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“I don’t understand The issue is he’s…not in his dorm?”

“Well, for three days And she—his et in touch with him”

“Why is that an eency?”

“I don’t know, Joshua That’s not the point I called to let you know To keep you informed”

“Because he’s my ex?”

“And your stepbrother And…” The line goes quiet “His mom said he’d been back in the hospital For mental health”

“What?”

“I knew you’d have that reaction” Her voice sounds high and strained “I shouldn’t have mentioned it”

“When?”

“When did he go to this place? She said it was right after he came to her house”

“She sent him to inpatient?”

“She told o,” my mom says sharply

Tears fill my eyes

“He wanted to go He struggles with his mental health That’s the concern, Josh I don’t want to trouble you I just wanted you to know”

“To knohat? That he’s not safe and no one knohere he is? That his dumb fuck mother couldn’t even keep a cell phone on him that she can track from her phone?”

“Joshua”

“Well, she is a dumb fuck! If she can’t do that How the hell will they find him now?”

“We’re—” I hang the phone up Look over , but I can’t stay here I slideup the house’s tree-lined driveway

Ezra

July 30, 2019

He’s nice and it’s okay

Everything is jumbled in my mind

I can go to sleep—just for a little bit

I’m in a chair in a bedroouy didn’t kick me out Vance Rayne He has a baby

He toldpeople

How’d he know to say the part about he didn’t want to hurt me?

I fall sideways into the roar of hts turn into dreams