==Elliot==
---
"It's my mother."
The color drained from Delilah's face.
She stared at the phone like it might bite her.
"You don't have to answer," I said.
"I haven't heard from her in two years."
The phone kept ringing. Insistent.
She took a breath. Answered.
"Hello?"
I watched her face transform. Every wall she'd let down with me rebuilt in seconds.
"I don't have. No. That's not. Mom, I can't just."
Her voice was different. Smaller. Like a child seeking approval.
"I don't have that kind of money. Why would you even. No. You can't call after two years and expect."
She pressed fingers to her temple. Eyes squeezed shut.
I moved closer. Wanting to help. Not knowing how.
"That's not fair. You don't. Mom, listen to me."
Long pause. She was listening to something that made her
