“Raj, Marin, welcome.” He ushers them in, inviting them into the closed den where they can have some privacy. Michelle, waiting, embraces Marin. “Robert said Raj sounded very serious on the phone. Is everything all right?”
Marin and Raj did not discuss the steps to this dance on the car ride over. Instead, Marin spent the few minutes staring out at the darkened sky, searching for the North Star on the horizon. On a half chance, she hoped it would guide her way. “Thank you for having us over.”
“Of course.”
They take their seats, Robert and Michelle on the chairs while Marin and Raj keep a distance between them on the sofa. Glancing at him, Marin struggles to remember the last time they sat together or sought out a physical connection other than their occasional sexual encounters.
“We’ve had some disturbing information about Gia,” Raj begins, only to stop. He swallows.
“Has Amber revealed anything unusual about Gia?” Marin steps in, her gaze intent on both Robert and Michelle. “Anything that would be cause for concern?” When the couple exchanges a look, the hairs on the back of Marin’s neck start to tingle. Her pulse becomes erratic. “What? Please tell us,” she says, struggling to keep her voice light.
“They’re not as close as they used to be,” Michelle begins, almost apologetic. “We haven’t known how to approach you about it. Amber mentioned the girls don’t spend as much time together anymore.”
It was the last thing Marin expected to hear. She could admit that she didn’t keep track of Gia’s social life the way she did her academic one, but she just assumed Gia remained friends with the group she had always been with. Amber was one of her closest. “I don’t understand. Did they have a falling out?”
“Amber never said. Just that Gia and she weren’t friends anymore.”
Marin searches her brain for a reason, an explanation that makes sense. She knows girls at this age are prone to form cliques, to decide based on arbitrary reasons who belongs and who doesn’t. Marin herself had been kept out of all the popular cliques when she was in high school. Her speech still heavy with an accent, in addition to her secondhand clothes bought from Goodwill, Marin was the easy choice for an outcast. When her father forced her to take extra classes during the summer so she could graduate high school early, she had welcomed the decision. It allowed her to attend university sooner, which proved to be much more welcoming and inclusive than high school.
“Gia never mentioned it?” Robert asks, searching both their faces.
“No,” Raj answers, his face troubled. “Was there anything else that Amber said?”
“I’m sorry, no.” Michelle seems to search for the right words. “I don’t want to pry, but would you feel comfortable telling us what’s going on? We’ve known Gia since kindergarten. If there’s anything we can do to help—”
Before she can continue or Raj can answer, Marin interrupts, “She’s fine, thank you. We really appreciate your time.” Marin stands, her action directing Raj to do the same.
“If there’s anything,” Robert says, both he and Michelle seeing them out, “don’t hesitate to ask.”
Raj gets in the driver’s seat, while Marin settles into the passenger side. Just as Raj starts the car, the front door of the house opens and Amber runs out. She stands on the steps, under the light of the front porch, watching them. Marin, noticing her, immediately unbuckles her seat belt and opens the door. “Give me a minute,” she instructs Raj. Rushing up the steps, she reaches the girl in seconds. “Amber, how are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” She is smaller than the other girls in the class. Her hair is in a braid, and though some of the girls have started to wear makeup, she is free of any. “My mom said you came over to talk about Gia?”
“Yes.” Marin tries to rein in her anxiety. “I had no idea you two weren’t friends anymore.”