And together, there are five of us.
Five is areallygood number.
"Ellie! Ellie, where are you?"
Mom's voice carries across the trailer park. Her voice is blurry like she's been having too many drinks. My stomach drops as I remember I never told her where I was going. I hope I'm not in trouble. But it's worth it if I am. I got to meet Tank, Jinx, Kade, and even Cyrus.
"I have to go," I say, sighing. "Mom's calling."
"We'll walk you back," Kade says, and they do. I'm eager for a few more minutes with them, but they stop at the edge of our driveway, hanging back in the shadows.
"Moms don't like us," Kade explains with a grin. It's kind of a sad grin.
I don't understand why. They're the best kids I've ever met. But I can see Mom standing in the doorway, and her mouth is already in that tight worried line.
"Goodnight," I say to them, clutching Sparkles tight against my chest. "Thank you for teaching me how to play Conquest."
I start to turn away, but Tank elbows Kade. Kade rubs his arm and grumbles, "Ow. Fine." He raises his voice slightly to me. "You can come back tomorrow. If you want."
My heart leaps. "Really?"
"Really," Jinx says with that sunshine grin. "We'll be around."
I run toward the trailer, my scraped knee barely bothering me anymore. Behind me, I hear Jinx call out cheerfully, "Sweet dreams, Princess!"
"Eleanor Marie Riggs, where have you been?" Mom demands as soon as I reach the door. She smells more like her drinks than she has in a long time. Maybe even a whole week. "I was worried sick!"
"I was just playing with some kids who live here," I say, bouncing on my toes with excitement. "They're really nice, Mom. They taught me this game called Conquest and?—"
"Those boys?" Mom's eyes find the group still lingering at the edge of our driveway. Jinx waves cheerfully, and her lips get thinner. "Ellie, I don't think?—"
"They helped me when I fell on my knee," I interrupt, showing her my bandage. "See? And I know Tank looks like a big kid, but he and Kade are ten. Jinx and Cyrus are my age."
Mom's expression softens slightly as she examines the bandage. "They did this?"
"Kade did. He's really good at it. And Tank scared away some bullies and carried me because my knee hurt."
Mom glances back at the boys, biting her chapped lip. "I don't know, baby. They look... rough."
"They're not rough," I protest. "Well, they are, but they're nice. We're friends now."
Mom ushers me inside, but I catch her looking back at the boys one more time. There's something in her expression I don't understand. All I see when I look at them is friends.
"Look, sweetheart, I know your room isn't what you were hoping," she says once the door is shut and locked, but her voice sounds like she's trying to convince herself as much as me. "But this is just temporary, remember? Until we can find something better?—"
"I like it here."
Mom blinks. "You... what?"
"I like it here," I repeat, more firmly this time. "The boys are nice, and they said I can play with them tomorrow. And the park is kind of pretty in the sunset. I like the way the sun looks on the metal roofs. Our old roof didn't turn red."
"Oh," Mom says, clearly surprised. "Okay. That's... that's good, baby."
But she doesn't sound like she thinks it's good. She sounds worried and confused and maybe a little scared.
I don't care. For the first time since we left our old life and my school and my friends behind, I have something to look forward to.
Tomorrow I'll see Tank and Kade and Cyrus and Jinx again.
