Jake scanned the campus with a blank expression.
    “See?” the man giving the tour said excitedly. “We even have a building specifically for…”
    Jake was no longer listening to the man.
    The university was definitely interesting, beautiful even, but Jake didn’t care. Everything looked the same to him. It wasn’t difficult for him to pretend to be fascinated, but the truth was he didn’t care about anything anymore. There was too much going on in his life for him to care about what college he was attending. He just cared that he was away from his parents.
    Just weeks before, his parents had started a terrible divorce. The divorce was difficult on both of his parents, but mostly him, the only son of the unhappy couple. He’d left the two of them to their own arguments to search for a place to try and start over.
    Brennen University caught his attention because it was four hours away from home, making it uncomfortable to drive home every weekend or for someone to visit him every weekend. He wouldn’t have to worry about his mother or father driving to visit him every hour of the day. Unfortunately, his father had also moved, putting him just an hour away.
    ‘Don’t have to worry about him,’ Jake thought as his blue eyes scanned the buildings. ‘He doesn’t care. He hasn’t cared about me for years.’
     “…there for students to eat on. That right there is the fountain dedicated to our president. That statue over there is dedicated to the founders of this college, Mr. and-”
    “What about activities?” Jake interrupted, trying to get away from the stupid history lecture.
    “Oh. Well…” the man’s mouth ran off again.
    Jake rolled his eyes. ‘Dumb. This whole thing. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, that I actually have to do this. Why can’t they-’ he stopped himself.
    His arm collided with a young woman, whom he had to catch to prevent from falling.
    She blushed deeply, “I’m sorry.”
    He shrugged, “My fault.”
    The guy giving the tour stopped. Jake couldn’t remember his name. “Uh…we’ve got more to see,” he said.
    Several people eyed the small group. Jake lifted his blonde eyebrow and looked around. At six foot two, one hundred forty pounds, blonde and blue-eyed, people noticed Jake. It also didn’t help that he was the son of a very well-known judge.
    He finally looked back at the girl and held out his hand, “Jake Hansen.”
    She blushed as she took his hand, “Hope Cooper.”
    Jake found himself smiling, “I know this sounds funny and everything, seeing how I just ran into you.”
    “But…?” she tilted her head.
    “Can I ask you out?”
    She smiled, her red face brightening, “Can you?”
    He chuckled, “Okay, would you like to go out on a date with me?”
    Hope’s hands immediately went to her hips in a teasing manner. “Are you some kind of a creep?”
    “Possibly,” he shrugged, still smiling, “But I’ve never dated myself, so I don’t know.”
    Hope laughed, “Okay. Here’s my number.”
    Jake quickly pulled his phone out and added it to his address book. He shook her hand again, “Thanks. I’ll call you later.”
    Hope nodded and glanced back once more at the curious boy before she disappeared behind the corner of one of the student buildings.
    “Do you always do that?” the tour-guide inquired. His arms had been folded over his chest during the whole conversation, clearly annoyed at the two. His face was slowly beginning to drip beads of sweat.
    Jake shook his head, “Nope. Sometimes, though. When you find a good-lookin girl, you gotta get her info or you might not see her again.”
    “Does it ever work?”
    “Not always. In fact…it rarely works,” he frowned. He shrugged again and looked at the guy, “What else do you have to show me? I’m kinda getting sick of looking around.”
    “Uh…” the short man looked around, his arms slowly dropping from on top of his belly, “Well, I guess you’re done.”
    “Good. Thanks, by the way.” Jake started away, but stopped. “When do classes start?”
    “Starts August twentieth.”
    Jake nodded and wandered back to his car without saying anything else. His mind was racing. ‘Have to find a stupid apartment, buy books…man.’
    He let out an exasperated sigh and climbed into the driver’s seat of his dark blue Toyota Celica. His car purred as it came to life, but he glanced at the address before he moved from the parking lot, blind to the stares he was receiving.
    The drive to the apartment complex was quick, though it was far enough away from campus that he would have to drive every day. He immediately frowned at the thick building, but he knew his bank account had to last him the whole school year. Judge or not, his father wasn’t about to help his son and Jake certainly wasn’t about to accept it.
    No matter what the grounds looked like, he was determined on finding something likeable about the place. An overgrown lot was to the left of the five-story cement building, with a parking lot to the right of the building. A broken, rotting fence framed the right side of the complex, barely splitting it from the red brick house. It looked like it had once been a business building of some kind, but Jake couldn’t figure out what and didn’t really care to know either.
    Jake locked the car with the button and walked into the main lobby, tucked to the left of the entrance. It had a half-moon desk that was covered in yellow and white papers, a pile of pencil shavings scattered the edge in front of the short, round man standing behind the desk. He was wearing a white tank-top that was stained yellow under his hairy armpits and the smell emanating from the man was indescribable.
    Jake cleared his throat, “I’m here to look at an apartment.”
    “Aye. Okah, jes falla meh.” The man waddled from behind the desk and started up a stairwell directly next to the door.
    The door slammed shut, echoing through the stairwell. The small area was stuffy with the smell of new paint mixed with alcohol and the man that was soon to be Jake’s landlord. Jake kept a few cautious steps behind the man, hoping that would help with the smell.
    Jake’s eyes scanned the dim hallway. The constant flickering of the lights stung his eyes a little and he started to wonder if the money was really worth living in a place like this. However, as soon as the man pushed his apartment door open, Jake found he liked the place.
    The studio apartment had a kitchen to the right, behind the open door. The bathroom was on this same wall. Though the ground was cement, the walls had been freshly painted with white, accented by black cupboards, an island counter, and the moldings of the room. A black fan hung from the ceiling in the main room and then the kitchen.
    Jake nodded, “I’ll take it. When can I move in?”
    “Ah…dis weeken.”
    “As in tomorrow?” Jake’s eyebrow rose.
    The round man nodded and he scratched his thick black moustache, “Yip. Ya has to move in by yaself. I not helping.”
    Jake nodded and held his hand out for the key. His new landlord handed over the key easily, but snatched Jake’s wrist. “Money,” he demanded.
    Jake rolled his eyes, “I’ve got it, okay? Let’s sign your contract, or whatever, and just get this over with.”
    It only took seconds to sign the contract and Jake was immediately on his way to the local furniture store. Within his budget, he was only able to purchase a mattress, loveseat, rug, and coffee table. Though dented and slightly torn, they would have to do. A bed frame was just something else for him to pack, so he neglected purchasing one. He had the added payment for these items to be delivered the next day, but knew that was his only option.
    Jake found a hotel just a few blocks away from his apartment and paid cash to rent it.
    Just as he walked into the dim room, his phone rang.
    He ran his thumb over the screen as his tongue ran over his teeth, debating if he should really answer it. He finally pressed the ‘silent’ button and dropped it onto the bed.
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    “Did you get it?” Brock asked, shuffling through the papers on his desk, his phone smashed between his cheek and shoulder.
    Valary glared at a spot on the wall as she paced the kitchen, “Yes, but I’m going to take my time signing it.”
    Brock snorted, “Well that’s a surprise.” Valary was about to retaliate with her own comment, but she was interrupted. “Hey, have you heard anything from Jake?”
    “He’s just as much your son as mine. You call him.”
    Brock rubbed his thumb over his eyebrow, “I tried, Val. He didn’t answer.”
    “Then maybe he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
    “Ya think? Really? Wow. I had no idea." He threw his hands up. "Geeze, Valary! I just wanted to know if he found a place to live, that’s it!”
    Valary slammed her hand on the counter, “I don’t know. He hasn’t talked to me since he walked out two months ago!”
    “Neither have I! You think he’d want to talk to me? That’s why I’m asking you!”
    “Why?”
    “You’re the mom!”
    Valary snorted, “Oh, so it’s my job because I’m the woman. He’s your son too! If you hadn’t hit him, we might both know what’s going on with him.”
    Brock was silenced immediately. He took a seat in his chair. “Okay, you’re right,” he muttered. “But he hit me first. He can’t really think that he would get away with me not reacting. I have the right to punish him.”
    Valary shook her head, “I’m done with this conversation. I’ll send you your stupid divorce papers when I get around to them. I’m going to call my son, since you can’t.”
    Before Brock could respond, the phone was dead.
    Brock wanted to throw the phone across the room, but had to settle on pressing his hands against his forehead in frustration.
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    Detective Slater signed his name and closed the folder as he got up from his desk.
    Officer Cooper tapped on the door, “You up for lunch?”
    Slater smiled, “Of course. You buyin?”
    Cooper chuckled, “You drivin?”
    The two arrived at a local restaurant a few minutes later, a popular location for the cops to go on break. Several officers were seated around the diner, busily chatting and laughing. The detective took the booth seat, Cooper sliding in across from him.
    “How’d that case go for you?” Copper asked.
    Slater shook his head angrily, “Wasn’t enough evidence. Judge Hansen had to throw it out. We couldn’t even get a warrant for the guy. For his arrest or to search for any evidence.”
    “Man. Guys molesting kids…that’s just wrong!”
    The detective shrugged, “Wasn’t enough to get him. Not enough at all. We should’ve thought of it before we went to him. We’ll just have to wait, I guess.”
    “Weren’t there any witnesses? Kids?”
    “Nope. Just parents that supposed. No victims came forward.”
    “That’s too bad,” Cooper frowned. “Just another sick-o out on the streets.”
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    Jake ran the towel over his head as he collapsed onto the couch. He flipped the television on and searched through the different shows before he settled on a cop show.
    When his phone rang, he habitually grabbed it. “Yeah?”
    “Jake. I…haven’t heard from you in a while and I wanted to see how you’re doing.”
    Jake frowned. “I’m fine, Mom.”
    “Have you found a place to live?” she tentatively asked.
    “Yeah. And a college to go to.”
    Valary rubbed her lips together, wondering if she dared ask him where.
    He answered the unspoken question. “I’m going to Brennen. Hour away from Dad. Not intentional. Found a little apartment I can actually afford. I think it’s called Riverbanks, or something like that.”
    She smiled a little, “I’m glad you’ve decided to go to school there. It’s a great university.”
    Jake shrugged, “It’s okay.”
    There were a few uneasy seconds of silence before Valary released the air in her lungs. “Your father tried to call you.”
    “I know.”
    “You should call him.”
    His jaw tightened. “I don’t want to. If I wanted to, I would have answered.”
    Valary shook her head, “I don’t blame you, but he IS your father.”
    “Geeze, Mom! I know!” He had the urge to hang up on her, but decided not to. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m just…frustrated, is all.”
    “This divorce has been worse on you, I think.”
    He flinched, “Dad doesn’t think that.”
    “Well, your father doesn’t think of a lot of things. He wanted to know if you found a place.”
    “Well you can tell him I did.”
    Valary rolled her eyes, “Jake, I’m not being the middle-man!”
    “Mom, I’m not talking to him.” Jake got to his feet and started pacing.
    “Why?”
    Jake let out a frustrated sigh, “Well…what do you think, Mom? He…he hauled off and hit me!”
    “You hit him first!”
    “Because I thought he was going to hurt you! Just forget it, okay?” he growled. He threw the phone against the wall, shattering it and leaving a dent in the wall. He pressed his knuckles into his forehead until he calmed down. He stared at the pile that was once his phone. “Dammit. Now I have to buy a new one,” he mumbled.
    Jake got to his feet and scooped up the phone. After setting the remnants on the desk, he got ready and set out to buy a new phone. He wasn’t too far away from his apartment when he saw a set of flashing lights behind him.
    He cursed under his breath and pulled over. ‘Man! I wasn’t even going that fast!’ He had his license and registration before the officer got to his window.
    “Hey. Do you know why I pulled you over?”
    “I was goin over the speed limit,” Jake replied.
    The officer smiled, “Can I see-oh. Thanks.” The officer looked at Jake’s ID and his eyes widened suddenly. “You’re Jake Hansen.” He looked down at Jake. “Are you Judge Hansen’s son?”
    Jake nodded, a small frown on his face, “Yeah, he’s my dad.”
    “Hm. I’ll be right back.”
    Jake watched the cop return to his car. ‘Probably to check for warrants,’ he thought. He tried to ignore the people staring and laughing at him, but it wasn’t going so well.
    A few minutes later, the cop reappeared. “Well, you be more careful next time, okay? No goin over the speed limit.” He handed Jake his information back.
    Jake nodded and waited a few seconds for the cop to start back to his car before he muttered another curse under his breath.