Chapter Three

Erin’s hands were tight on the wheel, knuckles white, eyes locked on the road ahead. The campus wasn’t far, but every red light felt like an eternity. Cassie was talking — she’d been talking the whole drive — trying to fill the silence with that bright, optimistic voice she used when she was worried.

“…I still can’t believe she showed up…how the hell did she even get all the way to New Hampshire?”

Erin’s grip tightened.

What the actual fuck was she doing?

“…Three years sober? I mean, holy shit…”

Parker had just started to heal from the divorce. Just started to trust her again. And then she’d gone and done this.

Cassie reached over and turned the radio on low, some soft indie song playing. She started humming along, then singing quietly under her breath.

“…She must’ve heard from someone in town about the wedding. The whisper network, right?…”

Taken her daughter’s best friend. Isolated her. Made her completely dependent. All while telling herself it was love.

She glanced over at Cassie for a second — bright, beautiful, singing softly along with the radio — and the thought twisted.

And it was love, right? She was getting married after all. This was the real thing. Wasn’t it?

Cassie’s mom’s voice kept echoing in her head.

You didn’t save my daughter. You just found a new way to use her.

“…But it’s fine. I’m sure this is all just hurt feelings…”

Erin’s stomach twisted.

What if she doesn’t want to see us? What if she slams the door in our faces? What if they’ve already lost her for good?

And Cassie… one rejected resume after another. NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin. Her future was supposed to be bright. Was she holding her back? Was all of this her fault?

Cassie’s hand landed on her thigh, warm and grounding. “Hey. Honey? Erin?”

Erin blinked, realizing they were already parked. She’d pulled into a spot near the dorms without even registering it.

Cassie turned in her seat, squeezing her thigh gently. “Listen. Let me go up by myself first. If she’s angry, she’ll take it out on me. You don’t need to walk into that. Let me take the first hit. Once she’s gotten it out of her system, I’ll bring her down here and we can go to lunch together and really talk.”

Erin stared at the dorm building, heart hammering. Every instinct screamed to go with her, to face it head-on. But the shame and fear were louder.

“Yeah,” she said finally, voice rough. “Okay. Go. I’ll wait here.”

Cassie leaned over and kissed her cheek, soft and quick. “I’ve got this. We’ve got this.”

She got out of the car and headed toward the dorm, ponytail swinging, leaving Erin alone with her thoughts and the low hum of the radio.

Once Cassie was far enough away, Erin finally stopped fighting the tears she'd been holding back. She bent over the steering wheel as her body shuddered in heavy wet sobs.

✦   ✦   ✦

Cassie walked across the familiar quad, heart pounding harder with every step.

It'll be nice to see Acacia again, she thought, trying to hold on to something positive.

How long had it been since they'd talked? Had she seen Acacia since graduating? Surely she had… right?

She thought about that post-graduation night — the cap and gown still on, the frantic sex on the couch, Erin telling her to leave it on. The memory should have made her smile, but it only twisted something in her chest now.

Acacia would be graduating this year, she realized. How was Parker going to handle losing her roommate? Had she made other friends? Was she lonely? God, I hope she's not lonely.

She reached the door and knocked, shifting her weight from foot to foot. The seconds stretched.

The door opened.

Acacia stood there, eyes widening in surprise. For a split second, her face lit up — the old, familiar smile Cassie had known since they were kids.

“Cassie? Holy shit, what are you doing here?” she asked, pulling her into a quick hug.

Cassie forced a smile as they separated. “Hey. I… we came to see Parker. Is she around?”

Acacia's smile faltered. Confusion flashed across her face, then something sharper. “Parker? You're here for Parker?”

“Yeah. We tried calling, but the number's changed. We figured she'd be here.”

Acacia stared at her, pushing the door open wide. Cassie could see immediately that Parker's half of the room was completely bare. As if her entire existence had been erased.

“Parker moved out during summer break,” Acacia explained. “Her dad came and helped her pack her shit. She's been gone for months.”

Cassie blinked. “What? Why didn't you tell me?”

Acacia let out a bitter laugh. “Why would I need to tell you? You're fucking her mom, aren't you? Why didn't you already know?”

Cassie opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

God, I've been such a shitty friend. How did I let it get this bad? I ghosted her for months. For a relationship. For a woman who wasn't even mine to take.

Acacia shook her head, eyes glistening with hurt and anger. “Holy shit. She didn't tell you? Wow, I guess I'm not the only one she ghosted.”

Cassie fumbled for words before finally spitting out, “Do you know where she went?”

Acacia shrugged. “Fucked if I know.”

“Acacia, come on. She must have said something. This isn't about me, this is about Erin.”

“No, it's about all of us,” Acacia snapped. “It's about you fucking your friend's mom. It's about Erin fucking her daughter's friend. It's about me keeping the secret from her.”

“Acacia…please.”

“I don't know where the fuck she went, ok? By the time she left she barely said two words to me on any given day.”

“Fuck,” Cassie muttered.

“You know, for a second there, I thought you were here to see me. Maybe apologize for leaving me on read for months on end. Maybe even to ask me to be your maid of honor–yeah, I got your save the date. When Parker left, I needed my best friend. I called. I texted. But you were too busy banging a woman you've known less than a year to give a shit about a friend you've known your whole life.”

“Acacia, that's not fair, I–”

“The only reason you're here now is because you've finally discovered that Parker doesn't want shit to do with any of us. And, frankly, I don't blame her.” Acacia scoffed and shook her head, “I guess I lost two friendships over this whole shitty affair.”

She shut the door.

Cassie stepped forward and knocked on the door again, voice pleading. “Acacia, please. Open up. We can talk. I'm sorry. I've been a terrible friend. I know that. I'll make it right. Of course I want you to be my maid of honor. Who else would I pick?”

The door stayed closed. Cassie could hear Acacia moving around inside, but she didn't open it.

Cassie kept talking through the door, voice cracking. “Please. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to disappear on you. I've missed you. Let me make it up to you. Just tell me how to fix this.”

The door suddenly opened. Acacia stood there, eyes red.

“Hide your mothers and your brothers, girls,” she said, voice loud enough for the whole hallway to hear. “Cassie Klein's back on campus.”

She slammed the door in Cassie's face.

Cassie stood there, stunned. Doors started opening up and down the hall as people looked for the source of the commotion. She heard the whispering as she turned and walked away, humiliated, back toward the car.

✦   ✦   ✦

Erin sat in the driver's seat, staring at her phone. Her hands were still shaking. She needed to do something normal, something that reminded her she still had control over at least one part of her life. She dialed the office.

Her front desk assistant picked up on the second ring.

“Dr. Bennett's office, this is Megan.”

“Hey, Megan. It's Erin. Listen, something came up with Parker. I had to leave town suddenly. Can you move my patients around for the next couple of days?”

There was a brief pause. “Actually… your schedule is clear for today. No one scheduled.”

Erin frowned. “What? That can't be right.”

“It's fine,” Megan said carefully. “Take the time you need. I'll hold down the fort.”

Erin's stomach sank. She forced her voice steady. “Okay. Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm heading back. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?”

She ended the call and stared at the phone, the silence in the car suddenly deafening.

A knock on the window made her jump. She nearly dropped the phone.

Cassie was standing outside.

Alone.

The sight hit Erin like a gut punch. No Parker. No sign of her daughter. Just Cassie, looking small and shaken.

Erin unlocked the door with trembling fingers. Cassie slid into the passenger seat.

Erin's heart hammered. “What happened? Where's Parker?”

Cassie stared straight ahead, hands in her lap. She didn't answer right away.

“Cassie.” Erin reached over and grabbed her arm, gentle but urgent. “Cassie, where is Parker?”

Cassie's voice was small. “I don't know.”

Erin's stomach dropped. “What do you mean you don't know?”

“Acacia said… she left.”

Erin stared at her. “Left? Left where? Where the fuck is my daughter?”

Cassie's voice cracked. “During summer break. Her dad… he helped her pack.”

Erin leaned back in her seat, the world tilting.

Adam. Parker had always been a daddy's girl — it made sense she would turn to him. The one parent who hadn't betrayed her.

“Okay,” Erin said, trying to think through the panic. “Okay. If she transferred to another college, she would have had to transfer her transcripts. We'll go to the registrar's office. They'll have to tell us something.”

Cassie finally looked at her, eyes wide and lost. “Yeah. Okay.”

Erin started the car, the engine rumbling to life. The silence between them felt heavier than ever.

✦   ✦   ✦

The registrar's office was a small, quiet room with beige walls and the faint smell of old paper and coffee. Cassie sat beside Erin in hard plastic chairs, the silence between them thick and uncomfortable. She kept replaying the conversation with Acacia in her head — the hurt in her eyes, the slammed door, the casual cruelty of “hide your moms.” A decade of friendship, reduced to this.

The registrar, a middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense bun, finally emerged from the back.

She gave Cassie a quick, knowing look. “Ms. Klein. Good to see you again.” Her eyes flicked to Erin. “Or is it Mrs. Bennett now? I hear wedding plans are afoot.”

Cassie's voice was flat. “It's Ms. Klein, thanks.”

How did she know about the wedding?

The thought hit Cassie like a fresh wave of mortification. The announcement or save-the-date must have spread through the school like wildfire. Who had been the source? Acacia? Parker? Or had someone just seen it on her socials? The idea of becoming a campus meme — the talk of all the group chats — made her stomach turn.

Erin cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice steady. “We're here about my daughter. Parker Bennett. Apparently she transferred over the summer. I was hoping you could tell me where her records went. Or where she transferred to.”

The registrar crossed her arms over the desk, expression polite but firm. “I'm very sorry, Dr. Bennett, but I'm not at liberty to divulge that information to you.”

Erin leaned forward. “But I'm her mother.”

“And if this were an elementary school, that would mean something. But I'm sorry. Parker is an adult and is protected by privacy laws. I can't help you with that.”

Cassie watched Erin's hands clench in her lap. She wanted to reach over, to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

How did she let it get this far? How did she let months and months pass without talking to her best friend in the entire world? Yes, she loved Erin. But didn't she also love Acacia? Hadn't she loved Acacia for a decade now? Didn't that love deserve at least as much care as she had lavished on this new one? More, even? Why did she expect the relationship to run on autopilot while she was busy getting laid hundreds of miles away? Out of sight, out of mind. It was so easy to let the distance become an excuse.

How did Acacia spend the summer? Did she go camping with her brother, like she always did? Had she met someone? Was she in a relationship? How were her grades? Cassie didn't know the answer to any of these. How on earth could she call herself a best friend and not know any of these things?

Erin's voice rose slightly. “There must be something you can tell us. She's my daughter. I have a right to know where she is.”

The registrar's expression didn't change. “I understand this is difficult, but the law is clear. Without Parker's written consent, I cannot release her records or transfer information. I'm sorry, Dr. Bennett.”

Cassie's hand landed on Erin's thigh, gentle but grounding. “Erin,” she said softly. “She can't tell us.”

Erin stared at the registrar for a long moment, the frustration and helplessness threatening to boil over. Finally, she stood up, voice cold. “Well, thank you for your time.”

They left the office in silence. The door clicked shut behind them.

A moment later, it opened again. “Ms. Klein? A quick word?”

Cassie hesitated, then nodded to Erin. “I'll be right there.”

Erin waited just outside the door, watching.

The registrar spoke quietly. “Should I send your transcripts to Caltech for next term?”

Cassie muttered, “Not yet. Next term, after the wedding.”

“Okay. Well, congratulations and let me know.”

Cassie stepped back into the hallway, the walls feeling like they were closing in. She just wanted to get the hell out of there.

Erin immediately asked, “What did she want?”

“Nothing important.”

“But she asked to speak to you—”

“It wasn't about Parker. Let's just go. Please.”