October 28
Twenty-Four Years Ago
4:00 P.M.
Leo’s funeral was huge. Almost everyone from the high school came. Teachers, students, the principal. It was so sad. Everyone cried. No one talked about how she was found or who was found with her. Mish tried to hide in the back, but Brooks held her hand and he took her to the front row, eyes straight ahead. He didn’t let anyone come near her, didn’t let anyone let her feel ashamed. She was allowed to grieve. She was thankful for that.
School was a blur. She’d gone, but she couldn’t remember anything. She didn’t even graduate; she would end up getting her GED when she moved back to New York after leaving Archer.
Mish’s family didn’t want a funeral. Her mom didn’t want one and her dad didn’t have many relatives; he was estranged from his dad, and his mom had died years ago. They gave his body to science, and afterward it would be cremated or buried in a mass grave where they put people who had no family. While only Mish knew the truth of what happened, her mom had an inkling of the truth, and the two of them agreed it was better if they forgot this man was even related to them.
“You know, Lita and I were pregnant at the same time,” Janet said. “And he’d dated her before me.”
Mish shuddered. Had he known? Did Leo? Everyone always said they looked alike, and they always joked that they were sisters. But were they? She decided she never wanted to know and it was better if Leo never knew either.
She remembered the last conversation she had with Leo. It was in Stacey’s house, right before they left the party. They were leaving Stacey’s room when Leo turned around abruptly. “Wait! I almost forgot. Here, take this,” she said, handing Mish a business card. It was a peace offering, a way to apologize for kissing Brooks, and it was the only thing she had to give. She didn’t want her friend to be mad at her. She wanted to give Mish something back.
“What’s this?” asked Mish.
“It’s a number, this woman, she approached me at the mall the other day, but she said I had to lose weight first. It’s for her modeling agency.” Leo shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know if she’s legit or not, but it’s worth a try, right?”
Mish narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Okay, but why are you giving it to me?”
“You should call her. You look like me. Hell, you’re even prettier. And skinnier.”
“What about you?” asked Mish. “Are you going to call her?”
Leo sighed. Would she call? She had planned to, but she felt like a balloon, deflated. She didn’t think she would. She didn’t want to find out the offer wasn’t real; it would kill too many dreams. “I don’t know. Probably not. You call. Call for me,” said Leo. “Promise?”
“Okay,” said Mish. “I will.” She put the card in her pocket. Leo knew Mish would call. Mish wasn’t scared of anything. If it turned out to be a scam, Mish would just laugh, she wouldn’t feel crushed. She would keep going, she would find a way out.
“Okay,” said Leo. “Good.”
“I love you,” said Mish. “You’re my best friend.”