The house was small but quaint, a stately brick with three stories and a paved driveway leading to the front door. Cameron parked the SUV against the curve and then sat in the driver's seat, staring up at the building for what felt like a long time.
"I'm really sorry it had to come to this," he said.
Pushing my hair over my shoulder, I got out of the car and went around to the trunk to get the suitcases. Then I helped Maddie climb out onto the grass and gave her her own luggage.
When I looked up at the home for girls, I realized that I'd always know subconsciously that I would end up here eventually. There was no way I could have kept my secret until I'd turned eighteen. But why now, when so much tragedy had happened and all I wanted was the consistency of my own home?
I thought of my father, who had likely resumed his old post on the living room couch with a bottle by his side and the TV flickering into the early hours of the morning, and my blood began to boil.
"Come on, Maddie," I said, taking her hand and dragging the suitcases behind me. Cameron stayed in the car—he probably didn't know what to do.
When we reached the front door, I rang the doorbell, trying to keep calm for Maddie's sake. It was only a few seconds before the door swung open, revealing a short yet very thin woman holding a stack of files.
"Evelyn and Maddie?" she asked, setting the papers down on the table next to the front door and opening her arms wide. "Come on in. Welcome! Go ahead and set your luggage by the door and I'll give you a quick tour; then you can settled in your room."
Obediently, I propped Clare's and my suitcases against the wall and then helped Maddie do the same.
The house was larger than it looked from the outside and had many extremely small rooms, each with a bed or bunk beds inside. Maddie's and my room was at the end of a hallway and was likely the smallest one we'd seen, and it only had a twin bed.
"Unfortunately, this was the only room we had left," said the woman, wringing her hands nervously. "It's not really suited to two girls, but it's the best we can do."
I brushed my hand against the bedspread, which felt surprisingly soft, and said, "It's fine, thank you."
Maddie was surveying the room with an expression of disgust, so I took her hand and quickly led her back out into the hall.
We toured the rest of the house, which consisted of a kitchen, dining room, and living room, and then returned to the foyer.
"Well, if you need anything, I'm Sara, and I'm in charge around here." The woman pushed back flyaway strands of her hair and propped her hands against her hips. She looked young, but aged by stress and worry. "There's ten other girls living here, ranging from ages three to fifteen."
That made me the oldest of the group. I wondered if I'd unexpectedly inherited ten new little sisters—then I thought of Clare in the hospital bed and my heart wrenched.
"You can go ahead and get your things in your room and unpack," said Sara, clearly dismissing us. "Dinner's at six in the dining room."
I took Maddie's hand and helped her carry her suitcase up to the third floor, noticing the determined way her face was scrunched so that she wouldn't cry.
Once we'd gotten up to the tiny bedroom, I closed the door and then opened my suitcase on the bed, running inventory of what I'd brought. It made no sense to unpack, since there was no closet space, but I did take out a few framed photos and one of the pressed roses from Cameron's bouquet, which I set on the wooden bedside table. Maddie opened her suitcase and pulled out her stuffed elephant, then hugged it close to her chest.
"Everything's going to be okay," I said, ruffling her hair. "Do you want to play a board game or something before dinner? I think we brought one with us."
She dug through the clothes I'd chosen to pack for her and took out one of her favorite games, stuffed in the bottom of her suitcase. Then she began determinedly setting it up—I wondered if she squinted her eyes just enough, she could pretend like she was home.
~*~*~
Sara served pizza for dinner, straight from three to-go boxes. I only ate one slice, because I had left my appetite with me at my house, and then went upstairs to take a shower before everyone else did.
Sara also informed me that I was expected to go back to school tomorrow, which I found hard to imagine doing. How could I go about my daily routine when my little sister was lying in a coma, her chances of survival uncertain? Also, I didn't have any of my homework done, and I'd be incredibly behind in my classes even though I'd only missed one day.
I spent a long time in the shower, despite the fact that the shampoo provided smelled bad, and only turned off the water when the knocks on the door turned to impatient pounding. Then I toweled off quickly and changed into athletic shorts and a t-shirt, my wet hair dripping onto the tiled floor.
When I got back to Maddie's and my bedroom, which overlooked the road, I leaned against the wall and stared outside. Cameron's car was long gone. Had he gone back to his mansion and was enjoying a home-cooked meal with his family? I realized I'd never asked him if he'd spent any time in foster care or in a home like this.
Eventually, the porch lights of the houses around us began winking on, and Sara poked her head in our bedroom long enough to say it was lights out. I shut the thin curtains and sat down on the bed, staring into darkness and trying hard not to cry.
"Evelyn?"
I felt a shape climb into the bed beside me, and then Maddie was hugging me. "Everything will be okay," she said. "I wished on my star tonight."
A tear slipped down my cheek, quiet and stealthy, and I kissed my little sister before pulling the blankets up around her chin.
It took me a lot longer to fall asleep, and I woke up in the morning before the sun had even risen. In the semi-darkness, I pulled out my school clothes and got dressed, then laid out an outfit for Maddie.
Breakfast consisted of cereal and Greek yogurt, which Maddie devoured and which I slowly nibbled at. Just as I was rinsing my bowl in the sink, ignoring the chatter and yells of the girls surrounding me, my phone rang.
"Hello?" I asked, pressing it against my ear.
"Evelyn!" I wondered how Cameron sounded so genuinely happy to see me all the time. "I'm right outside the curb to drive you and Maddie to school."
I glanced at Maddie, who was happily conversing with a girl her age while spooning cereal into her mouth. "Give me five minutes," I said.
It took me just that to herd my sister back up to our room to get our backpacks ready, and by the time I reached the front door most of the other girls were getting ready for school. I took Maddie's hand and led her down the driveway and to Cameron's car; he was sitting in the driver's seat, jamming out to music and waiting.
"Hi," I said once I'd climbed inside.
"Hey, Evelyn. How was the first night?"
I shrugged noncommittally and fastened my seatbelt.
"I know how that feels," said Cameron, pressing the gas pedal and steering the car out onto the main road. "I did my time in one of those."
The drive to school was relatively silent; Cameron still had the radio on but wasn't singing anymore, and Maddie was silent in the backseat. Once we'd dropped her off at the elementary school and parked the car in the senior parking lot, I was sick of the quiet.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" I asked, adjusting my backpack on my shoulders as we walked the short way to the school door.
He wrinkled his nose. "Of course not, Evelyn. Why would I be? You were doing what you thought was best."
I wished I could have believed he had forgiven me so easily. Maybe it was because I had such a hard time forgiving people myself.
~*~*~
For most of the school day, I retired to my pre-Cameron self, not taking notes and zoning out during the teacher's lectures. All I could think about was Clare and how I had to visit her the instant the school day ended. Of course, with my car now in my father's possession...I didn't know how I'd be able to get around anywhere without Cameron's help.
Several of my teachers stopped me on my way out of their classrooms and asked me if I was all right; their concerned expressions indicated that they had heard the news report on the crash. I just shrugged and made excuses about being late for my next class, not wanting to talk to anyone.
After biology, Ashley followed me out of the room and to my locker. She'd been much less hostile than usual as we'd worked on our project, and now she actually smiled at me a little as I opened my locker and began pulling out my things for English.
"Evelyn?" she asked. "I'm really sorry I was such a brat to you. I—I had no idea everything you were going through. It was really wrong of me to be giving you grief about Cameron when you had all that happening."
I glanced at her, wary, clutching my books to my chest. I was half afraid that any moment she'd roll her eyes and snap at me before stomping off.
"You and Cameron are great together," she continued, chewing on her bottom lip. "I see that now. I'm really sorry I ever let him get in the way of our friendship. Is..." She cleared her throat. "Is everything okay after...you know...the crash?"
Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes any moment. "Clare's in a coma," I said quietly. "Maddie and I are at some home for girls while we wait to get shuffled off to foster care."
"Oh. Well, I'm here if you need me, okay? You've always been my best friend, and I really do love you."
Tentatively, she reached out to hug me, and I very carefully hugged her back, not realizing how much I'd missed her until that very moment.
I walked to English class alone, feeling like I was drowning in everything that had happened lately. Ms. Fuller stopped me at the door and took me aside in a way I was beginning to label as typical, asking, "Are you okay, Evelyn?"
"I'm fine," I lied.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she ran her hand through her short brown hair, saying, "Well, you can have all the time you need to make up your work, okay? I know things must be hard for you right now."
Sympathetic glances followed me all the way to my desk, and I sat down and began sorting through my materials. Why couldn't I be popular, loved, admired Evelyn Caverly, the cheerleader with jet-black hair, anymore? Why did I have to be the person people looked at and thought, "Wow, she's had it rough"?
As per usual, I zoned out during English class, then grabbed my things and left the class without a word. The noise and commotion around me felt strangely drowned out as I walked back to my locker and put my textbooks inside.
Swoosh.
A paper airplane soared neatly through the air and landed right in front of my locker—my name was written on its wing in black Sharpie. Glancing around for its source, I picked it up and unfolded it.
hey, you're kind of Pretty.
Wrinkling my nose, I studied the airplane and noticed that, upon closer examination, the handwriting was distinctly Cameron's. Biting back a smile, I poked my head around the corner.
He was preparing to launch another airplane, his tongue poking out of his mouth determinedly, oblivious to the fact that I'd discovered him. The aim of the next airplane was slightly less exact, but I got the point and caught it swiftly before it reached the ground.
you'Re really smart, too.
Raising my eyebrows, I leaned against my locker, arms crossed, waiting for the next airplane. Sure enough, a few seconds later, it drifted through the air and landed at my feet.
only I wOuld be cheesy enough to do something like this.
Now I was grinning as I gathered up the three papers and inspected them. The fourth airplane flew into the hallway moments later and I opened it.
but Maybe you'll piece the puzzle together...
He came around the corner with a bouquet of flowers at the exact same moment that I held up all four papers, side by side, and read the capitalized letters.
PROM?