Yet a Stranger (The First Quarto #2) - Gregory Ashe Page 0,101

us. But you’re in a tricky situation because you’ve made one facet of your life very public, and it’s taken over. I know you’re going to hate this next part, but please don’t scream at me. Not in public, anyway. You’re nineteen; you’ve got a lot of time to find people who will be your friends, people who will love you for the real you, including someone to have a relationship with.”

Whistling “Go Tell Aunt Rhody,” the custodian shuffled out of the lobby. The puke was unattended. Two shiny patches showed where he’d run the mop in lazy arcs. Auggie waited until he was gone.

“I guess that makes sense,” he said. “Some of it.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re lucky you have the advantage of all those extra decades of experience.”

“Ok.”

“Even though time has robbed you of strength and speed and good looks—”

Theo sighed.

“—at least you have the small recompense of wisdom.”

“When I get a job,” Theo said, slumping back into his seat, talking to the empty waiting room. “If I get a job, I am going to refuse to teach underclassmen. Refuse. Categorically.”

Auggie leaned against Theo. After a moment, Theo’s hand came up, running over the crew cut. Then Auggie’s phone buzzed.

“I guess I should ask Dylan what happened last night.”

“I’m all out of free advice. Go try Orlando.”

“Oh God, I can’t even imagine.” Auggie picked up his phone and then sat up straight, dislodging Theo’s hand. “It’s from Nia. She says she’ll talk to us.”

12

The hospital room was nominally shared, but a uniformed police officer—Patrick Foley—stood at the door, and Theo guessed that Nia would have the room to herself for the foreseeable future. A second bed stood cattycorner to Nia’s, the privacy curtain pulled back to reveal that it was empty. The bathroom door was open, and although the light was off, Theo could see that the bathroom was empty as well.

“Do you want to check under the bed too?” Auggie whispered.

Instead, Theo studied the girl in the bed. Nia was long: long arms, long legs, a long torso. The hospital gown and the thick bandages around her chest did nothing to hide the compact muscle that padded her frame. Her skin was very dark, and her eyes were even darker. After a moment, her eyes slid to the window, and she touched her tight fade with one hand.

“Where are your parents?” Auggie asked.

“They had to go out.” Her voice was flat and slightly nasal; judging from her eyes, Theo guessed she was high as a kite. “Dad won’t say it, but he wants to get back to work. He’s a chemical engineer at Tegula.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if that man has ever taken a day off. Even at home, he’s always scribbling equations, ideas, you know. Mom gets crazy picking them up. She went home to shower.”

“You waited until they were gone to tell us we could come up,” Auggie said.

Nia nodded.

“Why?” Theo asked.

“I didn’t want them to know.” Her voice tightened, and she ran one hand along the bed rail. The metal chimed. “Please don’t tell them. I don’t have a lot of money. God, after this, I’m not going to have any money. But I’ll figure something out.”

“We’re not here to—” Auggie began.

“Let’s start with information,” Theo said. “That’s what we want first.”

Nia nodded listlessly.

“How long has this been going on?”

Nia laughed. “A long time. A long, long time. Since high school. The summer before, actually.”

“Who—” Auggie began.

Theo slashed the air with one hand, the gesture at waist level, and Auggie cut off.

“Do you know what it’s like?” Nia asked dreamily, “having Deja as your sister? Having the tennis champ as your sister? I had to hear about it all the time. ‘Why aren’t you as fast as Deja? Why aren’t you winning like Deja? Why’s Deja still at practice and you’re sitting on your butt in front of the TV?’” Nia fell silent, and then, choking on the words, she added, “For one minute, for one single minute, I was actually relieved when I heard she was shot. I thought she’d just been hurt. I thought that was the end; I wouldn’t have to hear about tennis anymore. And then they told me she was dead, and ever since, I’ve been living in a shrine to Deja. And I’m part of it. I’m supposed to be part of all of it. I’ve got to be in every march. I’ve got to be in every picture.” She shuddered, cried out quietly, and then sagged