Erin’s voice in my ear makes me jump. She’s leaning over my shoulder from the back seat.

“Sam Jones?” She says it in the same tone one might say day-old sushi? She tells the others, “She’s messaging with Sam Jones.”

“Why?” Syd asks, sounding as baffled as Erin. “That girl’s weird as shit.”

I glance up at Cammie, who is looking at me with a confused expression, although she doesn’t contribute to the stream of insults.

I want to defend Sam, but the idea of explaining my relationship with her seems complicated. “She’s lending me her painting for the show,” I say, typing out a last message to Sam: Almost home — gotta go for now. My face feels hot. “See you,” I mumble to Cammie as I climb out of the car.

When I walk in the door, I hear a commotion upstairs. Mom is shouting at Jonah to give her something. He’s bellowing back at her. My heart pounds, because I know the sound of Jonah’s anger escalating. I run to the kitchen to put away my burrito. As I close the fridge, I hear my mother shriek, “Jonah! Let go!” and then there’s a loud bang.

I race up the stairs, where I find my mom in the hallway, holding the back of her head. “He pushed me into the wall,” she says.

Jonah is facing away from us both, clutching something that’s making crumbs everywhere. Potato chips, maybe.

“Are you okay?” I ask my mom, who’s still holding the back of her head. I shoot a frustrated look at Jonah. I’m angry with him, even if I shouldn’t be. He hurt Mom, and she’s already weak. And right now she looks like she might cry.

“Where’s Dad?” I ask.

“Out getting Jonah’s prescriptions. He wants to be on the road ASAP, but I’m going to need to get Jonah showered first.”

That’s when the smell hits me: excrement.

Jonah turns slightly, rocking back and forth on his feet the way he does, and he sort of side-eyes my mom as he lifts a handful of chips to his mouth. She sighs. She waits for him to finish the chips, then softly says, “Come on, Jonah. Bathroom.”

“I’ll clean up the chips,” I tell my mom, gesturing at the floor.

“Thank you.”

She doesn’t have to thank me. I’m getting the easy job here and we both know it.