A Fabrication of the Truth Read Free

was the fakest color of red. Clown-chic really, but due to female pattern baldness, she didn’t have much hair of her own, so she relied on three-ring performers for hair advice. Marisol was awful nice though; a bit too gossipy, but nice, so it balanced out her poor wig choice, I guess.
    I sat down in my aluminum folding chair and bit the corner of my lip. “I need some dirt.”
    I uttered her favorite words. “About?” She raised her eyebrows.
    “Dalton Reyes.”
    “Oh,” she said, and then said again, with wide eyes, “Oh!”
    “Yes.”
    “Is that a good idea?” she asked, gnawing the cap to one of her bingo markers. I hoped her teeth wouldn’t fall out – I knew people with dentures had to be careful about what they bit. I hung out with senior citizens way too much.
    “I just want to know. He hasn’t been back to his lola’s house since that day, so why is he going to my school?”
    “Okay, listen, sweet cheeks. You didn’t hear this from me.” She tipped her head in close to me.
    “Hear what?”
    “Exactly.” Marisol smiled. “Okay, so they actually don’t live that far away – over in Skopie, I believe – and he’s not staying there forever. They just thought it was best.”
    “So he’s staying at his lola’s?”
    “Yes, him and his sister, Hailey. His dad was offered a contract position for a few months overseas and I guess it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Plus I think his mom needed some time away. She went with him.”
    “Okay, but he’s sixteen, and Hailey has to be in college by now. And why did his mom need time away?” I asked, a woman with a matching purple track suit squeezing past Marisol and me. I looked up and smiled, and she patted my head and continued down the aisle.
    “Hailey is in college. Mary never says excuse me. Have you noticed that?”
    “I don’t think so,” I looked down the seats to Mary, who was setting up her bingo spot. “So what’s up?”
    “Mary’s always been kind of rude,” Marisol said, doing a quick glance over her cards. “These are good ones.” She nodded and turned back to me.
    “No, not about Mary. Why couldn’t they like just go over there and check on the kids, or stay there or something?”
    “I guess his parents thought he needed a break from his other school, so it seemed to be the perfect time to make the switch.”
    “Why would he need a break?”
    “Kept getting into trouble. Parents thought a fresh start might help.” Marisol adjusted her wig with a quick tug and pull.
    “Dalton Reyes?”
    “Yes, no longer that sweet, little, shy boy we all knew.”
    “So why is his college-aged sister staying there, too?”
    “She’s been commuting to school, and Gloria and Dave want an extra pair of eyes on him when they’re not around.”
    “He’s not five.”
    “That’s how they treat him, though. I don’t blame the kid for acting out. They’ve kept the poor kid on the shortest leash since…”
    “That day?”
    “Yeah, insanely over protective. Never let him go to his friends’ houses – couldn’t even play video games. That’s what I hear at least.”
    “That sucks.”
    “They do it out of love because they’re so afraid of losing him or something bad happening, but I’m sure it can be a little suffocating.”
    “So if his mom is so overprotective, why would she leave him?”
    I didn’t get an answer before the rise of a palm shut me up. Bingo had begun.
    I needed to know more. Why did they all think I shouldn’t know this? Why should I stay away? And why did Dalton’s mom go with his dad?
    I tried to keep up with the bingo – G-1, B-6, so on – but my mind wouldn’t stay in the church basement. My grandma won seventy-five dollars. Marisol only won ten. She was mightily pissed. I won nothing but an ache in my chest.

Chapter Three
    When I arrived at school, Caroline loitered in the hallway. She’d tried calling the night before, and I texted the word bingo . She understood. “So is he living with his