I gripped the steering wheel.
“Where are you?”
“Outside.”
My heart dropped.
“Outside where?”
“Grandpa’s.”
“What are you doing outside?”
She started crying.
“Grandpa kicked me out.”
For a second, I couldn’t speak.
“What?”
“He kicked me out.”
“Where’s your mother?”
“Inside.”
“Did she come outside?”
“No.”
My hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“Why did he kick you out?”
“He was talking about you.”
“What did he say?”
“He called you a loser.”
I closed my eyes for half a second.
Then I heard her take a shaky breath.
“I told him to stop.”
“What happened?”
“He said I was just like you.”
I didn’t say anything.
“He told me if I loved you so much, I could go live with my loser father.”
My jaw tightened.
“Are you wearing your coat?”
Silence.
“Sophie.”
“No.”
“What are you wearing?”
“Just my sweater.”
I looked at the temperature on the dashboard.
