The Perfect Family by Anya Mora

Author:Anya Mora [Mora, Anya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Present

“Just like her mom,” Cooper says, sitting on the floor where Holden and I sat such a short time ago. My vomit is still covered by a towel on the floor. “She is an incredible artist.”

“Was,” I correct.

“Right, was.” Cooper nods, running a hand over his beard. “Where is Holden?”

“Next door, in his room. Playing Fortnite.”

He raises his eyebrows. I’m sure he’s surprised that I have a video game system in my house. I used to be so old school. That girl seems to have been gone for so long.

I flip through the pages, reading her comic book stories. Trying not to get my wet tears all over the pages.

It’s hard. Hard to read. Hard to imagine. Hard to accept. She held so much back, and why?

There are frames of Julia Handler calling her a loser in front of the other girls. Another of Jasper Handler stealing her homework and crumpling it up, putting it in the dumpster behind the school. There is an especially difficult scene where Sam Middleton pushes her to the ground, Holden helping her up, Sam pushing her down again. In one, with the date of Valentine’s Day, the illustration is of Cory Devon writing a note at his school desk, with Holden and Betsy’s name on it, a heart between them.

“What assholes,” Cooper says, clenching his fists as if trying to gain control. “And I mean, I get that drawing and writing can be therapeutic, but why not tell you and Mark? Why keep it hidden?”

I run my hand over the pages, equally confused. “Holden said she was scared if we knew, we’d send Holden away. That we’d worry we weren’t giving her enough attention.”

“But after the adoption was finalized, why not tell you then?”

I blow out the air, lost on that one. But Holden clears his throat, standing in the doorway. A shiver runs over me. How long has he been there, listening? Watching.

“She didn’t tell you because that’s when you and Mark started . . .” Holden tugs at his hair. “That’s when you guys . . .”

I exhale, feeling like this is all my fault somehow. “That’s when we started fighting.”

Holden nods. “She thought you guys were going to get a divorce.”

I feel Cooper stiffen beside me. I can’t bear to look at him. But I know he feels what I feel. Shame. Regret. Desire.

Not wanting to think about that with my son and ex here, I close the journal, hold it up. “These kids, they have something to do with Betsy’s death. I know they do.”

Cooper shakes his head. “I know you want to blame someone — but Em, it wasn’t them. It wasn’t some group plot against her.”

“What?” I scoff. “Did you not read her stories? Didn’t you see the video? They were bullying her the night of her death. They were the reason she went into the woods. The reason she’s gone!” I’m shrieking now, verging on hysterical and I don’t care. These kids need to pay for what they did to my little girl.

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