Free What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen

him a little shove to get him to stop laughing. It doesn’t work. “No, I didn’t. You study?”
    “Nah.” He attempts to stop laughing. “Well, I’ll see you Saturday night. Around eight? Pick you up?”
    “Sure,” I say, feeling my heart break because I know I won’t be there when he shows up.
    “Actually, I suppose I’ll see you in history tomorrow first. And Friday.”
    “I suppose you will.” Not.
    Alex saunters off to school, hands in the pockets of his jeans, backpack slung over one arm. I want to call him back, tell him to stay a while longer. Say good-bye for real. God, I never even got to kiss him yet.
    “What was that about?” Zach asks in a teasing voice. He takes his last bite of taco.
    I shrug. “Some party he invited me to.”
    “You two dating? Since when?”
    “Since never,” I say. “I was pretty messed up yesterday. I think he asked me out of pity.”
    “That wasn’t pity.” He tips his cup back, tapping it to loosen the ice.
    “It doesn’t matter anyhow. I’m not going to any party with Alex, because I’m not going to be here. My mom and I are getting out of here. We’re leaving Dad.”
    Zach let the ice fall back in the cup. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Zach knows what’s been going on at home. Well, some of it at least. I leave out the worst parts when we talk.
    I nod.
    “When?”
    “Any minute. My mom’s picking me up from here. Or at least I hope she is. She was supposed to get me yesterday, but something must have come up.”
    “What do you mean? What came up?” Zach asks sharply.
    “I don’t know. She didn’t come home last night.”
    Zach looks as scared as I feel. “So what makes you think that she’s coming today?”
    “She has to, Zach.” My eyes fill with tears.
    Zach moves to my side of the picnic table, puts his arms around me, and holds me tight. “It’s going to be all right.” The smell of his aftershave comforts me and makes me feel like it’s both Zach’s and Matt’s arms around me. It’s like watching Zach play soccer. If I squint my eyes, the blond blur can pass for Matt, for a few seconds at least. In those seconds my heart is full.
    But once I shouted, “Way to go, Matt!” after Zach made a goal. He looked up at me in the stands and I saw the sadness on his face. Then someone tried to pass him the ball. It bounced off his knee and the other team snatched it away.
    We sit at the picnic table, not feeling the need for small talk. After a few minutes I leave to go to the bank to clear out my savings account, while Zach keeps an eye out for my mom.
    When I get back from the bank, I decide to show Zach my hideout behind the dentist office. We certainly can’t stay at the Dairy Dream. Mrs. Hamilton, who is scooping ice cream again today, doesn’t limit herself to snooping in her own daughter’s life. Besides, she’s glaring at me. I think Jessica must have mentioned the whole nosebleed incident.
    Zach takes out his iPod and hands me one of his earbuds. Taylor Swift is playing. Zach isn’t crazy about country music, but he keeps it on his iPod for me.
    “So what are you writing about this month?” I ask him. Zach writes for the school paper, the Scottsfield Sentinel .
    “Just an article on the new English teacher and a movie review. The one about the FBI agent.”
    “Oh, too bad I’ll miss seeing the movie with you. At least, Ihope I’ll miss seeing it with you. Send me a copy of the article?” Of course there is no way I’m going to be able to give him our new address, but I feel better pretending.
    “Sure thing.”
    My cell phone dings. I have a text message from Alex. WHAT DO U THINK OF MISERY?
    I text back, NO CHANCE TO READ IN HOUR SINCE LAST SAW U.
    I’m also not sure I have the stomach to read horror anymore.
    “Who’s that?” Zach points at my phone.
    “No one, really.” It feels like a lie, because already I find myself thinking of Alex way more than I’ve thought about any guy in a long while. But,