Page 112 - It Ends with Us

We were fac ing eac h othe r on the bed whe n he sai d, “Whe n do you turn

sixteen?”
“Two more months ,” I whi spered. We just kept star ing at eac h othe r, an d my
he ar t was beat ing fas ter an d fas ter. “Whe n do you turn nineteen?” I as ked,
just tr ying to mak e conversat ion so he couldn ’t he ar ho w har d I was breat hi ng.
“No t until Oc tober,” he sai d.
I nodde d. I wonde red why he was curious ab out my ag e an d it made me

wonde r what he tho ught ab out fi fteen-year -olds . Did he look at me like I was
just a little kid? Li ke a little sister? I was al most sixteen, an d two an d a hal f
year s ap ar t in age isn’t that bad. May be whe n two people are fi fteen an d
eight een, it might seem a little too far ap ar t. Bu t once I turn sixteen, I bet no
one would even thi nk twice ab out a two-an d- a- hal f-year ag e di f ference.
“I need to tell you somethi ng,” he sai d.
I he ld my breat h, not knowing what he was going to say.

“I got in touch with my uncle today. My mom an d I used to live with hi m
in Bo ston. He told me once he gets bac k from hi s work trip I can stay with
hi m.”
I sho uld hav e been so hap py for hi m in that moment. I sho uld hav e smiled
an d told hi m congrat ulat ions. Bu t I felt al l of the immat urity of my ag e whe n I
closed my eyes an d felt sor r y for myself.

“Are you going?” I as ked.
He shr ugged. “I do n’t know. I wan ted to tal k to you ab out it first.”
He was so close to me on the bed, I could feel the war mth of hi s breat h. I al so
noticed he smelled like mint, an d it made me wonde r if he uses bottled wat er to
brush hi s teeth before he comes over he re. I al way s send hi m ho me ever y day
with lots of wat er.
I brought my han d up to the pillow an d star ted pulling at a feat he r sticking

out of it. Whe n I got it al l the way out, I twisted it between my fingers. “I do n’t
know what to say, Atlas . I’m hap py you hav e a plac e to stay. Bu t what ab out
scho ol?”
“I could finish do wn the re,” he said.
I nodde d. It sounde d like he al ready made up hi s mind. “Whe n are you
leav ing?”

I wonde red ho w far aw ay Bo ston is. It’s probab ly a few ho urs, but that ’s a
who le world aw ay whe n you do n’t own a car.
“I do n’t know for sure that I am .”