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15

JASON

“Zach says to call him later.” I set my phone aside and turned to face Drea. Her long brown hair still held some of the curls from the previous night, and I could see a smudge of makeup under her left eye. She turned, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a pop, holding it up to me in offering. When I declined, she shut the door and sat at the island next to me. She cracked open the can, then took a sip before turning back to look at me with an assessing eye.

“Mandy still sleeping?” I asked, feeling a little discomfited by her gaze.

She rolled her eyes. “You know your sister loves her sleep. I’m guessing she won’t be up before noon.”

I was pretty sure I remembered Zach mentioning Drea wasn’t a morning person either, but I wisely kept that tidbit to myself.

I glanced at the clock on the stove, noting the time was just after ten. Our parents were at church, but they’d long ago stopped making us go, so I’d gotten a late run in this morning, then come back and showered. I’d just grabbed an apple when I’d gotten distracted by Zach’s text.

“What time did you guys go to bed? It was after midnight when you got home.”

“I think it was a little after one. We were going to watch Mean Girls , but we both fell asleep.” She took another sip of her pop, and I bit into my nearly forgotten apple. “You talk to Zach a lot?”

“Most every day,” I said once I swallowed my bite.

“That’s good. I’m glad he has you. He’s never hurt for friends, but after Mom died—I’m assuming he told you about that?” I nodded in response. “Well, after she died, it was weird for us. It happened during the summer, and when we went back to school in the fall, everything was different. No one really knows what to say when you lose a parent. It’s almost like everyone’s afraid of saying the wrong thing, so they just stop saying anything at all. People we’d been friends with for years just stopped coming around. I mean, everyone was friendly enough at school, I guess, but no one ever texted to hang out. I was still in middle school, but Zach was a junior. He used to go out with his friends all the time. They’d go to movies or out for pizza or whatever. The invites just stopped. Zach’s a people person. I also am, to a point, but I don’t mind alone time either. Zach needs to be around people. He’d already lost our mom, but when he lost his friends too, he sort of withdrew.”

I could see it, could picture what she was talking about. I hadn’t known Zach well during the school year, but from what I remembered, he’d always been surrounded by a group of people. Even at the bonfires this summer, people had sought him out. He was like a magnet for people and fed off their energy.

“I think it was a big part of the reason Dad moved us out here. Zach thinks our dad is an asshole, and I suppose he has a point, but Dad also sees more than Zach realizes. He knew we needed a fresh start.”

She hadn’t mentioned her own struggles with depression following their mom’s passing, but I didn’t bring that up, honoring Zach’s request to keep his confidence.

“How are things between you and your dad? I know Zach has a rocky relationship with him, but how is it with you?” I was on shaky ground here, but I was genuinely curious. I wanted to understand their family dynamic a little better.

“Dad’s…he’s a hard person to know. He’s hard on me and Zach because he wants what’s best for us, but I think there’s more to it. From some things Mom told me before she died, Dad had to work really hard to get where he is now, and he made some mistakes when he was younger. I think he pushes us because he doesn’t want us to make the same mistakes he did.”

“Do you think they’ll ever figure out how to get along?”

“I hope so. But they’re both so damn stubborn, I’m not sure it’ll happen anytime soon.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, looking so sad, and I wished I could do something to take that look away.

“He misses you, you know. He asks about you all the time.”

“Yeah?” She laid her head on my shoulder. “I miss him too.”