Page 90 of In Somnis

She scrunches up her nose at me. “Ever heard of the word please?”

“Put your number in, please,” I say, adding a grin to soften it. “Next time you hurt yourself, I can call and get the actual story instead of finding out thirdhand from Paul Bennett, of all people.”

She laughs quietly at that, shaking her head, but she takes the phone anyway. “You know him?”

“Sort of. Do you?”

“Sort of.” Her fingers move quickly, and I watch how her mouth curves while she types, like she’s trying not to smile too hard.

What is that about?

She hands it back, and I still when I read the name on the screen. I read it again, and another time to be sure, but the letters stay the same.

“Lennon?”

“Yes?” she answers, eyebrows lifting.

Shit. Did I mishear her before? I could’ve sworn she said Lemon. Then again, I’m not exactly known for getting letters right the first time.

Or the second.

But until now, I have always at least heard them right.

“I can put Lemon if you prefer. I like the nickname.” She smiles and blushes even deeper, causing my brain to malfunction.

I hold the phone out to her again. She takes it and changes the contact from Lennon to Lemon, then presses call so it rings from somewhere in her bag behind us.

“Okay.” I take the phone back and pocket it. “Now spill.” I gesture toward her temple. “What actually happened?”

“Remember how I told you that your mom said I was going to die?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

It’s been looping in my head since I heard you got hurt.

“Well, she might’ve saved my life.”

“What do you mean, saved your life?”

She shrugs, way too casually. “I got run over by a car.”

“You what?”

“Well, not actually run over,” she rushes to add. “The car just clipped me. More like nipped me, I guess?”

“Nipped you,” I repeat. “A car fucking nipped you?”

My mom could have been right for the first time in her life. My mom, who I stopped expecting anything from years ago, accidentally kept someone alive.

I don’t know what to do with that.

Lennon could have died.

Would that have been my mom’s fault?

Or mine because I shrugged it off?

“Hey.” Lennon presses her palm to my chest. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”