“Oh. Hey,” she says.
“Hey, girl,” Callum says with that easy grin.
Zephyr waves.
She looks at me. “Thanks for cleaning.”
I nod, observing her. It looks like she’s been crying. Her eyes are red. Her face is blotchy.
“I’m going to stay here for a couple days,” she says to all of us.
“We are too,” Callum adds without missing a beat.
Zephyr nods in agreement.
“Okay,” she says. The word comes out awkward. Uncertain. Then she turns and goes back to her room and shuts the door again.
“What’s that about?” Zephyr asks, looking at her closed door.
I shrug.
Callum says, “Maybe she doesn’t know how to say no to us.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think that’s it.”
“Then what is it?”
I lower my voice. “Shouldn’t she be bedridden?”
Callum and Zephyr both look at her door. Then back at me.
“The drugs must be good,” Zephyr says.
Callum scoffs, “Her legs didn’t get shot. It’s just her arm.”
“It’s just her arm,” Zephyr mocks.
“Shut the fuck up,” I whisper.
Callum shrugs. “She’s a fucking champ.”
“What is she doing in her room?”
“I don’t know. But she took a bunch of files from her dad’s room. And she’s been locked in there ever since.”
“You think it’s about Zinnia?” Callum asks.
“Maybe.” I run my hand through my hair. “I don’t know, but something’s not right.”
We all sit there in silence for a moment, staring at her closed door, and wondering what the hell she’s hiding from us.
And wondering if we should push. Or wait for her to come to us.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Tigerlily
I’m holding the paperwork that explains why my mom’s in prison for life.
My hands are shaking. The paper crinkles between my fingers.
