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“It’s all being donated, unless you want something.” He waves me inside. “Go ahead. But I doubt there’s anything you’d want.”
“Was the lease up?” I ask, still trying to figure this out.
“Nah, he had about five months left on it.”
“But he just decided to move? Before his lease was up?”
There’s a penalty for breaking a lease. I can’t see a cheapskate like Ted coughing up the money for that.
“He didn’t decide,” the guy says as he steps out of the way for the movers. “It was decided for him. Get the big stuff first,” he yells at the movers. “Some of that smaller stuff we might just toss.”
“What do you mean it was decided for him?” I say to the guy.
The guy looks back at me. “He’s dead. Died last week.”
“Ted died?” I get a sick feeling in my gut as I realize why Nova came to see me, why she looked so panicked and scared, and why she was begging to talk to me. “When did he die? What day?”
“Last Thursday. They were here to pick him up around noon. I’m guessing he died sometime that morning.”
Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, the day Nova came to see me. She came to tell me Ted died. She was scared. She didn’t know what to do and she came to me for help. She counted on me to be there for her and I wasn’t. Instead, she got yelled at by my family, told she didn’t belong there and had to leave.
Where did she go? Where is she living? Is she staying with a friend, that asshole who makes her sleep with him? I don’t think she’d stay with him, not after he said he didn’t want her around. She mentioned another friend, that pregnant girl. Would she be staying with her? I don’t know how to find these people to ask. I could go to her school, but I can’t remember the name of it. She only mentioned it one time and that was weeks ago.
How the hell am I going to find her? Where do I even start looking?
6
Nova
My dad’sapartment is in a suburb of Chicago that’s similar to my old neighborhood. The buildings are old and covered in graffiti, police sirens are always going off, and homeless people are wandering the streets. I got here after midnight and didn’t know where to park, so I just found a spot along the street and put money in the meter. I’m still shocked the car made it here without breaking down. I thought for sure it’d die somewhere along the trip, stranding me on the highway. I used the money I took from Ted’s room to fill it with gas.
“I’m going out,” my dad says, grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter.
“When can I get a key of my own?” I ask. “I can’t go anywhere until I get one.”
“You’ll get one when I say you get one.” He stops at the door, eyeing me with suspicion. “I gotta know I can trust you, and we ain’t there yet.”
He leaves, and I go to the door and lock it. Today is only my second day here, and there’s already been a stabbing in the apartment two doors down and a shooting just outside the building. My old neighborhood had a lot of crime, but this one is even worse, maybe because there are more people.
I’m probably safer not leaving the apartment, but I need to get out of here, even if it’s just for an hour or two. It’s a tiny apartment, even smaller than the one I had with Ted. My dad’s bedroom is only big enough for his king-sized bed. He doesn’t have a dresser. He just tosses his clothes on the floor and uses the closet to store stuff. The living room is only big enough for the couch and a beat-up coffee table. There aren’t any lamps so the only light is the one in the ceiling fan. Even when I turn it on and open the blinds on the window, it’s still dark in here. There’s a kitchen attached to the living room that has a fridge, a stove that doesn’t work, and a microwave that looks like it’s at least 20 years old. There’s no table to sit at so I just eat on the couch.
I never thought I’d say this, but I actually liked living with Ted better than I like living with my dad. At least Ted acknowledged I was there. My dad ignores me. He gets home from wherever he goes and doesn’t even say hi to me. He just grabs a beer from the fridge, goes to his room, and watches the TV Easton gave me. Since I’m not allowed in his room, I can’t watch TV. The one in the living room doesn’t work. I’ve considered going in his room and watching TV when he’s gone, but he said if he ever caught me in his room, he’d kick me out. I can’t risk that happening. I need to stay here for the next 52 days. After that, I’ll be 18 and can be on my own.
Walking over to the window, I look down at the street. Two guys are punching each other and a homeless guy is peeing on the building. A cop car goes flying by, the sirens blaring.
I go back to the couch and sit down, bored and wondering what I should do. I don’t have a laptop so I’ve been using my phone to try to find a job. I applied online for some fast food places but haven’t heard back. I might have better luck if I just walked into a place and applied, but I can’t leave the apartment because my dad won’t give me a key. I don’t know what he’s worried about. I’m already in the apartment. If I was going to steal from him, I could do it now, while he’s gone.
He hasn’t told me what he does for a job and I haven’t asked. I’d rather not know. I’m sure it’s something illegal. He was gone a few hours this morning, then came back for lunch and left again. He showed up at six, changed clothes, and took off a few minutes ago. Maybe he had a date with his girlfriend. I haven’t met her yet, but he told me her name is Belinda and that she’s a massage therapist.
My phone rings, startling me. I check the number, making sure it’s not Lenny calling. He called me a few times yesterday, yelling at me to show up for my shift. I left him a message that I quit, but he must not have believed me. I’m guessing he hasn’t heard the news about Ted. I wonder if anyone has.
Rielle’s name appears on my phone as it rings. I haven’t told her what happened. She’s probably wondering why she didn’t see me at school today. Should I talk to her? I’m kind of afraid to. She might tell someone where I am, and I don’t want anyone knowing.
“Hey, Rielle,” I say, answering the call.
“Nova, are you okay?” she asks, sounding concerned.
“Yeah. Why?”
