Page 150 of From Nowhere

“Thank you,” I say just as the doorbell rings. “Jamie’s early.”

“She is. I’ll make more eggs,” Mom says on her way to the door.

“Trust me, Jamie’s already been up for three hours baking muffins, hiking, and cleaning her house.” I laugh.

“It’s not Jamie,” Mom murmurs while unlocking the storm door.

“Who is—” I start to speak when Lola steps into the entry and removes her bike helmet and shoes.

“Good morning.” She shrugs off her backpack and pulls out a white sack. “I brought doughnuts.”

I peek over my shoulder out the front window. “Hey, Lola. Did your dad take the day off?” I search for him, but I only see her bike.

“No. He’s working.”

“We have eggs and fruit. Would you like some?” Mom asks Lola.

“Lola, who came here with you?” I inspect her as she roams to the kitchen.

“Uh, I came by myself. It’s fine.” She sets the bag on the counter as my mom spoons eggs and fruit onto a plate. “My dad’s at work, and my grandparents think I’m playing the new VR I got. So I can’t stay long, but I wanted to bring you doughnuts.” She hands me a jelly-filled one.

I set it on my plate, returning a nervous smile. “This is nice of you, but nobody knows where you are, and you don’t have permission to ride to my house. If your grandparents look for you and can’t find you, they’ll be worried sick.”

“Trust me. It’s fine.” She climbs onto the stool at the counter where my mom sets her plate of food.

Mom smiles at Lola before padding toward me with wide eyes and a stiff smile. “Do you need me to get your phone so you can text someone?” she asks under her breath.

“Yes. Thanks. It’s on my dresser.”

“What grade will you be in, Lola?” Dad asks.

“Fifth,” Lola mumbles after taking a bite of her doughnut.

“What’s VR?” He narrows his eyes at her.

Lola giggles at my dad’s question. “It’s virtual reality. It’s a headset I wear, and things look real. It’s so cool. It was Maren’s idea.”

Dad shoots me a look.

“It’s to simulate being in a car again. How’s that working for you, Lola?”

“It’s fun. But I know it’s not real.”

Mom returns with my phone.

“You’re not calling my dad, are you?” Lola doesn’t miss a thing.

“Lola, I need to let him know where you are.”

“You can’t. He’ll be mad. And I’m fine. I wore my helmet. I looked both ways when crossing streets. And I didn’t talk to strangers.”

“You stopped for doughnuts,” I say with a frown.

“That’s different. The people who work there have seen me a lot, so they’re not real strangers.”

“What if I let your dad know you’re here and ask him if it’s okay for you to stay until he gets off work?”

She licks the frosting off her lips before twisting them. “Hmm, then he’ll know I rode my bike here. But I think it would be fun to stay today.” She shakes her head. “No. I can’t risk him finding out.”

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