Chapter 28June 10th
Ten Years Ago
“Say goodbye to Erica, kitten, her daddy’s here for her.”
I got up from sitting cross-legged on the rug to hug Ricky goodbye. She was smaller than I was, despite being eight months older. She was one of the first friends I’d made after the move from the city, and one of the few people who didn’t think it was weird that I’d skipped a grade. I walked with her to my front door, leaving Katie and Jessa sitting together.
“Have fun being seven,” she said, her words whistling through the gap where she’d lost her front tooth. “Being seven is awesome.”
I nodded, my mouth hanging open. I’d just spotted her father standing in the doorway. Like all grown-ups, he was huge—but unlike all grown-ups, he was missing one whole arm. I shut my mouth quickly. It was rude
