Page 122 of Home Game

I debated letting it go to voicemail, but I picked up.

“What!”

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. She won’t talk.”

Jensen cleared her throat. “Has she talked to you about her situation?”

“What situation?”

“She was talking about leaving. She promised me she’d talk to you.”

“Hold on,” I interrupted. “She said she wanted to leave?”

“She said someone from her past had come back. And she wanted to leave before it got out of hand.”

“I gotta go,” I started to hang up.

“Wait,” Jensen pleaded. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. I gotta go.”

Ihung up the phone and tossed it on the counter. An indescribable emotion rolled through me. It pissed me off that she would talk to Jensen and not me. I walked to Zoey’s bedroom door and knocked.

“Zoey?”

“What?”

“Can I come in?”

No answer.

“Zoey, I’m coming in.”

“Fine.”

I expected her to be lying curled up in her bed. Instead, she had all her clothes on her bed and she shoved items into plastic bags.

“Hey,” I worked to keep my voice low and steady. “What are you doing?”

Panic fueled her movements. “I have to leave.”

“No. That’s the worst thing to do.”

“You don’t know what I know. I have to go.” She paused and looked up at me. “I have my list and I promise I’ll pay you back, but can I borrow $100?”

“Zoey.”

“Fifty then.”

I ran my hands through my still damp hair. Wondering how $50 could make any difference? You could barely buy a meal for $50. “What happened to the money you earned?”

“He took it.”

“Who took it?”

“Terrance. He said he wanted more, but that was all I had and now I don’t have enough to leave here.”

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