her name.
Maggie shut her car off. She sprinted down their pavement through the thunder of her nylon coat. She forced her eyes wide and tried to watch every window for shadows, but there were just too many panes of glass. She crouched behind their brand new Volvo, parked outside of their three-car garage like nothing had ever happened. She steadied her breathing and herself by leaning on the bumper. She could hear yelling inside the kitchen, just beyond the garage.
“Depression is an illness and it needs to be treated. Can’t you see what you’re doing to this family?” Maggie could hardly hear what they were saying because everything in her was rattling. “You keep saying that you want to die. We have to take that seriously.”
Maggie slipped the note through the crack in the window and it fluttered onto the passenger seat where only he would find it. Cal would drive with Micah’s leg being the way it was. She sprinted again, this time away from it all, this time into her car which was still warm.
She drove back through the quiet town. She had no missed calls or texts, which meant her parents and Angeline were still asleep and unaware. Maggie was thankful. It was snowing and the roads were getting slick. She thought about going 60 in a 30. She thought about it, but she was stuffed with a paper hope. She dreamed of all the things the words could say. Maybe Micah would understand and that could be enough for a while. She parked the car and safely made it back into her bed, into a different stillness. She cried herself to sleep with tears that bloomed in her eyes and burst from her because she felt full for the first time in so long. She felt radiant and hopeful and right.
In homeroom, Maggie avoided eye contact with Micah and Cal. She floated through the hallways, laughing louder than usual. Knowing Micah was nearby made her feel solid and safe. She put her arm around Gigi and let her talk about America’s Next Top Model. In her student council meeting, she suggested a winter carnival for Feb-
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