Mr. Keller walked in behind me. “What’s going on?”
“Just hear me out. You’re all that little girl has. I just discovered I have an aunt, and I’m almost sixteen. I’ll figure things out. But Sophia is eight and doesn’t have another person in this world she can rely on. She loves you and you love her. You’re good people. You have crazy-ass rules, but you’re good people. Don’t do this to her.” I urged, my eyes pleading.
Mr. Keller sat next to Mrs. Keller on the bed. “Emerson, you’re excused. Mrs. Keller and I need to discuss some things. Please go up to your room and gather your things. Your social worker will be here in the morning.”
Before I went to my room, I ran back downstairs, grabbed the phone, and took two stairs at a time until I was in my bedroom. I dialed Jax.
“Hey.”
“They’re sending me to San Francisco to live with my aunt.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“You’re gonna leave?” His voice was empty, shocked. It wasn’t a question. He was trying to process what I had just said.
“You have to come get me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Where do the Kellers live?” He sounded preoccupied, like he was trying to figure everything out.
“Two thirty South Primrose.”
“I’ll be there, Em, I promise. But it probably won’t be until around one a.m.”
“I’ll meet you on the road at one.”
I packed up my clothes, left everything the Kellers had given to me in a neat pile on the bed, and waited. Before lights-out, I walked down to Sophia’s room. She was reading in a wicker chair near the window. I leaned against the doorjamb.
She looked up and smiled. “Whatever you said worked.”
I was stunned. “Really?” I walked toward her.
She stood up and hugged me. “It’s true. They’re letting me stay. They said I would only get this one chance, though.”
“Oh my god, you have no idea how happy this makes me. I know you won’t mess up, Soph. Look out for yourself, okay, kid? You don’t need to do anything for anyone ever again. Just take care of yourself.” I hugged her again.
“Yeah, I guess whatever you said really got to Mrs. Keller. Thanks, friend.”
“It wasn’t me. They love you, okay? They just have a hard time showing it. Mrs. Keller was crying when I went in to confront her. I promise you, it was nothing I said. They want you to be here with them. They just have too much pride in their rules.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. But what about you?”
“I’m San Francisco–bound.” I smiled, even though I knew it was a lie. I had to play the part.
“Wow, that’s fantastic!”
“Yeah, I have an aunt there and she’s some big-time college professor. Probably loaded. I’m sure I’ll get a car and stuff.”
“That’s great, Emmy. We are so lucky.”
“We are lucky, aren’t we?” Sophia was too young to understand the irony. It was better that way.
I said good night to Sophia, and we hugged. I didn’t let her know it would be for the last time.
At twelve fifty, I took my small suitcase, left through the back door, and wheeled it a half mile down the road to the main highway. Jackson pulled up in Junior’s truck right on time, and I hopped in.
“Hi,” I said.
He looked exhausted, but he smiled anyway. “Hi, beautiful.”
“Hardly. I feel like I’ve been run over.”
“You’re with me. You’re okay now. We have to go by Carter’s and then Cal Junior will take us home. My mom’s working tonight.”
“Does she know?”
He pulled up to a stop sign and looked over at me. “No, Em, she can’t know. She’s crazy. She thinks you’re going to ruin my life. Pretty bold coming from her, huh?”
I still remembered the pain we all felt when Brian died. How could Leila think I would do anything to hurt Jax? “How would I ruin your life?” It hurt me to say those words.
“She doesn’t want anyone taking her meal ticket from her.”
“What does that even mean?”
“She’s knows I’ll get a scholarship. She knows I’ll do something with my life. My grades are perfect. I’ve already gotten a near-perfect score on the PSAT. She’s going to want me to take care of her.”
It occurred to me that asking Jax to help me run away could jeopardize everything for him. Maybe Leila wasn’t being as selfish as he thought. Maybe she was looking out for him. Maybe I should too.
“Someone will catch on. Paula will go to your house . . .” I told him.
“You really think Paula is gonna go searching past the tree line for you?”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“It’s just that teenagers go missing all the time and people stop looking. Remember my brother’s girlfriend? She lived in a fucking storm drain.” He reached over and grabbed my hand. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“I don’t want to live in a storm drain, Jackson.”
“Not even with me?” He laughed.