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“Sell it.”
He laughed. “And how much do hammerheads go for these days?”
“I think it’s a little over ten thousand bells.” Bells were the currency in Animal Crossing.
He whistled, low and long. “That’s a lot of bells. What do you spend that on?”
“They want you to expand your house and make it look nice. There’s a lot of cute things you trade with your neighbors. Luke and Gabriel already gave me more stuff than I can fit in my house.”
“How much does a big house cost?”
“The newest expansion is almost five hundred thousand, and I think I want to do three or four of those.”
“Expensive house. You’ll only need... what, a hundred and fifty more sharks? Give or take? How long did it take you to fish out that one?”
“Not all the fish are sharks, some are little ones that cost only a hundred bells. I probably waited fifteen minutes for that shark.”
“No wonder the boys gave you this game. It’s keeping you busy.”
Mr. Blackbourne strolled in. His gray jacket and his tie were gone. The collar was unbuttoned on his shirt and the sleeves rolled up. I had to do a double take. Mr. Blackbourne looked almost human again.
He aimed himself for the other end of the couch. He took a curious look at me and stopped in the middle of the living room floor. “Miss Sorenson?”
I blinked, shaking off what I was sure was an odd stare. “Mr. Blackbourne?”
He cocked an eyebrow, but when I didn't respond, his eyes lowered to the 3DS. "What's that?"
"It's that video game the boys got her," Dr. Green said.
Mr. Blackbourne narrowed his eyes at it. "That thing? I thought you’d be tired of that by now."
"Give her a break, Owen. You told her to relax and she is. What do you want her to do?"
"I wanted her to rest, not kill her brain cells." He finished crossing the room, and sat in a matching armchair close to the window.
"This is resting," Dr. Green said.
My lips glued together. I wanted to offer to do something else so they would stop fighting. They argued back and forth so quickly, that it was like they almost knew what the other one was about to say. Was it because they were around each other so much?
"Isn't there a book or two around here?"
"Will you just let her play?"
"I'm offering her an alternative."
"She likes it. Leave her alone."
"Does she, or have you asked her if she'd like something else to do rather than play a stupid game?"
My heart, which had been racing at their fighting, froze dead. It was as if his words made me realize how pointless the game was all at once. My face heated to an extreme. Mr. Blackbourne didn’t approve.
I closed the 3DS and drew myself up. They both stopped, looking at me with confused expressions.
"I am kind of tired," I said in a quiet voice. I placed the 3DS on the coffee table because I wanted to not look at it or touch it any more. "I think I'll go to bed."
They uttered a short goodnight. I walked out of the room. I stopped just inside the hallway because I realized I should have taken the 3DS and my shoes with me instead of cluttering up Dr. Green’s house.
"Well done, Owen." Dr. Green's voice traveled to me.
"What?" Mr. Blackbourne said.
"Did you see her face? She was perfectly happy a moment ago."
"What did I say?"
I stilled, and moved quietly to the shadows of the hall. I was eavesdropping, but couldn't get myself to stop.
Dr. Green groaned. "You said her game was stupid. You basically called her stupid."
"That's not what I meant."
"If what she likes is stupid, how would that make her feel? And why are you harping on her so much? You never did that to the guys."
"I don't treat her differently."
"They have video games."
"I didn't say she couldn't have it."
"And nagging her about what she wears, and what she eats, and how she..."
"Sean," Mr. Blackbourne's voice rose. "What do you want me to do? Should I call her in here and tell her the game isn't stupid?"
"I don't know. All I know is five minutes ago she was happy as a clam and then you walk in and she leaves looking like that."
"She said she was tired."
"She was lying, you jackass."
There was a pause. "She can't lie," Mr. Blackbourne said in a quieter tone.
"It's kind of hard to tell when she makes that face, isn't it?" Dr. Green sighed. "I don't know how it happened, but that girl pines for your compliments and hangs onto every word you say. You could te
ll her to jump off a cliff and she'd run and do it."
"That's part of trust. She's learning..."
"No, it's because she loves the hell out of you. And her damn heart is so big, she'd throw away her new toy to make you happy."
There was a long pause. I thought my heart was going to explode and was terrified that they could hear it thundering against my ribs.
"What am I supposed to do?" Mr. Blackbourne asked quietly.
"I don't know. You broke her. You fix her." There was shuffling. "I'm going to go wash the dishes."
"I already did," Mr. Blackbourne said, although his voice was almost too soft to hear.
"I'm going to go break one then!"
"Don't..."
"They're my dishes! I'll do it if I want to."
I scurried as quietly as I could to Dr. Green's bedroom, running from both of them and their words that would haunt me all night.
SLEEP
I had time to use the bathroom, wash up and dress in the pajama shorts and tank top Kota packed for me. I could tell it was him because the clothes were in mismatching shades of green and Gabriel would have never approved.
I slipped between the covers of Dr. Green’s bed, on the side closest to the bathroom door. I ended up staring at the closet doors. The pang in my stomach started up from the vitamin, but I remained as still as I could to ease it.
I was afraid to think too hard about anything. I'd kissed Dr. Green. Mr. Blackbourne hated my game. My sister and Danielle were taking drugs and not telling people. Mr. Crowley had a big hook nose and a lot of secrets.
I didn’t know who my real mother was. My father had abandoned me.
I was alone in the room for so long I thought maybe Dr. Green had changed his mind about sleeping in the spare room. I stared for hours at the wall, long after the pain finally eased, before I heard the bedroom door open.
After a moment, the covers shifted and I caught the ginger scent before Dr. Green settled in next to me in the bed.
A soft kiss caressed my temple."Pookie?"
I smiled weakly at the closets. "Sean," I said, surprised my voice sounded so small.
