told me off. I sit beside her for several minutes without saying a word. I wonder if any of the other girls have seen her here, but then I realize thatâs unlikely. I wouldâve heard all about it.
âHe left without me,â Trina says finally. Her voice drips with pain, the pain of broken hearts and broken dreams. âHe said heâd come ⦠that he got us a place ⦠that weâd get married,â she speaks in broken sentences, still sobbing. âI love him more than anything ⦠and heâs gone.â
âMaybe heâs still coming,â I offer. Trina shakes her head, her whole body heaving.
âHe called â¦â She cries. âHe said weâre done and that heâs taking someone else. Some Asha girl heâs been cheating on me with.â She dissolves into heavy sobs once again. âOh, Jeremy!â
How could you? I want to say to her boyfriend. Donât you know what youâre taking away here? Our dreams are wrapped up in you, in escape, in a better life. How dare you take that away from girls like us! Girls who have lost everything and have nothing left. But realistically, if Jeremyâs been cheating and decides to run away with another girl, heâs probably not her happy ending either. Try telling Trina that though, when her heart is shattered into a thousand pieces.
âTrina, youâre too good for him. He doesnât deserve you then,â I say as I wrap my arms around her. I donât know Trina at all, so Iâm not sure if my statement holds true, but she looks up at me and gives me a tiny smile.
âWhy are you being nice to me?â she asks. âI havenât exactly been nice to anyone since Iâve been here.â
âWeâre all in this together,â I say, though I know thatâs not quite true. âLook, I donât want to see you so hurt. Weâve all been through so much. None of us are strangers to pain. We gotta stick together if weâre going to make it.â I rub her back with my hand and she instantly relaxes a bit. We sit there for almost a half hour before we hear Gertie clear her throat. Iâm not sure how long sheâs been in the room. I donât know what sheâs heard. Sheâs obviously been looking for us.
âGirls?â she says peering at us, as though sheâs trying to figure out whatâs going on. âTime for bed.â
âWeâre just going,â I say, looking squarely at Gertie to try and let her know that Iâve got this. We jump to our feet. I slide Trinaâs backpack off of her and carry it, my other arm wrapped around her waist. She wipes her face with her arms, trying to regain her composure. Gertie watches, she seems pleasantly surprised at our new-found friendship. She smiles and pats me on the back as we pass her.
âPlease donât tell anyone,â Trina pleads.
âI wonât,â I promise.
Together we walk through the double doors to our beds. I can already hear the whispers of the girls who are still awake, wondering why Trina is still here. I pull back my covers and turn to look at her, but the only thing I see is a figure heaving under the blankets.
Chapter 8
Fall 2003
I t âs like Iâve landed in a whole other life, my past left behind. After a glorious summer spent swimming, camping, and helping Shelley take care of the flowers and vegetable garden in the yard, I feel like Iâm in heaven. Theyâve even bought me a bike, a shiny purple mountain bike. Luke taught me how to ride it, and I can go down the street and around the block by myself. Iâve met a couple of kids from down the street and we run back and forth from our yards playing tag or running through the sprinkler. After two and a half months here, the weather has turned cooler and leaves have started to fall from the trees.
Grade five has started and, for the first time, Iâm popular and have lots of friends.