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Wincing at the thought, I look away. I feel bad thinking such mean things about my sister. I never used to…not until these last couple years, but especially lately.
Is this why? Did some part of me know this was coming?
Is that why Mom warned me about bottling things up?
“Yeah…” Mason says slowly. His brows knit. “But not if it bothers you. You’re my friend. My best friend aside from Izzy and Way. I don’t want you upset. I don’t like it.”
Eyes wide, I swallow hard, unsure what to say to that. My cheeks feel all hot again, and I quickly turn away, heading for my desk to grab my books. “We should do our homework.”
I feel him watching me as I grab all my stuff to bring down. I don’t always do homework with them, seeing as I’m homeschooled and am usually working on other lessons than they are. But I can’t be in this room anymore, especially alone with him. And I don’t really want to be alone, period, right now.
Just as I go to move past him, he says, “We’re okay though, right?”
I look into his eyes, and I can see the worry shining back from deep within him.
Nodding, I say, “Yeah. We’re fine.”
His mouth thins, and he nods. “Promise you’ll tell me if we’re not?”
I search his eyes, and slowly nod once more. “Promise.”
And just like before, I feel it for the lie it is.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AGE 11, JUNE
Will moved back to Philadelphia.
Izzy and I have been super bummed about it. We barely even got to say goodbye, before he was just…gone. He didn’t even finish up fifth grade with us, because he got suspended for fighting a kid named Billy Sharpe. And then when he did come back from that, he got in another fight.
This time, with Waylon.
Will’s parents pulled him out of school after that, and then his grandma passed away, and the next thing we know, the Fosters are packing a moving truck the following week, heading back to Philly.
Izzy and I were the only ones there the day he left to say goodbye.
Will seemed sad. But not because he was leaving…
He wanted to leave.
He told us we could email each other. But it’s been over a week now, and Izzy tried emailing him twice from the both of us. So far we’ve got nothing back.
Waylon wouldn’t tell us much about what happened—why they suddenly stopped being friends—other than something about Will and a girl in our class who they both apparently liked.
He’s been quieter than usual since all of this. He’d missed some school too, when it all went down. Got suspended for fighting Will.
Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery have been worried about him. Izzy told me she overheard them talking one night, saying something wasn’t right, but she didn’t hear what that something was. Just that whatever it was had her mom crying.
The next day, Izzy told me Waylon’s dad called them and told them he would be going away to camp for the summer. Izzy thinks it’s some kind of boot camp, since his dad was probably real mad about him getting suspended.
She said her parents seemed relieved when they found out he wouldn’t just be grounded for the summer. They were worried he’d be stuck inside and alone.
Summer’s been weird without him, but at least I still have Izzy and Jeremy.
Though, Jeremy’s been acting weird. He only seems to want to hang out with me if Izzy’s not around, which isn’t often, seeing as it’s summer break. So it’s mostly just Izzy and me these days.
But we still have our comics, and we’ve been rewatching the first season of Smallville on DVD at night before we go to bed, or Mom picks me up.
