Tim's mother is too young to die, but she dies anyway--in a video that goes viral. Tim scrambles to hold his life together, but the person who keeps him on his feet turns out to be his half-sister, a fiesty girl who has no idea they're related, but...
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"Sari's asking if you want to hang out." Heather glimpses casually at my phone while it charges on the counter next to the coffee maker.
"Hey, what if I had something completely personal on there?" The protest is half hearted at best. It's just as clear to her that there's no problem. It's not like I scrambled away from my breakfast to stop her.
Heather pours her cup of coffee, leaning against the counter. "Something you'd get in trouble for? We already established that you've been drinking, and fighting. What else would I find? Are you texting your drug dealer? Would I find out that you're sexually active. Oh my God, teenagers have sex."
Ugh. "Kindly never say that again."
"Should I give you the talk? A good lecture on being safe? Give you some condoms?" Heather grins over her coffee mug.
"Please, I'm begging you." Yeah, breakfast is done. This can't go on. I get it. Heather of all people would not get preachy. I'm the embodiment of what can happen when teenagers are sexually active. There isn't much for me to keep a secret from Heather. Not after this weekend.
"I think you should see Sari. It sounds like she's worried about you." Heather's tone shifts as she slides me my phone across the table.
How're your stitches? Do you want to meet up sometime soon?
"You're not grounding me? I'm not banned from the outside world?" If she was feeling parental, I'd expect her to try.
"It's Sari. Am I actually supposed to be worried about you getting into trouble?" Heather sips her coffee.
I don't want to comment on that right now.
Between Heather's place and Bam-O-Rama, Murphy Comp ends up being mid-pointish.
That's fine, I mean, I've been listening to music lying on the floor for a day and a half now. A little walking isn't going to kill me.
Cutting through the woods behind Murphy Comp is the quickest way from Heather's on foot. It's almost relaxing, between the creek running through the trees and my music playing quietly in my headphones. I can almost breathe and my body doesn't feel so thick. At the bridge, where I can almost see the school through the foliage, I stop, close my eyes, and try as hard as I can to think of nothing. Start from scratch. Try not to carry everything from the party around on my back. I try to imagine what nothing looks like.
