Page 28 of Don't Let Go

I slammed my locker shut and spun the dial. Skipping the rest of the day wouldn’t hurt anyone. I jogged down the hallway and pushed too hard on the exit door. It banged against the brick wall before slamming closed.

When I reached my car, I found my driver’s door had been spray-painted with a red X.

I clenched my jaw and tried not to have a meltdown in the parking lot. I got in my car and brought it to life. Before I put it in gear, my phone rang.

I answered with a bite. “What?”

“Dude. It’s Quincy. What’s up? You sound worse than I thought.”

I exhaled. Finally, someone to talk to again who listened. “Sorry, man. My head’s all crazy. I thought it was hard enoughdealing with my dad being gone, but South Ridge is an entirely different planet.”

Quincy let out a breath. “Damn, that sucks, man. I wish I knew how to help.”

I rested my forehead on the steering wheel. “It’s fine. How’s the team doing without me?”

He was silent for a moment before groaning. “Dude, practice was horrible. You were the glue. If we don’t shape up soon, we’re toast.”

“Shit. All that hard work out the window.” I sat up, pushing the back of my head into the headrest as if I’d sink into the leather and disappear. “How’s Iris? I texted her earlier, but she hasn’t replied.”

“I saw her this morning. She seems alright, I guess. I know Mr. Brooks had a test today so maybe she’s focused on that right now?” His voice sounded strained like it always did when he lied.

I laughed; it sounded broken like my whole life was now. “Yeah. Of course. We both know how much studying history is important to her.”

Laughter and talking filled the background. “Dude, I don’t know what to say. Call her later. The boys are here, and we’re going to work on strategy. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Cool. Bye.” I hung up, tossing my phone into the passenger’s seat.

A knock on my window scared the crap out of me. I looked over and saw Rory standing there.

I rolled down my window. “Geez, you came out of nowhere.”

“Where are you going?” She glared at me like a prison guard, crossing her arms across her chest. “I don’t know when your other school ended, but here we’re still in class.”

I unlocked the car and nodded toward the seat next to me. “Get in. You’re drawing attention standing out there like that.”

She rolled her eyes but walked around and got in. “So, what happened to make you ditch? Please don’t tell me it was Paolo. He’s just a bully.”

“It wasn’t him. It was… everything. I don’t belong here. My girlfriend isn’t texting me back. I want to complain to someone who knows me, but they’re either too busy or dead.”

Rory squeezed her eyes shut, making her forehead crinkle. I wanted to run my thumb over her skin and smooth it. “I know that feeling well, I’m afraid.” She sank back into the chair. “Do you see your papà when you close your eyes?”

“Yeah. I’m blocking it out. I kinda had a slight meltdown in the bathroom during lunch.”

“So that’s where you were.” She put a hand on mine. I was squeezing the steering wheel as tightly as I could and didn’t realize it. “I looked for you. My friend, Chloe, wanted to meet you…”

I dropped my hands onto my lap. Her fingers brushed my face. They were cool to the touch. “Isn’t sorrow a strange feeling? We feel it deeply, yet we don’t think we can express it to others. We always have masks on. We’re all actors on a stage.” She pulled her hair over to one side, twisting it as if she was going to do something with it, but she just toyed with the ends, staring off into the distance.

I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel. “Yes. I can’t be here right now, but I don’t know where else to go.”

She nodded. “I’ll make up a story of you being ill if someone asks what happened to you. While you’re gone, I’d get your door looked at.” Rory opened the passenger’s side door and put her right leg out. “Don’t lose who you are behind the mask you put on.”

I traced the logo in the middle of my steering wheel with my finger. “Is that advice from experience?”

She looked me dead in the eye. “Your head would spin around with the number of masks I wear. See ya.” Before I could say anything, she was gone, running back into the building.

Rory was right. I needed to get my mind in the right headspace and get my car to the body shop. I had this gut-wrenching feeling Rory had a dark secret. Why did she need to wear so many masks? Why was she with that asshat Paolo anyway? Why was Iris not texting me back? Why did my father die so suddenly? Why was he eating seafood? Why was I drowning in so many unanswered questions?

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