Monday after school then come over to my house and paint a mural on my wall.”
I chose Monday because Hannah will be at college orientation, at least according to the calendar downstairs. And more than likely, my mom will go with her, which means I’ll have the entire house to myself for a while.
“A mural?” Confusion laces her voice. “What are you talking about?”
Sighing, I quickly explain to her what happened to my room while I was gone. By the time I’m finished, she’s cursed about twenty times and called Lynn and Hannah some very creative names.
“Will you help me?” I ask after she stops freaking out.
“Of course I’ll help you,” she says, still sounding pissed off. “We’re so going to do something badass.”
“I have a couple of ideas actually.”
“Good. Draw them up, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Awesome. And thanks.”
“No prob,” she says then yawns again. “All right, now I have to go to sleep, or I’ll be super pissy when you see me on Monday.
Laughing, I say goodbye, but I don’t put the phone away. I have one more call to make before I do.
I punch in Grandma Stephy’s number.
“You need me to come rescue you?” she asks the moment she picks up.
“Not yet, but I do need a favor.” I chew on my thumbnail then force myself to stop, because it’s going to ruin my nail polish. “I know you said to wait a few days and sit on it, but I’m ready to talk to my dad. I can’t wait anymore. I need to know.”
“Honey, I really think we should wait a couple of days. You never know. You might change your mind and decide to wait, at least until you go off to college and get out of that house.”
“Someone painted my room while I was gone.” I force down the lump in my throat. “And took down all of my posters and drawings. Everything that was me in this room is gone. I need to know what happened. It’s all I have left.”
“Isa, I’m so sorry. Goddammit, your family’s a bunch of assholes,” she curses, but when she speaks again, she’s calm. “You still have me, sweetie. You know that, right? Just because we’re not on a trip together doesn’t mean we can’t spend time together.”
“I know, but I really need to do this. Finding my mom . . . finding out why she gave me up . . . I need to know.”
Seconds tick by before she says anything.
“All right, I’ll call up your father and schedule a time for the three of us to have dinner next week at my place,” she says. “He’s going to know something’s up, though. I’m going to have to lie to him, or he won’t come over.”
“Tell him that you found something of Grandpa’s you think he might like,” I suggest. “He’s always had a soft spot for Grandpa.”
“That’s actually a good idea, but how am I supposed to get him to bring you over.”
“Just say you want to see me. He’s not going to argue. Not when Lynn will be more than glad to get a break from me.”
“I feel so sneaky right now,” she muses through a chuckle. “I like it.”
“That’s because you’re crazy,” I tell her, smiling for the first time in over a day.
“I know I am.” She pauses. “But, Isa, please promise me that no matter what happens with this—no matter where this goes—you’ll always come talk to me if anything’s ever bothering you. I don’t ever want you to feel like you’re in this alone.”
I press my lips together and nod, even though she can’t see me. “I promise.”
“Good girl,” she says. “And remember, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
By the time I hang up, I’m crying. I decide to let it all out, because it’s better than holding it in and letting it smother me.
Ten minutes later, my eyes are swollen, I have the hiccups, and mascara and eyeliner stain my cheeks. I go to the bathroom to wash my face and fix my makeup before going back to my room and forcing myself to think about something other than my mom.
I stare out the window at the house next door, wondering when I’ll run into Kyler. Part of me wants to, while part of me would rather not, especially since he’s probably dating Hannah.
As I leave the window, I hear the front door open, and the sound of voices fills the house. Suddenly, all my Kyler and