The doorbell rings, breaking the tense silence that hangs after Briana's words. Dad looks at Mom questioningly, and then at Bree and me. Mom is about to say something, but I beat her to it.
"That's Natasha, a friend from school," I say, walking to the door to open it.
"Hey Macky!" Nat says, smiling. Man I love that smile. Mom and Dad join me at the door and introduce themselves. I'm glad that Dad doesn't make this introduction awkward. I can recall several occasions visiting relatives where he did just that.
Bree approaches from behind. "Hi, I'm Briana, Macky's twin sister." Bree gives a shy wave. Once introductions are done, we meander slowly from the landing toward the living room. Dad slips into the kitchen to grab dinner, then vanishes upstairs to his office.
"Would you like some tea?" Mom asks Nat. "Or perhaps a different drink of some kind?"
"No, thank you, Mrs. Renner, I just had dinner."
"So tell me a little about yourself." Mom looks at Nat with a weird expression, like she is trying to determine whether or not she would be a suitable girlfriend for me.
"Well," Nat begins. "I used to take dance before it closed. And school was going well. Then that closed too." Trying to keep the conversation going, she adds, "But I mean, I made a new friend," she looks to me with a half smile. "And your son is very well-behaved, unlike most teenage dudes I've met. Gosh, so immature."
"Yeah, well, he is my good boy," Mom says proudly. "I have to go now to work on something," Mom turns to leave. "Be good, you two," she finishes without noticing that Bree has left.
I am relieved by how relaxed and comfortable my parents are about Nat. Leaving us unsupervised like this means they trust her as they do me. I take Nat into the living room, and we sit down in the loveseat. I tell her about the situation with Briana and me, and when the saddest parts come, she puts a hand on my shoulder, sensing my pain.
When I finish, Nat asks, "Where is Briana now?" I look around. Then we hear Bree's voice coming from my room.
"Just checking out the new stuff around here," she says. When she is done with my room, Briana explores other places around the house.
"Can I see your room?" Nat asks.
"Yeah, sure," I say, and we head upstairs.
"You're very organized," comments Nat as we enter my room, noticing how well I keep things. "You work out?" she asks, gesturing to the weights on my weight rack.
"Yeah, a little."
"What can you lift?" She eyes my biceps and shoulders. I pick up both fifty-pounders and perform a few bicep curls. I can do a lot more, but I don't really want to show off to her. Nat raises an eyebrow. "Can I try?" I hand her one of the weights. She does a sort of half curl, not making it very far, but still, I am impressed.
"Not bad," I say, looking at her form as she does a few more. She lightly punches me in the shoulder with her free hand.
"You mean for a girl," she says accusingly, emphasizing "girl."
"I mean, almost all the girls your age I see at the gym can't even curl thirties." I pause. "You're strong, especially for your age, regardless of gender." I hope she gets what I mean.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she finally says, putting the weight back on the rack with relative ease.
Bree pokes her head through the doorway.
"Hey, Mack," she looks at me expectantly. "Where's my room?" I frown, trying to remember if she even had one.
"I'm not sure. Maybe ask Mom." I suggest. She is about to leave. "Oh, hang on—" A sudden memory sparks to life. "After you ran away, I think we blocked it off." I walk out of my room and tap on the opposite side of the hall. It's hollow. I find a very faint line on the wall and trace it with my fingers. I pull out my pocket knife and use it to cut through the drywall, making sure to trace the seam. When the rectangle is completely cut, I give it a little shove. The panel of drywall splits down the middle, and both halves fall into the old room, unoccupied for thirteen years.
We peer inside the dark room, and I make out the window that has been blocked off. I reach for a light switch, not expecting there to be electricity. When it turns on, I am surprised to find a tidy bedroom. All of Bree's belongings have stayed exactly as she left them.
I walk to the window and rip out the insulation that is blocking it. Bree and Nat follow after me. Hearing the noise, my mom comes over to check things out.
"What was that?" She comes to stand in the doorway. "Oh, I remember this," she says. Are those tears in her eyes?Hasn't our family cried enough tears for one day? She leaves without saying another word.
"Those were Mom's and Dad's attempts at keeping Macky and me apart from each other," Bree says, gesturing to the various toys and electronics.
When the three of us are done investigating Briana's room, we make our way back downstairs to play Uno. The game doesn't last long because Nat claims the victory. We play four more rounds, three of which Nat wins, and one game I win.
Nat pulls out her phone, and I shoot a glance at it, not bothering to check my own phone. It is 8:29 PM.
"I have to go," Nat stands up to leave. Mom has come back down to check on us one last time.
"You're leaving already?" she asks Nat. "Well, you are welcome any time!"
"Thanks, Mrs. Renner. See you again!" Nat gives me a one-armed side hug. "Bye," she says one last time and walks out the door, closing it behind her.
"She's a very nice young woman," Mom says, smiling at Bree and me.
"And gorgeous," Bree says, nudging my shoulder. I can't help but grin.
"Yeah, she's nice," I echo. Mom and Bree exchange an amused look.
Bree takes my hand, "Macky and I will be in my room," she says, tugging me towards the stairs. Mom just smiles once more. We enter her room, and I close the door.
For the next two to three hours, we just talk, sharing life experiences and filling in our lives apart from each other. When it's almost midnight, we say our goodnights, and I return to my own room.
I complete my nighttime routine, then lie down and pull the covers over me, phone in hand. I think about texting Nat, but before I can, a message comes through.
Her: "I can't fall asleep."
Me: "Neither can I."
Her: "How come?"
Me: "My thoughts are too busy."
Her: "Whatcha thinking about?"
Me: "I've been thinking about you ever since you left."
Her: "I've had you on my mind too." There are those three dots, which mean she isn't done with her message yet. "It's so hard not to think about you, and us, and the world is ending."
Me: "I know what you mean." Next, she sends the red heart emoji, and before I can stop myself, I return the same one.
Her: "LOL."
Me: "So what do your parents do for a living?"
Her: "Um…." She continues to type. "My mom died of cancer when I was three."
Me: "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!"
Her: "That's ok. I don't really remember her. But my dad is a scientist."
Me: "What does he do?"
Her: "I'm actually not sure." She is still typing. "Wait, I actually think my dad just left the house."
Me: "Are you sure?"
Her: "Yeah, I just found a note on the kitchen counter."
Me: "What's it say?"
Her: "OMG, he was called to some kind of emergency at work." Three dots. "And he won't be back for an entire week or longer?!"
Me: "Why would your dad just leave?"
Her: "Hang on, there's more… He says that he's sorry, um... Something about the coronavirus! And if I'm feeling lonely or something, go visit friends?!"
Me: "Some dad, huh?"
Her: "No, he's not usually like this. I don't know why he wouldn't just tell me directly before he left."
Me: "It must be very important to leave you for so long."
Her: "Yeah, I guess so? I don't know. He's been gone before, but always said goodbye first."
Me: "I'm sure everything will be okay."
Her: "Yeah, I hope so... I'm starting to get tired. See you tomorrow, maybe?"
Me: "Definitely! See you tomorrow." She sends another heart emoji, and I return it once again. I turn off my normal alarm since there is no school tomorrow, and set my phone on the nightstand. I dream about Nat.