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Authors: Naomi Kinsman
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“I’ll chaperone.”
I’d expected Grant to be humiliating, but so far, he’d only been helpful.
“I’ll go call her mom to make sure it’s okay.” Grant walked out to talk to Pips.
“What’s going on?” Alice asked, back from the dressing rooms with Bri and Juliet.
“That better not be Rickey out there.” Juliet glared out the window.
The girls paid for their tank tops, and I bought the bobby pins, and then we all went out to join Pips and the boys. Grant hung up from his conversation with Alexis.
“You guys can come along if you want,” he said to the boys.
Rickey looked like he wanted to make a snide comment, but he must have thought better of it. He took one look at Grant and closed his mouth.
“We better go if we want to buy popcorn and sour patch kids.” Pippa checked her watch.
“Is Jason coming?” Bri asked Ryan.
Ryan leaned back on his heels and smiled, a good smile that made me instantly like him. He had wavy brown hair that he wore a little long, and the freckles on his nose matched Pippa’s.
“I called him, but he wasn’t super excited about the girly movie,” Ryan said.
“Sour Patch Kids?” Pips had already started walking. “I can’t watch a movie without them.”
The movie theatre was at the other end of the mall. When we finally arrived, and after we waited through the endless ticket line, Pips led us to the candy counter.
“Want some worms, Juliet?” Rickey asked.
She brushed past him and went for a soda. Apparently, her strategy was “pretend he’s not here.” The rest of us loaded up on popcorn and candy, and then we searched for our theatre.
Grant sat a few rows behind us to give us a little space. Pips, Ryan, and Rickey shared a bucket of popcorn, and the other girls had a bucket too. No big deal, it wasn’t like they meant to leave me out. Still, every tiny lonely moment felt like a big deal, just now. I wished Andrew were here. Or even Ruth or Frankie. But the only person I had was my super-nanny. Grant’s watchful eyes burned into the back of my head. I slumped down in my seat and pretended to be very interested in choosing Jelly Belly flavors until the lights lowered.
All I had to do was survive the movie. Afterwards, we’d take the girls home, and I could go draw. I wished I could bring my sketchbook with me everywhere, so that even here, in the dark, I could draw when I needed to. But sketching at a movie would only prove how different from the others I was, and right now I felt alien enough.
A pack of boy-crazy girls chased a superhero across the screen, squealing.
“I bet Grant’s loving that,” I said.
Pips snorted. “I’m sure he loves squealing.”
I threw a smile back at him, and I swear he smiled back. So. Swat-guy could smile.
Chapter 10
Confidential
D ad was working at home today, and Grant was over to walk Higgins, so the kitchen was crowded at lunch. Mom, Dad, Grant, and I sat at the table eating sandwiches. Higgins chowed down on a rawhide bone, since technically he only ate breakfast and dinner.
I ripped off some lettuce and nibbled, wondering how to make Grant smile again. Yesterday at the movies, he’d seemed almost human. If I could make him smile in front of my parents, that would be a true victory.
While I was still weighing options, Dad’s cell phone rang. He made an apologetic face and pushed back in his chair.
“I’m sorry, who is this?” After listening for a moment, he shook his head. “No. I have no statement. The case is confidential.”
Anger tightened at the corner of his lips as he continued to listen.
“I’m sorry to hear that. No. I have no public statement.” He hung up, put the phone back into his pocket, and took his nearly uneaten sandwich to the sink.
“Where are you going?” Mom asked.
“I need to go back to the office,” Dad said. “Grant, can you please stay tonight until I’m home? It may be after dinner. Call for take out or something, Cindy. And save me some, please.”
He
I’d expected Grant to be humiliating, but so far, he’d only been helpful.
“I’ll go call her mom to make sure it’s okay.” Grant walked out to talk to Pips.
“What’s going on?” Alice asked, back from the dressing rooms with Bri and Juliet.
“That better not be Rickey out there.” Juliet glared out the window.
The girls paid for their tank tops, and I bought the bobby pins, and then we all went out to join Pips and the boys. Grant hung up from his conversation with Alexis.
“You guys can come along if you want,” he said to the boys.
Rickey looked like he wanted to make a snide comment, but he must have thought better of it. He took one look at Grant and closed his mouth.
“We better go if we want to buy popcorn and sour patch kids.” Pippa checked her watch.
“Is Jason coming?” Bri asked Ryan.
Ryan leaned back on his heels and smiled, a good smile that made me instantly like him. He had wavy brown hair that he wore a little long, and the freckles on his nose matched Pippa’s.
“I called him, but he wasn’t super excited about the girly movie,” Ryan said.
“Sour Patch Kids?” Pips had already started walking. “I can’t watch a movie without them.”
The movie theatre was at the other end of the mall. When we finally arrived, and after we waited through the endless ticket line, Pips led us to the candy counter.
“Want some worms, Juliet?” Rickey asked.
She brushed past him and went for a soda. Apparently, her strategy was “pretend he’s not here.” The rest of us loaded up on popcorn and candy, and then we searched for our theatre.
Grant sat a few rows behind us to give us a little space. Pips, Ryan, and Rickey shared a bucket of popcorn, and the other girls had a bucket too. No big deal, it wasn’t like they meant to leave me out. Still, every tiny lonely moment felt like a big deal, just now. I wished Andrew were here. Or even Ruth or Frankie. But the only person I had was my super-nanny. Grant’s watchful eyes burned into the back of my head. I slumped down in my seat and pretended to be very interested in choosing Jelly Belly flavors until the lights lowered.
All I had to do was survive the movie. Afterwards, we’d take the girls home, and I could go draw. I wished I could bring my sketchbook with me everywhere, so that even here, in the dark, I could draw when I needed to. But sketching at a movie would only prove how different from the others I was, and right now I felt alien enough.
A pack of boy-crazy girls chased a superhero across the screen, squealing.
“I bet Grant’s loving that,” I said.
Pips snorted. “I’m sure he loves squealing.”
I threw a smile back at him, and I swear he smiled back. So. Swat-guy could smile.
Chapter 10
Confidential
D ad was working at home today, and Grant was over to walk Higgins, so the kitchen was crowded at lunch. Mom, Dad, Grant, and I sat at the table eating sandwiches. Higgins chowed down on a rawhide bone, since technically he only ate breakfast and dinner.
I ripped off some lettuce and nibbled, wondering how to make Grant smile again. Yesterday at the movies, he’d seemed almost human. If I could make him smile in front of my parents, that would be a true victory.
While I was still weighing options, Dad’s cell phone rang. He made an apologetic face and pushed back in his chair.
“I’m sorry, who is this?” After listening for a moment, he shook his head. “No. I have no statement. The case is confidential.”
Anger tightened at the corner of his lips as he continued to listen.
“I’m sorry to hear that. No. I have no public statement.” He hung up, put the phone back into his pocket, and took his nearly uneaten sandwich to the sink.
“Where are you going?” Mom asked.
“I need to go back to the office,” Dad said. “Grant, can you please stay tonight until I’m home? It may be after dinner. Call for take out or something, Cindy. And save me some, please.”
He
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