his lips, eyes lowered. “Jet...I think...I think Liddy overheard us.”
“What?”
“Bobby said that stuff to dad while we were at the hospital. I think I saw Liddy by the restrooms. Which means she heard Bobby.”
“Heard him say what exactly?”
“That you were never serious about her. That she was just your geek girlfriend.”
Jarrett winced. “Well, that explains why she hasn’t tried to call or e-mail me. Okay. Take care of that needle.” He took a moment to give his brother a one-armed hug. “I love you to death, little brother.”
“I love you, too, Jet,” Frankie said back. “And I’m—” He caught his breath. “I’m sorry if I let you down.”
When their father got back late that night, Jarrett was seated at the dining room table, waiting for him.
“Hey, you should be in bed,” his father fondly scolded.
”We need to talk about Frankie.”
“Ah, hell, Jet. What now? Haven’t I been coddling him enough for you?”
Jarrett clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking with anger. He forced himself to speak calmly. “This is for your sake, not his. You keep ragging on him and he’s going to turn on you. He’ll use those brains of his to hurt you.”
“Just like his mother,” his dad remarked bitterly.
“Just like my mother. You’re not allowed to forget that anymore, Dad. I’m Mom’s son, too, and if you’re going to hate Frankie for being half her boy than you’re going to have to hate me, also.”
His father looked stricken and Jarrett released a breath. He’d gotten through to the old man at last.
“On the other side,” he added, “Frankie’s your son as well. You know, there’s a good chance his smarts come from you, not Mom.”
“Yeah, sure,” his father cynically retorted.
“Why not? You think you’re stupid? I don’t think you’re stupid. I do think you’re afraid of appearing stupid, and I’m sick and tired of letting that fear influence my life and Frankie’s.” Jarrett pushed up, an awkward move given his leg brace, but he managed. “Whatever you choose to believe, know that I do mean it this time. You be as appreciative and proud of Frankie for his gifts as you are of mine, or he’ll be coming to live with me, and you’ll only see us on holidays and your birthday.”
He didn’t look back at his father as he made his way to his room, but he heard the intake of breath. He couldn’t feel smug; he didn’t like having to twist his father’s arm, but Frankie was suffocating and Jarrett could no longer turn a blind eye. It was long past time his brother was given a chance to grow into his potential.
Maneuvering on his crutches, he went to his room. He was tired, but there was one last thing he needed to do. He got onto his computer and did a quick search. He found the website he was looking for and with it the information he needed. It was time for him to evolve.
MID-DECEMBER
“The position of the foramen magnum suggests Toumaï was bipedal!” Mark argued.
“That doesn’t make it a predecessor to hominids,” Dion countered.
That was the big debate for PAC that evening, and Liddy really didn’t much care. She sat, curled up on the leather recliner, staring at the three other anthropology students, thinking all the while about Jarrett. She’d written up a dozen e-mails and erased them before ever clicking on Send, while hypocritically checking her inbox for messages. She’d summoned up his number on her cell phone and then lost the courage to actually dial it. But she kept hoping he’d call her. He hadn’t.
He was preoccupied, of course. A healing kneecap and finals week around the corner. Likely, however, he also had no wish to talk to her. Which she could live with so long as she knew there weren’t any bad feelings between them.
Live with it yes, but she still felt like something inside her had been shattered to bits like all the bone fragments she studied. And she doubted there was any way of gluing it back
“What?”
“Bobby said that stuff to dad while we were at the hospital. I think I saw Liddy by the restrooms. Which means she heard Bobby.”
“Heard him say what exactly?”
“That you were never serious about her. That she was just your geek girlfriend.”
Jarrett winced. “Well, that explains why she hasn’t tried to call or e-mail me. Okay. Take care of that needle.” He took a moment to give his brother a one-armed hug. “I love you to death, little brother.”
“I love you, too, Jet,” Frankie said back. “And I’m—” He caught his breath. “I’m sorry if I let you down.”
When their father got back late that night, Jarrett was seated at the dining room table, waiting for him.
“Hey, you should be in bed,” his father fondly scolded.
”We need to talk about Frankie.”
“Ah, hell, Jet. What now? Haven’t I been coddling him enough for you?”
Jarrett clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking with anger. He forced himself to speak calmly. “This is for your sake, not his. You keep ragging on him and he’s going to turn on you. He’ll use those brains of his to hurt you.”
“Just like his mother,” his dad remarked bitterly.
“Just like my mother. You’re not allowed to forget that anymore, Dad. I’m Mom’s son, too, and if you’re going to hate Frankie for being half her boy than you’re going to have to hate me, also.”
His father looked stricken and Jarrett released a breath. He’d gotten through to the old man at last.
“On the other side,” he added, “Frankie’s your son as well. You know, there’s a good chance his smarts come from you, not Mom.”
“Yeah, sure,” his father cynically retorted.
“Why not? You think you’re stupid? I don’t think you’re stupid. I do think you’re afraid of appearing stupid, and I’m sick and tired of letting that fear influence my life and Frankie’s.” Jarrett pushed up, an awkward move given his leg brace, but he managed. “Whatever you choose to believe, know that I do mean it this time. You be as appreciative and proud of Frankie for his gifts as you are of mine, or he’ll be coming to live with me, and you’ll only see us on holidays and your birthday.”
He didn’t look back at his father as he made his way to his room, but he heard the intake of breath. He couldn’t feel smug; he didn’t like having to twist his father’s arm, but Frankie was suffocating and Jarrett could no longer turn a blind eye. It was long past time his brother was given a chance to grow into his potential.
Maneuvering on his crutches, he went to his room. He was tired, but there was one last thing he needed to do. He got onto his computer and did a quick search. He found the website he was looking for and with it the information he needed. It was time for him to evolve.
MID-DECEMBER
“The position of the foramen magnum suggests Toumaï was bipedal!” Mark argued.
“That doesn’t make it a predecessor to hominids,” Dion countered.
That was the big debate for PAC that evening, and Liddy really didn’t much care. She sat, curled up on the leather recliner, staring at the three other anthropology students, thinking all the while about Jarrett. She’d written up a dozen e-mails and erased them before ever clicking on Send, while hypocritically checking her inbox for messages. She’d summoned up his number on her cell phone and then lost the courage to actually dial it. But she kept hoping he’d call her. He hadn’t.
He was preoccupied, of course. A healing kneecap and finals week around the corner. Likely, however, he also had no wish to talk to her. Which she could live with so long as she knew there weren’t any bad feelings between them.
Live with it yes, but she still felt like something inside her had been shattered to bits like all the bone fragments she studied. And she doubted there was any way of gluing it back
Similar Books
