Gatekeeper's Secret
Copyright© 2026 by Fick Suck
Chapter 5
“Thank you, Mrs. Kuhn, you’ve been most helpful,” Grady said as he shuffled the papers into a stack he could carry. “If I heard you correctly, I can hop onto the Jasper Community College website and sign up there for admission and classes?”
“Considering that you are on your own now, community college is the least expensive option, Grady,” she said. “With your grades thus far, you certainly qualify for a state college. They have rolling admissions and online options for everything but sports, but the cost is significantly more.”
“Grandpa left me some money, and I’ve got some irons in the fire,” Grady said as he stood up. “I believe I have options.” They shook hands warmly before Grady made his goodbyes. He waved to all the staff before departing.
He planted himself outside the main doors of the high school, waiting for Randy to appear. Some of the people greeted him as they rushed through the doors to escape after the bell. A few stopped to ask how he was doing and offer their condolences. Randy finally emerged with a full backpack and a look of annoyance on his face. He saw Grady and shook his head, “Murphy. Chemistry. Don’t ask. Oh, and drama in the girls’ locker room; I wish I could have been in there for that one.”
“Yeah, I’ve had that dream of being in the girls’ locker room since I was freshman, Randy. Nothing new.”
“There’s a perspective that I didn’t need to hear, Grady’s lusty fantasies,” Randy said. “Where’d you park?”
The Blue Comet had not changed names in eighty years, according to the sign posted just inside the doors. Grady thought they had not changed out or upgraded the tables or chairs either in eighty years. Randy suggested they should check the expiry dates on the cans in the kitchen before ordering. “You never know.”
They sat themselves in the pale blue vinyl covered booth and ordered without looking at the menu. Grady figured he had memorized it years ago. The only thing that changed was the prices and they always went up.
“What’re you up to, today?” Randy asked.
“I signed up for remote access to finish this semester and got the information on community college and state college,” Grady said. “I’ll watch the recordings at my convenience, take the tests online or submit the paper and be done. They made it drop dead simple. You?”
“Mr. Murphy cannot explain carbon chains to save his life,” Randy groused. “He doesn’t even bother to listen to my questions. He simply accuses me of not paying attention in class and never reading the book.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah, I mean, this time I really did,” Randy said as he swirled a French fry in the brown gravy. “Anyway, he’s a dick. The real news is there was cat fight in the girls’ locker room today and people got detention.”
“Were they naked?” Grady asked.
“I would like to think so,” Randy said. “Swinging arms and swinging tits in a free-for-all would be a dream I’d like to see come true. You would think with the way girls walk around with their cell phones glued to the palms of their hands, someone recorded it. Maybe we should check Instagram?”
“Who?” Grady said, chewing two fries at once.
“I know one of them was that new girl with the long brown hair,” Randy said. “She’s got a mouth and an attitude to power it. Darla isn’t a fan.”
“Christina Witt?”
“Yeah, have you met her yet?”
Grady dipped another fry before answering. “Her mother brought her by the ranch yesterday. They’re considering renting the stables.”
“Well, what did you think of her?” Randy asked.
“Nice tits,” Grady said with a momentary leer. “I dunno. She acts like a fish out of water, smacking anything that comes too close. She could be a bitch, but I’ll reserve judgment for now. I’m supposed to see her mother at 4pm and maybe Christina will be there. If she got in a fight, I guarantee she will be in fine form this afternoon, spitting vinegar.”
“Spitting venom,” Randy said before sitting back in his seat. “Are you seriously considering putting horses on the ranch again?”
“We only got rid of them because grandpa was too old and I was too young,” Grady said. “The way I see this deal is they take care of the horses, and I can add my horse, un-named and un-purchased at the moment, to the collection. I’ve got to take care of the entire property and a good chunk of it is only accessible by horse. I bet there are sections that haven’t been eyeballed in a decade.”
“Why do they have horses? What are they going to do with them?” Randy shrugged. “We’re not a tourist destination and dude ranches out here are dud ranches.”
Grady shrugged too. “I guess I’ll find out at four o’clock. You need a ride home?”
“Are we going to split the check?” Randy asked, reaching for his backpack.
“Consider it a thank you for holding my hand at the funeral,” Grady said.
“Thanks, Grady,” Randy said. “Now, can I ask, what the hell was so funny at the funeral?”
Grady dropped his friend off at his father’s office and parked his truck in the usual lot across the street from the attorney. He remembered to look both ways before crossing the street. He also double-checked that he did not have gravy stains on his shirt before he made an entrance. As he walked in, he wondered what he would have done if he had found gravy stains.
He greeted the P.A. as she walked into the waiting area to see who had arrived. “Hi Grady,” she said with a smile. “You’re causing a lot of work around here.”
“It beats the alternative,” Grady quipped, realizing he sounded exactly like his grandpa. He did his best not to cringe. “It’s good to see you again, Ms. Abbot.”
“Ms. Witt hasn’t arrived yet and Mr. Comfrey is still compiling the components of the lease agreement for the stable on your property. There are a lot of liability issues that need to be assigned properly. You can wait in the conference room until we start. Can I get you a soda or something?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Grady answered as the adult-ness of the conversation hit him in the gut. Perhaps it was the extra fat in the gravy, but he was feeling the discombobulation. His grandpa loved that word; he said he learned it from his grandfather.
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