“Do you miss her?”
One of my lids pops open. “Who?”
“Your sister.”
“Every single day.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Does it get any easier?”
I could lie to him. “No,” I answer honestly. “No matter what, she’s still gone. That part doesn’t really get any better. It’s just about figuring out how to move on from it.”
My attention turns to his fidgeting, like he wants to ask how but refuses to. I sigh, knowing he’s too stubborn for his own good.
Drawing my knees up, I tug on the oversized sweatshirt I put on. “You need to find something to take your mind off it. I like to read. I’m sure sports will help.”
“He loved lacrosse.”
“Your dad?”
A head nod.
Surprise flickers across my features, but I try masking it. “Did you guys practice together?”
I swear his lips tilt upward, but when I blink there’s no evidence of a smile. “Yeah. He used to play when he was my age, so that’s how I got into it. Sometimes he would take me to the batting cages too because he was a big baseball person.”
“Are you?”
“Nah.” He clears his throat. “I just went because it made him happy.”
We fall to silence.
The wind picks up and shuffles my hair in my face. It’s easier to do now that it’s shorter. It hasn’t grown any, but also hasn’t fallen out since taking extra vitamins and using the fancy shampoo Cam got me. It’s a win, I guess.
“I wish I could visit Lo.” It’s probably random, but I can tell he isn’t interested in offering up any more information about his dad.
“You could.”
“It’s a long drive.”
“I could…” He trails off.
I stare at him.
He grumbles. “I could take you.”
A smile cracks across my lips. “I appreciate that, but it’s okay. Maybe I’ll see if Dad could drop me off during school break. I think it’ll be good if I see Mama and Grandma.”
He stretches his long legs out. “Don’t you regret coming here? Your family is hours away from here, you don’t have any friends, and you don’t really do anything but read when you’re at home.”
I consider my answer. “No, I don’t regret it. You wouldn’t understand, Kaiden. Mama was really struggling to cope and me being there wasn’t what was best. I don’t fault her for it…”
Anymore. “Because I know that it must be hard.”
“It’d be hard for anyone.”
“Like Cam?”
He sighs. “Yeah, like my mom.”