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“So youdoknow other words.” I set her down. “What else do you know?”
She takes a few steps and falls, looking like she’s about to cry.
I pick her up and bounce her on my hip. “It’s okay.”
She rests her head on my shoulder and sucks her thumb. I feel bad for her. She doesn’t even know who I am and her mom just left her with me. She didn’t bring her any toys to play with or food to eat, and I’m not sure she gave her a bath today. Her face has dried food all over it.
“Let’s clean you up,” I say, taking her to the bathroom. It’s so disgusting. There’s mold growing everywhere and dirty dishes on the back of the toilet. There are only three towels and they all stink, like my dad never washes them. I wad up some toilet paper and wet it, then use it to wash off Rita’s face.
She shakes her head. “No.”
“I’m almost done.”
After her face is clean, I bring her back to the couch, setting her on my lap.
“I used to be like you,” I tell her. “My dad sucked as a parent. He didn’t know how to take care of me, and he didn’t want me.” I smile at her. “At least your mom wants you.”
Her big brown eyes look back at me. She has no idea what I’m saying but seems to love just hearing me talk. Maybe her mom never talks to her. Maybe she just sits Rita in front of the TV.
As I’m thinking that, I realize I could stream something on my phone for her to watch. I unlock my phone and Rita reaches for it and presses the photo icon. The photos open to a picture of Easton and me on my bed. I took it the last night he was there. We were lying down, our heads touching as I took the photo from above us. Just as I hit the button to take the photo, Easton turned his head and kissed my cheek.
Rita’s babbling and bouncing on my lap as she points to the photo.
“That’s Easton,” I tell her, my eyes stuck on the photo. “I thought he was someone else, but he’s not.” I close the photo app and look at Rita. “Stay away from boys. All they do is break your heart.”
I knew this, and yet I still let Easton have my heart. And break it. Again.
7
Easton
“As far as I know,he hasn’t talked to her,” Paris says. “But seriously, did she really think they’d stay together? She’s a criminal. She can’t even go to a regular school.”
I was heading to class when I heard Paris talking about Nova to a group of girls. I’m so fucking sick of people talking about Nova. And it all started with Paris, who claims to have dug up all this dirt on Nova and has been spreading it around school all week.
“You done?” I say to Paris, coming up behind her.
She looks back at me, smiling. “Hey, Easton. Did you need something?”
“Yeah. We need to have a little talk.” I glance at her friends, giving them a look to get lost. They quickly scatter, leaving me alone with Paris.
“I need to get to class,” Paris says, smoothing her hair. She’s been straightening it and pulling it all to one side. She said her fans online prefer that to her usual long, loose waves.
“Class can wait.” I back her against the lockers. “You need to stop spreading these fucking rumors about Nova.”
“They’re not rumors,” she snaps. “Everything I said is true. You can’t tell me you didn’t already know this stuff.”
“What I know is that she’s a good person who doesn’t deserve to have stuff said about her that isn’t true.”
Paris laughs. “Oh my God, you really don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“She’s been arrested, multiple times. She served time in juvie. That’s why she goes to the alternative high school.”
Paris always looks to the side when she’s lying, but when she said that just now, she looked directly at me, like she’s telling the truth. But if what she said is true, Nova would’ve told me.
“And how would you know this?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest.
