Chapter 7
Before she leaves, Avery’s mother tells him to be careful. “Don’t let him get you in trouble.”
They’re outside of the school building now. It’s that gloaming time of day when it’s just beginning to darken. The halogen lights illuminating the sidewalks hold up the night sky that hangs over the campus like a tent of netting. Here and there a few stars peek through, and the moon hugs the horizon as if too frightened to rise. In the glow of the overheads, Avery thinks his mom looks much older than she should. He wonders if she thinks the same of him in this lighting. He feels old. He feels ancient.
“He’s not that type,” Avery tells her again. When he kisses her cheek, her skin feels soft and powdery, an old woman’s flesh. It makes him sad to think of her like that.
Behind them, J
