hapter 8

What was controlling me in that long, long year? I don’t know. It’s really hard to say. I can’t really tell you if I was miserable or depressed. It had to be one of the two though I’ll assure you of that.

Love never came for me until the end though, until after Jen was lost to the world. And amazingly though it was... Well I’m not going to tell you you’ll find out soon enough.

“Kora,” said Mom. “Telephone.” I went to the phone and picked it up.

“Hello.”

“Hey Kora.” It was Mrs. Carlo. She clearly didn’t really know that we had kicked cans.

“Hello Mrs. Carlo.”

“How’s things going over there?”

“Wonderful,” I said. “Everything’s fine.”

“Yeah,” said Mrs. Carlo. It was silent for a while.

“How’s it going over there?” I asked. “Has something happened to Jen?”

“Yes I’m afraid.” She stayed silent.

“What?” I persisted.

“Well at first I thought that it wasn’t really serious but then as time went on and Tim Stanton visited more often I noticed things about Jen. She’s changing so much Kora I don’t like it. Examples well, she’s starting swearing. She’s swearing at me and Laura without really caring. She just blabs crap. It’s driving me nuts and crazy. And now she’s having seizures that last all night and you can’t calm her down. She just goes and goes until it passes.”

I stayed silent unable to imagine Jenissa having a seizure. It was hard to picture and the picture never came.

“What would you have me do Mrs. Carlo?” I asked.

“Come over and have a sleepover like you used to,” said Mrs. Carlo. “Talk to her and make her feel better. Help her through her bad nights Kora. Please. I don’t want to lose my own daughter.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll come on Saturday.” I hung up and told Mom and she said okay and I went upstairs and flopped on my bed. Things had been going on in my own life that made impossible to keep track of things. I was confused and felt betrayed and then again I had been betrayed back. Too mich happening and Jen had been first in line and first pushed behind and out the window. Well it’s her own fault, I thought. She took Tim away from me. They try to say sorry when they know it’s hopeless. I know they know it is and now I have to help because she was the first person to come to me. What will I do with myself if this ever ends?