OPAL

When dinnertime rolls around, Kyle surprises me by asking me to join him in the living room.

I don't say no. I'm so sick of the bedroom that I don't mind hanging around him, even though he's the reason why I'm in this situation to begin with.

I follow him to the kitchen, where he hands me a plate of food similar to what I had in the afternoon. The house is empty, as empty as it was earlier in the day. I head into the living room and choose one of the couches to sit on.

I've stopped ...