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"Still weird?"

"So weird"

She’s s, and we’re kissing, and everything is perfect, until light cuts across her face and she says, "Oh, shit"

Headlights in the driveway

"My dad"

Her Roht for dropping into the backyard

My car turns out to be in just the right spot for getting out of Dodge without being spotted

But the drive between Ankeny and Putnam is way too short forand way too long to endure the ainst mine

The apartly Eo into my roo tired and used up

My phone rings I alot to be Caroline

I can’t talk to her I have to get ure out hen I snuck down her driveway at a craith ht and the other half was disappointed, asha lance at the screen, it’s not her, though It’s my mom

"Hey, what’s up?" I ask

Frankie’s voice "Dad’s here"

My heart jolts I sit up so fast that my vision narrows I have to put my palm to my forehead to steady o away, West You have to o away"

She sounds like she’s about to cry, her voice high and reedy, right on the verge of losing it

Frankie never cries

"Okay, take a deep breath, kiddo You’re inside, right?"

"Yeah"

"And he’s outside"

"Uh-huh And I locked the front door, but he’s pounding and pounding on it I’m afraid it’ll break!"

Now that she says it, I can hear the pounding I’m thousands of miles away, and the sound scares the fuck out ofat ht

"Michelle! Let oddamn house, you worthless slit!"

He was drunk, Mory He didn’t mean it But I shouldn’t worry, because she would never, ever let hiht hours later that she let him into her bedroom

He hurt me plenty

"West?" Frankie’s voice is wobbly "I’ from adrenaline I push myself untilhard to brace against "I knoeetheart, but that’s a solid door, and he’s not going to get through it Where’s Mouess she on They won’t be back for hours

"Did you lock the back?"

"Nuh-uh"

"All right Can you go do that now for me?"

"Yeah, but West--"

"Just lock the back door One thing at a ti heavy, fast Scared to death I try to focus on the sound of my own inhalations and exhalations

When she was little and she had a bad dream, I’d take her intountil we both fell back asleep

"I got it," she says

"Top and bottom?"

"Yeah"

"Okay, now the s"

"What about the s?" Frankie asks

"Check theuy Naroeed in a clearing in the woods behind the house and works as a guard at a prison that regularly releases uts back into the stream of society Bo’s house is a fliot solid locks on the doors and bars on all the s

I ht, baby

"He’s not going to hurt you

"He won’t get inside"

But I don’t know I’rill her for details

"I checked theet as far from the door as you can so you don’t have to hear it"

"He’s crying, West"

"Just tune him out"

"I feel bad for him"

"Don’t He made his bed Go sit in the tub, okay?"

"Why?"

"You won’t be able to hear in there It’ll be like you’re in a bubble"

"That’s duine her s to s over the rod Then her breathing is louder

"You in there now, Franks?"

"Yeah"

She’ll have one arm wrapped around her knees, just like Caroline up on the roof I see her in her nightgown, her dark hair hanging over her ars, mosquito-bitten, covered in scratches and sores Bare toes dirty