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1
ARIEL
“Why areyou standing next to the window?”
I jumped back with a shriek, my hand going to my throat. “You scared the cra—cookies out of me, Lenny.”
My little brother regarded me with a disapproving stare. “You still spying on the new neighbor?”
I cleared my throat, my heart still racing. “I’m not spying. I’m making sure he’s who he says he is.”
“Maybe try talking to him instead of watching him from behind a curtain.”
Sometimes I wondered which of us was the adult. He was eleven years younger, but because Lenny was so small, people often thought he was only six or seven.
And no matter how hard it was to take care of an almost teen, I’d never regret fighting for him.
Thoughts of what we’d gone through made my eyes wander to the table and the letter resting on top that could change our lives. Because Mom was back. And she wanted Lenny.
I hadn’t heard from her since I was granted guardianship over Lenny and she walked away. That was four years ago.
I prayed she’d lose interest as quickly as she usually did.
“It’s called reconnaissance.”
He threw himself onto the couch, video game controller in his hand. “It’s called cowardice.”
I stepped back from my position next to the window and sat down at our small kitchen table. I had to tell Lenny about the letter. But a tiny part of me was afraid he’d choose her over me. Okay, a big part. “I’m not a coward. Only careful.”
“You’re paranoid. You have no friends, and I’ve never seen you with a guy.”
I threw a stale cracker that had been sitting on the table for a while at him. It bounced off his forehead and landed on the carpet, where it would stay for a while.
“And when would I have time to spend with friends or a boyfriend?”
He shrugged, bored with the conversation. His attention span at the moment was less than that of a toddler.
Deciding to approach the letter another day, I grabbed my keys. “Want to come to the supermarket with me?”
“Nah. But get me more frozen pizzas. And Sprite.”
Lenny spent a lot of afternoons and often nights by himself, which meant he had to make his own dinners. My job had erratic hours. At least the job that paid the bills. Lenny knew I worked at Walmart, but I was only there part-time, not full-time like he thought.
I hated lying to him, but I also couldn’t tell him the truth.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“’Kay. I’ll try not to burn down the apartment while you’re gone.”
“Appreciate it.”
My old Ford Taurus was parked in one of the lots assigned to the apartments. It was a piece of shit, rusty around the doors and trims, the red paint faded.
But it hadn’t let me down yet. And nobody looked twice at me when I drove it.
My mind churned, trying to come up with a reason why Mom wanted Lenny. I had to find a lawyer. I’d have to take on more jobs to pay for one, but Lenny was worth every shitty assignment and soul-destroying task.
My car rattled and groaned but started. I bumped my way along the gravel driveway. Our landlord was so cheap, he’d refused to pave anything. I turned the heat on high, dreaming of a vacation on an island where it wouldn’t rain the whole time we were there.
