Page 32 - It Ends with Us

scared to touch hi m. Bu t not because I tho ught I was better than hi m. He just

made me so ner vous.
He put hi s han d do wn an d nodd ed once, the n sai d, “I guess I better go.”
I stepped as ide so he could wal k around me. He pointed pas t the kitche n,
silently asking if that was the way to the bac k do or. I nodde d an d wal ked
behi nd hi m as he made hi s way do wn the hal l. Whe n he reac he d the bac k do or,
I saw hi m pau se for a second whe n he saw my bedroom.

I was sudde nly embar ras sed tha t he was seeing my bedroom. No one ever
sees my bedroom, so I’ve never felt the need to give it a more mat ure look. I still
hav e the sam e pink beds pread an d cur tai ns I’ve had since I was twelve. For the
first time ever I felt like ripping do wn my poster of Adam Brody.
Atlas di dn ’t seem to care ho w my room was de corat ed. He looked strai ght at
my windo w—t he one that looks out over the bac kyard—t he n he glan ced bac k at
me. Right before he wal ked out the bac k do or he sai d, “Than k you for not being

di spar ag ing, Li ly.”
And the n he was gone.
Of course I’ve he ard the term disparaging before, but it was weird he ar ing
a teenag e guy use it. What ’s even weirde r is ho w ever ythi ng ab out Atlas seems
so contradi ctor y. How do es a guy who is obviously hu mble, well-mannered, an d
uses words like disparaging end up ho meless? How do es an y teenag er end up

ho meless?
I need to find out, Ellen.
I’m going to find out what hap pened to hi m. You just wai t an d see.
—Li ly

• • •

I’m about to open ano ther ent ry when my pho ne ring s. I crawl across
the couch for it and I’m no t the lea st bit surprised to see it’s my
mother again. Now tha t my father ha s passed and she’s alone, she’l l
probably call me twice as much as she did bef ore.

“Hel lo?”
“Wha t do you thi nk about my moving to Boston?” she blurts out.
I grab the thro w pillow nex t to me and sho ve my face int o it,
muffling a screa m. “Um. Wow,” I say. “Rea lly?”
She’s quiet , and then, “It was just a tho ught . We can discuss it

tomorro w. I’m almost to my meet ing .”