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“Nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing.”
“Leave it,” I said, grabbing the textbook I needed out of my locker. My eyes glanced back to the end of the hallway, but Becca was gone.
“Listen, I don’t like to ask, but shit, my mom is…”
“What do you need?”
“Some more pot. Her prescription isn’t enough. The pain is…” The color drained from her face.
“Done. I’ll bring it by Rogues tonight?” I didn’t like running for Darryl, but at least it was going to someone who really needed it, so my conscience felt a little clearer.
Scarlett nodded, the weight of her situation weighing heavily in her expression. “Thanks, I owe you. I’ll bring the cash.” She went to walk but paused. “She’ll come around, you know.”
My lips lifted in an unconvincing smile. I wanted to believe her, but Becca had finally trusted me enough to let me in, and I’d betrayed her. I saw it every time I looked into her eyes. Even if she wanted to forgive me, she would resist. She already was.
When she realized I wasn’t going to agree, she sighed. “I’ll see you later.”
Nodding, I jammed my hand into my pocket and headed to class. Because that was what I did best—pretended I was a normal guy at school going to class. I was a pro by now. When people looked at me, they saw the calm and collected Evan. The Evan who kept to himself and didn’t engage in high school drama. They didn’t see the guy underneath who was barely holding on by a thread—someone waiting for things to finally fall down around him. But that wasn’t an option—it could never be an option—because no matter how hard things got, he had to keep going.
A little boy at home counted on him.
* * *
After school, I went straight to Mellie’s to pick up Eli.
“Hey, Evan.” Mellie smiled, an apron smeared with cake batter tied around her waist. “We made muffins.” She motioned for me to come inside.
“Mom’s at the store?”
Mellie nodded. “She seemed better, brighter.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“Can I get you a soda?”
“I’m good,” I said, following her into the kitchen.
“Evan!” Eli jumped down off the chair and came running to me. “You’re home.”
“I just saw you six hours ago, bud.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“I heard you made muffins?”
“We saved you one,” he shrieked, hugging me tight.
“Eli, sweetie, can you go pick all the blocks up? I need to talk to Evan.”
My head whipped around to Mellie. That didn’t sound good. When he disappeared, I said, “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, but something came up, and I might not be able to watch Eli for a little while.”
The ground slipped from underneath me. This was it—the moment I’d dreaded. “Okay, for how long?” I ran a hand down my face.
