Read Online Colin Fischer by Zack Stentz, Ashley Edward Miller - Free Book Online

necessary,” the uniformed officer said. He looked at the detective, who shrugged in a way that reminded Colin of his father. “I think we’re good here.”
    Dinnertime at the Fischer house was considered sacrosanct.
    Mrs. Fischer had insisted for as long as Colin could remember that dinner wasn’t just a time to eat, but a time to communicate. She seemed unimpressed by Colin’s insistence that speaking and eating at the same time made both take longer, although she conceded that at no time would anyone be required to speak with his mouth full. This seemed to placate him and partly explained why Colin chewed slowly, carefully, and constantly. The rest was explained by Colin’s insistence that it was good for digestion.
    As a result, Colin communicated very little during meals. It wasn’t unusual for him to spend the entire time dishing large helpings of food onto his plate (divided into their own sectors, which weren’t allowed to touch) and say little more than “please,” “thank you,” or “excuse me.” Tonight was no different.
    What was very different was the tension in the air as Colin tucked into a plate of lemon chicken and savory rice. Dinner was on the table early that night. An emergency community meeting had been called at West Valley High School so Dr. Doran could addresswhat she called “the crisis.” Colin’s father wasn’t even home yet.
    Danny was buzzing with the news of the day. To him, it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened anywhere. “I heard it was a point forty-four magnum,” he chirped, “and that some dude was shooting at the lunch lady—”
    “Enough,” his mother snapped. Danny fell quiet. Colin could see she was WORRIED . Usually, his mother attempted to disguise emotions she thought might upset her sons. The fact that she wasn’t even trying in this case was very interesting.
    Colin was chewing his last bite of chicken and carrying his plate to the sink when his father appeared at the back door. Mr. Fischer didn’t look WORRIED , but ANGRY . Then he saw Colin and smiled. It took Colin a moment to identify his father’s RELIEF .
    “Hey, buddy,” Mr. Fischer said.
    “Hello,” Colin said, dutifully rinsing his dirty dishes and placing them into the dishwasher rack.
    Mrs. Fischer checked her watch. “We’re gonna be late.”
    “Best I could do,” he answered.
    “I know your team is under the gun.” She winced, realizing what she just said. “Sorry, bad choice of words.”
    “Are you kidding?” Mr. Fischer heaped food ontoa plate. “I spent half the day telling everybody Colin wasn’t involved.”
    “Can I go out back now?” Colin asked. He very much wanted to put in some trampoline time before the assembly. There was thinking to be done.
    Mrs. Fischer checked her watch again. She was a project manager at NASA, and Colin knew that time mattered to her differently than it did to most people. “Fifteen minutes. Then we’ve gotta go.”
    The door slammed shut as Colin disappeared into the backyard.
    “He
wasn’t
involved, was he?” Mr. Fischer asked.
    “God, no.”
    Through the open kitchen window, Colin popped into view. He seemed to hover in midair a moment, then dropped back out of sight.
    “Do I have to go?” Danny asked. His shoulders slumped.
    “Five minutes ago, this was the most exciting thing you’d ever heard,” Mrs. Fischer reminded him.
    Colin popped up again, this time with his feet splayed out in front of him—an unstable configuration. He tumbled slightly as he disappeared.
    “Guns are exciting,” Danny explained. “Talking about them isn’t.”
    In the backyard, Colin bounced rhythmically on his trampoline.
Up-down…Up-down…
His parents andDanny went in and out of sight, their voices muted but audible. To Colin, it was as if the kitchen window were a television screen, and he could watch his family on it. He closed his eyes. For a moment there was only the darkness and the soft, regular squeak of the trampoline