The next day Isis invited Roman to go for an early morning jog with her. Not only did she get stir crazy if she didn’t jog often, but jogging was also her favorite way to clear her mind. After a night of tossing and turning with anxiety over the fight with Ava, she needed to sweat it out.
Yesterday she told Roman about the fight in the hall, but she left out all of her suspicions. She was still grappling with what happened to Ava’s brother and had a very unsettling feeling that she was missing something. After thinking things through overnight, she was eager to get his thoughts on the whole situation.
It was an unusually quiet morning. The clouds hung low and a light mist cast a grey tone over the landscape. As they ran, the sound of their thudding feet seemed to echo into the stillness, followed by their heavy breathing.
They were on an uphill trail that led to Isis’s favorite park; the one where she had run into Roman back when they were broken up. Isis wanted to push herself and she kept her pace without slowing down. For a moment she thought Roman was going to fall behind, but as they reached the park gates, she was pleased to see he was still behind her.
They slowed their pace as they entered the park. It was early enough that nobody else was around and they sat down at a table, catching their breath. Isis tightened her ponytail and Roman wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Even though it was cloudy, it was humid and a little warm.
When her breath was back to normal, Isis started the conversation.
“So you know how Ava brought up the night at the party? I’ve been wondering how on Earth she knew about it.”
“She must have heard it from somebody, apparently.”
“That’s what I thought too, but there were no Copperdale kids there, Roman. None of us recognized a single face that night. Who would have told her?”
Roman pondered for a moment and replied, “I thought you didn’t want to talk about this.”
“I don’t want to talk about… other parts of the night. You know what I mean.” She replied, irritated. “I can’t help but think Ava might know something about that night.”
A look of weary curiosity crept into his eyes.
“What are you talking about? What makes you think that?”
She told Roman about what happened on the swings as kids, then elaborated with her thoughts on the matter.
“Ever since Ava mentioned her brother yesterday, I’ve been racking my brain trying to make sense of it all. I’m realizing how many things I forgot and even remembered wrong.”
Roman was listening with small nods and she continued explaining.
“She’s right, I did follow her brother around… because he was nice to me. The two of them were always together, basically inseparable, so whenever I tagged along with Evan, it meant putting up with Ava’s sly and subtle teasing. I was so naive that I didn’t understand how mean she was, but Evan noticed and never stood up to her. I see now that they weren’t my friends. We were just kids who went to the same school.”
Isis felt her face get warm with emotion and she willed herself to breathe normally. She did not want sympathy and would not cry.
“I was the one pushing Evan on the swings when he fell and I had no idea how severely he was hurt. When Ava came back the following year, I didn’t even ask her about it, maybe because I felt guilty. Yet I still tagged along with her! No wonder she hates me. I was so pathetic and I thought she was my friend because I desperately wanted a friend. She never liked me and I didn’t take all the hints.”
Roman let out a soft whistle of disbelief and reached for her hand under the table, folding his fingers in hers.
“Hey, be easy on yourself, you were a kid. I remember when Evan’s accident happened and I can’t believe you were there. Ava was always bratty but after the accident she was angry and spiteful. I still went over to visit her brother but she started blowing me off around then.”
Isis took a breath and said slowly, nervously, “Roman, if she’s that angry and spiteful… What if she, like, planned the assault or set it up? As revenge?”
“Isis! That’s really crazy.”
“I know it’s crazy, trust me! I didn’t even want to tell Jackie what I was thinking.”
A stricken look flashed across Roman’s face and he took his hand back from hers.
“You already talked to Jackie about this? Before me?” He fingered the neckline of his shirt uncomfortably. “Isis, I stopped pressuring you to talk. I stopped asking how you were doing. I am giving you the space you asked for. Then you go and confide in Jackie? How do you think that makes me feel?”
Isis was flabbergasted.
Did he just make this conversation about him? A feeling of utter frustration washed over her. Why was talking with him so difficult lately? Why couldn’t they see eye to eye? It reminded her of when they argued about her streaming. Once he decided on his point of view, it was difficult to give her own point of view.
She straightened her shoulders and spoke with exasperation, “I just shared extremely uncomfortable and possibly repressed memories and you’re focusing on something completely unrelated. This isn’t about Jackie and it isn’t about you.”
Roman looked down, picking at a splinter in the wooden table.
“You’re right, and I’m sorry. I’m not thinking clearly. I just hate seeing you stressed out. I hate how one awful night is still hanging over your head. I hate that Ava has been such a bitch to you for all these years.”
He tentatively reached for her hand again. She let him hold her, but she didn’t hold back.
When she didn’t say anything, he searched her eyes with his and spoke quietly, “I want you to be happy but I don’t know what I can do. Can we just forget about all of this? Can we move on?”
Isis looked away from him and up at the trees nearby, watching their leaves dance gently in the breeze. She didn’t want to argue with Roman, but she felt a deep sadness that things might never go back to how they were. She wanted nothing more than to forget about all of this, to move on, and to be happy.
“Okay.” She sighed. “Let’s forget about it. I want to move on and be happy.”
Later that day, Isis truly was happy. The nursery was done and she was admiring the cheerful room with her parents when her mom exclaimed.
“They’re moving, Isis!”
That was Isis’s cue. She loved feeling them kick and nothing in the world compared to the wonder she felt when she rested her hands on her mom’s thumping belly. She bent over, cradling both her hands over the warm bump, and whispered sweet nothings to them.
When Isis was done, she stood upright and her mom smiled as she said, “We decided on their names, honey.”
“You did!? Tell me, tell me!” Isis’s eyes were bright with excitement.
Her dad chuckled, “As long as you don’t make fun of us. You have to promise!”
“Oh god, what did you guys pick?” Isis questioned suspiciously.
Her mom laughed as she said, “I know it’s cheesy, but since you’re named after an Egyptian goddess, we wanted to stick with the theme.”
She made air quotations as she said stick with the theme, and continued, “So, their names are going to be Apollo and Athena.”
“You guyyyyyys!” Isis drawled out her words in incredulousness.
“It’s not that bad! Is it? Isis, be serious, what do you think?” Her mom rubbed her belly nervously.
Isis giggled. “I mean, celebrities name their kids things like North, Apple, and Bambi, so Apollo and Athena really aren’t that bad. I love them no matter what their names are!”
Her dad leaned closer to her mom, gently nudging her shoulder with his, saying, “That’s not all. Tell her the other thing, Trella.”
Her mom squeaked.
“Alec! I don’t know if I’m happy about that part! I can hardly say it out loud because it’s not even real yet.”
“You quit your job!” Isis exclaimed.
“I retired.” Her mom corrected. “My last day is next Friday. To think, I started as a mailroom clerk and I’m retiring as a corporate investor. I’ve had a fulfilling career and I’m a little sad to let it go, but I’ll have my hands full with two bundles of joy!”
“Oh mom! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!”
Isis hugged her mom tightly, feeling optimistic about the future. Feeling like she could be happy and move on after all.
A couple days later, it was almost midnight on a school night and Isis had just fallen asleep when her phone rang. She rolled over and pulled it off the charger, squinting at the bright screen. It wasn’t too unusual for Jackie to call late, but she usually texted first. She probably hadn’t heard the text. She answered with a sleepy grin.
“Hey bestie. What’s so important that it can’t wait until tomorrow?”
Jackie started talking in a voice that sounded… Scared.
“Isis, thank god you picked up! He… umm. Sorry it’s late. He… nevermind. I know you have to ask your parents… but… is there any way I can stay the night?”
Isis’s bolted upright in bed, her heart pounding. She knew what this was about but didn’t think it would ever really happen.
“Yes! Of course!”
With hardly a pause, Jackie continued, “Isis, you can’t tell them why! I don’t know what would happen if they told the cops. I don’t want to be put in the system or something… Please.”
Isis spoke urgently, “Hey, hey. Are you coming now? Want me to start walking to meet you?”
“I’m, I’m actually already… on your… street.” Jackie was speaking through sobs now.
“I’m coming.”
Isis hung up the phone and scrambled for her slippers. She slowly opened her bedroom door and tip toed down the hall. Her parents’ lights were off; they were sleeping. She wouldn’t wake them. But this was urgent and she would tell them the truth later if she had to.
She entered the code on the alarm pad by the front door, wincing as the soft beeps permeated the silence. She opened the door slowly and listened for sounds of them stirring. When she heard nothing, she sprinted as fast as she could down the sidewalk.
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