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I guess he knows. I guess he knows that my parents got killed, so that makes him hesitate.
“Brant,” a voice calls out. It’s Theo’s mom, all dressed up in a polka-dotted skirt and white blouse, wearing lipstick, and curls in her hair. She looks like how my mom would look whenever we had guests come over—only, Theo’s mom has yellow hair like the dandelions in our yard before they shriveled up and died. Her eyes are different, too. They’re blue.
And her belly doesn’t look like a watermelon anymore.
I reach down to the porch stoop and pick up the new elephant stuffed animal Aunt Kelly bought for me. I haven’t named him yet. He looks a little bit like Bubbles, but he’s not Bubbles.
I miss Bubbles.
“Come in, please,” Theo’s mom says. She pushes open the screen door and waves us inside. “I made cookies and lemonade.”
Aunt Kelly places her hand on my back, pushing me forward as she gathers all the bags. When I’m standing inside the foyer, I look over at Theo. He looks at me.
We just kind of stare at each other while he scuffs his foot back and forth on the carpeting.
“Thank you again, Samantha,” Aunt Kelly says to Theo’s mom. “I know this was…sudden. And with the new baby and everything—”
“It’s okay. Really,” she replies. Her voice is low and soft, almost like she doesn’t want me to hear. “Caroline was my dearest friend. Taking in Brant is more than a privilege. It’s a gift.”
A gift.
That’s a weird thing to say; I don’t feel like a gift. Gifts are fun and exciting, and they make people smile. Nobody is smiling right now.
Everyone looks sad.
“Please keep in touch,” Aunt Kelly mutters through more tears. “I’d love to visit as much as I can. I travel for work all the time, so it’s hard with my schedule, but I want to be a part of his life.”
“Of course. You’re more than welcome any time.”
Theo takes a small step closer to me, his eyes drifting to the Super Mario backpack resting beside my ankles. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his gym shorts and nods at the bag. “I got the new Paper Mario game. It just came out.”
I blink, then clear my throat. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
My mind wanders, filled with past memories of holing up in Theo’s bedroom with his Nintendo 64 games, while his mom popped in with pizza rolls and Hi-C Ecto Cooler juice boxes. It wasn’t even that long ago. I’m not sure how long it’s been since The Bad Night, but it’s still summertime. We’re supposed to go back to school soon—first grade for me, and second grade for Theo.
The women give each other a hug before Aunt Kelly tugs me toward her again, kissing my cheeks and dampening them with her tears. “You’re very loved, Brant. Don’t forget that.”
I nibble at my lip, watching her pull away. She tousles my hair a final time and says goodbye, sharing a look with Theo’s mom, then spinning around. When she steps outside and shuts the door behind her, it sounds so loud that I can’t help but jolt in place.
It’s quiet in here now.
Theo and his mom are staring at me, like they don’t know what to do with me. Almost like I’m a stray puppy who ran away from home and got lost.
I squeeze the stuffed animal to my chest, pretending it’s Bubbles.
And that’s when something fractures the silence.
A small cry.
My eyes go wide, curiosity poking at me. A hopeful little feeling.
Theo perks up, straightening in front of me, and his mom bends over, hands to her knees, then smiles brightly. “Would you like to meet Theo’s new sister, Brant?”
A sister!
Theo was right. She is a girl.
