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He shrugs. “Hey, I don’t make the rules.”
I gather my purse and double check to make sure I have my phone.
“So? You didn’t answer my question.”
My palms are clammy and heat rises to my cheeks. I hate being put on the spot, especially in awkward situations. “It was okay.”
He laughs again. “Just okay? Come on, you had fun. You had free dinner with someone that let you talk about Star Trek for asolidhalf hour without interrupting.”
My eyes widen, and I scoff. “There’s no way I talked about Star Trek that long.”
He sucks in a breath and nods. “Yeah, you did.”
I cover my face to hide its red hue. “You should’ve stopped me.”
“I didn’t want to. You were having fun.”
“But ahalf hour?”
He nods again.
I’m mortified. How in the world did he get me to talk that much? I never do that. I don’t even do that with Sadie. I’m always the quiet one who prefers to listen to everyone else.
“I really didn’t mind. You can talk about it anytime you want,” he says.
I reach for the handle. “I still can’t believe you haven’t seen the classics.”
“Hey, nobody’s perfect.”
The door unlatches. As I start to get out, he says, “Oh, you left your headphones in the car earlier. They’re inside the house now. I’ll go get them for you.”
“Thanks,” I say.
I follow Caleb through the driveway and up the steps. “You can come in if you want to. It’ll just be a second.”
He opens the door, and I freeze.
Jordy stands at the other end of the hallway. His face is puffy and red. He shakes with tears streaming down his face. He’s ripping a paper into small pieces.
His mother is on her knees next to him. She reaches for his shoulders.
He jerks away almost violently. “Don’t touch me!”
Caleb rushes toward them. “Jordy, what happened?”
Jordy’s head whips back and forth, and he throws the rest of the paper in the air.
Caleb reaches out to him.
Jordy staggers back, gripping the fabric by his chest until his back runs into the wall. He sinks, hyperventilating. His eyes are overflowing with terror and pain.
Mrs. Park turns to Caleb. “Get the ice.”
I shouldn’t be here, seeing this, but for some reason, I can’t move.
Caleb runs into the kitchen, returning seconds later. He forces Jordy to open his hand and places an ice cube in his palm. He folds Jordy’s hands over it. “Jordy, look at me, and take a deep breath.”
Jordy’s head is down with his eyes slammed shut, so Caleb tilts his head up. “Focus on me. What am I wearing?” Jordy’s chest heaves as he continues to shake. “What color is my shirt?” Caleb asks. His voice is calm and patient.
