We're all eating lunch when Dev's phone dings, and he freezes with his fork halfway to his mouth. "Uh, Orion?"
Orion looks away from his conversation with Sam, obviously recognizing the urgency in Dev's voice. "Yes?"
"My mom's coming over." He looks at Orion with wide eyes and turns his phone in Orion's direction, presumably to show him the text.
Orion sighs and runs a hand over his face. "What is it this time?"
"She said she heard about the police coming over the other day and wants to make sure that he's not actually here."
"She could've called." He puts his fork down. "When will she be here?"
"Um..." Dev scrolls through his phone and then looks at the clock. "Now."
On que, the doorbell rings, and Dev hurries to get the door.
Peter and Sam put their forks down, and even Jax's looking uneasy.
What is so bad about Dev's mother?
I hear voices coming from the hallway until Dev reappears with his mother in tow.
Orion gets up. "Welcome, Lucy. What an unexpected surprise. How are you?"
"Very well, Orion. Thank you. I heard about the police coming here and thought I'd just check in to see if everything is okay. I hope I'm not being a burden."
Orion smiles, but I can tell it's forced. "Of course not. We're just eating dinner. Why don't you sit down, and I can get you something to eat."
"Thank you." Mrs. Gray puts her purse down and sits where Dev was sitting, even though Orion got up for her. She looks over at how close Sam and I are sitting and seems to look down at us even though she's shorter than both of us. It makes Sam scoot away, and I miss his warmth.
Orion places a plate of food in front of her while Dev grabs another chair and puts it in between Orion and Mrs. Gray.
Everyone starts eating again, but it's quieter than before.
"How are you doing, Devlin?" Mrs. Gray asks, and I wonder who she's talking about before Dev speaks up.
"I'm good. How are you, mom?"
"Good. How's your brother?"
"I don't know," Dev says, sounding the most laid back I have ever heard him. "Haven't seen or talked to him in years."
"You do know the police call me?"
"Of course I do, but just because the police came here looking for him, doesn't actually mean he's here." Dev stands up. "Excuse me." He leaves before anyone can stop him.
Mrs. Gray sighs and wipes her mouth with a napkin. "Sorry about his behaviour. He's always been rude, and I guess being here hasn't made that any better." She stands up too and goes after him.
For some reason, my heart starts racing at the idea of him being alone with her, and I stand up too. "I'm—"
Orion nods. "Go. Take Sam."
Sam stands up, and we hurry after Dev. We slow down as we get to Dev and Sam's room, and Sam knocks on the door before opening it.
I see the relief on Dev's face the moment he lays eyes on us.
"Sorry to barge in," Sam says, "but Blythe wanted to see the new mario kart game I got for my switch, so I came to show him." He closes the door behind us. "Don't let us interrupt though. Keep talking. Just act like we're not even here."
I follow Sam to his bed and climb on it with him, sitting close enough so I can feel his warmth again, but he moves away from me a couple inches. I'm about to feel hurt when I see his head shake the barest amount. But I get the message. Not right now.
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.
"I can say what I like, Devlin. It's not my fault that your... friends are disgusting."
Woah. What did we do?
"They aren't disgusting," Dev says, suddenly being more like himself again. "How could you say that about them? They have done nothing to you."
She nods towards us. "Look at them. They have their hands all over each other."
"So?"
She whirls on Dev. "So, Devlin, that is exactly how your brother acted before he turned into the monster he is now."
"Again, so?" Dev is yelling now. "They aren't him. And neither am I, so stop comparing us."
"Devlin Thomas Gray, I am your mother. You will respect me right this instant."
"I'll respect you when you earn it."
Dev looks the most confident I have ever seen him. He towers over his mother.
"It's taken me this long, mother," he continues, "to get enough courage to tell you to fuck off. I don't need you here, and neither do my boyfriends." He gestures to us.
Mrs. Gray looks back and forth between Dev and us, mouth opening and closing.
"That's right, mom," Dev says with a smile on his face. "We're dating. In fact, all of us here are dating. And you know how we boys act. We kiss each other every day, and every night we all go into Orion's room and make hot, passionate love all night long."
I can't help but blush at his words, but it seems to make Mrs. Gray angrier.
"And in the mornings, we cuddle and hold hands and shower together and—"
"Stop!" she yells, eyes full of anger, but they're not directed at Dev or me. They're directed at Sam. "You did all of this, you monster. You corrupted my son with your foul ways. You will pay for this!" In the next moment, Mrs. Gray is standing by Sam, her hand raised, but somehow, Dev is there, grabbing onto her wrist and stopping her.
"Never again, mom," he says, his voice low. "Leave now, and don't ever come back here."
She looks at Dev, and rips her wrist from his grip. "Fine." She tilts her head up. "Pack your bags. We're leaving now."
"No!" Sam shouts and stands up from the bed. He sounds angry, but I can see the fear in his eyes. "Dev is staying here."
Mrs. Gray turns her wicked eyes on Sam. "Devlin is seventeen," she says. "A minor under my rule. He does what I say."
"No, he doesn't," I say, heart pounding but needing to say this. All of this is my fault anyway. I grip the pillow tighter to my chest as everyone turns to me.
"What did you say?" she growls at me, and I get a flash of my own mother in her eyes.
I lick my lips as I feel tears in my throat, blocking my breath but also my voice. Under her gaze, I feel so small. Why am I so scared? It feels just like when my own mother yells at me. I shut down, afraid of doing anything that might set her off. But this isn't about me. This is about Dev.
"Devlin—"
"There's paperwork," I say. "That... emancipates the child." My mind is going so fast that I can't think straight. "That means that a minor becomes responsible for themselves. If Dev signs the paperwork, then you won't be in charge of him, and he can choose whether he wants to stay here or not. It's his life, he should choose." I glance over at Sam to see him smiling at me.
"That means shit," Mrs. Gray says. "Such paperwork doesn't exist, and if it does, Dev doesn't have it, so, as of right now, I am his guardian, and I decide if he gets to stay or not."
The reality sinks in that she is right. As of right now, Dev is under her command.
And Dev knows it. I can see the way his shoulders sag and how he glances at Sam as if he would have a solution. But Sam doesn't. At least, not right now. He looks at me before nodding. "Fine. I'll pack my bags."
Mrs. Gray tilts her head up and straightens her back. "I will be waiting downstairs." She nods once before leaving the room.
My thoughts race as Dev walks over to Sam and pulls him into a hug. "I'm so sorry," Dev whispers. He has tears in his voice.
"No. It's not your fault. Just come back as soon as you can, okay?"
"Of course."
"No," I say, thinking about something I could do. It's not over yet.
They both look at me. "Blythe—"
It can't be over yet. Where did they go? Where did it I— Book. Backpack. Black. Closet.
I jump up. "It's not over," I yell as I run past them and to my room. I hear them running after me as I go into the closet and look for my black backpack. It's here somewhere.
Got it.
I dig through it until I find the sudoku book that I had finished years ago but kept anyway. I rifle through the pages until folded papers fall out. I grab them, unfold them, and give them to Dev, who ran into my room after me. "These are what I was talking about. Here. Now your mom can't control you anymore."
He looks at the papers and then looks back down at me, putting two and two together.
"Go," I say, and push him towards the door. "Before it's too late."
He turns and rushes out of the room and down the stairs. I can hear his footsteps as he gets to the kitchen.
I look over at Sam who still stands there. "What?"
"Why'd you have the papers?" he asks, nodding to the closest.
I shrug and wrap my arms around my waist. "Dev is staying right?"
Sam nods and walks over. He holds my face in his hands and kisses me until I'm dizzy. "Dev is staying," he whispers. "And it's because of you. But that doesn't get you out of my question."
I sigh. "I kept them," I say. "When my mom tried disowning my brother and I. I don't know why. Proof, I guess. Of that night happening. I haven't talked about it since, and I doubt she remembers."
"That often happens. The tree remembers what the axe forgets. Just know you're not alone in it. You have us now. And I think Dev needs you."
"What could I do to help him? I can't stand up to anybody."
"You don't have to stand up to anybody. All you need to do is stand by Dev." He holds out his hand to me. "You coming?"
I give him a half smile and put my hand in his, and he pulls me down the stairs and to the kitchen. I hear the yelling before I see anybody.
"Your family is waiting for you back at home," Mrs. Gray shouts.
"My family," Dev bites, "is right here."
Sam and I enter the kitchen and stand behind Dev as he stands across from his mother.
She clutches her purse tight to herself and stares down Dev. "You will regret this."
"I will never regret standing up for the ones I love."
As a last ditch effort, she says, "You turned out exactly like your brother did."
"Thank you. Now get out."
With nothing more to say, Mrs. Gray tilts her head up and walks past us and out of the kitchen. We all hear the door slam shut.
The air is heavy until I can't stand it anymore, and I throw myself at Dev. "That. Was. Amazing!" I shout in his ear, my arms wrapped around his neck.
He chuckles and hugs me back, but then his shoulders shake with tears. "I was terrified," he mumbles.
I hug him tighter and open my eyes to see everyone else gathered around Dev as well. "We're all here," I whisper to him. "And we're not leaving."