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I haven’t said anything since.
“Here you go. Try that and see if it makes you feel a little better.” Susan puts a small plate in front of me with a PB&J cut into four small squares. It doesn’t even have the crust on it. My stomach rumbles when the smell hits me. It makes Susan smile for some reason. She’s staring at me, waiting for something. I grab a square and take a small bite. It seems to make her happy because she nods and then turns away.
I’m not sure who she is exactly. Bryce didn’t talk to her when he walked in. He just said, “Watch him.” She’s wearing all back, which is kind of weird, but maybe she’s a chef, and wearing black keeps her from getting her clothes dirty.
Before I realize it, the sandwich is gone. I also take a drink of the milk Susan gave me, even though it tastes funny. It came out of a carton like the ones orange juice comes in instead of a plastic jug like ours at home.
Susan clears away my dishes when she sees I’m done. We sit in silence for a little while longer, then two people walk into the kitchen. The man is tall and has grey hair. He’s wearing a suit like the one Bryce wears. The lady has straight yellow hair that fluffs out around her face like a helmet. She’s also wearing a suit, only hers is pink. I’ve never seen a lady wear a suit like that before.
“Hello, Cody. We’re your grandparents,” the lady says. “I’m Margaret, and this is Victor.”
I blink at them. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to speak or not. I just keep looking at them instead.
Margaret frowns at Victor. “Is he handicapped or something? Why isn’t he saying anything?”
Victor shrugs. “I don’t know, Margaret. I’m just meeting him, the same as you. Are you slow, boy, or are you just insolent?”
I shrug. I’m not super sure what insolent means, but I know he’s not being very nice to me.
“Lovely. We’ll have to pay for him to get extra tutoring or something. What’s all over his clothes?” Margaret looks like she’s trying to make a face, but nothing moves the way it does on Mom. I always know when she isn’t happy with me because she gets this line between her eyebrows. It’s her disappointed face. Margaret doesn’t have any lines on her face. It’s like she’s frozen or something.
Margaret turns to Susan. “Take him to have a bath and put him to bed. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Margaret and Victor leave the kitchen. Susan smiles at me with her mouth closed. She holds her arm out for me to follow her, so I do. The room she leads me to is the size of our house. I’ve never been in a room this big before.
“Can I go home now?” I ask Susan.
“Sweetheart, this is your home.” She walks into a bathroom and starts pulling bottles out from under the sink.
“No, my home is with my mom.” I don’t even care that I’m not being polite. I’m tired of being good, and since Bryce isn’t here, I’m not as scared anymore. These people took me away from Mom and Nolan. They’ll have to deal with me not being nice.
Susans comes over and squats in front of me. “I’m sure this is very confusing, honey. I’m sorry that your mom didn’t talk to you about what’s going on. You’re going to be living here with us now. Not with your mom.”
I shake my head. “That’s not true. Mom said the court told her she’d keep me until the judge made a decision. They haven’t been back to court since.”
Susan’s eyebrows scrunch together. “Are you sure? Maybe she just didn’t want to tell you the news yet.”
“My mom wouldn’t do that. She’s told me everything that’s happening. We don’t keep secrets. Ever. It’s our most important rule.”
Susan looks down at my shirt. “Do you know what’s on your clothes?”
“It’s Nolan’s blood. Bryce shot him and then made me get into his car.”
“I don’t understand, honey.”
“Nolan and I were coming out of the library, and Bryce was there, by Nolan’s truck. He pointed a gun at Nolan, and then a big bang went off, and Nolan fell down. His blood splashed on me.”
Susan’s eyes grow wide while her face turns white. “Oh, my God.” It’s like she’s frozen for a moment before she seems to snap out of it. “Okay, sweetheart. Let’s get you cleaned up and in new clothes. Then we’ll figure out what to do next. Are you okay to shower by yourself?”
I give her a look. “Duh.”
With a laugh, she nods her head. “Okay. Go on, then. I’ll be here when you’re done.” She hangs up a towel and then leaves me alone in the bathroom. I hope this means I’m gonna get to go home soon. I bet Mom is freaking out right now.
CHAPTER 41
Nolan
Sleep weighs me down, tempting me to succumb to its dark depths again. I’d love nothing more than to fall back into its peaceful embrace, but something keeps me from it. A voice as familiar as my own is speaking. It’s a soothing sound, making this transition to awareness much easier. I love the way she talks to me. The intimacy in her voice reminds me of how far we’ve come.
