makes me wonder what she would be by now if she hadn’t spent her life flying under her father’s radar and dodging the slings and arrows of her peers. A monstrous weight has been lifted.
“Tell me this wasn’t a good idea,” I say now, leaningback on the steps and staring at the moon rising through the trees, nearly full.
“It was a good idea, Angus. I’m sorry I doubted you.” She laughs. “I’ll never doubt you again, Angus.” Clearly she’s retained her command of the facetious uppercut. Sarah Byrnes will doubt me on a regular basis.
“I guess you won’t,” I say anyway.
A little girl whose name I don’t know walks onto the porch. She’s maybe six or seven.
“Hey, Amanda,” Sarah says.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Wanna come sit with us?”
“Uh-huh.”
She feels her way toward us, sits on the far side of Sarah from me.
“This is Angus.”
Amanda says, “Hi, Angus.”
I say hi back.
“Angus works with the bigger kids.”
“Can he see?”
“He can see, but he has everything else wrong with him.”
Amanda turns toward me. “What all’s wrong with you, Angus?”
“I snore. I drool. I eat children.”
“Huh- uh! ”
“Sometimes I don’t go to the bathroom for a month.”
Amanda giggles, turns to Sarah. “They said the moon was big tonight.”
“Very big,” she says. “Almost a full moon.”
“What does it look like?”
“Well, it’s round, and very bright. It seems warm. If we were closer, it would be much bigger, but from here it’s about this big—can I show you with your hands?”
“Yes.”
“Point your fingers.”
Amanda extends her fingers. Sarah takes her forearms, points those fingers toward the moon, and draws a perfect circle around it. “It has lots of bumps and lines where the ground is uneven. You know, mountains and valleys and things like that. Like the ground here, only without bushes or trees.” Sarah looks at me and smiles. “It’s shiny,” she says.
Amanda nods.
We sit on the porch awhile. Amanda leans into the crook of Sarah’s arm. After a bit, she says, “Sarah?”
“Yeah?
“Can I touch your face? I forget what you look like.”
“Of course,” Sarah says, and turns toward her. Sarah Byrnes is so fucking brave.
Amanda touches her softly, traces her tiny fingers along Sarah’s scars, cups Sarah’s chin in her palms. She feels around Sarah’s eyes, and Sarah closes them and smiles. Amanda touches her smile and traces her lips. She withdraws her hands and giggles slightly.
“What?” Sarah giggles back.
“Sarah Byrnes has a face like the moon.”
Nak’s Notes
First Impressions
Transcribed directly from digital recorder
N AME : Montana West (no fooling)
A GE : 17
R EASONS TO BE PISSED: Daddy’s chairman of the school board; that there by itself would piss most kids off. Adopted; early childhood abandonment. Locked in a power struggle with her daddy, who don’t leave her much wiggle room. Passive momma. (That’s a bad combo.)
S IGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS: Real perty; don’t know what to do with it. Personal exterior decoration. Writes real good. Maybe a little identity trouble.
C OPING SKILLS: Does that thing they call goth—all kinds of metal in her—famous tattoo, likes to use the school newspaper like a weapon. Another smart one. Kinda in your face.
P ROGNOSIS: Look the hell out. She’s gonna be just fine.
N AME : Trey Chase
A GE : 17
R EASONS TO BE PISSED: Not a lot. This boy don’t seem to let a lot get under his skin. Lost his parents.
S IGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS: Dead-on handsome, got that bad-boy thing going. Good athlete. Might be smart but ain’t gonna let you see it.
C OPING SKILLS: Seems to soothe his savage self with the company of the ladies, sits back and checks things out, doesn’t show his hand real quick.
P ROGNOSIS: This boy could be president.
“M ontana, we’re going to have to change the lead story.”
“Change it how?”
“Dump it. We ran
“Tell me this wasn’t a good idea,” I say now, leaningback on the steps and staring at the moon rising through the trees, nearly full.
“It was a good idea, Angus. I’m sorry I doubted you.” She laughs. “I’ll never doubt you again, Angus.” Clearly she’s retained her command of the facetious uppercut. Sarah Byrnes will doubt me on a regular basis.
“I guess you won’t,” I say anyway.
A little girl whose name I don’t know walks onto the porch. She’s maybe six or seven.
“Hey, Amanda,” Sarah says.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Wanna come sit with us?”
“Uh-huh.”
She feels her way toward us, sits on the far side of Sarah from me.
“This is Angus.”
Amanda says, “Hi, Angus.”
I say hi back.
“Angus works with the bigger kids.”
“Can he see?”
“He can see, but he has everything else wrong with him.”
Amanda turns toward me. “What all’s wrong with you, Angus?”
“I snore. I drool. I eat children.”
“Huh- uh! ”
“Sometimes I don’t go to the bathroom for a month.”
Amanda giggles, turns to Sarah. “They said the moon was big tonight.”
“Very big,” she says. “Almost a full moon.”
“What does it look like?”
“Well, it’s round, and very bright. It seems warm. If we were closer, it would be much bigger, but from here it’s about this big—can I show you with your hands?”
“Yes.”
“Point your fingers.”
Amanda extends her fingers. Sarah takes her forearms, points those fingers toward the moon, and draws a perfect circle around it. “It has lots of bumps and lines where the ground is uneven. You know, mountains and valleys and things like that. Like the ground here, only without bushes or trees.” Sarah looks at me and smiles. “It’s shiny,” she says.
Amanda nods.
We sit on the porch awhile. Amanda leans into the crook of Sarah’s arm. After a bit, she says, “Sarah?”
“Yeah?
“Can I touch your face? I forget what you look like.”
“Of course,” Sarah says, and turns toward her. Sarah Byrnes is so fucking brave.
Amanda touches her softly, traces her tiny fingers along Sarah’s scars, cups Sarah’s chin in her palms. She feels around Sarah’s eyes, and Sarah closes them and smiles. Amanda touches her smile and traces her lips. She withdraws her hands and giggles slightly.
“What?” Sarah giggles back.
“Sarah Byrnes has a face like the moon.”
Nak’s Notes
First Impressions
Transcribed directly from digital recorder
N AME : Montana West (no fooling)
A GE : 17
R EASONS TO BE PISSED: Daddy’s chairman of the school board; that there by itself would piss most kids off. Adopted; early childhood abandonment. Locked in a power struggle with her daddy, who don’t leave her much wiggle room. Passive momma. (That’s a bad combo.)
S IGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS: Real perty; don’t know what to do with it. Personal exterior decoration. Writes real good. Maybe a little identity trouble.
C OPING SKILLS: Does that thing they call goth—all kinds of metal in her—famous tattoo, likes to use the school newspaper like a weapon. Another smart one. Kinda in your face.
P ROGNOSIS: Look the hell out. She’s gonna be just fine.
N AME : Trey Chase
A GE : 17
R EASONS TO BE PISSED: Not a lot. This boy don’t seem to let a lot get under his skin. Lost his parents.
S IGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS: Dead-on handsome, got that bad-boy thing going. Good athlete. Might be smart but ain’t gonna let you see it.
C OPING SKILLS: Seems to soothe his savage self with the company of the ladies, sits back and checks things out, doesn’t show his hand real quick.
P ROGNOSIS: This boy could be president.
“M ontana, we’re going to have to change the lead story.”
“Change it how?”
“Dump it. We ran
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