Read Online Before There Were Angels by Sarah Mathews - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Mathews
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were for losers, but in this respect Zack and Stevie were confident that they were anything but losers, refuting Belle’s argument by declaring dismissively that the only people at school who were considered losers were those who read books. Sure, it helped if you pla yed football, and that they did - well.
It was good to be alone with Stevie for a change. He rarely spoke to me normally. He may even have resented Belle leaving Robert and then getting stuck with me, not that he was ever hostile towards me, only evasive. He immediately got into his game, while I pulled o ut my laptop and did some work.
“I’m bored,” Stevie said.
“It is boring,” I confirmed.
“Anything to drink?”
“Coke.”
“Thanks. Anything to eat?”
“Pizza.”
“Thanks.”
I looked at the tense faces in the line around me. “This is amazing,” I said. “I have never seen anything like it.”
“We did it two years ago ,” said Stevie. “In Phoenix. It was worse there. We had to stay in the store until four before we could pay and leave. Zack wanted a Wii. Mom was pissed. She said Wiis were only for pussies. ‘Call me a pussy, then,’ Zack said. I got my iPod, this one,” he added, pulling his iPod out from his pocket and surveying it admiringly.
“I’ve never seen you two on the Wii.”
“We never use it. Mom was telling the truth when she said it was for pussies. Zack just wanted it because Mom didn’t want him to have it. Zack and Mom were always fighting then, Mom and Dad too. It’s a lot better now.”
This was the first compliment I had ever had from Stevie or Zack, a night of firsts.
“Thank you.”
Stevie looked at me, surprised. “It’ s so much better with you and Mom. You don’t argue. You love each other. We can do our own stuff and not worry all the time about what’s going to happen.”
I moved to hug him but he kept his distance. We w eren’t there yet - maybe never - but it was going in the right direction.
* * *
We weren’t out of the store until nearly 1:00 a.m., with me carrying a seven foot high artificial Christmas tree - the City of San Francisco was begging everyone not to buy real ones. Stevie carried the iPads and Belle had the sheets.
After waiting in another line, we managed to get on the California Street cable car which took us most of the way home, but it was after 2:30 before we got there.
As we approached the house, we could hear George barking, somewhat frantically, I thought at the time.
“George is glad to have us home,” said Belle. “Zack probably hasn’t fed him.”
I unlocked the door and Stevie rushed in ahead of Belle, shouting, “Zack, I’ve got it, I’ve got it”, only to be blocked by George who leapt up at him and scrabbled at his chest - very strange behavior for George.
“Zack!” Stevie called again, and stopped. He dropped both iPads onto the floor.
“Hey,” I said, “you ’ll break them,” but Belle was pushing past me with panic in her eyes, sensing there was something very wrong.
Zack was in the hallway. Silent.
To be more precise, he was a couple of feet above the hallway, hanging from a rope strung around the banister of the upstairs landing.
For the first time in his short life, he was not playing any sort of joke or prank on us.
He was not playing at all. He wasn’t anything anymore except a body ha nging from a rope with an agonized expression in his eyes and his blue tongue lolling out.
Belle rushed at him. “Oh my God!” she shrieked, this time as a Catholic, this time in irreparable despair.
;We are not supposed to live to bury our children,’ as my own mother used to say.
Stevie was stock still, staring. In that moment he had lost everything that mattered to him in the whole world, including himself.
Chapter 13
I ran into the kitchen, seized a carving knife, rocketed up the stairs, bumping against Zack, and cut him down from the landing.
You have to do something even when there is nothing to
It was good to be alone with Stevie for a change. He rarely spoke to me normally. He may even have resented Belle leaving Robert and then getting stuck with me, not that he was ever hostile towards me, only evasive. He immediately got into his game, while I pulled o ut my laptop and did some work.
“I’m bored,” Stevie said.
“It is boring,” I confirmed.
“Anything to drink?”
“Coke.”
“Thanks. Anything to eat?”
“Pizza.”
“Thanks.”
I looked at the tense faces in the line around me. “This is amazing,” I said. “I have never seen anything like it.”
“We did it two years ago ,” said Stevie. “In Phoenix. It was worse there. We had to stay in the store until four before we could pay and leave. Zack wanted a Wii. Mom was pissed. She said Wiis were only for pussies. ‘Call me a pussy, then,’ Zack said. I got my iPod, this one,” he added, pulling his iPod out from his pocket and surveying it admiringly.
“I’ve never seen you two on the Wii.”
“We never use it. Mom was telling the truth when she said it was for pussies. Zack just wanted it because Mom didn’t want him to have it. Zack and Mom were always fighting then, Mom and Dad too. It’s a lot better now.”
This was the first compliment I had ever had from Stevie or Zack, a night of firsts.
“Thank you.”
Stevie looked at me, surprised. “It’ s so much better with you and Mom. You don’t argue. You love each other. We can do our own stuff and not worry all the time about what’s going to happen.”
I moved to hug him but he kept his distance. We w eren’t there yet - maybe never - but it was going in the right direction.
* * *
We weren’t out of the store until nearly 1:00 a.m., with me carrying a seven foot high artificial Christmas tree - the City of San Francisco was begging everyone not to buy real ones. Stevie carried the iPads and Belle had the sheets.
After waiting in another line, we managed to get on the California Street cable car which took us most of the way home, but it was after 2:30 before we got there.
As we approached the house, we could hear George barking, somewhat frantically, I thought at the time.
“George is glad to have us home,” said Belle. “Zack probably hasn’t fed him.”
I unlocked the door and Stevie rushed in ahead of Belle, shouting, “Zack, I’ve got it, I’ve got it”, only to be blocked by George who leapt up at him and scrabbled at his chest - very strange behavior for George.
“Zack!” Stevie called again, and stopped. He dropped both iPads onto the floor.
“Hey,” I said, “you ’ll break them,” but Belle was pushing past me with panic in her eyes, sensing there was something very wrong.
Zack was in the hallway. Silent.
To be more precise, he was a couple of feet above the hallway, hanging from a rope strung around the banister of the upstairs landing.
For the first time in his short life, he was not playing any sort of joke or prank on us.
He was not playing at all. He wasn’t anything anymore except a body ha nging from a rope with an agonized expression in his eyes and his blue tongue lolling out.
Belle rushed at him. “Oh my God!” she shrieked, this time as a Catholic, this time in irreparable despair.
;We are not supposed to live to bury our children,’ as my own mother used to say.
Stevie was stock still, staring. In that moment he had lost everything that mattered to him in the whole world, including himself.
Chapter 13
I ran into the kitchen, seized a carving knife, rocketed up the stairs, bumping against Zack, and cut him down from the landing.
You have to do something even when there is nothing to
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