A Wall Between

Chapter 28

Sasha really wished his brain would just shut up. He'd been brave, he'd solved the immediate problem, and he didn't want to think about what had happened that day or what else could or would happen in the future.

His brain was terrible, though, so of course all it wanted to do was go over every interaction he'd had that day and analyse it to make sure he didn't do anything wrong and then, as a break from that, worry about where he was going to go from here. Would he go back to his apartment? Would he stay with his parents? Would they find somewhere new for him?

For now, he was just hiding in his room, trying to distract himself with video games. With all his confusion and hurt feelings when he'd first moved out, he'd half convinced himself that his parents would be glad to see him gone and that they'd immediately convert his room into a study or something, but everything was exactly as he'd left it. He was starting to get the feeling that his parents hadn't been as confident in this whole thing as they'd pretended. That they'd kind of expected the apartment wouldn't be his final step into independent living.

Maybe it was a good thing Sasha hadn't realised that sooner. He didn't think he would have stuck around long enough to make friends with Cooper and Ellie and Abra. He probably never would have mustered the courage to go back out onto that balcony to try to run into Cooper again way back when this all first started if he knew his living situation wasn't going to be forever.

His phone binged. Cooper, of course.

Hey, the message read. How're you doing?

Ok, Sasha sent back. He just didn't have the energy to put everything into words.

Are you coming back?

I don't know, Sasha replied. I like being your neighbour. But. Yeah. I don't know.

Well if that's your only reason for wanting to come back it turns out we have to move out anyway. The government found out we have too many people in our apartment.

You have to move???

Cooper sent a picture of himself. Sasha had to stare at it for a little while to figure out that Cooper was laying in the back seat of his car. Yup. Gotta move ASAP. I'm sleeping in the car so that the government doesn't shout at our landlord.

You're sleeping in your car???

It's not that bad actually. Kinda cosy.

No. That wouldn't do. Sasha got up and went to find his parents where they were watching TV in the living room.

"Can Cooper come over for a sleepover?"

"Your neighbour?" Sasha's dad asked. "He wants to come over?"

"He didn't ask to, but he can't stay in their apartment anymore because they had too many people so the government is after them so he has to sleep in his car so I want to let him sleep on our couch instead."

Sasha's parents exchanged a long, confused look.

"You're an adult now, Sasha," Sasha's mum said. "You don't have to ask if you can have a friend over."

"Well, I don't live here anymore. It's not my home."

"Sasha, as long as we're around, you'll always have a home with us," Sasha's mum said. "But we won't be around forever. That's why we wanted to make sure this wasn't the only home you had."

"Mm," Sasha said. "So, it's okay if Cooper comes over?"

"If that's what you want," Sasha's dad said. "I think we're both just a little surprised because you've never had a sleepover before."