“Isn’t it, though? I’ve got a natural skill for that, Bids. Everyone says it. And Telly’ll see all I got done when he comes home. See how much effort I put in.”

Rowan grabbed my glass and crunched up all the ice. Gloria saw. “You didn’t hear me?” she said. “No sharing.”

“Sorry,” I whispered. I took the glass back from Rowan and put it on the step. Then I got up and went back to the bird grave. I wanted to see in case a feather or a claw or orange beak scritched up through the dirt. Maybe the bird would come alive again. But Rowan’s footprint looked just the same. That made me feel sad. The robin’s mom should have told it not to trust the window. Like Gloria told me not to trust Mrs. Spooner. Or to watch out for wolves in the woods. If that robin had a better mom, it would still be flying or making a nest or eating worms.

Rowan walked past me to the clothesline that went between the house and the shed. He was wearing his sneakers now, and he yanked a T-shirt off the line and put that on. Then he yanked some other stuff off too. I think it was Telly’s clothes. Gloria kept washing his work stuff over and over and hanging it out even though it never got dirty no more. Even though everyone knew Telly wasn’t even home.

“Tell your brother he can take all the clothes off the line. Fold them proper,” Gloria yelled. Then I heard the screen door slam. She must’ve gone inside.

I opened my mouth but Rowan said, “I heard her already.”

He pulled underwear and pajamas off the line. Clothespins popped and fell in the grass. He rolled up the clothes and threw them in the basket. He was mad, I could tell. I knew he was going fast so he could sneak away, just like he’d been doing. He thought he was going to leave me behind again. But this time I had a better idea. I was going to follow him.

—

I went in the front door to get my shoes. Gloria was yelling more. From the hallway I could see the phone on the wall in the kitchen. It was wiggling and she had the cord yanked tight. I stopped to listen.

“No, not a chance!” she hollered. “That was your choice. One hundred percent your fault. As always.”

Then she got quiet for a second.

“No, you listen to me, darling.”

I knew darling didn’t mean darling.