VEDA

"Hi, Dad." My voice broke when I said his name, and I pulled my new phone away from my ear until I could get a grip on myself. Sammy had picked it up for me this morning before she went to class. We decided I should stay away from the stores to minimize the chance of someone seeing me coming and going from her place. At least until I saw my parents and filled them in on everything they needed to know and could decide what I was going to do.

"Hey, honey! Long time no hear from you." My father laughed at his greeting. The same way he...