A Place on My Pillow

When Polly woke up, she was back in Alex’s room, his covers drawn up around her. He, however, was nowhere to be seen. She shoved the blankets back and made her way out of the room. Cady isn’t home, that much was obvious right away. Alex was, however, in the kitchen, making food for the pair.

“Where’s Cady?”

“Remember that Welsh guy she was into when we first met you?” Alex asked, stirring something.

“Yeah. Vaguely.”

“Well, they’re in Wales.”

“What? Did you just say they’re in Wales? The country?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Alex said. He glances at the table and Polly took that as a hint. There’s a sticky note stuck there, with Cady’s girlish looped handwriting.

Alex, don’t be mad. But I’m going to stay with Pryce in Wales. Now, before you start yelling at nothing, remember that I’m a big girl that can handle herself. Anyway, I love you. I’ll call you when I’m settled in. Tell Polly she can have my room when things go sour with Darren. Other than that, I love you both.
Cady

By the look on Alex’s face, Polly could tell that he was not happy at this situation.

“She left while we were in the woods, didn’t she?”

Alex nodded.

“I’m sorry, Lex.”

“No, she’s right. She’s a big girl. She can handle herself. If she gets in too much trouble, she’ll just come home.”

“But she didn’t tell you she was leaving. That much feel worse than anything.”

“I would’ve convinced her to stay. That’s why she didn’t tell me. I’m always convincing her it’s not safe outside of this city, that she should stay here. That’s what I do. I hold people back.”
Polly could tell that Alex was on a spiral of self-deprecation. She appeared at his side and pulled the wooden spoon he was stirring the pasta with from his hand. She tossed it aside and forced him into a hug. He relaxed into her easily, worn down by the events. First his best friend breaks down crying right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do to help her. And then his sister’s gone without warning, and it’s his own fault that she left like that. That’s what he was thinking anyway.

Then there’s Polly, consoling him and explaining that Cady would’ve gone without his permission either way because she liked Pryce so much. Polly recalled hearing more about him recently, and she remembered the Welsh phrases even better.

“Rwy'n colli chi,” Cady had said to her one night on the phone. “What does that even mean?” Polly had laughed, not thinking anything of it. Cady was always pulling out random facts and bits of foreign languages she’d picked up.

“I miss you,” Cady had admitted. Polly had repeated the phrase back in Welsh, slaughtering it. Cady laughed and told her how much she loved the younger girl, how much she would miss her.

Cady had hinted at her departure, Polly realizes as she thinks back to the phone calls she’d had with the smaller brunette girl. Cady had known she was leaving and hadn’t bothered to tell Polly either. She figures that’s because Polly would immediately inform Alex and there would go Cady’s plans to leave. Polly would have betrayed Cady’s trust to keep her in this city.

She confessed this to Alex and they both just stood there, holding on to each other, their life rafts through this town now vacant of Cady Jackson.