Rewrite the Stars (bxb)

Chapter 36 Shrunk

He turns Peter's switch on as I grab his emoji pillow and hug it tight to my chest. He starts up Animal Crossing, pretending it's mario kart and he's showing it to me.

"Excuse me, Sam," Mrs. Gray says in a syrup sweet voice. "My son and I are in the middle of a conversation. Could you please leave?"

"Um, no. This is my room too, so I have a right to stay here," Sam says, not looking up from the game.

Oh. So that's why Orion told Sam to come with me.

"It's okay, mom," Dev says. "He's right."

Mrs. Gray humphs and doesn't make a move to leave.

Sam pretends to play the game, and I pretend to watch, as we both listen to their conversation, making sure that Dev is okay.

"I hope you're following all the rules," Mrs. Gray says.

"I am."

"Good. You remember our deal. One mishap and you come home with me."

"I remember."

She makes a sound. "Tell me the truth, did you see your brother?"

"No! How many times do I have to tell you that, mom? Don't you trust me?"

"I trusted your brother."

"That's not an answer."

"Look where he is now."

"I'm not him!"

"You might as well be."

My phone lights up in my hand—I didn't even realize I was holding it—and I look at it. It's a text from Colt. I would recognize the number anywhere. I had texted him that night after the song in the car reminded me of him. I just wanted to check up on him, see if he was okay. I didn't think he'd actually text me back.

I open the text and see a Facebook link, so I click it, and I'm met with my parents and my two younger brothers smiling at some football game. The caption reads: the perfect family enjoying the perfect game. I stare at all of their faces, realizing that I haven't seen them in almost two months. This is the longest time that I've been apart from them in my entire life.

I had forgotten what their faces look like.

A familiar pang shoots through me, and I tear up. I can't help it. I want to cry and scream and run back into my parents' arms. I want to watch movies with Cody and eat ice cream with Cody. I miss them so much, and it hurts.

Without thinking, I scooch closer to Sam and wrap around his arm.

He starts to take his arm away, but he must see my tears because instead of trying to get away, he wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer.

That's when I realize that I've zoned out, and my eyes flick up to Dev's, seeing him already looking at me with worry in his light blue eyes.

Mrs. Gray makes a noise of disgust, and I look at her to see her looking at Sam and I.

What is wrong with her?

"I see that there are... others who don't follow the rules."

Dev looks back at his mom. "Of course not, mom. They aren't your children. You don't have any say over them."

"What did you just say to me?" she snaps at him.

"The truth."

What the hell is Dev doing? I might not know exactly what's going on, but if I ever talked to my mom like that, she would kill me and ship my body to Siberia.