Page 11 of Saving Graces
“We want you here,” Rosalie explained with impatience. “We’re bored and you’re interesting.”
Savannah burst out a small laugh, the smile actually hitting her eyes.
“Where were you anyway?” Rachel asked.
“Around,” she said. “I went to the library. I hung out with Daria for a bit. Then I came back here and just read in your backyard until it got dark. Up a tree, actually.” She scrunched up her pretty nose.
“What?” Rosalie cracked up.
“Like a little squirrel?” Rachel giggled. Savannah went slightly pink.
“It felt safe.” She scrunched her shoulders together like she was trying to make herself smaller.
“Listen, Squirrel,” Rachel said, “we get home around three. Come over whenever you’re done in the trees okay? You don’t have to stay away. Ros doesn’t care if you’re in her room. She’s just hanging out being boring and doing homework anyway.”
“That’s true,” Rosalie agreed. “My life sucks.”
But after that, life didn’t suck, at least not as much. After school, Savannah would show up and the three of them would eat snacks together, watch TV in the living room, laugh and talk and paint each other’s nails and then they’d sneak her back into Rosalie’s room before their parents returned home. About half the nights of the week, Rachel and Savannah would slip out into the night again, off to see their friends and go to parties, leaving Rosalie at home, annoyed and frustrated at being left out. The other nights though, Savannah would stay. Frequently Rachel would head out alone, the call of the night and her freedom too much to resist, and those nights Rosalie got Savannah all to herself.
Sometimes she secretly hoped that Savannah maybe liked her even more than she liked Rachel. Rosalie was good at making her laugh and Savannah devoured all of her books, both the novels and the school books. Sometimes they lay side by side in bed and read silently, other times they lounged about and actually talked. Slowly, she started to hear things about Savannah’s life. She’d grown up poor. She’d never met her dad. Her mom had remarried an asshole, and the whole family had gotten super religious. She had two younger brothers close in age and a little baby sister who’d just turned three. When she mentioned Cassie her eyes filled with tears and she turned away and changed the subject.
Savannah had been living in her room for almost a month when Rosalie finally broached the subject that had been driving her nuts. Rachel was out and the two of them were lying in the dark, ostensibly going to sleep, but Rosalie wasn’t always great at stopping talking, even after they’d said goodnight.
“Savannah,” she said, finally, into the darkness. “How did you end up living on the street?”
For a long time, Savannah didn’t say anything and Rosalie wondered if she was going to pretend to be asleep, a thing Savannah did frequently when she didn’t want to talk anymore.
“My mom kicked me out,” she said eventually. Rosalie turned on her side and tried to see her face in the dark, but she could only make out her outline.
“But why?” she asked.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“Yeah,” Rosalie agreed. “You never find out stuff otherwise.”
“Maybe you don’t need to find out everything about me?” Savannah’s voice was low, the odd note in it making Rosalie’s ears prick up.
“Why?” she asked. “Did you murder someone?”
Savannah huffed out a small laugh.
“No,” she said.
“Your mom kicked you out.” Rosalie couldn’t quite get to grips with that. Her parents kind of sucked, but the idea of a betrayal on that level didn’t even factor into her life. She had a home; the end. “That’s horrible. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.” Savannah’s voice was weary. Rosalie reached out for her, her hand finding the other girl’s shoulder. Without warning Savannah wrenched away violently and sat up abruptly, moving to the far edge of the bed.
“Shit!” Rosalie lurched back. “Are you okay?”
“There’s no need to touch me,” Savannah said tightly. Rosalie felt guilty, like she’d somehow done something inappropriate. She didn’t know why; she’d just wanted Savannah not to feel alone.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice coming out small. “I was just trying to make you feel better.”
“Well, don’t!” Savannah was on her feet. “You know what? This is wrong. This is weird. I shouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed as a total stranger.” She started moving around the room and Rosalie heard her bang into the dresser with a little gasp of pain. She sat up and switched on the bedside lamp, illuminating Savannah in Rosalie’s t-shirt and boxers, her face flushed and angry, grabbing the jacket she borrowed and shoving it on, then picking up her boots.
“Savannah!” Rosalie sat on the side of the bed, feeling confused and more than a little freaked out. “We’ve been hanging out every day for like a month. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t count as strangers anymore.”
She felt hurt, like this thing that she’d thought was friendship wasn’t friendship after all. She knew Savannah was forced into it by circumstance but she’d honestly thought Savannah had actually liked being around her.
