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Back How to Disappear Completely Save as PDF
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. Back Ad
  58. About the Publisher

I can’t believe Mom’s known all this time. Can’t believe she knew and, instead of trying to get me to tell her all the details and find a way to fix it, just watched Netflix with me and rubbed my back. Is that why she’s been crying at night? Not because she’s ashamed, but because she’s been worried about me getting bullied?

“Emma,” she says, “I want you to tell me the truth now. Are kids still giving you a hard time? Is it Edie O’Shea?”

I hesitate a second before answering. “Some kids are always going to be stupid,” I reply. “But I have Fina. I’m resilient. So you don’t need to worry about me so much, okay?”

Mom nods. “Okay. But maybe just a little bit?”

She brushes the back of her hand against my cheek. “Yeah,” I say. “Just a little bit would be nice.”

“And about Edie,” Mom says, then stops, biting her lip.

“What?”

“Well, I shouldn’t really say anything. I’m only telling you this because I trust you not to tell anyone and because it might help you understand why Edie has been mean.”

I lean in closer, waiting.

“You know the house I’m designing for her dad?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s just for her dad. Not for Edie or her mom.”

My mouth drops open. Is that why Mom rolled up the blueprints so quickly this morning? “You mean her dad is leaving them?”

“He already has,” Mom says. “He’s living in an apartment until the house is done. Something about the demands of his career being too much to balance with a family.”

“That’s awful,” I murmur, picturing Edie red-eyed in the bathroom last week. Now I understand why she was crying. I would be, too. I can’t imagine how terrible it would make me feel if Mom or Dad decided that I was “too much to balance.”

“Yes, it is,” says Mom. “If Edie has been bullying you, this doesn’t excuse it, but it might help explain it. It might help you see that it’s got nothing to do with you.”

“It’s because she’s so unhappy,” I say.

“And misery loves company,” Mom replies. “You’re pretty smart for a kid your age, you know that? Smart and resilient. I’m so proud of you, Emma. If you ever doubt that again, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll be here to remind you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I murmur.

She puts the car in drive.

“Hey, Mom? One more thing. Can Fina come over after school tomorrow? We have, um, a project we’re supposed to work on.”

“Sure,” says Mom. And as we pull away, I can’t help but feel guilty. Guilty for lying to Mom about tomorrow after she told me the truth about Edie.

But not quite guilty enough to take the lie back.

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