Unable to think of a response, I used Francine’s barking as an excuse to keep my mouth shut. “What do you love about her so much?” I asked once she quieted.
“Well, I don’t want to spoil my speech,” she answered coyly.“But one thing I really love and admire is how fiercely protective she is of the people she cares about.”
Fiercely protective?My eyebrows knitted together as I randomly twirled around the left side of the barn. That sounded like Austin, not Katie.
“Yes,” Meredith said. “You probably know that my older sister died in a drunk driving accident? Maybe Austin told you?”
I winced. “I’m so sorry—so, so sorry.”
“Thank you,” Meredith said, and it went quiet for a moment. “I told Katie about Claire our first week in college, and she has been overwhelmingly caring and considerate of it ever since. She suggested we have a ‘sober soldier’ whenever our friends went out, and orchestrated games like rock paper scissors to randomly draft one. We also had the buddy system at bigger parties—and she always,alwayswrote her phone number on our arms in case of an emergency.” She paused. “My parents were local, so my mom and I attended MADD weekly meetings—Mothers Against Drunk Driving—and when I studied abroad my junior year, Katie went to them with my mom. She wasn’t trying to be me or my sister; she was just being herself and thought my mom could use the company. She is so supportive of her friends and everything important in their lives. She keeps us safe and makes us better.”
“Oh, wow…” I took a step backward, sort of stunned. “Meredith, wow, I—shit!”
Pain sliced through my ankle, and I swear I heard asnap.
“What?!” Meredith sounded alarmed. “What is it? What happened?”
“No, nothing,” I said, pinpricks at my eyes. “I accidentally stepped in a groundhog hole. They’re burrowing around the barn.”
“Yikes.” She sucked in a breath. “You’re okay, though?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I crouched down and looked longingly toward my warm house. “I’ll ice it before bed. I probably rolled it.” I let out a long breath. “I never knew any of that about Katie.”
“You wouldn’t,” Meredith said. “She’s stealthy.”
I laughed, but god—it somehow made my ankle scream. “I should go,” I said through gritted teeth. “Arthur and Francine have gotten into something…”
“Ahhh, I’ve been there so many times with our Jack Russell,” she said. “Have a good night, Mads.”
“Good night, Meredith,” I said, and after hanging up, I whistled for the dogs and hopped home.
***
I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I’d spent the last week baking in the sun with no water. My mouth as dry as tortilla chips without salsa, I pushed back my covers and got out of bed…only to collapse when I tried to stand. Burning pain seared all the way up my leg, and I yelped the second I hit the wood floor. The old pine groaned under the sudden drop of weight.
My phone was plugged in on my nightstand, so I stretched to grab it.Please, I thought, fumbling to turn on its flashlight.Please let it be okay…
It wasnotokay. The ice pack I’d strapped to my ankle before bed had slipped off while I’d been sleeping, and now the flashlight’s beam showed me the most grotesque thing I’d ever seen. My ankle was so majorly swollen, at least twice its normal size, and bruised red and purple. ThesnapI’d heard earlier hadn’t been my imagination; I’d broken something. Whatever bone or bones that made sure my foot faced forward. Now, it was crooked, my foot awkwardly pointing to the right.
I vomited. Kung pao chicken, brown rice, and the various sweet treats I’d snacked on after dinner spewed across my bedroom floor. Then, at the sight of the vomit, I puked up whatever was left in my stomach.
Slowly but surely, I hefted myself back into bed. My lock screen said it was 4:37, and I broke out in tears. I was completely and utterly alone in my house with no one to help me. All of my emergency contacts were unavailable. My parents were in California, and the McCallisters also were out of town. Austin was in Maryland, and I knew Nana silenced her phone at night. She wouldn’t hear her ringtone if I called.
One other option came to mind, an option Ineverwould’ve considered this time last year. I tried to pull myself together as the phone rang. But I caved as soon as I heard her voice. “Mmm, hello?” Katie said groggily. “Mads?”
“Katie, I’m sorry it’s so late,” I said, sobbing. “But I need your help.”
Her voice changed, like a switch had been flipped. “Where are you? What happened?”
“I’m home alone,” I told her. “I think I broke my ankle. I was outside with the dogs tonight, and I tripped on a groundhog hole…” I squeezed my eyes shut, more tears threatening to spill. “I iced it, but now it’s so swollen and itreallyhurts… I can’t walk, Katie.”
“Okay,” Katie said calmly, and I heard some rustling in the background. “Okay, breathe—just breathe.”
I did—ortriedto, at least. My exhalations came out as wails.
“I’m in Princeton,” Katie said. “I need to wake my dad, because I won’t be able to carry you down the stairs, but we’re coming, alright?”
I nodded even though she couldn’t see.
