Page 60 - My FlipBook

L IS A J. L A W R E N C E

Ash and Greta were lucky to get the occasional Christmas
card in the mail. Greta didn’t even know how to reach them.
She flopped back onto the dirty laundry. School. Ash
didn’t know what it cost her, going there every day. She
wanted him to know without her saying the words out loud.
What relief, what terror that would be. And since Patty wasn’t
there to get annoyed about Greta being home during the day,
or Roger to show mediocre interest in test scores, there was

no reason anymore. Cut the whole thing loose and float away.
“There’s one day left in the term. We get up. We go. Then
we write our exams. And we keep going until we’re done
with that school and all of this.” He motioned to the storage
room around him, but Greta knew what he meant. This—this
substandard life. The glint of anger returned to his eyes, and his
chest puffed tighter against his shirt. “Get up, Greta. Please.” ADVANCE READING COPY

She reached out for him to pull her up. “Fine,” she said,
shaking his hand away the second her feet were under her. “I’ll
go, but you have to stick with me. Where do you go anyway?
You want me to come and then can’t get away fast enough.”
Ash dropped his head. “I guess I always thought you were
better off without me dragging you down. You stand a better
chance of making friends on your own.”
“Well,” she said, furious at the tremor in her voice, “you
can see how well that’s working for me.” Tell him.

Ash still didn’t look up. “Yeah. Okay. Sorry.”
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. “You light
the oven. I’m taking a shower.” She stepped through the door.

50