seemed to want to do.
The more she heard, the more Phoebe understood that her initial reaction of astonishment and anger at how Ryland had been away for the past four years had been misplaced. She hadnât understood. Rylandâs father was not Malloryâs father, for one thing, and there was apparently some divided loyalty on Rylandâs part about that. âLong stupid story,â Mallory said. And then Mrs. Tolliver at a different stage of instability had told Ryland she never wanted to see him again and he wasnât welcome in her house. Also, Mallory had been too proud to ask Ryland for help with their mother, which, Mallory said, was entirely her own fault. The bottom line was that Ryland was not to blame for having been absent.
But on the other hand, it wasnât like Mallory praised her brother all the time, either. Ryland was a complex individual, not some idealized figure of a perfect older brother.
âIâm so angry at him,â Mallory said one evening. She had come home with Phoebe after school to study and stay over for the night, and they settled down in the library at the big worktable there, with their laptops. âWednesday night, he just never came home.â
âOh,â said Phoebe neutrally. Did Ryland have a girlfriend? So fast? Or maybe he had just hooked up with someone? He was so attractiveâ
She looked down at her laptop. âDo you know where he was?â
âNo idea,â Mallory said.
âDid you ask him?â
âDo you think I should?â
âI donât know,â said Phoebe. âI guess not. Iâdid you call him? Or text?â
âYes, I did, but thatâs no good. He likes to turn his phone off. And then he forgets to turn it back on. For hours. I mean, is that responsible? Shouldnât you at least check messages every so often? Or maybe he is checking, and heâs just ignoring me. Either way, I donât like it.â
âYes,â said Phoebe. âYouâre right. What if there were an emergency and you couldnât reach him?â
âI know.â Mallory, who was enviably good at multitasking, squinted at her laptop for a minute, and then sighed deeply. âBut he wonât listen to me. In his mind, Iâm still twelve. Sometimes I feel like I need someone to be a go-between. Someone who will explain to him that Iâm a grown-up now.â
Phoebeâs stomach fluttered. âDo you want me to do that?â
Mallory was gratifyingly open to the idea. âDo you think you could, Phoebe? You wouldnât feel funny doing it?â
âMaybe a little. But I could try. Iâm willing.â
âWell, itâs up to you. Iâll send you his phone number.â Mallory lapsed into silence and focused again on her laptop.
Phoebe chewed on the inside of her cheek. She had permission from Mallory to call Ryland! But did she dare? She didnât know. Maybe. After all, she had practically promised Mallory she would. She wouldnât want to let Mallory down.
Phoebe forced herself to work on her essay for English for a while. Eventually, though, she sighed and said, âFive whole pages on The Great Gatsby . I donât know if I can do it.â
Mallory didnât answer for a minute, and Phoebe had to repeat herself.
âOf course you can,â Mallory said. âYouâre great at that stuff. Whatâs your topic?â
âI donât have one yet. Got any ideas?â
Mallory frowned. Then, slowly, she nodded. â The Great Gatsby. Actually, I do. Write about the significance of Daisy Fayâs name.â
âWhat is the significance of her name?â
âYou tell me.â
âDaisy. Thatâs a flower. Sheâs little and pretty andâoh, only blooms in the summer. Maybe that means she requires wealth and privilege to exist. No wait, a daisy is actually pretty tough, almost a weed, which is even more interesting. You know,