I nod, still stuck in my seat. I have to tell him what happened. I have to tell him it was my fault. I have to tell him that Isaac is beat up and alone and needs our help. He knocks again. I find the strength to hit the unlock button, letting Gary open the door.
He crouches so he’s at my eye level, like I’m a third grader about to be reprimanded by her teacher. “Hey, Lilah.” His voice is softer now but still urgent. I was expecting him to be angry. Somehow this is scarier. This means things are bad. “Where’s Isaac?”
Ethan and the nurse stand closely behind him. I clear my throat but find my breathing growing shallow. “The police officer took him.” I hyperventilate. “He’s hurt.”
“Okay, Lilah,” Gary says, speaking slow and clear. Ethan stands to the side, interpreting for me. “Why did the officer take him?”
“The security guard grabbed Isaac because he thought we didn’t pay,” I say. “But we did pay. But the machine didn’t work. But we didn’t know. And the guard was fighting with Isaac. He pushed him so hard. And Isaac fell and was all scratched up.”
Gary looks back at the nurse and Ethan. I’m worried that I’ve left out too many details.
I stare down at my hands as I describe the next part. “That’s when the police came. When Isaac was signing and asking for paper to write things down, the officer handcuffed him.”
Gary nods toward Ethan. “—— report for Lilah to fill out?”
Ethan grabs a folder from his backpack and pulls out an accident report. I cringe at the sight of this form. Ethan hands me the empty sheet and a pen. This situation is so tense my instinct is to make a joke. “Seen my fair share of these,” I mumble.
Gary doesn’t crack a smile. “It’s important that you write exactly what happened.” Ethan nods solemnly as he signs “important” twice.
“Right now?” I ask.
“Ethan will stay with you and drive you back to camp,” Gary says. “We’ll go find Isaac.”
“Shouldn’t I go with you?” Ethan asks.
“It’s fine,” Gary says. “I’ll ——。 Get Lilah back to camp. And —— call her parents.”
Ethan’s face falls, but he stays by my car while Gary and the nurse drive off. Gary can’t sign, and while the nurse can, she’s not as fluent as Ethan. Gary wants to sort things out at the police station, but Isaac might be more comfortable with Ethan there. And me. Or—maybe he wouldn’t want to see me.
But I need to see him.
“We need to go with them to get Isaac,” I say and sign.
Ethan holds the door open for me to get out of the car. “Here, I’ll drive,” he says and signs.
“Where are we going?” I don’t want to go anywhere other than to Isaac.
“Let me drive,” Ethan says more firmly.
Instead of getting out, I crawl over the middle to the passenger seat, pushing my backpack to the ground and curling into a ball.
Ethan gets in, sliding the seat back so his legs can fit. “Fill out the paper.”
I hold it up. “Now? Can’t it wait until we get Isaac?”
Ethan takes a deep breath. I can tell he’s shaking. But his voice is steady when he says, “Now.”
So I write, trying to keep my words legible. In fine print, I cram in every detail I can recall. The number of times I told the officer that Isaac is deaf. That Isaac would need an interpreter. That the security guard jumped Isaac without identifying himself first. I don’t write on the lines because they’re spaced too far apart. I’m writing so fast I can barely read my own handwriting, but several minutes later, I’ve covered the entire front and back of the page.
I hand everything back to Ethan. He gives the paper a quick glance before shoving it into the folder and sliding it into his backpack, which sits on the gearshift between us. He stares ahead, tense.
Ethan turns the key. Nothing. He tries again and again to no avail. Apparently, I’d left the lights on, and now the battery is dead. “Shit.” He slams his hands against the steering wheel. I should’ve known this old car would cause trouble this summer.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, so quietly that I’m not sure he hears me. With the events recounted in a written record, it all feels so real now. Isaac must be terrified. And he’s all alone. I cry. Warm, ugly tears that I’ve been struggling to hold back roll down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
He turns to me, reaching out to grab both of my arms. “You’re fine. Lilah, it’s all going to be fine.” He pulls out his phone and texts a lengthy message.
I get my own phone out of my backpack to text Isaac again.
Lilah: Help is on the way. I’m so sorry. I hope you’re okay. They’re coming to get you.
Ethan and I wait. Camp is at least twenty minutes away, but exactly twenty-two minutes later, a car comes speeding into the parking lot.
Jaden, Mackenzie, and Natasha hop out. Natasha runs right to my window. “Why did you let this happen?” she signs and shouts. “What did you do?”
I recoil back toward Ethan, who signs to Natasha. “Stop.”
Jaden grabs Natasha and walks her back to the vehicle. Ethan joins them, so Mackenzie takes his place in the driver’s seat. She stares at me. Even though it’s Mackenzie, I wish she’d reach out and pat my arm. The way hearing people stare without touching now feels unsettling.
“Are you okay?” she asks me.
“You know what happened?” I ask.
“Ethan gave us a brief version. I’m here to talk if you need to.” Mackenzie expects me to say something.
I wait until I find her staring unbearable and then I sign, “I don’t feel like it.”
Out the window is Natasha in Jaden’s car. She’s sitting with her arms crossed while he signs to her. Ethan gets the jumper cables from the trunk and connects the cars. Jaden joins him.
“She’s mad at me. She probably hates me,” I say. Any hope for a friendship there feels lost. And I don’t blame her.
“She doesn’t hate you. She’s scared,” Mackenzie says and signs. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
“It didn’t happen to me. I’m sitting right here while Isaac is hurt and alone. And I said I don’t want to talk about it.” I cross my arms and turn away.
* * *
Once my car is running again, Ethan stops by the window. “Are you good to drive her back?” he asks Mackenzie.
“Yeah.”
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“We have to take your statement to Gary,” he says, walking away to get in the back seat of Jaden’s car.
I fling open my door. “Then I need to come with you.”
Ethan turns around, jaw still tight, brow narrowed with concern. “Lilah, what I really need is for you to go back to camp. Okay? Go with Mackenzie and wait for us to get back. It’s just Bobby and Simone there right now covering the duty shift, so we really need you both back with the campers. Can you do this for me?”
“Why do they get to go?” I point to Jaden and Natasha, who both avoid my gaze.
Ethan doesn’t have an answer. “Sorry, Lilah.” He climbs into the car, and they speed away.