Tammi Lyn [DISCONTINUED]

xvii

A day after the surprise visit, I found myself in front of the Sanchez residence. I knocked on my neighbor's house and waited for an answer.

My head lowered to observe the mud on the soles of my feet. It rained quite hard yesterday, and only let up this morning. As soon as I saw that the rain stopped, I dashed down the stairs and out the house, eager to see what else Tammi had in store for me.

Apparently I was too caught up in my thoughts that I didn't pay any mind to the dirt and wet puddles on the way even though her house was literally next to mine.

The door opened but I really wasn't expecting who would answer.

"Oh hey there Ellie," I greeted the youngest of the Sanchez sisters with a small smile.

Ellie was a seventeen-year-old who was mostly reserved but rather observant and clever. We never really talked but she represented the school in some quiz bees around and she usually gets first or second place. Tammi was quite proud of that, and Vivian was snobbish about it.

She nodded once, an indication that she heard me and was greeting me back.

I looked around even though the view was limited and finally asked, "Is Tammi home?"

She shook her head a solemn no and was about to close the door on my face when she paused and seemed to ponder on something before turning to me.

"Actually can I talk to you for a while?"

I halted briefly but nodded all the same. It wasn't all the time I had conversations with just about anyone, but I guess I could cut her some slack since she's Tammi's sister. I actually liked her than the eldest Vivian. She was one mean piece of work, I have to say. She sometimes picked on me, and would even bully little kids for their lunch money. She was bad luck, so to say, and I did everything in my power so as not to cross paths with her.

Ellie led me toward the curb and she sat down, me following suit. She was hugging her knees and I sat there just relaxed, curious on what she wanted to talk about. If she needed help with homework I could just say she could ask her sisters or I was too busy with my own work.

"Since you're kinda close to Tammi and you're like the only person I see around her, I guess I can trust you."

I gave her a confused look but she didn't meet my eye; only continued to stare ahead.

"Look, Tammi doesn't open up much about nearly anything and I figured someone had to know." She looked my way briefly. "She needs help. Like, real mental health help."

"I figured," was my short reply, nodding and seeing Ellie nearly crack her neck at how fast she turned toward me. "It was obvious when I spent more time around her. Where is she now?"

Her lips pursed into a pout, eyebrows scrunched together as she racked her mind.

"I really have no idea, sorry," she apologized with a shrug. "But lately we've been getting calls from our godmother, who frequently talks to Tammi about something."

"Godmother?" I repeated, and she nodded excitedly.

"She's a psychiatrist."

She said it with a tinge of pride, but I wasn't able to pay much attention to her tone because suddenly it hit me: their godmother was a psychiatrist. And if what Ellie was telling me was true, the woman often called the Sanchez residence to check on Tammi. It must mean she knows or is working on figuring out what's really going on with her. So that's why Sarah she found out from her godmother!

I shook my head to regain my bearings, tucking away the precious information at the front of my mind. I leaned closer, now fully invested in the conversation.