Page 101 of Something in Between

I finally text Royce. I didn’t want to share the bad news until I had time to process it. Since we made up, we’ve been so solid.

But now I have to tell him.

jasmindls: We lost. We have to leave the country.

He texts back immediately.

royceb: no ducking way! DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK

royceb: DUCKING autocorrect i don’t mean DUCK!!!

royceb: i thought your case was a sure thing!!!

royceb: i’m coming over right now. There has to be something we can do.

* * *

Royce is leaning against his car when we arrive home. I jump out and run into his arms. “I don’t want to go,” I say. I’m scared to cry again. Crying means defeat, and I’m not giving up.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he says. I’ve never heard him curse as much as he has today. “I can’t believe it. They’d turn you away because of some expired visa? What is that about? After everything you’ve done? You didn’t do anything wrong!”

“The law says we did,” I say shakily. “You should have seen the judge.”

My family crosses the lawn to go into the house. Mom and Dad wave at Royce. He acknowledges them. My brothers are joking around.

“You think I can get the cheerleaders to kiss me before we go?” asks Isko.

“I don’t know,” Danny says. “You have a monkey face.”

“Your brothers don’t seem to be taking it too bad,” Royce says.

“They don’t understand,” I say, leaning into his chest. “To them, everything’s a big adventure.”

Royce runs his hands up and down my arms. “It will be,” he says.

“No, it will be horrible.”

He squeezes my arms. “You can’t leave. There’s got to be something I can do.” He keeps saying that. He’s said for months that he can help me, but I won’t let him.

“The judge asked us if we knew anyone important in government,” I finally confess.

“He did?”

“Yeah.”

It’s like I lit a fire underneath him. “Okay. We need to move fast, then. Let’s go talk to my mom.”

“Your mom?” I ask. “Why?”

Royce is obviously surprised by this comment. He pulls away. “Because you’re my girlfriend. I thought we were over this thing you have with my family.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” I say, but I guess I did. I think about the day I dropped off his Christmas gift. I left his house feeling like I could never impress her.

“But isn’t your dad the one we have to talk to? He’s the congressman.”

Royce smiles ruefully. “He definitely is. Except we have to win over Mom first. It’s just the way things work in my family.”

“Okay,” I say. I’m desperate, and he’s offering.

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