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Easton
“Easton,you are not leaving here to go look for her,” my dad says, standing across from me in his office. My mom is beside him. She hasn’t said much. She just keeps nervously biting her lip and looking down at the floor.
“Something happened,” I say, “and I need to find out what. She wouldn’t just show up here on Thanksgiving unless something bad happened.”
“She doesn’t need you fixing her problems,” he says, with not even a hint of concern.
I’m starting to realize how cold and uncaring my dad is to anyone he doesn’t think is worthy of his attention. He’d help Jace, Kevin, or any of my other friends, because not helping them would look bad to their rich parents. But there’s no one to impress with Nova, so he has no incentive to help her, despite knowing how much she means to me.
“I’m sure her grandfather can help,” my mom says, finally speaking up. “I assume she still lives with him?”
My dad shoots her an angry look. “Penelope,” he says, like he’s scolding her for talking.
I look at my mom. “How did you know she lives with her grandpa?”
My mom glances at my dad to answer.
“You told us,” he says.
“I never told you that. I haven’t told you anything about her.”
“I assume she’s the girl you’ve been sneaking off to see.”
“Yeah? So?”
“You told us that girl lived with her grandfather.”
I forgot I told them that. “Yeah, well, he’s useless. He wouldn’t help her.”
“Of course he would,” my mom says. “He’s her grandfather. I’m sure she’s already back at home and her grandfather is handling whatever problem it is she’s dealing with.”
“Her grandfather doesn’t give a shit about her. He’s horrible to her. He makes her clean the apartment and cook all his meals. He doesn’t even want her living there. He only lets her stay because he gets a check every month, which he spends on himself instead of her.”
“She made that up to gain your sympathy,” my dad says. “People like her prey on people like us, hoping their sad stories convince us to give them money.”
I stare at him in disbelief, shocked that he thinks that way. He doesn’t even know Nova, but he’s already decided she’s using me to get money.
“Nova has never once asked me for money,” I say to my dad. “When we’ve gone out to eat, she doesn’t want me paying. She wears clothes that are ripped and stained, and shoes that don’t fit, but if I offered her money for new clothes or shoes, she wouldn’t take it. That’s why I gave her Jenna’s coat. Nova didn’t have one and it’s freezing outside. I told her Jenna was going to throw out the coat because it’s the only way I could get Nova to take it.”
“I don’t understand,” my mom says. “Why wouldn’t her grandfather use the money he gets for her care to buy her new clothes?”
“Because he’s an asshole who only cares about himself.” I look back at my dad. “That stuff I said about her grandfather is true. She didn’t make it up. I’ve been to her apartment. I’ve met him. He treats her like shit. He’s making her work two jobs so he’ll have more money to buy cigarettes and beer. He doesn’t give a shit that his granddaughter is walking around freezing to death because she doesn’t have a coat.”
My mom glances at my dad, but he doesn’t look at her. He’s staring at me like he’s determined to prove Nova is a fraud who’s just taking advantage of me.
“I don’t have time to argue about this.” I check the time on my phone. Nova left a half-hour ago. She’s probably at her apartment by now. “I need to go find her.”
“You arenotleaving,” my dad says. “It’s Thanksgiving. You know the rules for holidays.”
“Yeah, they’re for family, and Nova is just as much family as you and Mom and everyone else here.”
“That girl is not your family,” my dad says, raising his voice. “She’s a memory from your past who you can’t seem to let go of.”
“Because I don’t want to! I never did!” I step closer to him. “You took her from me because it’s whatyouwanted! You didn’t care what I wanted. I begged you to let me see her, or talk to her, and you wouldn’t allow it.”
“It was what was best for you at the time,” my dad says. “You needed to move on and adjust to your new family and your new surroundings.”
