Going Wild Read Free

had gotten for her birthday last fall. That was before Mom dropped the bomb about moving.
    â€œYou’ll need them when you visit,” replied Amari. “Or when you go skiing in the mountains! Lucky.”
    â€œI suppose,” Charlie wrote.
    â€œAre you moved in?”
    â€œNot really. Everything’s a mess. Big Kitty freaked out and hid behind the stove. She hasn’t come out yet.”
    â€œOh no! She’ll feel better soon,” wrote Amari. “And she’ll come out when she gets hungry enough.”
    â€œYeah, I hope so. Thanks.”
    There was a pause, and then Amari replied, “Hang in there!” with a brightly smiling emoji.
    Charlie’s eyes lingered on the screen, but she couldn’t think of anything to say to that. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, and then she shoved the phone back into her pocket and continued walking, making a loop that she hoped would bring her back to her house.
    She passed a large grassy area, noting it would be a good place to kick a soccer ball around, and turned down her street. Charlie scanned the driveways looking for their Subaru, but she didn’t see it, and for a frantic moment Charlie couldn’t remember which house was hers. Why would anybody want houses to all look the same?
    Finally Charlie spotted the right house number. She headed up the driveway just as her dad pulled in and parked.
    â€œHelp me with the groceries?” he asked, getting out.
    Charlie shrugged. “Sure.”
    Charlie’s father, Charles Wilde, was tall and lean and wore glasses, and she was named after him. Amari had once told himthat he looked exactly like a scientist was supposed to look, which had made him laugh, though to Charlie he just looked like a dad. Technically he was a doctor, like Charlie’s mom, but he often joked that he was only the PhD kind, which didn’t count for squat most of the time. And he hadn’t actually worked as a scientist in years, so it was a little weird for Charlie to think of him as one. That was about to change, too.
    They brought everything inside and began putting things away in the empty refrigerator and pantry. Charlie’s mother flew past them, car keys jangling. “I’m running into work for a couple of hours,” she said, her face lit up. “They’ve got paperwork for me, and one of the doctors called in sick, so I guess I’m jumping right into the fray.” She grinned. “I don’t know when I’ll be home—don’t hold dinner.”
    â€œGood luck!” said Charlie’s dad, swooping in to give her a kiss before she rushed off.
    Charlie didn’t say anything. Soon they heard the car pulling out of the driveway.
    â€œI thought she wasn’t starting until tomorrow,” said Charlie.
    â€œYeah, me too,” said her father. “But we knew it would be a little hectic once we got here.”
    Charlie looked around for a bowl to put some fresh lemons and limes in, but there wasn’t one. She lined them up in a row on the counter instead.
    â€œSo,” Charlie’s dad said, putting milk in the refrigerator, “didyou take a walk around the neighborhood?”
    â€œYep,” said Charlie.
    â€œWhat did you think?”
    Charlie rolled her eyes at the pantry shelves. “Boring.”
    Charlie’s dad stopped what he was doing and came over to the pantry doorway. He studied his daughter. “Do you want to talk about it?”
    â€œTalk about how boring it is?” Charlie said with an edge to her voice. “No thanks.”
    Her father pressed his lips together, and Charlie knew she’d gone too far, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to be here. Final answer.
    â€œLook,” said Dad, “I know this is hard on you. But Mom had a great opportunity, and we just couldn’t—”
    â€œJust couldn’t pass it up,” said Charlie. “I know.” She’d