After, we’re lying in bed under the sheet, both on our backs, staring at the ceiling. My hand is twined with hers but that’s the only part of us that’s touching.
I’m starting to doze off, when my phone rings. It’s Red.
“What’s up?” I say.
“Your kids took off,” he replies, sounding more cranky than worried.
“Fuck,” I say which prompts Selkie to sit up.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
I hold up my hand to stall her. “How long?”
“How should I know?” Red replies. “Sorcha woke up and couldn’t find Henri, so she came to me. I checked Oscar’s room. They’re both gone.”
“What?” Selkie demands.
I cover the mouthpiece. “Oscar and Henri took off.”
“Jesus Christ,” she says as she throws the covers off her and jerks to her feet.
She’s not wrong about that.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Oscar
I’m pissed at dad. More than I’ve ever been before. Dropping us off at Red’s house is not cool. Worse, Henri’s swarmed by the little kids, dragging her around, practically holding her hostage.
I can tell Henri’s upset too. Not just by my dad’s betrayal, but also because she’s stuck in a situation where she knows no one except me. And I’m her worst enemy, so I get where she’s coming from.
Inside, I’m disgusted with myself for feeling bad for Henri. She doesn’t deserve it after all the crap she’s pulled, but she’s scared for her mom. And I’d be too, if I had one.
We end up at Stella’s mom and dad’s for supper, eating barbecue. Stella’s mom is cringy, trying to make me and Henri feel better, asking us how old we are, what grade we’re in at school.
“You’re both so cute,” she says, like we’re Barbie and Ken. “You don’t have to eat anything you don’t like, but it’s all healthy food because these three girls are athletes playing for the Reno Wolfpack.”
She smiles proudly at Stella, Selma, and Lexie, and I feel a hurt deep down. Dad has never smiled at me like that. I glance at Henri, who’s at the food table, flanked by the little girls, who are scooping food onto her plate. I know that Selkie’s proud of her, even if she makes fun of her. It’s in a teasing way and they banter back and forth. It’s dope.
I catch the eye of Red, who shakes his head. “Just go with it,” he mouths.
He’s right, I decide as Stella’s sister gives me a shove in the middle of my back and guides me over to the food table. “A big boy like you needs nourishment, so eat up.”
She’s talkin’ to me like I’m seven.
“Leave him alone,” Stella says. “He can do what he wants.”
“Geez, thanks,” I mutter, but low enough that no one can hear me.
Henri’s got a plateful of food and is being herded to a blanket on the ground. “Help,” she says to me as she’s pushed past.
The girl’s giggle. Red’s sister, Sorcha, says, “She’s so funny.”
I roll my eyes. Henri’s as funny as a week-long detention. But Selma’s right. I’m starving. Been a long time since breakfast, so I help myself to a chicken burger and some coleslaw because the rest of the salads are unidentifiable.
“You can eat at the adult table,” Mrs. Leith-Proctor says to me. “You’re almost grown up.”
I glare at Henri, who’s laughing hard at me. If I were Henri, I would have resented me, but she gets how uncomfortable I am and is making all sorts of mocking faces.
