Everyone in the small town of Hull knows two things. One: Jill Williams doesn't date, and two: Carson Blue is addicted to drugs.
When Carson decides to clean up his act and apply at Jill's family restaurant, she's less than enthused. Between school...
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I BANG AGAINST THE flimsy aluminum door of Aunt Colleen's trailer, but judging by the coals still smoldering in the firepit, Nolan isn't here. He never goes to bed without putting the fire out, not since Grandpa died.
"Colleen? Nolan? You in there?"
No response.
Hugging myself, I glance around the lot. The lights in the trailer are dim, and a dreamcatcher hangs from the awning and sways with the wind. An ivory glow circles the moon while the fire reflects off the leaves like a flutter of burning butterflies. Dark clouds roll in; it'll rain later. I can feel it in my bones.
It's nights like this—when the air is crisp with spring—that I remember what it felt like to live in this park, so close to your neighbors you can hear every fight and fuck that happens. Thank God I'm out now, but my cousin? He still has to put up with it. His mom's probably passed out drunk or off with the next Tim. Who even knows anymore?
I knock again until grumbles sound from the other side of the door. After the lock unclicks, Aunt Colleen whips it open looking like something from The Walking Dead: straw-like hair, plaid boxer shorts, a Rolling Stones shirt tightened to expose her skinny belly.
"Dang, what time is it?" she mutters. "Shouldn't you be at work, Jillie?"
"I left early." I shove past her to get inside. The smell of mothballs and pot stings my nostrils, and the coffee table is cluttered with plates and trash from TV dinners. Damn it, Colleen. "Hey Nolan, you in here buddy?" I call out, but his door down the hallway is open and dark.
"Where'd he get off to now?" Colleen heaves a sigh. "That boy's growing up to be a runner, just like his father."
What Colleen should do is go look for her son. Instead, she opens the fridge, takes out a bottle of Bud Light, and pops off the tab. She leans against the counter of the kitchen and shoves an empty Kraft Mac n' Cheese box away with her elbow.
"You should be looking out for him," I say. "What the hell, Colleen?"
"What? He'll turn up, he always does."
"How can you say that after what happened last time?"
"He's fine, isn't he?" Colleen laughs and tilts the bottle to her lips. "Look, lay off. I don't need to take shit from some teenager who thinks she's better than everyone. He's my boy, and I know how to take care of him. He's only acting out 'cause he wants attention. You were the same way when your daddy took off."
My nails dig into my palms, but I don't have it in me to be mad at my aunt. She is what she is, and I'm already exhausted. But I won't be able to sleep tonight until I know Nolan's okay.
"Can you at least try to clean up a bit in here?" I ask. "This isn't healthy. For Nolan, or for you."
Colleen says something else, but I'm already out the door. Nolan can't be far. I hurry down the dirt road of the park, lined by maples and pines.
