“What’s your problem?” she said.
“I don’t know,” said Lisa. “I thought I was somewhere else.” She decided not to attempt a more detailed explanation. Shannon would surely mock her for being so weak. She sat down and closed her eyes until the room stopped spinning, while Shannon watched her with a puzzled expression.
“I’m not taking the blame for this mess,” said Shannon. “I’m also not cleaning it up.”
“I’ll do it,” said Lisa. She got a broom out of the closet and started sweeping up the shards of ceramic.
“You’re awfully jumpy,” said Shannon, who could be very cruel when she felt like it. “Speaking of which, I heard your mom talking on the phone earlier, right after we got back from school. It sounded like she was setting up a meeting with an attorney. Your dad hasn’t been around much lately. Are your parents getting divorced?”
“No,” said Lisa. “They’re fine.”
“What were they fighting about at the wedding?” said Shannon.
“I would rather not say,” said Lisa.
“Why?” said Shannon. “You can’t keep it bottled up inside. You’ll go crazy. You’re already starting to crack. It’s only a matter of time before you totally lose it. Besides, who else are you going to tell? It’s not like you have any friends.”
There could be no doubt about it: Shannon was enjoying herself. The smirk remained on her face while Lisa swept the floor and set the table properly, and then she walked out of the room without another word. Lisa’s mother hurried in a moment later. Glancing at the table, she saw everything in its proper place.
“Do you mind calling the others?” she said. “They’re on the beach.”
Lisa was glad to leave the house. She stepped outside, and the breeze instantly revived her, lifting her hair off her shoulders and making her feel like she could breathe again. She crossed the road and stepped onto the sand. Stephen and Veronica were trying to catch fish in a bucket. Josh was playing with Yvonne, who had recently learned how to sit up by herself. He had spread out a blanket on the sand so she could crawl around without getting into trouble.
Lisa told Stephen and Veronica to go inside, and when they disappeared, she walked over to Josh and Yvonne. She hadn’t gotten to talk to Josh since the incident at the restaurant except to apologize to him, but she knew he didn’t resent her. Everything had returned to the way it had been on the day he had arrived. She still felt shy, but that was only because she didn’t know him very well. She sat down beside him, and Yvonne reached toward her.
“Do you think she still likes me?” said Lisa.
“Oh, she’s approved of you ever since that awkward encounter with my mom in the kitchen when we first got here,” said Josh.
“How is your mother?” said Lisa.
“She got the second dose a few weeks ago,” he said. “That’s really all I know. I haven’t seen her. None of us are allowed to visit, except my dad. She looked horrible the last time I talked to her. I don’t know how she’s still alive.”
“I’m sorry,” said Lisa. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I don’t mind talking about it.”
Lisa hesitated, but she couldn’t let the opportunity slip away.
“Speaking of talking,” she said, “I got the feeling you weren’t entirely comfortable playing dumb about what we saw at the restaurant. Richard left his newspaper on the table this morning, and I saw an article about the whole thing.” She instinctively lowered her voice. “The man they were trying to kill is still alive. He’s at the hospital in critical condition. Don’t you realize what that means? Graham and the others are probably still trying to get rid of him, and no one knows—no one except us.”
“I can’t stop thinking about what happened,” said Josh.
“Me neither,” said Lisa. “What should we do?”
“I don’t know,” said Josh. “I’m sure we can figure it out, but this isn’t a good time or a good place.” He nodded toward Molly’s house. Lisa looked over her shoulder. Molly and Graham were wandering along the sand, silhouetted against the blazing sky. Graham had never looked more dejected. He barely picked up his feet as he walked. Molly tugged on his arm, but he didn’t respond.
“I hope your friend is being careful,” said Josh.
“She says she’s in love with him,” said Lisa. She got up. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Molly. “Let’s forget about it. I was supposed to call you for dinner. My mother is probably wondering where we are.”
She turned toward the house.
“Wait,” said Josh, gathering Yvonne into his arms and hurrying after Lisa. “Graham wouldn’t hurt Molly. She’s obsessed with him. I don’t know why I suggested such a stupid thing. Why don’t we talk about this more tonight after dinner?”
“No, someone might hear us,” said Lisa. “The house is too crowded. Even if we went into the back yard, Veronica and Stephen would insist on tagging along.”
“We could always go somewhere else,” said Josh.
“I thought about that, but people might get the wrong idea about us,” said Lisa, trying not to sound as embarrassed as she felt. “Your mother would definitely think we were dating, and it doesn’t seem right to confuse her.”
“She’s already confused,” said Josh. “For some ridiculous reason, she thinks we’re a match made in heaven, and she wants us to be together. She lectured me about it a few weeks ago. I told her it was nonsense, but she wouldn’t listen. She was so disappointed that she started crying. It was horrible.”
Lisa heard the pain in his voice and found herself being pulled in two different directions. She couldn’t wish evil on
