Page 174 of The Glass Girl

“Hello,” they both say.

“Bella threw up on the lawn,” Dawn says casually. “I’m going to take her to my room and we’re going to call her mom.”

—

Dawn’s room has art posters all over the walls and tons of books. She’s got a needlepoint project on her bed. She sits down.

“I like your room,” I say. “Do you think this counts?”

“Do you think what counts?”

“The beer I had. Does it ruin my days? It was only a little, and I threw it up, so it doesn’t count, does it?”

Dawn gives me a half smile. “Listen, Bella, I have to tell you something.”

“What?”

“I’m a cutter. I mean, I was. I’m trying hard not to be. It’s why I wear long shirts all the time. I’m all messed up. But listen: if I decide to one day just make a little nick, even just the smallest thing, only a little bit of blood? I still cut myself. I lose what non-cutting days I had, so…”

She looks at me.

“I feel like it’s the same with alcohol. You have to reset the clock. Start over.”

I look at her, my heart sinking.

“Sorry,” she says.

There’s a knock at the door.

Sharon, one of Dawn’s moms, peeks in.

“Do you need a bucket?” she asks me. “Kind of want to save the carpet after what happened on the lawn.”

I feel my face flush. “No. Sorry. I’m better now.”

“Right. Glad to hear it.”

She closes the door.

“Do you have any marshmallows?” I ask Dawn.

“I’m sorry, what?” She giggles.

“Marshmallows. And a fire pit. They told us in rehab to feed ourselves when we’re hungry, and to seek shelter, and to stay warm, and we’d survive. So do you want to make a fire in your backyard? And eat gooey marshmallows on sticks?”

“Idohave a fire pit, and that sounds really nice, but I don’t think right now is the time to be giggling and eating marshmallows. I think you need to call your mom and tell her what happened. And then, after she’s done grounding you for a million years, you can come back and have marshmallows. Give me your phone.”

I hand her my phone.

“What’s your password?”

I tell her.

She scrolls on my phone. “What did you say his name was?”

“Josh.”

She makes a few swipes on my phone.

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