Free Chaos Theory by M Evonne Dobson

tell her everything.” Now Dad looks hopeful. I hate to break his jolly moment. “As long as we’re clear about one thing—I’m her client, not you.”
    â€œAnd that is because?” Dad asks.
    â€œClient/doctor confidentiality. As your minor child, she’ll have to keep you informed.” And they might expose Daniel to protect me. “If you sign off that what I say stays between her and me, I’ll do it.”
    Dad speaks slowly and with finality like he’s giving me final rights. “She has to report to authorities if lives are at risk. You understand that?”
    â€œYes.” I lean forward. “Mom, Dad. This is a good thing. I need to talk this over and get someone’s advice. This will help me. Can you live with that?” Plus, Dr. Bartlett is in high demand. There isn’t any chance they can get me an appointment for at least two weeks. It buys time. And, when the beans spill, it won’t be that bad. I’ll get good advice from her.
    Mom doesn’t buy it. She reaches for a cookie and snarfs it down in two bites. She’s going to gain some serious weight over this.
    Then she talks with her mouth full. “No. You’re under age. This is our call.”
    Dad, on the other hand, thinks it over with full diligence, rubbing his thumb against his incisor like he’s sharpening it. He turns to Mom. “April, do we have a choice? If Kami’s at a moral impasse, if she honestly feels she can’t share, what option do we have? Do we ground her for a moral dilemma?”
    â€œBullshit!” Mom says. Yeah, Mom’s got a mouth on her. “She was with someone who got beat up! Drugs are involved. Her life is at risk!” She grabs another cookie.
    â€œYes. It is.” Dad turns back to me. “What kind of promise do we have that you’ll stay safe, Kami?”
    I say, “I never want to be at that hospital again. After Grandma, you know how hard that is for me. I can promise you that. Good enough?”
    Dad reaches out for Mom’s hand. “It’ll have to be enough. You’d better head to bed, Kami. Tomorrow’s a school day.”
    It’s two a.m. before I fall asleep to the sounds of Mom and Dad arguing in the kitchen.
    ***
    â€œSandy!” Her small Vietnamese ass escapes into students in the hall. I slam my book bag onto the ground by my locker. “Damn it!”
    Gavin with the Emerald Green Eyes steps into my view. He leans his long, lean sexy bod against Sandy’s locker next to mine. Daniel’s eyes are sky blue, but Gavin’s are emerald. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. What does color have to do with anything?
    He says, “What did you do to tick her off?”
    I blow hair out of my eyes and wish that I’d gotten more sleep. I sent a text off to Sandy first thing this morning. Then another after brushing my teeth, then again before eating breakfast, after eating breakfast, and from the school parking lot, and then during every class break—all that comes back each time is, Drop dead.
    That’s a lot of drop deads. I’m tempted to text back about her lack of creativity. Instead, I text, Sorry! There’s a reason, trust me.
    Bull Shit!!!!! Count ’em, five exclamation marks. And yeah, Sandy hangs with Mom, and once Sandy finds the exclamation point key, she uses it. At least it’s something more than drop dead. There’s a good chance it’ll be all day before she talks with me. That brief view of Sandy’s back is the closest I’ve gotten, and it’s fifth period break already.
    â€œHey? Right here, standing in front of you?” Gavin says.
    â€œSorry.” But I say it to the wrong person and watch that point where Sandy disappeared. An image of Trish and Julia drifting apart flashes in my head. Crap. I have to make this right with my BFF.
    â€œWant me to take a hike, Kami? I will. If that’s what you want.” In middle school,