“That poor woman,” Harper said, shaking her head.
“Her name was Erica,” I said.
“I know, the detective told me.”
“Her husband,” I said, shuddering. “I don’t know what I’d do if...I mean, I just don’t know what I’d do.”
Harper grabbed my hand and squeezed hard.
At our stop, we got off the train and headed into the bright morning sun to Sylvia’s office. The same punk chick from two weeks before stood up and waved energetically, like we were old friends and she hadn’t seen us in a while. Harper waved back politely and she gestured for both of us to sit as she did the time before.
“Can I get you a water or anything?” She asked.
“I’ll take a bottle,” Harper said, surprising me.
The girl’s eyes lit up and she bounded down the hall toward a kitchenette. When she came back she handed Harper a cold bottle of water and a napkin.
“Sylvia’s ready for you now,” she said, smiling sweetly.
Sylvia’s office looked so much different to me now. It was like the past couple of weeks drained a little bit of color out of the way I looked at life. So much had happened and there was no way I thought I could ever get back that little piece of my innocence.
“Callum! Harper!” Sylvia beamed, completely unaware of the events that had transpired since we’d last left her office.
“Sylvia,” we both said. Sylvia came around her desk and hugged us both tightly.
“It looked like you both needed hugs,” she teased.
We smiled at her thoughtfulness.
“Okay,” she said. “Good news! Harper, I’ve pulled a few strings. You’ve officially gotten a full ride here.” Harper and I perked up at that bit of news. “Don’t ask me how I did it,” she joked. “A magician never reveals her tricks.” Harper and I hugged fiercely and tears appeared in Harper’s eyes once more.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Harper confessed. “I knew if I got my hopes up that I’d just end up disappointed. Thank you, Sylvia. You have no idea what this means to me.” She sucked in a breath to gain some composure. “Thank you so much.”
Sylvia grabbed a few tissues from behind her and handed them to Harper. “Please, it was my absolute pleasure. Plus, it’s my job to help out students Harper and you are officially a student here. Now, you’re going to have to make an appointment with a counselor to figure out what classes you need to take. I found a grant to help pay for your books and supplies. You should be good to go, doll.”
Harper looked at me through grateful tears and nodded repeatedly as if in disbelief. ‘Thank you’ she mouthed.
“Stop,” I said, “you’re making me feel all gushy inside. I don’t do well with emotion.”
She laughed and grabbed my hand. We just stared at one another deeply.
“Okay, love birds,” she said making Harper and I smile wider. “I’ll need Harper to fill out some paperwork. The same, ironically, you filled out last time, Callum.”
She removed a stack of papers from her desk and slid them across the desk toward Harper and handing her a pen. Harper eagerly filled them out, making my heart swell with pride for her.
I leaned back in my chair, a small weight lifted from my chest. Now all we need is a place to live, I thought. I sat up. I had an idea.
“Sylvia,” I began, “is there any way to get a grant to live on?”
Sylvia smiled kindly. “Well, it’s too late to apply for housing, Callum. I’m sorry. Why? Do you not have a place to live?”
“No, well, we ran into a bit of bad luck,” I said and noticed Harper’s pen stop moving for a moment. “It’s not a big deal but we basically have nowhere to live.”
“Callum, I’m really sorry to hear that,” she said sincerely, “but I have nothing to offer you. Housing applications were due at the beginning of summer. It takes several weeks to process them and are only done annually.” Harper handed Sylvia her paperwork and she took it, turning her chair and standing before walking over to her filing cabinet. “Unless, you were married,” she joked. “Then I could put in an emergency application but...” Sylvia said, turning around with the largest smile on her face, “but you aren’t, so.”
ops told us that Harper needed to come to the station to give a written statement. Charlie and Cherry agreed to meet us there while everyone else agreed to go to Charlie’s and wait. It was in this unfortunate moment that I realized that these people were my family. They truly loved me and wanted to be there for me, to support me.
Harper and I climbed into the back of a police car and silently watched the harrowing scene around us. There’s something the lights on emergency vehicles do that make an already anxiety filled moment that much worse. As we drove to the station, the radio buzzed with static and updates on calls.