direction. They were talking so they didnât even notice me until they were almost at the bench, but then one of them spotted Brianna.
âOh, look, a baby,â she squealed. She bent over the car seat. âSheâs so cute.â
âThanks,â I said.
The other two leaned in for a look. âSheâs so tiny,â one of them said.
âIs she yours?â the first girl asked me.
I nodded.
âSheâs adorable. How old is she?â
âFive months,â I said. I reached over and pushed Briannaâs hat back a bit so they could see her face.
âLook at her chubby little cheeks,â one of them said.
âIâm Stephanie,â the first girl said. She was wearing a purple sparkly top and jeans, and her blond hair was in a high ponytail with long bits down around her face. âI donât think Iâve seen you before. You must go to Cumberland.â
âYeah,â I said. âIâm Eââ Wait a minute. I shouldnât use my real name. ââEden. My nameâs Eden,â I said.
âWhatâs your babyâs name?â Stephanie asked.
âBrianna,â I said.
One of Stephanieâs friends looked up from the car seat. âI like that name,â she said. âItâs classy.â
âAre you going to the dance?â the other girl asked. Her dark hair was all curls, just the way I wished I could get my hair to look, but it never did, even with a perm.
âNo. Iâm...um...Iâm waiting for my boyfriend.â
Stephanie looked at her watch. âHey, we better get going,â she said. She gave me a little wave. âSee you, Eden.â
âYeah, see you,â I said. I watched them cut across the grass and go into the building. I heard a burst of music, for a second, when the door opened. I wondered what Jade and my other friends were doing at home. They would have already gone swimming and hooked up with some guys. They were probably at a party somewhere now.
I looked over at Brianna. I didnât care about parties and dances anymore. I was a mother now and I had a lot more important stuff to do.
Chapter Twelve
My stomach growled. I realized how hungry I was. It had been hours since Iâd eaten. Iâd had lunch. Had I had any supper? I couldnât remember. I stood up, put on my pack and picked up Brianna. There had to be somewhere around here where I could get something to eat.
I headed back along the trail again. I heard a barking dog and a car door slam, but I didnât see any other people. Didthis whole place shut down once it got dark? I was watching for a Dairy Queen or something like that, but all I passed was houses. How rinky-dink was this place if it didnât have a Dairy Queen or a Burger Barn?
And then finally I saw something. The sign on the roof said
Fernâs
, and it was almost as big as the building. There werenât any cars out front, but there was a lit red
Open
sign in the window. My stomach growled again. Okay, so it wasnât the Burger Barn, but it would do. I left the trail and started across the road.
Fernâs smelled like coffee and burgers inside. Not a bad smell at all. There was a counter at the far end and a bunch of shiny stools with red vinyl seats. There were booths down the two long walls and tables in the middle of the room. I slid into one of the booths on the window side and set Brianna beside me in her seat. The high, dark-wood backs reminded me of church pews. I could watch the road, and the bathroomswere just behind me in case we had to get out of sight fast.
There was a woman behind the counter. She came around it and walked over to me. She was wearing jeans and a green apron. âHi,â she said. âWhat can I get you?â Brianna was awake and making fussy noises. âHi, cutie-pie,â the waitress said to her.
âUm, could I have a cheeseburger with fries and a large milk?â I
Alaska Angelini, A. A. Dark