Page 140 of Run Away Home: Tempered

DANNY AND I WALK UPSTAIRS. I put my keys down on the coffee table.

“Is she home?” he asks.

“I don’t know. Can you do me a favor? I saw you didn’t put your laundry away this morning. Can you do that please?”

Hayley’s only been home from the hospital for a couple of days. She’s caused me so much grief since her incident.

“Yeah, okay.” He heads toward his room, and I follow. He dumps the contents of his laundry basket onto his bed.

“That was all folded nicely in there, you know.”

“It’s okay,” he says.

I shake my head and rub my eyes. “I’m going to close your door.”

“Why?”

“I have to talk with Hayley. Nothing you need to be involved in.”

“About the—”

“Yeah. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Okay.”

I close the door slowly and walk to the kitchen. I open the fridge, looking inside, but I don’t reach for anything.

How am I going to do this? Maybe I can find a place for Hayley to go, like a rehab or something? No, I don’t have enough money. I could try calling around, see if anyone will let her stay with them? We don’t have any family though. Who would I call? DSS might know if there’s anyone that can help her, someone who isn’t me, or...maybe I should just let her figure it out on her own.

What’s done is done. I made a new start for myself. It all worked out. If I can do it, she can too. I suddenly notice that I’m letting a lot of cold air out of the refrigerator. I close it quickly.

I stretch, feeling myself getting emotional. STOP. I can’t show her that I feel this way, that I’m pretty and weak. She’ll never take me seriously when I tell her to leave, and she has to leave. There are no more options left. The caseworker said it’s her or Danny, and I choose Danny.

I clear my throat. This is going to be messy, but if anyone’s going to be an emotional wreck, it has to be her and not me. I have to be in control of the situation. I’m not a “little man.” It’s time for me to prove that.

I sit down at the kitchen table and begin to go through the paperwork the caseworker gave me.

Hayley

Wednesday, April 13th

It’s time to make that big

leap, Aquarius! It may seem like

things haven’t been going your way.

Now it’s your turn to change that.

If you’re looking for a sign to make

that big decision, this is it.

Don’t be afraid.

Go out and make it happen!

IPUT MY PHONE DOWN. What should I wear? I go into my closet and pull out one of Peter’s old sweatshirts I’ve been hiding. This is nice and baggy... Now that Iknow,I feel like everyone can tell.

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