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HARLOW

“Do lizards live in forests?” Anna, Noah’s little sister, asks when she barges into the small den where we’re studying.

“I don’t know. I think so.”

“How do you not know? You’re almost done with high school.”

“Go ask Mom,” he says, and she scurries off.

Noah swivels the desk chair around and opens a new webpage. “Okay, the process of aging,” he mumbles as he types it into the search bar.

We’re two weeks into school, and we’ve already been assigned our first research paper for anatomy. Luckily, we share the class and will be partners all year, which means we’ll also be dissecting things together.

The door opens and Anna pokes her head in again. “What about monkeys?”

“Why are you bothering us with this?”

“I have to build a forest habitat inside a shoebox,” she says. “I really wanted the ocean, but Payton picked it before I could, and I got stuck with the forest.”

Noah huffs as she babbles on. “Go annoy Mom.”

“Second grade is just as hard as twelfth, you know?”

“Yes,” I say, and when she looks at me, I tell her, “Monkeys live in forests.”

She smiles before turning back to her brother. “See, even your friend is smarter than you.”

“Out!” Going back to the computer, he grumbles, “She is so irritating.”

“She isn’t that bad.”

He deadpans on me.

“She’s only a kid.”

“You don’t have to live with her.”

My phone chimes from deep within my bag, and he gets back to work as I dig it out.

Sebastian: Just got out of my AA meeting. Now I’m ready for a drink.

Me: Aren’t they supposed to make you not want to drink?”

Sebastian: Not after listening to everyone’s sob stories for an hour. You wouldn’t believe some of the shit these people have done.

I hate that he still drinks. At first, I wasn’t comfortable saying anything to him about it, but I know I need to. We’ve gotten so much closer, and it doesn’t feel right to keep my feelings about this to myself. I just have to find the right time.

Me: I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I have to go see Dr. Amberg tomorrow after school.

Sebastian: Can I see you after?

Me: Yeah, I’ll call you when I’m leaving.

“Who are you texting?” Noah questions.

“No one.”

“Why are you being secretive?”