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Something’s wrong.
I squint, moving closer to the window until it fogs up from my breath. She lifts her hand and swats at her cheek. Once, twice. She blows out a stream of air through her lips and looks up at her ceiling, as if she’s sending up a silent prayer. Then she covers her face with both of her hands, and her shoulders shake as she bends forward.
My gut twists. Why is she crying? What happened? My first instinct is to go over there and find out, but how would I explain myself?Hi, Phoenix. I saw you crying while I was watching you through the window like a Peeping Tom.
I shake my head. I don’t know anything about this girl. She’s crying—so what? We’ve all cried. We’re all going through shit. Why should I care? For all I know, she’s upset over something ridiculous, or insignificant.
But her voice floats through my head like a sad song.
I know what it feels like to have no one.
You’re lucky to have a family who worries about you.
She’s alone. So, I watch her until she lies down and cries herself to sleep. I’m with her in this moment, even if she doesn’t know it.
Since sleep isn’t happening anytime soon for me, I trot downstairs for a late-night snack.
Dad and Leo are already sitting at the table.
“We’re a sorry bunch.” Dad chuckles as he pulls out the chair beside him. “Can’t sleep?”
I shake my head and dump the box of Lucky Charms into a bowl. “Not tired.”
Leo smirks. “Just go next door and bang the pretty neighbor. We both know that’s what’s keeping you up.”
Dad smacks Leo in the back of his head before I can get to him. “What’s wrong with you? Who taught you to talk about women like that? You’re twenty-three years old. You should know better.”
I lower myself onto the chair. “What do we know about her? Did you run the background search?”
“So youarethinking about her.” Leo pumps his fist into the air. “Fuckin’ knew it. I swear, I just know shit.”
Dad shakes his head and talks around the spoonful of cereal. “I didn’t think we needed to. She’s not causing trouble, and it’s an invasion of her privacy if we poke around like that without a cause.”
Not half as bad as watching her through her bedroom window.I rub my temples in small circles. “You’re right.”
“I think she’s been through some shit.” Leo stares down at his bowl. “And she doesn’t have anyone to turn to.”
I lean my elbows onto the table. “And how do you know that?”
“We were talking earlier.”
Dad nods like he agrees. “There’s a reason she’s living in her family’s shore house without her family.”
Leo wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m going to look out for her.”
I cross my arms over my chest, irritation spiking in my veins. “You need to look out for yourself.”
“I have you for that, don’t I?”
“Boys,” Dad warns. “I don’t have the energy for your shit right now. It’s after one in the morning.”
Leo holds up his hands on either side of his head.
“The last thing we need is you two fighting over a pretty girl.”
“No one’s fighting over a girl.” Leo smirks. “Besides, she shot me down.”
An odd sense of relief blankets me. “You already made a pass at her? You’ve known her for five minutes.”
