Chapter 4

I waited for what felt like forever, so long that I started to think maybe I was just imagining my mom's call.

But when I glanced at my phone, the timer kept ticking up, second by second.

Was my phone acting up?

I swallowed hard, my throat felt parched, and I finally managed to speak, "Mom?"

Still, there was nothing but silence.

I stared at the call timer, watching it tick away, but I just couldn't make myself hang up and try again.

I told myself that maybe my mom was probably just busy. She'd pick up any second.

Time dragged on, each second feeling like torture.

Finally, when the timer hit three minutes and twelve seconds, I heard a faint rustling sound, like clothes rustling, and then my mom's surprised voice came through the phone.

She said, "When did I make a call?"

It felt like my blood froze in that instant.

It turned out to be a misdial.

It felt like a hot lump was stuck in my throat, and the sour ache burned all the way up to my nose.

I couldn't hold it in anymore, and a short, stifled sob slipped out through my teeth.

My mom went quiet for a few seconds.

Then she asked, "Is that Zoey?"

She sounded tentative, like she was trying to recognize someone she hadn't seen in ages.

And then, it hit her. This winter, I was missing from home.

"You didn't come home for the holidays?" my mom asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

There was no hint of blame or concern in her voice, just pure, matter-of-fact curiosity.

She said, "Before the holidays, Peter and Nancy mentioned you hadn't come home, so your dad and I just assumed that you were out with your friends again.

"After all these years with you away at school, your dad and I got used to it, and we just forgot to call."

My mom kept going on, saying all sorts of things, but I could tell that she was just trying to let herself, my dad, Peter, and Nancy off the hook.

When I stayed quiet for a long time, she asked, "Where are you right now?"

I tried to speak, but it took everything I had just to get a few words out, "I'm at school in my dorm."

My mom let out a sigh of relief on the other end.

She said, "That's good.

"Make sure you study hard while you're at school, okay? Don't mess around. Once you finish school, it'll be much easier to get a job.

"Alright, I'll let you go for now. I've got things to take care of."

And with that, she hung up.

I sat there, holding the phone to my ear, listening as the line went dead, not moving a muscle.

A few seconds later, my phone screen lit up again.

My mom had just Venmoed me 3 thousand.

Right after that, a message popped up from her.

She texted: [I have sent you living expenses for this semester. If you need more, just tell me.]

I'd spent nearly a month lying awake at night, practicing what I wanted to say over and over, but in the end, not a single word came out.

But now, I realized there was really no reason to say them anymore.

I hugged my knees and buried my face in my knees.

This time, I couldn't stop myself. I started sobbing uncontrollably.

But just then, I heard the sound of a key sliding into the lock outside my dorm, followed by the soft click of the doorknob turning.

I froze. I tried to choke back the tears.

I didn't want anyone to see me like this.

I scrambled to wipe my face, but my hand was quickly drenched, and the tears kept falling, like beads slipping off a broken string. No matter what I did, I couldn't make them stop.

Whoever was outside couldn't get the door open, so they jiggled the key a couple more times.

Then I heard someone mumble under their breath, sounding confused, "Did I get the wrong room?"

And then the footsteps faded away.

Everything went quiet again.

I stayed curled up, still hugging my knees, as silent tears streamed down my face.

It was just someone who got the wrong dorm and tried the wrong key.

Just like my mom's accidental call earlier.

Almost like the world had made a mistake and wound up with an extra. Me.