Page 5 of As They Are
“Me too.” I looked down at my mess. “I should clean up, though.”
“I’ll help you!” she replied. “I know where it all goes anyway!”
Mollie carried half of the things we needed to give back, completely unfazed by the fact that she was covered in wood dust. I hugged her before saying goodbye and heading to Mom’s.
When I returned to the house, Dad was waiting for me and silently opened the car door while Mom came out with my duffel bag.
“I told you this wouldn’t work out,” she said.
“I guess you did,” he replied, not meeting her eyes. “What do I need to fix?”
“Nothing,” I muttered. “I did it.”
His thick eyebrows raised. “Youdid it?”
“Hopefully no one notices,” Mom said, crossing her arms. “You need to watch her. She gets mad.”
“Only because of you,” I snapped.
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t you even start with me. I can’t do anything right with you anyway.” She threw her hands up in the air and walked off without saying goodbye.
“She’s never like this with Ginnie,” I muttered as I slammed the door.
“Ginnie’s her perfect kid,” Dad said.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped. I wanted to fix it so she wouldn’t call you.”
“She’s lookin’ for a reason, Wren. Don’t worry about it. You can call her in a few days after she cools off.”
I stared out the window as we drove away, trying to think of what Mom wanted to hear when I called. Eventually, we passed by Mollie’s house, and my gaze locked on it, even as we drove by.
At least I’d made a friend throughout all of this.
That was the only thing that made it easier when Mom didn’t pick up when I called three days later.
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HENRY
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
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“Do you really have to go?”Mom’s grip was tight on my shoulders as she pulled away from our hug.
My temples pounded and everything felt like I was being repeatedly hit with a sledgehammer. “A patient called. I need to be back in Strawberry Springs as soon as possible.”
That was a lie. While I could probably find something to do, what I truly needed was to behome.Since I’d visited this morning, I’d listened to Mom tell me her stories about her job as a nurse, ignoring the way her loud voice made me wince over time. She couldn’t help it, especially since her hearing wasn’t what it used to be, so I smiled and dealt with it, counting down the minutes until I could leave.
