24
BECKETT
Age 18
My hands were shaking when I turned the knob to the Henrys home. They’d long-ago said I didn’t need to knock and could make myself welcome whenever I wanted. I couldn’t wait to show Riley what I’d found on our trip.
Tracy was sitting at the table and I knew the moment she looked at me that something was very wrong. Heavy tears slid down her face and her lower lip quivered. I noticed a pile of used tissue in front of her, another in her hand.
“He’s not here, sweetie,” she said with a sniffle. “Riley’s gone.”
I froze, sure I’d heard her wrong. “Gone?”
“He’s gone, Beckett. Child services took him. They said-“
The art set I’d been holding slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor with a crash, taking my heart with it.
“NO!” I screamed. “He can’t be gone! Riley!” I tore up the stairs to our old room, fear making my blood run cold. He can’t be gone… Riley wouldn’t leave!
“RILEY!”
The sound of the door crashing against the wall echoed in the small, sacred space and my entire world shattered when I saw how empty and lifeless it was now. Our pictures that had been hanging on the walls for years were gone along with his clothes, and the box of art supplies he never kept organized was missing from its place on the desk. Everything was gone. Even the red blanket he always keptat the end of his bed—the one I’d given him shortly after he’d arrived at the Henrys’—was missing.
“Riley!” I fell to my knees, a choked cry escaping my lips. “We said we’d never leave each other.”
***
We barely managed to make it to my room and close the door before I heard Jake rummaging around in my apartment. Riley was beet red, his chest heaving as he quietly gasped for air. We stared at each other a moment before falling into a fit of whispered giggles.
“I feel like we’re back in middle school, doing something we shouldn’t be,” Riley whispered.
“Oh, but weshouldbe doing that. Over and over and…”
Riley sputtered another laugh as he clapped a hand over my mouth, then he held his other one out expectantly. It took me a moment to realize he was asking for the pair of underwear he’d borrowed.
“I didn’t have time to grab them!”
“Shit! Beckett!”
We pinched our noses to ward off the God-awful smell that still lingered, making quick work of cleaning up before tossing on some clothes.
“Hey, boys!” Jake called down the hall. “You’re obviously up, so you gonna come out and say hi?”
I groaned, looking at Riley. “Just a heads up, Jake usually has no filter.”
Jake was leaning against the counter munching on a bagel when we entered the kitchen. His eyes twinkled when he saw us, a slight smirk on his face.
“Glad to see you’re up and… active.”
I was positive the glare I shot him promised death if he said anything else, but he just continued on, unaffected by my silent threat. Typical Jake.
He jerked his head in the direction of the living room. “Poor job of hiding the evidence.”
Blushing, Riley looked like he was trying to be as small as possible when he turned to me. “Is there a coffee shop nearby?”
“You don’t drink coffee,” I blurted.
He let out an exasperated breath, making an obvious effort not to roll his eyes. “No, but you do. I figured you might want some time to… talk.”About meis what he didn’t say. “I need to call Amelia anyway. She’s had a rough couple of days.”
