Page 15 of Saving Barrette

She tucks a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and then crosses her arms over her chest as if she’s cold.

“Who else was with her after I left?”

There’s panic in her eyes, an emotion I don’t know whether to question, or appreciate. “Nobody that I know, but I left not long after you.”

“What about Remy?”

Tears flood in her eyes. “She passed out before that in her room.” She gasps and the tears slip past her cheeks. “Asa, I… I’m sorry for what I said in there. It’s just… I don’t know what to do for her, and I just sorta freaked out.”

I lean into the wall with my shoulder. “You and me both. I nearly punched her doctor.”

“You’ve always had the worst temper. I still remember when you decked that kid for taking her lunch money in the fourth grade.”

“He had it coming,” I grumble. You’re starting to see a pattern, aren’t you?

She laughs, but it doesn’t touch her eyes.

“How did you get here? Did she call you?”

“No. Something told me to go back so I did. When I didn’t find her by the fire, I wandered down by the water and I noticed her sweatshirt. I found her in the woods.”

Cadence takes a tissue and wipes her eyes. “I’m so glad you came back.”

It’s then I wonder what everyone’s saying because maybe then I’ll get some insight into who was there. “What’s everyone saying?”

“Nothing really, just that it’s fucked up someone would do that. Roman said he didn’t see anything, but he was in his room all night. The last thing anyone remembers was her walking away from Xander and standing by the water.”

Okay, so it wasn’t Xander. But maybe he was pissed off she denied him. The questions eat at me. I can’t stop my mind from trying to piece together everything and nothing at all because I wasn’t there. I have nothing to go on and the one person who can potentially connect the dots can’t remember anything about the night either.

THEY RELEASE BARRETTEon Sunday, two days later. I drive her home because she refuses to let Cadence, who meets us at Barrette’s house with food.

Barrette stares at the food, her favorite, Chinese, and won’t eat. She hasn’t eaten anything in two days. I can’t say I blame her. I have barely eaten myself.

My dad calls me, wants me to come home, but I tell him I’m staying the night with Barrette. Her parents? They haven’t even made flight arrangements to come yet. All of these things, they make me angry, hell, livid, but I control my emotions around her.

“We have to get her to eat something,” Cadence says, picking out the egg roll she set on a plate. Taking a flake from it, she rolls it up into a ball. “She doesn’t look good, A.” Her eyes follow Barrette down the hall to her bedroom.

“I know.” Sighing, I look around the house. Pictures of her parents’ adventures line the walls, some with a younger Barrette, years I missed, and most of them without her. Her parents are hippies. That’s the term my dad gave them at least. They’re free-spirited, eat everything from the earth, and make their own soap. I never really knew them all that well.

I stare at a photograph taped to the fridge of them holding Barrette on her first birthday. My jaw clenches at Barrette’s bright blue eyes and the big smile she’s wearing. I don’t know where that smile is and if it’s ever going to surface again.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” Cadence says, drawing my attention toward her.

I nod. “Thanks.” Something else catches my attention. A letter beside it from the University of Washington. An acceptance letter to the same college I have a full ride to.

You didn’t think it was coincidence that I accepted the least likely college to attend after getting offers from Ohio, Michigan, Texas, and Yale? I chose Seattle for a reason. It was closer to Barrette.

I look over my shoulder at Cadence, her attention still on the uneaten eggroll as she mumbles something about staying the night with her. “Is she going to UW?”

“Who, Barrette?”

“Yeah?”

She smiles and straightens her posture. “Yeah, we both are. I heard you’re the star on campus though, Mr. Full Ride.”

“I don’t know about that.” I motion toward the hall. “I’m gonna go check on her.”

Cadence straightens up. “I can.”

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