What Comes Next, page 9
“No sweat,” Thor said when Abby showed him the accident. “Believe you me, your dog’s not the first to give that bin of tennis balls a good spritz, but most people pretend they didn’t see it and never tell us, so thanks for letting me know, little Wonder Woman.”
Abby beamed at the praise and Thor gave her a fist bump.
“Let me get my supplies and I’ll clean it up,” he said.
A few minutes later Thor returned with a roll of paper towels and disinfectant spray. It didn’t take long before he had the hazardous area wiped up and then Jack-Jack ventured over and nosed his hand. I think he was trying to apologize. Thor patted Jack on the head and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cookie. Judging by the fierce tail wagging and excited body shaking, the treat was very much appreciated. Jack-Jack liked Thor—but he had an entirely different reaction to the guy waiting for him at the end of the line.
You could chalk this up to another idea that sounded great in theory but was an utter disaster in reality. I should have known. At least Dad could say this one wasn’t his fault.
42
THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION
“Hello, Thea,” Ms. Stacy said when I walked into her classroom on Monday afternoon. “How was your weekend?”
I snorted. “Embarrassing. Hilarious. Unforgettable. Take your pick, but I don’t know if there is a word to describe it.”
“Oh boy. What did Jack do this time?”
We sat down in our usual seats and I started from the beginning, telling her all about our trip to see Santa. I told her about the tennis balls and Thor and all the dogs, before getting to the best part.
“So we waited in line for about fifty minutes, and then it was finally our turn,” I continued. “Two employees, both dressed as elves, came to greet us. One showed us where to stand while the other took Jack’s leash and guided him over to Santa. Everything was fine until the elf tried to hoist Jack off the ground and place him on Santa’s lap.”
“Oh no,” Ms. Stacy said.
“ ‘Oh no’ is right. Jack freaked when he got a close-up of the bearded man in the red suit. Santa was no match for my terrified dog. Jack broke free from Santa’s grasp and lunged off his lap, knocking the big man to the ground. The guy’s hat went flying and his beard and glasses were twisted sideways.”
Ms. Stacy gasped.
“His two elves, being dedicated good helpers, attempted to stop Jack. That didn’t go well either. He bowled them over and dashed for the door. Luckily, Thor was there to greet Jack-Jack and calmly took his leash and led him outside.”
Ms. Stacy sat with her hand covering her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief. I kept going.
“Dad rushed to help Santa back to his bench while Mom hurried to give the elves a hand. My parents were mortified. Meanwhile, Abby and I ran to find Thor and Jack-Jack. Livvy was with us, but the cameraman stopped her just long enough to give her our Polaroid. He’d captured an epic action shot of our family.”
I slid the picture in front of Ms. Stacy.
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered. “This is priceless.”
“I know. I actually think it rivals Charlie’s Santa photo for best ever.”
“Charlie had a Santa photo of this caliber?” Ms. Stacy asked.
“He sure did,” I said. “It was taken when he was a toddler. I wasn’t there of course, but you know what they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words.”
“Case in point,” Ms. Stacy agreed, raising Jack’s Polaroid as proof.
I smiled and continued with Charlie’s story. “So I guess the elves stuck Charlie on Santa’s lap, and just like Jack, Charlie had a freak-out. He chomped down on Santa’s thumb, and the moment the man’s grip loosened, Charlie scooted from his lap and streaked past the elf. In Charlie’s photo, you see Santa with his mouth wide open, howling in obvious pain and shaking his freshly bitten hand, and Charlie’s backside as he’s beginning his getaway.”
Ms. Stacy snickered.
“I know. Every time I looked at that picture I’d laugh, so Charlie finally gave it to me for my Christmas present last year. He stuck it in the middle of a homemade card where he’d drawn a picture of Santa wearing swim trunks and a snorkel mask and flippers. Charlie might’ve been the only kid in the whole world who didn’t like Santa Claus.”
We laughed, and then…
“Thea, what happened to Charlie?”
43
I TELL THE STORY
My breath caught. There it was. The million-dollar question. She’d finally asked it. I didn’t realize it then, but Ms. Stacy wasn’t asking for herself. She was asking because she knew I wanted to tell her. I needed to tell someone.
I stared at my desk. Slowly, I inhaled and exhaled, and then I began. “It was before we moved here. Charlie and I were on our way home from Clover Creek. It was nearing dusk and fog had moved in…We’d stayed longer than we should’ve, but that was because we were having a great time. Charlie had taught me how to fish and I caught my first rainbow trout that afternoon.” I looked up and smiled at the memory. “I was so excited—Charlie too.”
My smile faded and my gaze returned to the desk in front of me. “We texted our parents to let them know we were on our way back. The creek wasn’t that far from home…everything was supposed to be fine. We were walking along the side of the road, chatting away, when a doe and her fawn came out of the woods and started to cross just ahead of us.”
I stopped, taking a minute to ready myself before continuing with what happened next. Ms. Stacy waited.
I took another breath and then I kept going. “I gasped and the deer heard me and froze. We stood perfectly still, Charlie and me grasping hands and watching the incredible scene, and the mother and baby deer staring back at us.” I swallowed. “The black SUV came around the bend so suddenly…headlights blaring…with nowhere to go. The driver swerved to miss the deer…I can still feel the metal brushing past, ripping Charlie’s hand from mine and tossing his body through the air.”
Ms. Stacy looked like the deer caught in headlights now. “Charlie was hit and killed by a black SUV?” she asked, wide-eyed, her voice shaking.
I nodded.
She sprung from her chair as if shot from a cannon. In a rush, Ms. Stacy grabbed her coat and purse from the closet. Then she took everything that was sitting on top of her desk and crammed it into her school bag. “I just remembered. I have an appointment.”
I’d never seen her like this. Completely flustered. Face flushed. Keeping her eyes from mine.
“Pull the door closed behind you,” she said.
And then she was gone.
44
TURNING UGLY
I was at Arena Elementary the next day after school, and the next, but Ms. Stacy was not. I stood in her doorway, wondering where she could’ve gone. I’d been patient, but now I was growing frustrated. It hadn’t been easy for me to tell her what had happened. And she responded by disappearing? I thought she cared about me, but apparently, I was wrong. On second thought, I was past frustrated. I was angry.
“Mom hasn’t seen or heard from her, either,” Rory said when he came around the corner and saw me standing there. “It’s not like her. Do you know anything?”
I could have said that I’d told her about Charlie’s accident, and that she’d run off. I could have simply said that I didn’t know. I could have shrugged my shoulders and said nothing, but I didn’t do any of those things. Instead, I turned ugly. “What do you care?” I snapped.
Rory’s face registered shock.
“Well?” I growled.
“I…I was just asking because Mom says Simon isn’t handling her absence well,” he barely uttered, his voice disappearing by the end.
Liv and Abby had said the same. Simon just wasn’t himself without Ms. Stacy, but I still brought Jack-Jack with me. The least I could do was keep that part of his life steady, even if he wasn’t technically earning his reward. Even if his teacher wasn’t holding up her end of the bargain.
Ms. Stacy was letting all of us down, and that thought took me from ugly to mean. None of this was Rory’s fault, but I unloaded on him. “You act like you care, but you don’t,” I snarled. “You think you’re something special with your fancy sign language, but you’re not. It’s dumb. Why don’t you go back to your bulletin boards?”
Rory swallowed. The look on his face tore me up inside. “You know what, I liked you a whole lot better when you didn’t say a word.” He shook his head. “You’re the one who doesn’t care. You don’t know me or anything about me.”
He turned and walked away, and I was left standing there—just me and my ugly mean self.
Rory was right. I didn’t know him. It was obvious that I’d hurt him—but I was so mad that I told myself it was true that I didn’t care.
45
THE STRANGER
It was another two days before Ms. Stacy finally returned and I got answers.
“Thea, I want to apologize for leaving in such a rush the last time we were together,” she said, taking her usual seat across from me.
“You had an appointment,” I reminded her, pulling in my chair.
“No, that was my excuse,” she confessed, looking me in the eye. “Thea, when you told me what happened to Charlie…it was just so hard to believe. I wasn’t expecting—”
“It’s all right,” I said, trying to make her feel better.
“No, you don’t understand.”
My face scrunched.
“Thea, there’s somebody I think you should meet.”
I stiffened. What did she mean? Ms. Stacy was the only one I talked to about this stuff. I didn’t want to meet a stranger. But whoever she had in mind was already there.
Ms. Stacy rose from her chair and stepped out of the classroom. I stood up. I thought about bolting, but there was no time for me to escape. She was back within a few seconds.
“Thea, this is my brother, Hank,” Ms. Stacy said, introducing me to the gentleman by her side.
I did one of those forced cheek-smiles and her brother did the same. I don’t know if he looked away first or if it was me, but before we did our eyes met, just for an instant, but it was enough.
My legs buckled under me. I had to grab on to the desk to keep from falling. Ms. Stacy was still talking, but I wasn’t hearing anything she said. I couldn’t breathe.
Hank’s eyes—red and full of anguish—were the same ones that had stared back at me when he knelt next to Charlie’s limp body.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I ran—just like I did after the accident. I ran down the hall, around the corner, and burst out the doors.
“Thea!” Ms. Stacy called after me. “Thea!”
I never stopped.
46
A KNOCK ON OUR DOOR
Even after the terrible things I’d said and the horrible way I’d treated him, Rory still walked home with my sisters and Jack-Jack after he’d seen me running away. Actions speak louder than words, and Rory had just shown he was a much better person than me.
“Call me if you need anything,” I heard him telling my sisters before leaving, which just made me squeeze my pillow and cry harder.
Jack came to my bedroom straightaway and stayed with me, while Liv and Abby left me alone, which made me wonder what else Rory had said to them. My sisters even tried to carry on like normal at dinner that night, pretending everything was fine, but I wasn’t doing a good job playing my part. I was always quiet, but tonight I was distant. Mom did her best to act like she was listening to Liv and Abby; ever since the mystery box she made sure to pay attention, but I saw her exchange pointed looks with Dad. Something was up.
“Everything all right, Thea?” Dad finally asked. “You haven’t eaten a thing, and you’re just pushing your food around your plate.”
Mom turned her attention to me. Here come the twenty questions, I thought. Not that I’d answer any of them, but Mom couldn’t help being concerned. Fortunately, it didn’t come to any of that. Instead, there was an unexpected knock on our door.
I stiffened and Jack-Jack perked up next to my chair.
Mom rose from the table and went to see who it was. She peeked out the window before opening the door. “Oh, it’s Ms. Stacy,” she announced.
“Ms. Stacy!” my sisters cheered, leaving their chairs and running to greet their teacher.
I was gone in a flash, racing to my bedroom, Jack on my heels. I sat on my bed, knees pulled close to my chest, my back pressed against the wall. Jack-Jack rested his head on my hip and I rubbed his ears. We stayed there, waiting. No doubt, my parents would be coming to check on me after Ms. Stacy left.
I was wrong. So wrong.
47
HURT TOGETHER, HEAL TOGETHER
It was Ms. Stacy, not Mom or Dad, who came to my room. She knocked lightly and stepped inside. Jack’s tail thumped against the mattress.
“Hi, Jack-Jack,” she whispered, walking over and petting him. She took a seat on the edge of my bed. “Thea, I’m sorry. After you ran, I realized that I’d gotten ahead of myself and I felt terrible. I still feel terrible. I called your parents and told them what happened and asked if I could come by tonight. I should’ve talked to them first; I should’ve asked you first, or found a gentler way to tell you. It’s just…I’ve seen my brother hurting for a long time now…and you as well. And I think the two of you can help each other, if you talk. That’s all. I’m sorry.”
Silent tears fell from my cheeks. I tried pulling Jack close, but he wiggled free from my grasp and jumped to the floor. He’d never left my side, especially when I was upset. But he walked to my doorway and stopped. He stood there, tail pointed, body erect, staring into the hallway and sniffing the air. And then he started whining and whimpering.
“Oh my gosh. Hey there, little fella,” said a voice outside my bedroom. Hank came into view when he bent down to pet my dog. Jack’s tail wagged like it did for me, his body shaking with excitement. He stood on his hind legs and stretched to kiss Hank’s face.
Hank chuckled. “It’s good to see you too, buddy. I’m sure glad things worked out for you.”
“Hank, do you know this dog?” Ms. Stacy asked.
Hank hugged Jack-Jack and looked over at us. “I sure do. I saved him,” he replied.
Rebecca’s words came rushing back to me. Jack was abandoned at a very young age. And probably because of his lazy eye. But luckily, someone with a good heart stumbled upon him before it was too late.
“You’re the one who found him?” I croaked.
Hank nodded.
I swallowed, fighting the knot in my throat. What were the chances? The same man who’d hit and killed Charlie…had saved Jack-Jack.
“I did all I could, Thea,” he rasped. “I knelt by Charlie’s side, holding him. I kept talking to him until the ambulance came, begging him to be okay. I tried so hard. And I’m so sorry.”
Hank’s voice cracked and then he broke down, burying his face in his hands and sobbing. I’d never seen a grown man cry like that.
Jack-Jack rooted at Hank’s hands, pushing them out of the way so that he could get to his face and lick the tears.
I don’t know where I found the courage—I think it was in trusting Jack-Jack; he was telling me it was okay same as he’d found a way to tell me it was okay to go for a walk, to hide dog poop in Abby’s mystery box, to part with Roscoe, and so many other things—but I slid off my bed and walked across my bedroom and knelt next to Hank. “I’m sorry I ran,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I was so scared…I knew it was bad but I didn’t know what to do. I panicked…and then I ran to get my parents.”
Hank rubbed his eyes. “You don’t need to be sorry, Thea. None of this was your fault.”
He wasn’t the first to tell me that, but it felt different coming from him. Fresh tears streamed down my cheeks, falling and landing on my thighs. “I can’t help thinking it should’ve been me,” I choked.
“That wouldn’t make it any better. Charlie would be here missing you just the same. And I…” He couldn’t finish.
I sniffled. Then I lifted my chin and looked at him. “It’s not your fault, either,” I said. “It was foggy and I know you didn’t see us. You only saw the deer.”
I heard Ms. Stacy’s breath catch. I glanced over and saw her cover her mouth, her eyes welling with tears.
Hank’s jaw trembled. I knew the pain in his face mirrored my own. Slowly, we leaned across the space between us and hugged, squeezing our arms tight, Jack-Jack sandwiched between us.
I’m not sure how long my parents stood in the hallway before coming into my bedroom, but they were by my side after that. “We love you,” Mom whispered, pulling me close.
Dad kissed the top of my head. “We love you, honey.”
An emotional Ms. Stacy joined us on the floor next and held her brother.
Hank and I hurt together and healed together on that night. He was the same man who’d hit and killed Charlie and also saved Jack-Jack. And now our paths were crossing these many months later. There was mystery in that. I think I knew then, but I still wasn’t there yet. I wanted to see it as coincidence. That was easier. I wasn’t ready to believe something bigger.
48
THE HARDWARE STORE
“I need to make a trip to the hardware store,” Dad announced during breakfast a few days later. “The weather forecast has us getting our first big snowfall this week, and I need a new shovel. My old one broke during the move.”
