Debt

27: Help Me

It had been four weeks since Shayla was home, and she stayed to herself a majority of the time. The only person allowed into her room was Evan. She yelled at anyone else. Even Shawn. He had tried to go and offer some solace to his older sister, but she just wanted to be alone.

She sat in the room with her knees to her chest, just sitting there, reminding Shawn so much of when she had first checked out. Really checked out.

Abrielle knocked on the door and gently pushed it open. "Shayla?" she asked softly.

Shayla just looked up at her and said nothing, turning back to stare at the wall, seeing nothing at all.

Abrielle felt for Shayla, because she knew where she was. Because she had been there not long ago. She had been that lost little girl, waiting for her daddy to wake up and scream "Gotcha!" with a big grin on his face. But she had watched him buried, just the way Shayla had spread her father's ashes.

Abrielle awakened to the scent of food and the urgency of a full bladder. So she went to the bathroom to handle her morning needs and get dressed. She pulled on a pair of loose cotton pajama pants and a wife beater. She wasn't going anywhere today.

She exited the room and ran into Larielle, who was smiling. "Breakfast in bed," she told her friend, grinning.

"Thank you. Where's Shawn?"

"When I ran into him this morning, he said that he had to go and handle something. It's just us for the day. Señora Chavez is staying where she is."

Abrielle found herself giggling as she and Larielle climbed into the bed and Bri turned on the TV.

The girls sat and ate their breakfast together, finally spending some of the time they were supposed to.

They talked about everything. Love, school, the baby. Bri even admitted to her friend that Shawn was dangerous and she loved him in spite of it. He made her feel safe.

"I think you and Evan are really good together. He seems happier since you two started hanging out. He smiles more."

Larielle smiled, liking to have that effect on him. He had it on her too. When he was around, everything just felt okay.

The girls finished their breakfast, and Larielle pulled Abrielle to her room to show her something she had been working on: a silk rose, a silk jasmine, a silk columbine, and a silk azaela.

"I'm not finished yet. But I thought you might like it," she told her, smiling. "I'm sewing them so they'll stay put together."

"Thank you, Lari."

"Por nada."

The house phone rang, and Abrielle answered, hearing Shawn's voice on the other end of the line. "When does Larielle have to get back to campus?"

"Lari, when does your break end?" Bri wondered.

"Monday."

Abrielle passed the information along, and Shawn informed his wife that he would be going to pick his sister and Evan up from the airport. He didn't have to tell her why. She understood.

Larielle could see the sober expression on Abrielle's face, and it worried her. So she asked for the 411.

"Well, Evan is going to be home tonight. But he won't be very happy."

"Oh." Larielle understood and she sat down with a blank expression.

Larielle had stayed the whole week, trying to be a comfort to Evan, but he just pushed her away. Pushed her off on Abrielle. And Larielle had tried to understand, because when she had lost her father, she didn't want to be with anyone either. Pablo had to sneak through her window to get her to talk to him. And even then, she hadn't. She was just too tired.