Page 146 of Here & There

“Anything,” she says.

“You need to un-erase Jessica.”

Mom’s brows knit together. “What do you mean?”

“I mean put her pictures back up. Look at the things you hid away in boxes. Don’t pretend she never existed. Get some therapy, because it’s going to be hard.”

The car pulls up then.

I raise my brows.

Mom nods. “Yes,” she says, her eyes welling over. “Okay.”

As the car pulls away, I keep my eyes on her. She looks so frail as she stands on the curb. But as we round the corner, the last glimpse I get of her is her shoulders pulling back, her spine straightening. She’s tough, my mom. If she survived Dad for all those years, and losing her home and family, she’ll survive this too.

It’s only when I step out of the cab that I remember I never asked her what her grandmother’s name was. Christ, I didn’t even ask what Mom’s maiden name was—it definitely wasn’t Fox.

I thank the driver and dash across the street to my building, excited to text her when I get inside.

But I pause at the door. There’s a figure hunched on the ground next to my building’s front door. It could be a personfrom the street—it wouldn’t be unheard of in this city. But the person’s wearing sneakers that look brand new. The jeans, too, are neatly hemmed. Not that that says anything. But there’s something familiar about the shape of the person’s head under the shaggy dripping hair.

I squat down. “Hello?” I ask.

When the person looks up, I gasp.

“Nate!” I exclaim as the boy breaks down into tears.

I get Nate upstairs and wrapped in a towel. Even though it’s summer, he’s soaked to the bone.

“Wait right here,” I say, and run next door. I wake poor Mrs. Liu up, but I know she has some of her son’s clothes in storage in her unit. When she sees my expression, she runs and gets them, handing them to me without so much as a question. “You tell me if you need me,” she says after me down the hallway.

Only once Nate is in the bathroom do I pull out my phone. My screen is covered from head to toe with messages and missed calls from Mac.

MAC: Nate’s missing. He never came home from school today

MAC: He heard Annie and me fighting. Heard some things he shouldn’t have

MAC: Things I shouldn’t have said, that I didn’t mean

MAC: Everyone in town is looking for him. We think he might have left. I don’t know what to do. They tell me not to leave in case he turns up…

MAC: Shelby, please. I know you never want to speak to me again, but it’s our Nate. I’m so fucking scared. Please just tell me if you hear from him

The bathroom door clicks open. I look up to see Nate standing there, his face more composed now.

“I have to tell your dad where you are,” I say.

Nate goes stiff.

“But I’ll tell him not to come tonight, okay? I’ll just tell him you’re safe. He’s beside himself.”

Nate’s eyes go wet, and he blinks fast.

He turns away, which is the closest thing I’m going to get to a yes.

Chapter 35

Mac

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