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Oh yes, it was ―What if soether? Won‘t she be pissed off?‖ Isn’t that what you want?

―Is that what you think? This is, like, getting back at her?‖

―Isn‘t it?‖ I said That just squirted out Oh, all right, I let it happen Whatever I could hear Rebecca‘s ghost in my head, too Every word out of her mouth was this creepy little verbal feeler, like an antenna: I think; I sense; I wonder Like she didn‘t want to get caught co herself one way or the other, so she would never be really wrong

Anything she‘d said was a guess: an I think ―Because, yeah, I kind of wonder‖

Of course I was right You should‘ve seen the look on his face: shock and surprise washing his skin purple as a beet Even his ears pinked

And, Bob? You have no idea howkind of a tool, you want to know the truth This was all about hitting back at Danielle I was convenient; that was all But just because I thought I was right didn‘t h I was probably talking for both of us I felt the sudden sting of tears I couldn‘t afford pricking the back of my eyes ―It‘s none of my business‖

―Don‘t worry about it‖ David‘s face closed tight as a fist He was such a bad liar, Bob So, probably a good guy despite all that, you know? Hitting back at someone who‘s hurt you or for whom you care is human--well, unless you‘re a shrink, in which case you can think your way out of it Better yet, make it all sooing‖ David abruptly shoved the broken saber into his bag and stood

―Forget I said anything, okay?‖

Yeah, I wish Five seconds later, David was out the door and heading for his car I gathered ray The librarian rolled out of her office and started flipping lights before I even had ht that I could see my reflection in the --and David

He was in his car, behind the wheel Just sitting there, the do At me

He was too far away, so I have no idea as in his eyes There was no way to read him But it was like each of us was on the screen of our own movie: him behind his windshield; ht there, again David aiting Whether he was doing that forfor both of us

And the horrible thing? That irl would just turn around, she‘d see the guy as trying to save her life She‘d get in the daearing up to unwind in one ould unspool another

Sure, in soht would still have played out the way it did, but the characters would‘ve been different And then this eency room, Bob, my story? Never would have happened Maybe

But I let the ht winked out His headlights came on The librarian cleared her throat, and as I turned from the , David drove away

14: a

8:10 PM

David was long gone The soccer gahts like beads on a string The opposing tea the wall just outside the library, I‘d watched the players trickle off the upper field to the locker roo insults at one another

And No Mom

She‘d never been this late before The store closed at 9 PM on weekdays, but since I‘d started school, Moot delayed and left at 7, or even 7:30 A half hour et from A to B If there‘d been an accident or traffic jaer Maybe that‘s what had happened

Orcould she have forgotten et your own kid? There had to be a siotten wrapped up in her work and I‘d completely slipped her mind Maybe she was on autopilot, already halfway ho party I bet any second she would re for a place to turn around

But what if she‘d gotten into an accident?

Shivering, I huggedWisconsin, the air was already crisp and very cool I tried to think of what to do Call her?

Regardless of his motives, I should‘ve taken David up on his offer I‘d been so stupid to wait here, wasting time when I could‘ve used his cell or found a phone so Or maybe there were pay phones down by the field? I cla off o down there and see if maybe I couldn‘t find--