➵ THIRTY EIGHT

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Finally, Frank had warmed up and he said, "I - I was just, uh, jogging around the block. And, uh, I left my key in my room so I'm locked out of my apartment and my mom's already at work."

"Oh, no. Did you try calling her? Can she come and unlock it for you?" Donna asked, patting her pockets in search of her phone. "If not, I can - "

"No!" he exclaimed, then, more calmly, said, "I mean, she can't come."

Donna sighed and pondered, "I wonder..." A sly smile appeared, along with her aged dimples, and she was definitely up to no good.

"Mom...? What're you - "

"I got it. Come on, I'll show you kids how it's done," she said matter-of-factly and ran to her bathroom, coming back with a bobby pin. She led the teens outside and to Frank's door, where she crouched down, her head level with the lock. Genevieve grinned and shook her head at her mother. Tongue poking out the corner of her pursed lips, Donna worked with ruffled brows. "Almost...got it..."

Click. She turned the knob and the door swung open, revealing the shambolic mess within. Initially, Frank hadn't believed it would work and decided to let Donna have her fun, but now he panicked, running in front of her to block the view of his apartment.

"Thanks, Miss W!" he said before closing the door, leaving her and Gen perplexed.

.

Hours before, Frank had waited it out until his mom inevitably left for work. He planned to retrieve the rest of his essentials and continue sleeping on the deserted balcony until he found other arrangements. But when he went to unlock the door, his heart sank as he remembered not grabbing it from atop his dresser.

Now that he was able to enter, he quickly got what he needed, a feeling of urgency washing over him for some reason. After being kicked out, which he'd been anticipating for some time since they moved there, Frank felt disoriented whenever he stood somewhere he knew his mother had before. It made him sick.

He packed some more clean clothes, food, bottles of water...

I can't believe this is my life now. What did I do to deserve this? What could I have done different? Be born to a different woman? Never be born at all? And what about Gen? Her and I are... a thing now. What does that even mean? How'd that happen?

Oh, man. Won't she want to meet my mom? What's gonna be my excuse then? I have to tell her. And then what? God, I can't be worrying about this right now. I have to leave this awful place.

Is that wine? Why the fuck does she have wine? Hey, wait a minute...

Frank grabbed the bottle of Moscato from the fridge among other things as his idea developed.

Gen will definitely love this.

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