I knew part of this was regular teen girl stuff, but she had also been through so much these past few weeks. I wished we could rewind to those simple days when it was just the three of us around the table. I wanted to hold on to the hope that we would get there; I wanted to believe that a miracle would happen for our family. But I had to be practical. I had to prepare for our future too. And whatever happened with the mommune, my realest future, my top priority, was my daughter.

Iris Grown-Up Stuff

I’m just going to stay here with Chloe. Her parents probably won’t even notice I’m there, I thought as I ran, barefoot, down the rough wooden steps. I had pulled more than a few splinters out of the little kids’ feet from these steps. I knew I should be more careful. But all I could think about was getting away. I ran as fast as I could through the sand and over the dune, not looking where I was going, ignoring the threat of sandspurs and ghost crabs. “Iris!” Ben was calling behind me. “Iris, wait!”

But I didn’t stop until I reached the shoreline, until my feet, still running at top speed, splashed through the tiny waves. My pulse was pounding in my ears, my heart thumping.

“Geez, you’re fast,” Ben said, out of breath too.

I tried to half-smile at him, but it didn’t quite take.

“That was, um, a lot,” Ben said.

“You think?”

He put his arm around my shoulders. “I don’t want you to go.”

I looked up at him. “Well, do you think I want to go?”

I really didn’t, which kind of stunned me. How many times had I complained about how small it was here? About how I wanted to go back to the city with all its things to do and my original friends? I’d wanted to go back to my school. But now, at the mommune, I felt like I had a place. I felt like I was home.

“And what does this even mean? Is my mom just giving up on my dad? We’ve made it so far and—” I stopped abruptly.

“What?” Ben asked.

“I just have to prove my dad is innocent.”

Ben squeezed my shoulder. “Iris, I love this about you, but I don’t think that’s really your responsibility.”

I shot him a look and he said, “Or maybe you’ll be the one to save the day. If anyone can, it’s you.”

“Better answer,” I said. We both smiled.

“Well, maybe you won’t have to go,” Ben said. “Maybe your mom won’t do it because she sees how unhappy you are.”