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“Yes, honey, really. Now, grab anything you need, because we aren’t coming back.”
“Never?”
She bent down in front of me and combed the hair away from my face. She had tears in her eyes, and that made me sad. I hated when Mama cried, and she cried too much lately. “Never ever, baby. This is it. We are getting away and never looking back at this town. Okay? Just you and me. Just the two of us.”
I grabbed my stuffed animal on my bed and hugged it close to me as I put my free hand into Mama’s. “Okay.”
“Ready?” she asked.
“Ready,” I replied.
I’d been ready for so long that I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of running away with Mama.
“Just the two of us,” I murmured to myself as I walked off with Mama holding my hand.
That was all I’d ever wanted.
“Are you crying because you’re sad?”
“No, honey. These are happy tears.”
Happy tears.
I didn’t know people could cry when they were happy.
When I found that out, I started crying too.
9
IAN
“Are you boneheads done rehearsing? If so, I can give you a lift home, James,” Leah said, walking into the barn house with the same smile that was always plastered against her face.
“You can give me a ride home? Didn’t you take my car today?” James asked. “Therefore, wouldn’t it be me giving you a ride home?”
“Potato patahto. Come on. I need to bingeYouon Netflix and stuff my face with popcorn.” She waved to me and the other guys. “You guys are sounding pretty good.”
Eric nodded. “We could sound better. Are you following us on all social media platforms, Leah? We’d really love the support.” Eric was like a social media hustler—always after that next like and follow.
“Sure am.” Leah beamed and walked in my direction. She stuffed her hands into her shorts pockets and swayed back and forth in her flip-flops. “Hey, Ian. How’s living with Hazel going?”
I shrugged. “We don’t really cross paths that much.”
“I graduated with her. She’s a really cool person. Quiet, but nice. You know, I think she’s pretty interesting once you get to know her. She was always really smart in school too. I bet she gets lonely sometimes.”
My eyebrow arched at the overly sweet Leah. I knew she was getting at something; therefore, I wished she’d just spit it out. “What are you trying to get at, Leah?”
She smiled bright as always and shrugged. “I’m just saying—it wouldn’t kill you to get to know her. She’s been through a lot of terrible things. It would be nice if she had someone nice to talk to sometimes.”
“I’m not a nice person,” I told her.
She rolled her eyes in the most dramatic fashion and patted me on the back. “Yeah, okay, Ian, and I’m not addicted to the Kardashians. Don’t think for a second I forgot who showed up for two weeks straight to play tic-tac-toe with my grandma when she was in the hospital after breaking her hip.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for tic-tac-toe.”
“Just be nice to her, dumbo. I get the feeling she could use a friend.”
“Then you be her friend.”
