True Places(36)

She slipped a sweatshirt over her cami, grabbed her phone, made a pit stop in the bathroom, and headed downstairs. Her mom blazed by Brynn on the staircase and nearly wiped out on the way to the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Brynn followed her, since that’s where she was going anyway.

Her mother screeched to a halt by the fridge. Reid was coming in from the yard. Brynn was not awake enough for whatever happy hell this was.

“You found her!” Her mother rushed toward the door. Brynn saw the Stray behind him, wrapped in a blanket like a homeless person, which, now that Brynn thought about it, wasn’t far off the truth.

Reid grabbed a paper towel off the counter and wiped his bare feet, soaking wet and covered in grass. His hair was a mess and his clothes looked slept in; in other words, same as ever. “Yeah. She was asleep way in the back, practically under the hedge.”

Brynn took out her phone. Iris came through the door and Brynn snapped a photo. The girl literally had sticks in her hair, and those weird eyes of hers were even bigger than usual, if that was possible.

Her mother spun toward her. “Brynn!”

BRYNN to Lisa (via Snapchat): #campingfail

Brynn said, “Can I have my breakfast now? I’m starving.”

Her mother was struggling to control herself, like her mom-self was John Hurt in Alien and her true feelings were the thing about to explode out of her chest. “You know where everything is.” She went over to the Stray. “We were really worried about you.”

“Why?”

Brynn dumped granola into a bowl. “Yeah, Mom, why?”

Reid was pouring a giant glass of milk. “Lay off, Brynn.”

Her mother ignored her and spoke to Iris. “Because we expect you to sleep in your bed, or at least stay in the house.”

“Why?”

“Because now that you live here, we’re responsible for you, and part of that is knowing where you are.”

Brynn thought, Or at least telling herself she knows where her kids are. “Maybe you could leave a note. ‘Sleeping in the neighbor’s compost tonight.’”

Her mother sent her an evil look.

Brynn shrugged. “I was going to suggest an invisible fence but thought that might be mean.”

Iris was hanging on to one side of the doorframe with both hands, looking totally confused. Brynn did feel sorry for her, just a little. It was impossible not to. For one thing, she was tiny and emaciated. She was less than five feet tall and probably didn’t weigh seventy pounds. And clueless didn’t begin to cover it. But Iris didn’t seem stupid, so she’d catch on soon enough. Her mom was the stupid one, acting like she was gunning for an A in Foster Parenting. It wasn’t like Iris was difficult. She wasn’t drug addicted. She didn’t smoke or even swear. She hadn’t had the crap beaten out of her, at least not that anyone had mentioned, and even though she was covered in scars, there was a good chance they were from living a little too close to nature. No, Iris wasn’t damaged goods, which made her mother’s hovering and intense concern really annoying. Iris was just another project for Supermom, to take her mind off the fact that she didn’t have a life.

Reid was chewing a bagel and reading the newspaper their dad had left on the counter before he’d gone to work. Her mother faced away, at the stove, cooking eggs for Iris, who was still standing there in her blanket.

Brynn checked the time on her phone, slid off the stool, and put her bowl in the dishwasher. “I’ll be ready in twenty, Mom. Oh, and you might want to wash that blanket. It’s got slugs on it.”

In her room, Brynn changed into the clothes she’d selected the night before and put on her makeup at her desk, where the lighting was better than in the bathroom. Her phone vibrated.

SAM (selfie of him grinning via Snapchat): Hey, getting dressed? Flash me?

Sam was a junior on the swim team. All her friends had been shipping Sam and her for weeks. She liked him okay and she had to agree they would look good together. But he needed playing.

BRYNN (photo of her feet in sock monkey slippers): Can you handle it?

She applied the first coat of mascara. God, boys were slow. Finally her phone buzzed.

SAM (selfie of him winking): Monkey see monkey do

Points for humor. She applied a blush, another coat of mascara, and lip gloss in Jammy. Her phone vibrated again. She smiled. Couldn’t stay away, huh?

LISA: Trevor invited us to the party at the club. Alibi time?

BRYNN (smiley face with shades): Think Sam will be there?

LISA: Yup. Asking for a friend?

BRYNN: Yeah, a hot one. Later, bb.



Thursday rolled around again, and Brynn met her friends at the lacrosse game because nothing else was going on. The game was a total bust. The opposing team was crushing them and it was too sad, not that Brynn and her friends were actually watching the action. Also, Sam and the other boys they’d thought would be there hadn’t shown up, so the girls walked to Lisa’s house because it was closest. Brynn texted her parents to let them know where she was going. It was lame—she could be anywhere—but easier in this case just to do it. Kendall pulled out a joint and they passed it around among the five of them as they walked. When they got to Lisa’s, her mom was on the phone and pretty much ignored them as they raided the fridge and ducked into Lisa’s room. They all agreed she had the best bedroom, not counting Brynn’s.