Chapter 2

I stared at the message of belated concern and felt a sudden wave of irony wash over me. A second later, a new email popped up.

[Pennington University preliminary review for late enrollment: Approved.]

I stared at the line that read "continue application" for a long time. Then I clicked confirm.

The next morning, Elaine sent me a message.

[Come over and have a meal with us.]

My enrollment documents and ID copies were still in her suitcase. I needed them to withdraw from Alderton and submit my Pennington application, so I had no choice but to go to their apartment.

Elaine answered the door. She stood in the doorway and typed in the keypad code without even bothering to block the screen.

The keypad beeped as each digit registered. I recognized those six digits as Bradley's birthday.

I thought of graduation night, when she had told me that once we had our own place in Kellmore, the door code would be the day we got together.

However, now the living room was full of new furniture, everything clean and put together like a real home. The desk by the window was the exact style I had always wanted, but it was Bradley's now, covered in his headphones, gaming console, cologne, and instant camera.

The fridge was plastered with sticky notes, all in Elaine's handwriting.

[Bradley doesn't eat green onions.

[Bradley has a sensitive stomach. Go easy on the spice.

[Bradley comes home late. Leave the hall light on.]

I pointed at them and asked, "Where do I fit into any of this?"

Elaine paused. "My parents rented this place for Bradley ahead of time.

"He grew up without anyone really looking after him, and he doesn't know Kellmore at all. I'm just staying here to keep an eye on things for now.

"You're welcome here too, of course. It's just that Bradley's got a lot going on lately, so give us a heads-up before you come by."

Give us a heads-up?

I asked, "What about me?

"I'm alone in a dorm on the other side of the city. I don't know anyone, I don't know my way around. You're not the least bit worried about whether I'm managing, or whether I even packed enough?"

Elaine frowned.

"You're a grown man who's always taken care of himself. You've got roommates and an RA in the dorm. What could possibly go wrong?

"Bradley's different. He's never had parents around. Nobody ever taught him how to handle things.

"Leo, you really need to stop keeping score."

I could not find the words to respond.

Bradley was our high school classmate and the son of a family close to the Hartwells. His parents had died in an accident when he was young, and the Hartwells had looked after him ever since. Elaine's parents treated him like a second son.

Every time Elaine had dropped me for Bradley in the past, the explanation was always the same.

"Bradley has no parents. He has nobody. Just cut him some slack, okay?"

At first, I felt sorry for him too, but standing there at that moment, I finally understood. His tragedy had long since become Elaine's excuse to ignore and neglect me, again and again.

When she was done talking, she pulled out a spare key right in front of me and tucked it into Bradley's bag.

"You've got so much stuff floating around. Better keep an extra house key in your bag."

I stood there like an uninvited guest.

At lunch, the smell of something spicy drifted from the kitchen. Bradley shifted on the couch and made a face.

"My stomach can't handle spicy food."

Elaine turned to me immediately.

"Leo, let's keep it mild today, okay? I'll make something spicy just for you another time."

I remembered all the times we used to eat together. She would watch me tear up from the heat and laugh, then wipe the sweat off my forehead with a napkin and say I was crazy for loving it so much.

She used to joke that someday she would buy herself a pair of safety goggles and cook an entire table of nothing but spicy dishes for her Leo.

Back then, no matter what happened, she would find a way to weave us into some picture of the future. Now, I had been cut out of that picture entirely.

That evening, the power tripped in the old building. The apartment went pitch black. Bradley flinched and grabbed Elaine's arm.

"Elaine, don't move yet. I can't see anything."

Elaine murmured, "It's okay. I'm right here."

Meanwhile, I was in the kitchen, feeling my way through the dark, picking up the pieces of a broken bowl. A shard sliced across my finger and blood welled up instantly.

In the living room, the two of them spoke to each other in low, reassuring voices. Neither of them looked back.

When I was about to leave, I asked for my documents, so Elaine unzipped her suitcase.

Everything of mine was crumpled at the very bottom. Bradley's medical forms, rental agreement, and campus map were neatly organized in a clear folder right on top.

I pulled out my things and left without a word.

Back in the temporary dorm, I opened the Pennington system and uploaded every last piece of my late-enrollment application.