Page 46 of From Nowhere

“Dakota said it’s called pornography or porn. His mom talked to him about it after his sister and her friends got in trouble for watching it online.”

So much for my next request, which was that she never mention it to any of her friends.

What’s happening to the world? There’s no way I knew anything about porn when I was ten.

“Starting now, I don’t want you to say another word about it to anyone. Can you do that?”

“Why? Pa is an adult. Dakota said porn is just for adults.”

“True. But do you remember when you first got invited to a sleepover, and I told you not to forget your stuffed bear, and you didn’t want your friends to know you still sleep with a stuffed animal?”

“Yeah.”

“I told you it’s perfectly normal for someone your age to sleep with one, but you still didn’t want everyone to know. Well, even though Pa is old enough to watch whatever he wants, he probably doesn’t want the world to know he’s watching that.”

“Like when he smokes out back and tells me not to tell you?”

I mimic her eye roll. I knew the cigarette butts weren’t blowing into our yard from the neighbor’s. “Yeah,” I grumble, “like that.”

“I promise not to say anything if you promise to get me a cat, since you let that kitten on the trail die.”

“First, you don’t know if that kitten died. It’s quite possible that some cat lover with a car showed up after us and rescued it. Second, it’s not okay to blackmail me into getting you a cat, or anything, for that matter. I asked you not to say another word about the incident with Pa, and that’s final. No negotiating. No blackmailing. No ifs, ands, or buts. Got it?”

“Mom would have saved the kitten.”

I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood. It’s not often that Lola plays the Mom-would-have card, but when it happens, it knocks the air from my lungs and makes me question whether she’s right. Would Brynn have taken the cat home?

We don’t say another word the rest of the way to school. When I stop at my designated spot across the street, and Lola walks her bike through the crosswalk with the crossing guard, I call, “Love you. Have a good day.”

Nothing from her in return.

Ozzy: How’s your day? What are you doing?

I text Maren while eating my lunch in the break room.

Maren: I’m house shopping with Jamie and Fitz. They’re thinking of making an offer on the house I want!

I chuckle.

Ozzy: Outbid them

Maren: It has a tree house in the backyard for Bandit

Ozzy: Maybe don’t outbid them

Maren: Because you don’t think Bandit deserves a tree house?

Ozzy: I was dragging ass yesterday, but Saturday night was so worth it. When do you want to sneak out again?

Maren: I empathize with Lola. The way you dismiss Bandit is heartbreaking

Ozzy: You should send me pictures of Bandit

She sends me a half dozen pics of the tiger-striped kitten in the next ten seconds.

Ozzy: lol how many are on your phone?

Maren: Let’s just say I had to pay for more cloud storage

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