Then I looked down at the note.
I thought about Tessa sitting on her bed, crying.
I thought about Nadine saying, Be there this time.
“I can’t,” I said.
Silence.
“What?”
“I can’t come back tonight.”
“Marla, this isn’t a good night to suddenly become unavailable.”
“My daughter has something at school.”
Another pause.
“You told me yesterday you’d finish the account.”
“I did finish it.”
“And now I need you here.”
“I can’t.”
Caroline exhaled sharply.
“You’re putting me in a very difficult position.”
I looked at Tessa’s backpack.
“I understand.”
“If you leave us hanging tonight, we’re going to have a serious conversation tomorrow.”
My stomach twisted.
But for once, I didn’t change my answer.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I still can’t come.”
I hung up before I lost my nerve.
At 5:52, I walked into the school auditorium.
The lights were already dimming.
I slipped into a seat near the back and searched the stage.
There she was.
Tessa stood in the second row wearing a white choir blouse.
Without the beanie, her new haircut looked even shorter under the stage lights.
But that wasn’t what caught my attention.
It was the girl beside her.
June Alvarez.
