I remove her phone from her hands so I can get her full attention.

She looks up at me.

“What’s going on, Kayla?”

“I’m just trying to work up some courage.” She looks resolved.

“What do you mean? Courage for what?”

She’s quiet for a beat. “Sam, James’ mom… she’s been calling me, I haven’t spoken to her yet, she’s sent a few texts too.” She looks away from me. “She’s asked that I stay with them. I don’t think she knows about James and Megan, but she knows something’s up with me and James.”

She pauses.

I sit and wait for the rest.

She looks back at me now, tears in her eyes, “I think I should go there, Jake, stay with them, I mean. Just until everything gets sorted…”

I try to interrupt but she stops me. “I was with him for four years, I was like a daughter to them. I just think that maybe… they might be more comfortable with me there.”

There’s a lump in my throat that makes it hard to speak, I have to clear it a few times before anything comes out. “Kayla, if that’s what you want then I can’t stop you, but it’s not what my family want, and it’s definitely not what I want.”

She sighs, “I think I need to, Jake.”

“And what about James?” I can’t help but spit out his name.

“What about him?”

“Are you guys gonna get back together? I mean, do you still love him?”

“I-"

She gets cut off by the doorbell, Lisa’s here.

***

Lisa spends the day with Mom and Kayla, making phone calls and arranging appointments for the next week. I can see Kayla’s preoccupied, she just tends to nod and agree to anything, I don’t think she actually has a clue about what’s happening.

Logan comes by, but Kayla’s not really in the mood for hanging out, so he leaves soon after. Logan might be an ass most of the time but the kid’s got heart, there’s a reason he’s my best friend.

I don’t know what Kayla’s thinking… about where she’s going to stay. I hope to god she doesn’t go to James’ house, not just because he’s an asshole, but because, well… honestly, I don’t really want to be without her. It’s selfish, I know.

Lisa ends up staying for dinner again. Apparently the funeral director is coming tomorrow morning to make arrangements and then the cops will come by for an update after that. Then the next day they have an appointment with the family lawyer. I think Lisa’s hoping the funeral will be the day after, turns out she’s getting married in a couple of weeks, the weekend after graduation, so she has to head back home the day after the funeral.

“So…” Lisa says at the dining table, while we eat desert. Kayla's plate is untouched. Julie is still at her friends house. “I know that this is far from important right now,” Lisa continues, putting down her fork, “you know your mom was going to be my Maid of Honor, Kayla? I’m hoping that maybe you would take her place. I mean, I think it’s fitting, I love you just as much as I love her.”

Kayla agrees, and they make plans for flights and accommodation. Lisa invites my parents too, but they have Julie's dance recital that weekend. Apparently Lisa, the fricken awesome lady she is, doesn’t want Kayla traveling alone, so I have no choice but to go with her.

After Kayla insists on cleaning up after dinner, we head to the back patio. It was a nice summer day, but it started cooling down in the evening. We sit in the swing seat together with a light blanket over us, her tucked under the crook of my arm, legs tangled, swinging, sitting in silence.

“Are you adopted, Jake?”

I laugh, because it’s not the first time I’ve heard the question, but I play dumb to amuse her. “What?” I mock.

“Don’t laugh, it’s just the only conclusion I can come to. You’re the only one in the family that has that sex- I mean,” She flushes… “you know, that accent.”

“You think it’s sexy?” I try to hide my smirk.

“Shut up.” She swats my chest and sits up a bit. “I know I’m not the first girl to think or say that. I’m sure that Casey girl has mentioned it.” She looks at me waiting for a reaction.

I flinch at the mention of her name.

“What’s the deal with her anyway?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

“So, back to me being adopted…” I try to change the subject. “I was actually born here, my parents were raised here, and so was I, until I was five anyway. I lived like, literally two streets down. Anyway, my dad got offered a job he couldn’t refuse, but it was in Australia, so we packed up and moved there.”

“What does your dad do?”

“He’s a lawyer, it’s actually amazing what he does. He specializes in children and family law. He takes on all these jobs, like pro bono and shit. He normally works with like, disadvantage kids, or kids that are beaten or neglected. He’s kind of their voice when they don’t have one, you know?” I look at her. “I know what you’re thinking, he’s like this huge, tough guy, right? It doesn’t seem like something he does, but when he gets in the court room, he has the same reaction. He’s intimidating. When he speaks, people listen.

“Anyway, there’s really no money in it for him, in that field, not here anyway. I was too young to really grasp it but I think that his job in Australia was doing the same thing. Only, he was in charge of all these like, junior lawyers who were just starting out and were interested in doing the same thing. The company he worked for got huge financial backing from donations and I think even some from the government. The junior lawyers were mainly volunteers who did it for the love of it, so Dad apparently got paid quite well just to oversee and make sure none of the juniors were breaking any laws.