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universe here?” I ask no one in particular.
    Here’s my mom, who hasn’t seen me in a good month, and she just runs right to the girl who devastated me when I was eighteen. My mom was there. She saw what Casey’s disappearing act did to me. Whether I admitted it at the time or not, she’s my mom, she knew.
    My mom pulls away from Casey and holds her at arm’s length. “How was your drive? You must be exhausted.”
    “You knew she was coming?” I can’t even believe this.
    My mom shoots me a glare, but behind it is utter sadness. She’s been crying, too. “You should try answering your phone.”
    “It died…I wanted to surprise you.” I’d been on a road trip with the baseball team for the past seven days and I’d left my cell phone charger at the dorm. I ran into the dorm long enough to swap out my overnight bag, but I didn’t have time to charge my phone and I don’t have an in-car charger. My mom had my schedule. She knew how to get in touch with the team should an emergency come up, all the parents did.
    “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” I shout.
    My mom glares at me again and turns Casey towards her house. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you inside.” She looks at me over her shoulder, “Wait for me at the house.”
    I watch my mom walk Casey into her house, wondering where her parents are. Did something happen to Mr. and Mrs. Evans? That could explain why she’s home and why she’s so upset. Why my mom’s upset. The thought causes a heavy weight to press against my chest. Mr. and Mrs. Evans are like second parents to me, have been since we moved to this street fifteen years ago. I hope nothing’s happened to them.
    God…I was such an asshole to Casey. I was such an asshole and obviously something must have happened to bring her back here and have her so upset. I just couldn’t see past my own anger over her leaving to even begin to process that something might have truly been wrong.
    Shit. What did I do?
    ***
    An hour later my mom finally walks into the side door to the kitchen. I jump up from my seat at the kitchen table and approach her.
    She looks at me and sighs, shaking her head. “Mr. Evans died yesterday.”
    Her voice breaks along with my heart. The air whooshes out of my lungs. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I slowly back up and sit back down in the chair.
    “What happened?” I whisper, my eyes wide and unfocused as I try to absorb what she’s just told me.
    “He had a heart attack, five days ago. They did an angioplasty and everything seemed to be okay, fixed even. Then things went sour yesterday, he had another heart attack and didn’t make it.”
    I run my hands through my hair and down my face. I’d just seen Mr. Evans two weeks ago when he and my dad drove up for a game. They were tailgating and having a great time. He’d looked fine. He didn’t look sick.
    Oh God. Casey! She didn’t get to see him before he’d passed. She was probably on her way, thinking she was going to visit him at the hospital. No wonder she was inconsolable. I look back to my mom, and she knows what I’m thinking.
    “She’s resting. You can go see her tomorrow. Let her rest today. She needs to be with her mom right now.”
    I nod my assent, knowing that as soon as I can, I’ll be climbing in Casey’s bedroom window. Tonight.

Chapter Eight
     
    Casey
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Decker’s mom stayed with me until my mom returned from the funeral home. I’d wanted to meet her there, but Mrs. Abrams insisted that I rest after the long drive and emotional couple of days. Once she’d gotten home, my mom and I huddled on the couch and cried for what felt like hours before retreating to bed.
    And now here I lay. I can’t sleep, and I feel like I can’t possibly cry another tear. I feel numb. Like all the feelings and emotions I’d had in me have been cried out.
    I hadn’t been expecting to see Decker when I got to the house this evening. I’d assumed he would still be