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“Hello?”
“Winnie!”
“Garrett?” My heart thuds. The warm feeling from a moment earlier is gone, and it’s as though icy water has been poured over my head.
“Winnie, I’m okay,” she reassures me quickly, but goddamn it, she doesn’tsound okay. “It’s… all right.… Don’t be mad. It’s okay. We’re okay. But, um, Dad didn’t show up after robotics practice today, and I didn’t think I should stay by myself at the school…”
“Wait, why didn’t the teacher stay with you?”
She sounds apologetic, and without seeing her, I know her little eyebrows are scrunching together. “I thought I saw Dad’s car, and Mrs. Gunner had to pick up her own kids, so she left, but it wasn’t Dad. And the school was closed since it’s Saturday, so I tried to walk home…”
“What?!” I yell into the phone, my words strangling. “You walked?”
I can hear the waver in my sister’s voice, and I swallow down a curse and make my voice even. “Garrett, I’m sorry. Listen,honey. I’m not mad at you. I promise. Not at all. You were stuck. I get it. So where are you now? Are you home?”
I glance at the clock on the dash. It’s well past two, and Garrett was supposed to finish with her robotics club at noon.
“No.” She sniffs into the phone, and I feel sick. “I’m at the Stop and Go on Fuller Street. A nice lady saw me walking and is letting me use her phone.”
I clutch at my hair, pulling it taut, to keep from losing my shit.One day.I left for one fucking day.
“Okay, honey,” I say. “Can you put her on the phone?”
I hear some shuffling and some garbled words and then a quick, “Hello?”
“Hi there. This is Winnie Sutton. You have my little sister there with you. I’m sorry to ask this of you, but can you wait there with her for a moment while I try to get ahold of my dad so he can pick her up? I’m so sorry about this.”
“No problem, hon. My name is Jenny Carter, and this is my personal phone number, so you can call me right back at it. I’m in no hurry. I’m gonna run in real quick and get Garrett something to drink, if you don’t mind. It’s awfully hot out.”
I swallow hard, embarrassment and inadequacy working to suffocate me.
“I’d appreciate that, ma’am. Thank you so much. I’ll call you right back.”
I end the call with a shaking finger and allow myself a single moment to let my head fall back as I swallow convulsively to get myself under control before scrolling to my dad’s number and hitting Send.
It rings and rings, and I get nothing.
I try Jesse.
He picks up on the first ring. “Hey, Win.”
“Where are you? Is Dad there?”
“I’m at home. And not yet. He must have stopped to get—”
I cut him off. “He forgot Garrett, Jesse. She’s stuck at the gas station on Fuller. Sh-she tried to walk home. Alone.”
My brother curses. It sounds like he throws something. “God, Winnie. I’mso sorry. I knew he was supposed to get her, but I thought maybe he took her to lunch or something. Shit,” he curses again. “Want me to call the VFW?”
I rub at my temples, thinking fast. “No. Even if you reach him, I’m not sure he’s in any state to drive her. I’ll try finding someone with a car and call you back.”
I hang up and scroll to the first name that comes to mind.
“You back already? How was it?”
Just the sound of his voice, and I nearly lose it. “Case, I need your help.”
His response is instant. “Anything. What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did you get in an acc—”
