The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide #1)(83)
Topher, Joey, Sam, and Mo sat across from the lawyer and he passed them each a manila folder with their name on it.
“First off, let me tell you how sorry I am for your loss,” Carl said. “I’ve been working with Cash since he was just twelve years old, so this has been a difficult time for myself and others at my firm. Shortly before he died, Cash set aside some funds for each of you to help pay for your education. Go ahead and take a look.”
They each opened the folder in front of them and stared down in shock at the absurd amount of money the actor had left them.
“Holy fuckballs,” Joey said.
“This… this… is for us?” Sam asked.
“Yes,” Carl said. “Mr. Carter wasn’t sure how much your specific tuitions would cost, as you all had plans to attend different schools, but he wanted to leave enough so you didn’t have to worry.”
“Where did he think we’re going to school?” Mo asked. “Buckingham Palace?”
“This is about three more zeros than I would ever need,” Topher said.
“There’s a second page,” Carl said.
The teenagers turned their pages and discovered another generous inheritance from the actor.
“As you can see, the second page is more individualized to your specific needs,” Carl said. “Mr. Davis, Cash has left you his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, should you pursue performing arts in New York City. Ms. Ishikawa, Cash has left you the official rights to his life story, should you choose to write a biography of the actor someday. And as for Mr. Collins and Ms. Gibson, Cash has left you both an additional trust. The second trust for you, Mr. Collins, is titled the Billy Trust, which is enough to hire a full-time caregiver for your brother so you can focus on your education. Ms. Gibson, Cash left no instructions on how he wishes you to use the second trust under your name, but he’s titled it the Transitioning Trust.”
After all the bombshells the teenagers from Downers Grove had endured over the summer, they didn’t think anything could ever shock them again. However, all four of them stared down at the legal documents with wide eyes and open mouths—they weren’t used to happy surprises.
“I can see you’re all rather stunned,” Carl said. “I’ll leave you alone for a moment while you absorb this information. If you have any questions, I’ll be right outside the door.”
The lawyer left the boardroom to give them a few minutes of privacy. It took a while before Topher, Joey, Sam, and Mo realized they weren’t dreaming and even longer for them to form words to speak to each other.
“Holy fuckballs,” Joey said again—as if all other words in the English language had escaped him.
“Can we even accept this?” Sam asked.
“Of course we can,” Joey said. “It’ll probably all go to taxes and stuff if we don’t, right, Topher? Topher?”
“Sorry, I’m really overwhelmed,” he said. “I never expected Cash would do this for us. How about you, Mo? You’re the creative one in the group. Did you ever imagine something like this could happen?”
Despite her overactive imagination, Mo was just as shocked as everyone else. The aspiring writer felt like she and her friends were living a ridiculous happy ending straight from the final page of one of her outlandish stories.
“Definitely not,” Mo said. “I don’t care what Cash said on the first day in the car—everything that’s happened to us this summer, well… it’s all been stranger than fanfiction.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Stranger Than Fanfiction is the story of five young adults who face unique social challenges. Several sensitive topics are discussed in hopes of providing comfort and inspiration to readers who have experienced similar issues, as well as awareness and understanding to readers who haven’t.
However, for the purpose of good storytelling, the characters’ opinions and choices are sometimes flawed. Please do not view their actions as generalizations or examples to follow, but as the mistakes and triumphs of individuals.
And if you’re a parent, I promise your child already knew all the bad words in this book.…
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank Rob Weisbach, Alvina Ling, Alla Plotkin, Melanie Chang, Megan Tingley, Derek Kroeger, Will Sherrod, Heather Manzutto, Rachel Karten, Nikki Garcia, Jerry Maybrook, Joey Garcia, Kheryn Callender, Collyn Dungey, Fox Benwell, Jen Graham, Karina Granda, Ruiko Tokunaga, and all my friends and family.
And, of course, to all the writers of fanfiction my likeness and I have had the privilege of being included in. Thank you for the inspiration… and for describing me with abs.