I had told Kyle not to give Paul his mother’s damn number, and now look. I watched my husband and daughter, their voices mute, and wondered whether they even thought of this as a betrayal. This woman was the reason I didn’t have a fucking job, did they not get that? And now they were conspiring with her against me? Classy, guys. Really fucking classy. The doorbell rang again, and Shawn joked that we could turn it into a drinking game.

I really think someone should just tell—Emily started, before looking over at Kyle—sorry, your mom’s name?

Brenda.

Tell Brenda that you’re happy and safe but you’re not coming out.

No, you don’t know my mom. That would go down like a ton of shit.

I just wonder—

No, Emily, trust me, she’d go ballistic. It’s better just to wait her out.

And then, from the other side of the front door, Brenda began using her voice like a sledgehammer.

Kyle! Open up this goddamn door. I’ll be go to hell if you think I’m going to leave here without you. I can wait you out, buddy. I’ve got all goddamn day. All this time telling me you were at Mark’s! How many weeks? I go to his door and he has no idea what I’m talking about. Can you imagine how I felt? And to everyone else in there right now, I’m putting all your asses behind bars. You hear me? Claire Devon, I know you’re in there.

I exchanged glances with the others. Shawn donned a comically exaggerated face of panic, like a Munch painting, which cracked me up despite the circumstances. I don’t think he realized just how serious the situation was.

I’m speaking to you, Claire. I am a mother. Mother to mother, Claire, give me back my son or I swear to God I will destroy you.

Give him back? I was astonished. Woman, you kicked him out!

I turned to Kyle—She kicked you out!

More or less.

More or less?

Not sleeping, not eating, Brenda continued. Calling every one of his friends and banging on their doors and posting messages on Facebook and calling the police and all along you’ve been keeping him here locked up, hostage. Hey? This is a hostage taking. You have kidnapped my boy, an underaged boy. I want you to think about how that’s going to go down when I haul your asses before a court, yeah?

All the while, I was looking at Kyle trying to decipher what he meant by ‘more or less.’

We had a fight and I left, he explained.

You ran away, I said, walking towards him.

I had to.

You told me she kicked you out.

She was trying to stop me from seeing you.

I could have shaken him—You’ve been lying to her all this time.