AT SOME POINT, I MANAGE to cry myself to sleep, which I only know because the ringing of my phone invades my dreams until my searching hand finally locates it and shoves it to my ear. “Hello?” I ask without even bothering to check who’s calling, because that would involve opening my eyes, and that is simply not a thing I can do yet.

“Are you still sleeping?” My mother. “Aren’t you late for breakfast?”

“Breakfast is optional,” I murmur, which turns into a huge yawn, which I know my mother will not appreciate. I check the time. “My alarm will go off in three minutes.”

“Well, sorry to wake you,” she lies, “but I wanted to make sure to tell you before I headed out to work.” She takes a breath, and somehow, I know what she’s going to say before she even says it. “Unfortunately—”

“You can’t make it to Parents’ Weekend.”

“Did your father tell you?”

“No.” I move the phone a few inches so I can sigh in peace. “Just guessed.” Because I tried to think of the worst news you could be delivering, and expected it.

Another pause, and I know she wants to be offended, but also, I was right, so what is there to say? “It’s complicated, and I’m very sorry.” She’s not sorry. “But I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other students there whose parents couldn’t make it, right? You’ll all keep one another company.”

Truthfully, I don’t know anyone else whose parents aren’t coming, but telling my mom that wouldn’t change anything. I don’t know if anything would. Her job as a paralegal doesn’t come with a lot of time off, and any complaints would be met with a speech I’ve heard way too many times about why work has to come first to pay for all these things. Considering my tuition is an added expense they’d never counted on, I’m in no position to bargain.

Then again, she hasn’t mentioned work, and when work is her excuse, she usually wields it with the same excessiveness my sister does mascara. Which makes me suspect this isn’t about work at all. But is it something else real? Or is it entirely made up to get out of seeing me?

Do I even wanna know?