My phone buzzes. It’s under my pillow. I’m lying on the floor next to Heavenly’s bed. It’s only ten. Heavenly’s not back from Jo-jo’s, but I’m exhausted.
I take out the phone thinking it’s Heavenly texting she’s on her way. But it’s Yaz.
I miss you :’(
I think about what Doc told me. About Angelo. I haven’t shared it with no one yet. The first person I thought of as I was leaving the hospital was Yaz. She would’ve listened. She would’ve gotten angry with me, gone with me to do something stupid to let out all that anger. Like bash in some trashcans or knock off some side-views from the cars in the park. I wish Yaz hadn’t done what she did. It’s like she wanted Angelo gone, too. She had to know what Abuela and Bertie would think, how they’d react. Instead of sticking by me and keeping it between us, she went ahead and made me hate her.
My phone buzzes again.
Can we talk?
I stare at the phone, thinking what to do.
The thing is, I miss her, too. I miss her hugs, her peppermint gum, her crazy glitter nails, and how I can tell what sort of mood she’s in by the color of her lipstick and the loudness of her laugh. I miss that she can tell what sort of mood I’m in just by looking at me.
The door flies open.
“Hey.” Heavenly drops her coat and hat on the bed. Her cheeks are flushed. From the cold or from Jo-jo, I don’t know. She unwinds her purple-and-gray scarf from her neck, pausing to untangle an earring. I lie back down on the pillow, pretending I didn’t almost bite my fingertips off just now. Every time that door opens, I think it’s Heavenly’s mama coming to throw me out.
I slip the phone beneath me.
“Who were you texting?” Heavenly lies across the bed. Her head sticks over the edge to look down at me. Her feet kick the cot her mama put out for Destiny.
“No one.” I roll over and stuff a pillow between my legs. “’Night.”