Everyone had forgotten him. A while ago, people whispered frantically about the police visit, the assembly, the rumors about him running away. Now? Nothing. He had been erased, absorbed into the background like he never existed. Shirley tried focusing on Tyler’s attempt at a joke, on the lights spinning above them, on the promise of a normal night.
But everything felt off. Maybe it was the ache she felt every time her eyes flicked toward the doors. Maybe it was the forced laughter swirling around the gym, a little too loud, a little too bright. Or maybe it was simply that Richard should have been here and he wasn’t.