy cars at my school, but apparently not quite as expensive and not quite as fancy as mine. Seconds after parking, I had a crowd around me. Half the kids were talking about my car, half were asking about the yacht party. I was trying my best to answer both sets of questions when Trina infiltrated the group, grabbed me by the elbow, and led me away. She took the keys out of my hand and pushed the button, causing my car to let off two short beeps. Then she turned to the others and said, “We’ll see you all Friday, no more questions.”
“Thanks,” I said, a little winded as we left the crowd behind.
“No problem.” She looked me up and down. My hair was pulled up in its standard messy bun and my glasses were slipping down my nose. “But seriously,” she said. “You need a look to match the car. We’re still on for Wednesday, right?”
“Yes.”
“Cool.”
“Do you know someone named Leo?” I asked.
“Leo? Leo who?”
“I don’t know his last name.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know a Leo.”
“I thought you knew everyone.” I probably had that backward. Everyone knew her, not the other way around.
She lowered her brows at me, then asked, “Why did you want me to know Leo?”
“He has a band. I was hoping to book him on the yacht.”
“Excellent idea,” she said.
I thought so, plus it would help him out. One of the things he said he needed to get his band out there was a good gig. I thought this was a good gig.
Trina dropped me off by the lockers with my friends. I waved as she walked away. Blaire looked after her. “What was that about?”
“She just saved me from the masses.”
“What masses?” Elise asked.
“I got a new car. They wanted to see it.”
“You got a new car?” Blaire asked. “Tell me it’s bigger than your last one.”
“It’s bigger, but it seats fewer people.”
Blaire sighed.
“Did you want me to get a minivan?” I asked.
“That would’ve been the most practical,” she said with a smile.
“I didn’t exactly go for practicality here.”
“Really?” Elise said. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“For sure. I’ll show you later.”
It took me all day to track down Leo. Apparently when you’ve only met a guy once, didn’t remember exactly what he looked like, and didn’t know his last name, it’s not that easy. But after asking what felt like five million people, he was finally pointed out to me after school on my way to the parking lot. He was sitting on a bench by a group of other guys who at the moment were throwing some sort of food at his open mouth.
I stood to the side, waiting until he noticed me.
“Oh, hey,” he said. “I hear you’ve been asking for me.”
“You heard I was asking for you but didn’t think to come find me?” I asked.
An M&M hit him on the side of the head and he scowled at his friend. “No, I didn’t,” he said back to me.
“Well, I was hoping you and your band would play at my party this weekend.”
“That’s short notice.”
“Do you have another gig?”
“No.”
I was trying to be nice, but if he didn’t want to, I could just use the sound system in the yacht. I’d talked to the lady who owned the yacht and she’d said it had one. “Do you want to or not?” I asked.
“How much does it pay?”
I had thought he’d just want the exposure, but he was right, I was asking him to do a job, I needed to pay him. “I don’t know … how much do you normally make when you play?”
“A thousand dollars.”
“Really? That much?”
“Yep,” he said.
“Okay. Then that’s what I’ll pay you.”
He high-fived the guy sitting next to him. “Cool.”
“So you can do it?”
“Yes. We’ll be there. Eight o’clock, right?”
“That’s what time we’re leaving. Be there at seven thirty so we can get all your equipment on board.”
“Sounds good, boss,” he said.
I wondered if this was a mistake.
“Hey,” he added before I turned to go. “Can we get half the money up front?”
“No,” I said. “You show up, you’ll get the money.”
He gave me a salute and I walked away. I headed for the parking lot. Elise and Blaire were already at my car when I arrived. Elise was slowly walking around the car, her hand trailing lovingly over the shiny paint.
“How did you know this was mine?” I asked.
“Really?” Blaire asked. “How didn’t we know?”
“Is it too much?”
“It just doesn’t seem like you,” Blaire said.
“Well, it is.”
“That’s good then. It’s pretty cool,” Blaire said.
“Thanks.”
Elise said a quiet, “Wow,” after she completed her lap around my car. “I want to drive this later.”
I smiled. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Maybe I’d be a great racecar driver. Do they have that major in college?”
“Probably not,” I said.
“My friend is totally awesome and rich!” Elise yelled to the parking lot.
A couple people lingering in the lot answered with appreciative whoops.
I looked down, embarrassed, and hissed, “Don’t do things like that.”
Elise just shrugged.
Blaire hitched her backpack higher on her shoulder. “See you both tomorrow.” And then she left.
“She’s just jealous.” Elise pretended to whisper but really said it loud enough for Blaire to hear as she walked away.