"You don't know what was going on there. They could have had problems for years that you didn't know about."
"I just feel like there's something going on with him. Chad seems different. He doesn't even want to talk to me when I call. It's like he's rushing me off the phone."
"You're reading too much into it. He's just stressing about school. Come to the game on Friday. You'll get to spend time with your man and hang out with us girls. Oh, and after the game we're all going to Gwen's party. It's going to be epic. Her parents hired a DJ and are having it catered by James Deluce."
"I don't know who that is."
She gasps. "Brook, are you joking? Deluce's the hottest new caterer in the city! He's booked over a year in advance but Gwen's dad worked his magic and got Deluce to cater the party. You HAVE to be there. It's going to be amazing! I ordered this gorgeous dress I saw on the Paris runways last spring. It arrived last week but I'm having it tailored. We should talk tomorrow and figure out what you're going to wear."
"I don't think I'll be going. Even if I did, I sold all my dresses before I moved. There's not much closet space here."
"Oh," she says, sounding disappointed. "Well, maybe you could wear one of mine, although it might not fit."
Jane has a curvier figure than me and a bigger chest. We used to be the same size but then her body matured differently than mine and we were no longer able to share clothes.
"Maybe Leesa could loan you something. I could ask her when we're at the cafe."
"That's okay. I really don't think I can go. Maybe some other time."
"Yeah," she says with a sigh. "Brook, I should go. I have to stop at the tailor's on my way to the cafe to check on my dress."
"Okay. Bye."
As I end the call, it hits me that my friendship with Jane is probably over, or will be soon. Our lives are completely different now. She doesn't want to be part of mine and I can no longer be part of hers. I can't even relate to her anymore. Buying designer dresses for a party? Going to the hot new sushi place? Spending the afternoon at a fancy cafe? That life seems so distant now it's almost like it was never mine. Like it was someone else's life I no longer know.
Chapter Nine
Brook
A text pops up on my phone from my mom.Working late tonight. Be home around ten. How was school?
Fine,I text back.I have that tutoring thing tonight. Not sure when I'll be home.
Be safe! And text me before and after you leave.
I will.
Love you!
Love you too.
My mom was okay with me taking the tutoring job until I told her it was at a guy's house. She wanted to call his parents and talk to them but I told her they weren't home. I didn't tell her they took off. It would've made her even more concerned, and she was concerned enough that I was going to the house of a guy she didn't know. She told me I couldn't take the job until she met him. We fought about it for like ten minutes before she finally agreed to let me do it. That's when I realized I need to stop telling my mom everything. She didn't tell me about all her problems with my dad. If she had, I wouldn't have been so shocked and devastated when he left. If she can keep secrets, so can I.
At six-thirty I walk down to the bus stop and wait, checking my phone for any messages from Chad. I sent him a text during dinner but he never responded. I know he stresses out during the first week of class, like Jane said, but he could still check in with me now and then. It doesn't take that long to send a text.
The bus arrives and I take a seat up front next to an old lady. She smells like mothballs so I turn toward the aisle where the smell's not so strong. I check the bus route again to make sure I get off on the right stop.
Before moving here I never rode the bus, not even the school bus. Growing up, my mom always dropped me off or picked me up at school. I never appreciated it, or even thanked my mom for doing it. Now I realize what a luxury it was compared to waiting at a bus stop and sitting next to strangers.
As the bus gets closer to Dean's neighborhood I start to get worried. A few of the houses are boarded up and covered in graffiti, and I'm pretty sure I saw gunshot holes in the window of a car we just passed.
The bus stops on the corner and I get off, walking fast down the street. Two teenage guys are sitting on a porch, watching me, and one of them yells something. I don't know what he yelled but I walk faster, wanting to get off the street before something happens. I should've brought my pepper spray.
When I reach Dean's house I check the number to make sure I'm at the right place. It doesn't really look lived in. The grass is overgrown and weeds have taken over what used to be a flower bed.
Walking up to the house, I stop at the door and ring the bell but don't hear anything. I think the bell's broken. I knock on the door.
"Just a minute!" someone yells.
