Wes lowered his head. “I want to apologize for saying what I did. I didn’t know you were listening.”
“But you meant what you said. That I was obnoxious and not funny and that none of your friends like me.”
Wes cocked his head back, surprised. “I was mad about what happened in the pharmacy.”
“Wes, I was joking.”
“Yeah, fine. You were joking. But it wasn’t funny.”
“Well, that’s your opinion. To be honest, I don’t think you have the greatest sense of humor.” I put my beer bottle into the crook of my arm, opened up another text and typed meow over and over and over again.
Morgan grabbed me by the arm and pulled me aside. “Why aren’t you just accepting his apology?”
“Because he’s not sorry. He basically just said so himself.”
“Well, maybe it’s because he’s still waiting for an apology from you.”
“I mean, I guess I could apologize for the fact that he can’t take a joke.”
“That’s not funny, Keeley.”
“Come on, Morgan. You know I didn’t mean to make him mad!”
She lifted her arms and let them fall back down to her side. “So what? You’re never going to be okay with Wes?”
“He doesn’t like me. I don’t get how that’s not a deal breaker for you.”
Her eyes welled up. “Then why did you tell me to invite him?” Her voice was notably quieter.
I tried to find the right answer, but I was too drunk. “Honestly, I don’t know. I was trying to make you happy, I guess. You were getting so annoyed with me the other day, when we were driving around town.”
But instead of Morgan understanding, her face tensed. “I wasn’t annoyed about Wes. I was annoyed with how you were acting. How you’ve been acting for the last few weeks.”
I felt a fight building between us, getting bigger than either of us wanted it to. I quickly tried to take the heat out of things. I waved my phone around like a glow stick at a concert. “Wait. Hold on a second. I’ve got something so hilarious to show you.”
Except she wasn’t looking. Her head was turned toward Wes, who was now across the room, sitting glumly in a folding chair.
I grabbed her chin and forced her to look.
“Who are you texting?”
I cackled. “Bundy!”
Morgan took the phone out of my hands. I chugged the rest of my beer as she scrolled through my texts. “I don’t get it.”
“Bundy lost her cat before she bailed on Aberdeen. I’m basically torturing her.” Morgan glanced up at me, utterly horrified. I let out a whopper of a sigh. “Oh, God. Let me guess. You don’t think it’s funny either?” I took my phone back. “Never mind.”
She shook her head. “I know you’re going through a lot right now. And you clearly don’t want to talk to me about it. But you need to talk to someone. Because this . . . ”—she pointed at my phone—“isn’t you, Keeley.”
“Come on! She’s a horrible bitch, remember? She totally deserves this!” She was still frowning, so I put my phone away. “I’ll show Jesse. I bet he’ll think it’s funny.” Morgan turned to walk away from me. I had to pull her arm to make her stop. “I don’t want to fight with you. Can’t we go back to having fun?” I sounded so desperate. Just like Jesse had when he said the same thing to me earlier.
“I’d rather we just be real with each other.”
I laughed dryly. “That doesn’t sound fun at all.”
Morgan folded her arms. “You’re not going to want to hear this, but I’m going to say it anyway. I don’t think Jesse is good for you. I thought he was the perfect match, but now I see that he’s not. He’s all the parts of you that are broken.”
“At least my boyfriend is nice. He doesn’t make you feel like shit. He’s trying to make people happy.”
“Except for you. You’ve been trying to talk to him all night! I’ve watched you! He’s totally avoiding you.” She shook me off. “You know what? Forget it. We’ll play pretend like we’re twelve years old again. But just remember what you said in the car to me a few weeks ago. I always sucked at it.”
And then she stalked away.
I wobbled in the opposite direction, trying to find the front door. I passed Jesse on my way. He was playing cards with his friends just like he’d said he would be. I called his name, but he either didn’t hear me or pretended not to.
Once I made it outside, I pulled out my phone and, with shaking hands, texted Levi.
Hey. Can you come get me?
I honestly expected him to tell me to fuck off. It was pouring rain, buckets of it. It was what I deserved. But Levi texted back quickly. I’ll be there in 15.
And while I was waiting outside, I heard a meow.
Under a bush was Freckles. He was wet and his fur was matted. I got down on my hands and knees and I could feel the mud soaking into my dress. “Here, Freckles. Here, Freckles,” I whispered. Then I tried to grab him, because it was raining and thundering hard. But just as I got close enough to touch him, he hissed at me and then darted off.
Punctual as always, Levi came pedaling up on his bike. He barely came to a stop before I climbed on his pegs.
“Looks like you had a fun time,” he said, peeling back the hood of his rain jacket.
“Please don’t choose this moment to show me your sense of humor.” I tried to maintain my balance, but as soon as Levi started pedaling, I nearly tipped us both over.
“Jeez, Keeley. How much did you drink? Can you even ride on my pegs?”
“Just get me out of here.”
I gripped his shoulders so tight. Levi rode with one hand on his handlebars. The other he snaked around my back, so he could hold me.
• • •
Even with the rain, I heard my parents arguing from outside our house. They weren’t expecting me home tonight, so they were freely going at it.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” Levi asked.
Creeping through the front yard, I looked back and whispered, “It’s fine.” And then I almost tripped.
“I’m not going to leave you out here.”
“Just go!” I snuck up underneath the window. I didn’t want him, of all people, hearing anything Dad might say.
He didn’t want to. And he must have understood, because he said, “Look, I’ll leave now, but I’m going to ride back here in ten minutes and if I don’t see you upstairs with your bedroom light on, I’m staying with you until you’re ready to go inside.”
A lump filled my throat. “Thank you.”
I crept up onto the porch, careful to miss the squeaky boards. And then I sat down with my back against the wall and shivered underneath the living room window. Mom’s dress was ruined for sure. Also, everything else in my life.
Mom said sharply, “How do you see this playing out? Honestly?”
“You’re asking what my end game is.”
“Well, Mrs. Dorsey heard from Morgan, who heard from Keeley, that you have something big planned. So why can’t you share it with me?”
I had started to sober up, but the rush of my stupid lie, one I’d told only a few hours ago to Morgan to make things seem okay, traveling back here and making it all worse, left me woozy.
“Because I can’t! I just need you to trust me!”
I was surprised to hear him say that. So Dad did have a plan?
Of course he did. I never should have doubted that.
“Please, Jim! Tell me what we’re holding on for! You only have like, what, seven families signed onto your petition? They’ve already started work on the dam.”
“They’ve started their preliminary work. I’ve done the research, okay? They’re just diverting the water so they have a dry space to build. It’s nothing that can’t be undone. And if we hold on making deals, they can’t legally move forward on the actual dam construction. Not without suing us for eminent domain or condemning our house, which they can’t—”
“So it’s a game of chicken. You’re p
laying a game of chicken with our future.” I wanted to throw up, and not from the beer, as Mom laughed a snotty laugh. “I’ve been supporting this family for the last two years, scraping by, working night and day to try and save up enough so that Keeley can go to Baird. I have nothing for dorms, nothing for books, she’ll definitely have to work while she’s there, but she won’t have to take out a single loan. But if we got the kind of money I hear some people are getting, she could have her pick of schools. She could send out a hundred applications next year and pick the best school, not just the one we can afford right now. We could spend the rest of this summer taking family trips all over the country, touring colleges.”
“Jill, you’re hysterical.”
Mom was hysterical. And God, my heart was breaking for both of them. I didn’t want to be the reason they were fighting. “Of course I’m hysterical! We’re about to get evacuated again! I know you care about Aberdeen, I know you care about what your family built here. But you can’t care about that more than you care about us. You need to put us first, Jim.”
Dad sounded like he was about to explode. “I have a plan. And holding out is part of that plan. What I can’t do now is sign papers!”
Mom started pacing the floor. “We’ve got a chance here to do everything over. And I’m not going to let you ruin it for us.” I held my breath. Would she tell him she had met with the adjusters?
No, she wouldn’t. She’d say something worse.
“I have to take care of myself. And to do that, I have to put myself in the driver’s seat.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m leaving.”
I barely covered my mouth in time to muffle a gasp.
“Leaving what?”
“Aberdeen.” Mom took a breath. “And you.”
“Jill, wait a minute now, I—”
“You’re not putting us first, and I can’t participate in this charade any longer. When you are willing to think about us, instead of yourself, maybe there will still be a chance. But I can’t say that for sure.”
She walked out of the house, the screen slapping behind her. Walked right by me, not seeing me at all, and got in her car. I knew exactly where she’d be going.
To be with her best friend.
Dad followed her out to the road. He screamed after her, “Please, Jill! Just trust me! Just give me a little more time and you’ll see!”
I got to my feet. Dad saw me as he walked back to our house.
“Keeley, I . . .”
“It’s fine, Dad. You don’t have to explain.” More than that, I didn’t want him to.
I went inside and clung to the banister on my way upstairs. I turned on my bedroom light and stood in the window. Levi rode by as he’d promised. He didn’t wave. He just kept pedaling.
33
* * *
Sunday, May 29
EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM ALERT: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is currently in effect for Aberdeen County. Heavy precipitation is predicted beginning this evening and continuing for the next 24 hours. Stay tuned for further updates.
* * *
I woke up the next morning hung over as hell.
I hadn’t heard from Jesse. Honestly, I didn’t expect to.
But I was bummed to see that I’d slept through all of Morgan’s Where are you? texts from last night. They’d started out concerned and eventually got irate, when she realized I’d left without saying good-bye. She’d sent things to me like I can’t believe you and I’m so mad at you and Still mad, but text me so I know you’re okay.
Sorry I missed your messages, I replied. Didn’t mean to worry you. Sooooo hungover. Can barely remember what happened last night. Call me when you get a sec.
It was another lie. I remembered everything. The fight with Morgan, and Jesse, and then finding out that my parents were separating.
I needed my best friend.
I brought my phone into the shower with me. It rang as I was mid-shampoo. I squinted away the soap and checked the screen. I didn’t recognize the number, it wasn’t one programmed into my contacts.
Principal Bundy.
I felt my entire body squeeze in on itself. I hit Ignore and hoped she wouldn’t leave me a voice mail. But of course she did.
“Keeley. It’s Teresa Bundy. Look. I don’t care about the pictures you sent, I don’t care about the house. But please call me back and let me know if you saw Freckles and if he looked”—her voice broke—“okay. Please, Keeley.”
I was shaking. I set the phone down.
I got dressed and went downstairs. Mom had not come home, and Dad was on the couch, watching television. I sat quietly down next to him.
Mayor Aversano was on the steps of City Hall, flanked by Sheriff Hamrick and other officials. “I wish I had better news, but we’re facing another storm,” said Aversano. “And because of Aberdeen’s already compromised state, we are anticipating very unsafe conditions, even more so than the storm earlier this month. We need to get as many people out as possible, and as quickly as possible.”
I glanced at Dad.
Aversano continued. “Police and fire crews will be driving through neighborhoods today, directing people to leave, offering assistance. The adjusters will continue to be available to meet with residents, but at a new location outside of Aberdeen, which will be announced shortly. Many homes are likely to suffer serious damage from flooding. I would suggest leaving with all you can, under the assumption that there won’t be much to come back to on Tuesday.”
Dad shut off the TV. “Was this what Charlie and his friend came over to tell you last night?” I asked.
“Yes. And also that they were going to accept the offers being made to them.”
“I bet Mom’s at Mrs. Dorsey’s. You should go get her, Dad.” I suddenly wanted him to do all the things Mom had been saying. To channel his energy into taking care of us.
“I’m sure she’ll be home soon. Anyway, I’ve got people on the way over. We need to discuss our next move.”
• • •
Dad called an emergency meeting at our house. Where the first meeting had packed our living room, there were now plenty of seats. Maybe half of the people Dad had gotten to sign his petition to stay in Aberdeen showed up.
I hoped Dad would finally share his plan. The thing that would save us, the thing he’d been hinting at to Mom the night before.
“I can’t sugarcoat it,” Dad began. “This new evacuation puts us all in a tough spot. But not an impossible one.”
Uneasy murmurs went through the room.
A voice said, “If we don’t go in the next twenty-four hours, we’ll be stuck here. I heard they’re permanently closing the roads into town for any vehicles that aren’t part of the construction efforts after this evacuation. Once someone leaves, you won’t be able to come back in.”
“You know what’ll be next? The Internet.”
“And the power. They’ll shut that off.”
Dad raised his hands to try and quiet the room. “Here’s what I’m proposing. We’re all going to pool our resources. I’m sure everyone’s got a stocked pantry, and we’ll keep each other fed. My house is on the highest ground. We can take cover here and—”
“What about my job? How am I going to get to work?”
“There will be ways. Get you through the woods and have someone pick you up on the other side . . .”
People looked around the room skeptically. One man actually said, “You’re not making sense, Jim.”
Bess raised her hand. “Jim, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but a few of my neighbors told me what they got in settlements. They might not be speaking truthfully, but it sounded generous. Maybe we should cut our losses.”
I’d never seen Dad looked so desperate. “But you all signed my petition. You promised me you wouldn’t make a deal.”
Bess stood up and placed a hand on Dad’s shoulder. “We’re sad to see Aberdeen go, but our lives will go on. They have to.”
The o
thers nodded like they agreed. All except for my dad.
I sat there with my arms folded, thinking, How is this going to last? even though I knew the answer. It wouldn’t. It was already over.
• • •
I still hadn’t heard anything from Morgan and I was getting nervous. She didn’t even respond to a series of sad frowny-face pictures I’d taken of myself.
I was starting to panic. I had screwed up so monumentally last night. Everything I had tried to use to make things better—everything from Jesse to those awful texts I’d sent to Bundy—could have cost me her friendship. If I lost Morgan, I would be truly devastated.
Mom arrived home later that afternoon. I wanted to ask about Morgan, when she came home this morning, had she said anything about me, but I didn’t have the chance.
“Where’s your father?”
It hurt to say, “He’s sleeping.” I left out what he’d said to me when he walked up the stairs after everyone had left our house. Which was “Let Sheriff Hamrick drag me out.”
She nodded, like things were affirmed. She handed me a box. I figured she was going to ask me to start packing, but by the way she looked when she lifted it, I knew there was already stuff inside.
I opened the flap.
It was my dress from Spring Formal. Or it used to be. Now it was a rag, a wrinkled mess, because I’d balled it up after the dance, shoved it under Morgan’s bed, and forgotten about it.
“Keeley.”
“Mom, let me explain. I—”
“I’ve never owned something so nice.” She held the dress up to the light. “I imagined you’d wear this in college sometime. Maybe to a special party. Or an interview. Or a conference.”
She got up and went to the kitchen. I followed her.
“Mom, please.”
She leaned forward at the sink, rubbing her temples. “Keeley, I don’t know how else to say this except to just come out with it.” She stood up straight and turned to face me. “I put a deposit down on an apartment this morning. It’s between here and Baird. I’m packing up my stuff today and I want you to do the same.”
“But what about Dad?”