Unforgettable by Loretta Ellsworth

them. “Ouch!”
    Then I hear movement inside. I crawl toward the bush, away from the window. Halle’s father backs the Cadillac out into the curved driveway and heads down the street.
    I limp out into the street. I hope Halle’s tear-filled eyes didn’t see me. Her dad is a jerk for making her cry and acting like her opinion doesn’t matter. And I know all about jerks.
    â€œCome here, Baxter,” Dink called me over. He’d just moved in the week before. I still didn’t know him all that well, but I knew I was starting to annoy him because he spent most of his time in his office with the door closed.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    I stood in front of him and he pulled up his shirt sleeve to show me his tattooed bicep: a blue gargoyle with red eyes and devil horns surrounded by orange flames.
    Dink flexed his arm. The gargoyle’s mouth opened wide, as if it were going to eat me.
    â€œGross!” I ran and hid under my bed. I could hear Dink’s laughter in his office, his muddy water voice splashing across the carpet. I stayed under my bed until Mom got home from work.
    I push up my coat sleeve and focus on my watch. The dials turn around and around and the memory eases.
    I didn’t always have this problem. The memories started intruding the week after I testified against Dink. They were vivid and sporadic, slamming me in the chest when I least expected. Maybe it was timing, Dr. Anderson had said. A certain age. But I knew it was Dink.
    The street narrows at the corner and I hobble down Willow Way, favoring my left foot. I can’t get rid of my own memories, but I can find something nice to do for Halle—something to make those tears a faded memory, at least for her.

Why I Don’t Understand Women
    I’m lying on my bed reading The Great Gatsby when I hear Mom’s muffled voice in the next room. She’s talking to Aunt Val. Mom’s voice always changes when she’s talking on the phone to her sister. She says that it’s because Aunt Val makes her feel like the little sister when they talk.
    Later, when I go to get a soda, Mom is sitting on the kitchen floor, organizing the pans on the bottom shelf. Her eyes are red and blotchy.
    â€œHow’s Aunt Val?”
    Mom immediately wipes her eyes. “How did you know I was talking to her?”
    â€œYou talk to her every day.”
    â€œShe’s fine. She’s just found out that she’s going to be a grandma.” Mom flashes a sad smile as she moves the pans around.
    Why does that make Mom sad? Is it the thought that she might never have grandchildren? Does she think I’ll never have a relationship or get married or have kids? Or is it because she’s getting too old to have kids of her own?
    I open the fridge. “Wow. Justin and Trista. That’s great.”
    â€œYeah.” She pauses. “She also said that Dink called her.”
    My hand freezes on the can of soda. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. “Dink?”
    â€œShe didn’t tell him anything. He was Mr. Personality. You know how he can be. Said he still loves me, that he misses us.”
    Missed his money was more like it. My voice breaks. “You sure she didn’t tell him anything?”
    â€œNo, she promised she wouldn’t. We’re safe, Baxter. You don’t have to worry.”
    Dink called Aunt Val. That means he’s looking for us, that everything I feared is true. I can almost feel his slimy breath on my neck.
    The linoleum creaks beneath my feet. I’m clenching my soda and staring at Mom, until it hits me. She’s crying over Dink. How could she cry for that guy?
    February 23, at 7:37. Their first date. Dink handed the dozen roses to Mom. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.”
    She blushed. “They’re gorgeous. You shouldn’t have, but I’m glad you did.” They both laughed, but Dink’s laugh sounded forced.
    Another memory