Chapter 42

Stagnant. That was the only way to describe the situation. Zoey had called Sunday, but Beth had missed her call, and they continued to play phone tag over the next few days. There was no game on Tuesday because it was the Fourth of July. Beth had attended a large fireworks display with her parents and little sisters in Joplin, one where she could blend into the crowd without worry of having to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. By then, Shane had managed to get himself ungrounded by helping out with chores around the house, and he spent the evening with Tiffany and her family. Beth wasn’t sure when she’d be called upon to don her mask and blend in again, but she imagined it would be at the home game on Thursday. By Wednesday afternoon, she was beginning to feel anxious. Nothing had happened for days, but it had the feel of a ticking time bomb about it.

Ryan had also avoided her completely. Beth had seen Halley at his house late every nig