Erika
I make it to the school about sixty seconds after the school bus arrives.
Hannah says a quick goodbye and then darts out of the car. I remember when she was in preschool, how she used to cling to my leg with both arms when I tried to drop her off in the morning. When I would try to leave, she would shriek at the top of her lungs like somebody was trying to murder her. Now if I attempt to even give her a kiss goodbye, she’s mortified beyond all belief.
Liam is the opposite. When he was younger, he never had any trouble at all separating from me when I dropped him off. He would kiss me goodbye and then run off to play without a second thought. And now, he leans forward from the backseat and kisses me on the cheek, oblivious to anyone who might witness this show of affection.
“Bye, Mom.” He opens the back door. “I love you.”
I smile. Liam has an incredible knack for saying the exact right thing. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
He swings his backpack onto his shoulder and hurries towards the front door before the bell rings. I watch him, looking out for any girl who might be Olivia. Anything that will make my job easier. And this isn’t an easy job. It’s just going to get harder as he gets older.
“Is that Erika Cass in there?”
I jerk my head up. Jessica Martinson is standing outside my car, peering through my cracked open window. I don’t know where she came from, because her car is nowhere in sight. She must have been meeting with somebody within the school, which is not unusual for Jessica, who is head of the PTA. Jessica and I used to be close, years ago, when Liam and her son Tyler used to be friends.
Jessica and I only became close because of Liam and Tyler’s friendship, and we’ve grown apart since the boys stopped spending time together. I have to admit, it concerned me when they stopped being friends. I asked Liam why he didn’t have Tyler Martinson over anymore, and he just
shrugged. If it had been Hannah, that question would have sparked an hour- long monologue about everything Tyler had done wrong. But Liam isn’t like that. He doesn’t talk about things the way his sister does.
Kids grow apart. Both of them are older, and they don’t share any clubs or interests in common. Tyler is more popular than Liam, and they run in different circles. Tyler plays football, and Liam does track and debate. Also, Liam doesn’t have any close friends—he doesn’t seem interested in having the sort of tight friendships that other kids have. But I always worried about what caused their friendship to fracture. Growing apart— that’s fine. But it scares me that Liam might have done something to accelerate the demise of their friendship.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
“Actually,” Jessica says, “I’m so glad I saw you, Erika. There’s something I need to speak with you about. It’s urgent.”
Urgent? A knot tightens in my stomach. What’s Liam done this time? “Oh…”
She tucks a strand of her golden blonde hair behind one ear. She has a messy ponytail, like Hannah, but unlike Hannah’s, hers is painfully stylish. “Can we grab some coffee? Do you have time?”
I have a long list of errands to take care of this morning, but I can’t say no. “Sure.”
“Great! How about Charlie’s?”
Charlie’s is a diner about five minutes away from here. Good for a quick cup of coffee in the morning. Jessica and I have met up there dozens of times over the years. “I’ll drive right there.”
She winks at me. “See you in five.”
As Jessica hurries away to her own monster SUV, I look down at my hands gripping the steering wheel. They’re shaking. What does Jessica want to talk to me about? It can’t be that bad, could it? She seems friendly enough. But that’s the thing with Jessica. She could tell you something horrible right to your face with a smile on her lips. I’ve seen her do it before.
I throw my car back into drive and make my way to Charlie’s.
