Free Panic by Sharon M. Draper Page A

out.”
    â€œYou did great tonight—I got some good stuff to edit down for these college applications.”
    â€œThanks, Dad.” Justin picked at the blue plaid comforter he’d had on his bed since he was about six.
    â€œSomething bothering you?” His dad came in and sank into Justin’s desk chair.
    â€œIt’s just that—well, I was really missing Mom tonight,” Justin admitted. “I remember telling her dudes don’t get bouquets of roses . . . ”
    â€œÂ . . . and she’d bring them every time anyway!” his dad finished with a small laugh. “She really got into your performances.”
    â€œAnd the practices. And the costumes. And the pictures. I think she had that camera surgically implanted in her hand!” Justin smiled, remembering.
    â€œShe’s at your shows in spirit,” his dad reminded him.
    â€œNow you sound like those old ladies at church,” Justin groaned. “I feel her spirit, but I’d rather have her here.” He played with his braids. “ And her flowers!”
    â€œMe too, Justin. Me too.”
    The silence between them was accentuated by the relentless rain outside. It was still so hard to talk about her, especially to his dad. It was like if he talked to his father about his mom, he made his dad even sadder. It’d been an entire year since that damn phone call, a year since the police had told them there’d been an accident. A stormy night. A drunk driver. And his mom was gone. So completely not fair.
    â€œCan I ask you something, Dad?” Justin asked after a few minutes.
    â€œSure.”
    â€œGirls are so complicated.”
    â€œThat’s the question? Sounds like you’ve got that one figured out already.”
    â€œNah, I don’t understand them at all.”
    â€œCan you give me a for-instance?”
    â€œWell, one of the girls at the studio—you know Diamond, right?”
    â€œYes, the one with the pretty hair and smile. You’ve done duets with her a couple of times, haven’t you?”
    â€œYeah, she’s fine, but that’s not why I mention her. She, like, ran away or got kidnapped or something.”
    His father sat up straight. “Oh my God! How did that happen?”
    â€œWe’re not sure. You know how girls gather in groups and gossip. They were huddling all evening. I stay around the edges and try to keep up.”
    His father nodded. “I feel you there.”
    â€œBut the bottom line is, Diamond didn’t show up for the performance tonight. She sent her friend a text that said she was trying out for a part in some movie, and she went off with some strange guy. Nobody has heard anything from her since.”
    â€œIs this a girl you have feelings for, Justin?”
    â€œNo. I mean, I like her all right, but she’s not special like that. I just don’t get how girls can be so dumb.”
    â€œAh. Let me go dig out my book called Why Women Do Stuff .”
    â€œYou need to write it, Dad. Guys my age could use it.”
    â€œThe whole thing would be two hundred blank pages, kiddo. The real answer is, nobody knows!”
    â€œYeah, like Layla . . . ”
    â€œPoor kid, she had a rough night,” his father commented.
    â€œYou saw her mess up?”
    â€œShe covered it quickly—very professionally, I thought.”
    â€œShe’s such a good dancer, but she doesn’t think so.” Justin sat up and let his long legs hang over the edge of the bed.
    â€œHow do you know?” his dad asked.
    â€œNo matter what compliment somebody gives her, she always talks down about herself.”
    â€œConfidence problem?”
    â€œIt’s more than that, Dad. She’s, like, really, really beautiful, but I don’t think she sees that when she looks in the mirror.”
    â€œWhat does she see?”
    â€œSomebody overweight and not good enough.”
    â€œNot