Page 88 of Poetry of Flowers

When she returned, she told me my best friend’s mother, the woman who had taught us her favorite French nursery rhymes, had died.

I wasn’t allowed to run over to Tillie’s house, but I did anyway, and I never left her side the entire night. Her father had told me she wouldn’t let me in because she had locked herself in her room. But she let me in as soon as she had heard me, telling her it was me.

The entire night I had held her crying little frame in my arms, trying to calm her down by telling her fairy tales but nothing helped, at some point we were crying together, locked in each other’s arms until the morning.

“I told you, your father and I had another fight.”

“You’re lying.” She looked at me, not believing her own ears.

“What are you saying, Kayden?”

Mom walked over to my bed and took the jacket from the hanger. She motioned me to lift my arms up and helped me into it.

“Did you know what happened?” The whole thing gave me nightmares, my mom is good at pretending not to see things, but she was not a monster or a bad person.

I loved my mom, but why wasn’t her car in the garage, why the tears, and why did she avoid making eye contact with Jonas?

I didn’t want to believe she killed Tillie’s mother. Joyelle had been my mother’s best friend since high school.

But everything was just like in my grandpa’s crime shows.

My mother looked at me, her mouth opens as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“No, Kayden. I didn’t drive that car that killed Joy.”

“Did Dad drive it?” I had no control over the words before they left my mouth.

“One more word and you stay here,” she hissed furiously.

I had never seen her like this.

Mom grabbed her purse and my arm, jerking me with her.

She wouldn’t do that.

She wouldn’t leave me here when she knew Tillie needed me there with her today.

“Mom! Did you get the email from Mrs. Pann- why are you pulling Kayden like that?” my older brother asked as he came towards us in the long hallway.

Mom let go of me and straightened out the wrinkles on my jacket, giving Nash a tight smile.

“Yes, I got the email and Kayden was a bit grumpy today. We have to leave kids, where is Faith?” She looked around and then stomped over to my sister’s room.

“No sweetheart, you’re not even dressed,” she shouted and closed the door behind her.

I sighed, leaning against the wall.

“What was going on this morning?” my brother asked.

The thing is, Nash is my mother’s biggest defender because he thinks he understands her best. It’s annoying, but he feels like he has to protect her like he protects everyone else. My brother is the protector, but can’t handle his own temper.

“Nothing.”

“Come on, bro, tell me.”

“I believe Mom has something to do with Joy’s death because she was weird the day she died.”

“Cut that bullshit, Kayden!” I knew it, he wouldn’t even listen to me. I knew it sounds crazy, okay. Thinking my mom killed her best friend is an enormous thought, but everything seems so weird to me.

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