“Mommy,” said Katie. Sherri opened her arms and Katie uncurled her body and fell into them. Sherri felt her tears leak out into Katie’s beautiful hair and they stayed for some time, rocking back and forth in the too-bright room, with Katie’s sobs getting louder, until, without any warning, she threw up all over her comforter.

9.

Alexa

When Alexa woke up the next morning she was lying in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, under an unfamiliar comforter. She was alone. Ohgodohgodohgod. She was alone in a strange bed. On a chair next to the bed she saw her O’Neill dress folded neatly. Oh God. She lifted up the covers and peeked down, afraid she would find that she was naked. No. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants (Sweatpants! Surely this was a first.) and—she felt behind her neck—a hooded sweatshirt. She pulled the sweatshirt away from her body to examine it. It was purple, and it said knights on it in gold. Where had she just seen a sweatshirt with gold writing? Fragments from the night before began to filter back into her brain. She was drinking cranberry juice and vodka. She was angry with Tyler. She was looking at the moon. She was spinning.

There was a soft knocking at the door, and when she said, “Yes?” her voice cracked, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time. Into the room walked a boy, and the rest of the puzzle pieces clicked into place. She’d drunk two drinks on an empty stomach, and then she’d fallen onto this boy’s sweatshirt. She remembered him guiding her gently around the side of the house, and into a car.

“I’m Cameron,” he said. “Hartwell. Cam. In case you don’t remember. I brought you tea.” She noticed that before putting down the tea he laid down a coaster. There was a matching coaster underneath a half-empty (half-full?) water glass, which triggered a memory of two Advils proffered to her.

“Is this your house?”

“Yup. This is the guest room. I slept in my room.” That grin again. “It was all very proper. You were shaking in that dress, so I gave you some clothes to put on. Which you did by yourself. In the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” she said warily. “But where are we?”

“Off Turkey Hill.”

Turkey Hill was the neighborhood on the other side of the highway from downtown, where many of the houses were bigger, newer, with yards and driveways and garages. Alexa never had reason to go out to Turkey Hill. Turkey Hill was exactly as far from Plum Island as you could get while still being in Newburyport. What the hell was she doing on Turkey Hill?

“Why were you at Zoe’s party?”

“Shelby wanted to go. My, um, girlfriend. You know Shelby?” Alexa nodded. “She and Zoe ran cross country together, they’re close.” He shrugged.