“I suggest you keep it safely hidden unless you want your dad to find it,” he said. “Oh, that reminds me of the other thing I meant to tell you: I wrote a letter to you about the events that caused your father to disown me. You’ll probably think I’m a rotten scoundrel when you’re done reading it, but that’s your prerogative.”
He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, gave it to Josh, and slung his rucksack over his shoulder.
“When are you coming back?” said Josh.
“Who knows?” said Richard. “I need to do some investigating. Graham is going to be scrambling to come up with a new plan over the next few days. If he slips up, I might finally get the proof I need to convince your dad I’m not insane.”
He hurried out of the room. Josh heard the door open and close. He looked out the window. Richard’s truck backed down the driveway and disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a cloud of blue fumes. Josh gazed down at the notebook and the envelope. With a sinking heart, he realized he didn’t need to read Richard’s account to know Graham had told him the truth about his family.
∞∞∞
Lisa hoped she would get to talk to Josh before he left, but the weekend arrived too soon. Other than a few brief interactions at school, they hadn’t communicated at all since their conversation at the park. In fact, he had been completely unavailable. Lisa assumed he had considered the pros and cons of associating with her and decided she wasn’t worth the risk. She tried not to care. After all, she had spent months wishing he were gone.
On the day Josh’s family was supposed to leave, they all sat down for one more breakfast together. Shannon was the only person at the table who looked happy. When they finished eating, Veronica and Stephen hurried down to the beach, and Josh went upstairs to finish packing. Lisa helped her mother clear the table, and then she sat down in the living room. Shannon came in a few minutes later, dragging her suitcase behind her.
“Thank you for letting me stay in your room,” she said. “Of course, I know you only did it because you didn’t have a choice. You must feel pretty stupid right now. You wasted all that time hating us, and now you’re moping around because we’re leaving.”
“I’m not moping around,” said Lisa.
“Sure you are, and I know the reason why,” said Shannon. “You’re in love with Josh.”
“That’s not true,” said Lisa. “We only went out together because we wanted to talk about the accident at the restaurant.”
“Oh, whatever,” said Shannon. “You’re just trying to get attention. You’re pathetic. If we switched places, you’d have a total breakdown. Who cares if you were there? It’s not like you were in any danger. Stop making such a big deal out of it.”
“I don’t expect you to understand,” said Lisa.
“This isn’t about me,” said Shannon. “Look, Josh has a soft heart. If he’s being nice to you, it’s because he feels sorry for you, not because he likes you. He’s not interested in you. Why don’t you get lost?”
Lisa knew Shannon wouldn’t stop pestering her for any reason, and even though she felt ridiculous for letting Shannon boss her around in her own house, she didn’t have the heart to quarrel with her. She went upstairs, but before she could take refuge in her room, she saw Josh coming down the hall toward her.
“Lisa, I was hoping I’d get to see you before I left,” he said. “Do you have a minute?”
“I guess,” said Lisa. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really,” said Josh. “I never expected my dad to move my mom to the hospital. I’m glad your dad isn’t taking care of her anymore, but I feel terrible about making things more difficult for you.”
“You haven’t,” said Lisa. “I’ll see you at school. Goodbye, Josh.”
She started to go into her room.
“Lisa, wait,” said Josh. “You’re obviously upset. Did I do something?”
“No, it’s not you,” said Lisa. “I’m just confused. Sometimes, everything makes sense, but other times, I don’t know where I stand. Either my expectations are totally unrealistic, or I’m awful at guessing what other people are thinking.”
“Then why don’t you just ask?” said Josh.
Lisa looked into his eyes to see if he was mocking her, but there was no malice in his gaze. She realized she was standing very close to him, but she didn’t feel like stepping back, and every intangible part of her reached toward him.
“The only way to tell how someone really feels is by seeing how they act,” she said. “Words are cheap. Take you, for example. You’d probably say nice things to me even if you hated me.”
“Lisa, I don’t hate you,” said Josh. “I never have, even when we were fighting. I actually think you’re incredible, but since you don’t believe me, I guess I’ll just have to show you.”
His hand touched her cheek, smoothing her hair out of her face. She lifted her lips to his and closed her eyes, caught up in a blissful rush of excitement as he kissed her. Clasping her arms around him, she pulled him close, feeling the warmth of his body against her own. She never wanted him to stop, but the moment ended as quickly as it had begun. She gazed up at him in wonder.
“Are you real?” she said.
“I was wondering the same thing about you,” he said. “I think I might be dreaming.”
“No, I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before,” said Lisa. “I can’t explain it. You’re wonderful, Josh. It’s such a relief to finally say it out loud. I’ve been so confused. I know I’m probably not making very much sense, but I’m basically trying to say I don’t want things to