Page 92

She clicked on them. After reading for a while, she said, “People are stupid.”

“I don’t care about people.” The heat in my chest felt like it was going to set me on fire. “I cared about him.” I took a hiccuping breath.

“I know. He’s a jerk.” Kamala picked up a yellow stuffed bird and twisted it between her hands. “Did he say why he did it?”

“Because he’s a marketing overachiever who only cares about himself! He can probably use this in his portfolio.”

“The catfish thing?” she asked.

“I was talking about the Bean thing, but yes! The catfish thing too. The editing genius.”

“So it’s his account?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed.

“And how did he explain himself? What was his excuse.”

“I didn’t let him explain. I left.”

“I would’ve too. I’m sorry.” Kamala hugged the bird to herchest as if she needed comfort too. “Do you want me to call Dale and ask him about it?”

“No. You saw the videos. He was in on it too.”

“That’s true.”

“The comments on the video, Kamala.” I groaned. “Everyone thinks I’m a horrible person. Even my sister.”

“Your sister?”

I filled her in on what had happened with my mom and what Zoey had said to me.

“Your sister has always defended your mom. I think it’s her way of dealing with being left. You shut your mom out and she went the opposite way, pretended like it was fine, like it didn’t hurt, overcompensated, tried to make excuses for her.”

I nodded.

“But she shouldn’t have acted like your mom taking off this weekend was your fault. You know it wasn’t, right?”

“I know. I just want my sister to like me. I’m likable. Bean liked me.” The tears came back full force.

Kamala lay down next to me and spooned me. “You have the biggest heart I know, Wren. I love you so much. I’m sorry that your sister was annoying and that Bean was adopted when you weren’t there to say goodbye. And I’m sorry about Asher.”

My shoulders shook with sobs and she held me tight.

The next day, after a restless night’s sleep, nothing felt any better. My chest still hurt, my eyes stung, my throat felt raw. And it was allsinking in—what Asher had done, what Zoey had said, that Bean was gone. I needed to fix something and the only thing I had any control over at the moment was seeing Bean. So I got ready and drove to the shelter.

I knocked on the doorframe of the back office. Erin looked up from entering something into the computer.

“Well, hello there,” she said.

I cringed, sure she’d heard about me fleeing the premises the day before. “Hi. I’m sorry I left work yesterday after you called mein.”

“That’s okay. I mainly called you in for the surprise.”

“I was hoping that was the case.”

“I heard you left because of a certain auburn-haired volunteer.”

That was true, but I didn’t want to bring Asher into this. “Sort of. It had more to do with Bean.”