through me. He was really close to being mean about Jessica again, and I didn’t want to hear it.
“Is your uncle coming over tomorrow?” I asked, trying not to make it seem like a big deal. “You said he was, right?”
He shook his head. “Nah. Next week for sure. I gotta go to my father’s dump again. My mom’s working the whole long weekend. Can you believe it?”
That’s right. It was Columbus Day on Monday. My family always took a long car ride and looked for pumpkins up in the country. “That stinks,” I said. I shrugged a little and tried not to make it any worse. I knew something was going on.
“Here’s
The Human Torch,
” he said, digging into his backpack, then holding up four or five comics. “I thought they’d be better from the way my dad talked about them. Anyway, they’re only okay. This one’s the best. You can have them. I have some more at home, too. I don’t have to go to the city until morning. You coming over now?”
I took the comics but didn’t feel like going. I was tired and didn’t want to hear Jeff say anything about Jessica, and then find myself laughing five minutes later at some doofus thing he did.
“I can’t,” I said, trying to think of something. “I’ve sort of got stuff to do…. I have this church thing of my mom’s after school. She signed me up to help.”
“Are you kidding? What are you going to do there?”
I shrugged. “I don’t even know.”
When they started calling buses, and Jeff went into the hall to his locker along with some other kids, Mrs. Tracy called me up to her desk.
“Would you please take Jessica’s homework to her?” she said. “And her math book? She left before I remembered to send the assignments home with her. I want her to have them for the long weekend.”
Talk about off-the-wall. I guess I looked surprised. “What?”
“You’re just a few houses away from where she lives, aren’t you?” she asked, waiting. “Or are you busy after school? Do you have something to do?”
I couldn’t tell her the church thing because she’d know there was no church thing. “Um … okay,” I said finally. “I mean no, I don’t think I have anything. I guess I can take it.”
“Great. Would you find her math book while I write a note?” She sat down to write while I went to Jessica’s desk and reached under the seat.
“You’re taking stuff to Jessica?”
I looked up. It was Courtney. She had paused on her way to the lockers.
I was surprised. “Yeah. I live nearby.”
“Right,” she said. “Nice.”
Nice? What was this? And right? Did Courtney even know where I lived?
“Don’t forget the workbook,” she added.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” I dug out the math book and the workbook underneath it. When I looked up, Courtney had already gone. Jeff was standing there instead.
“Church thing, huh?”
“Well, yeah, but Mrs. Tracy…” I wanted to say something more, but Jeff turned and went straight back into the hall. The office secretary announced our bus over the PA and I got Mrs. Tracy’s note and quickly followed everybody out.
Chapter 13
On the bus, Jeff swung into a seat up front that already had someone sitting by the window. I went to our usual seat in the back. When his stop came, he ran off to his house without looking back. One stop later, I got off and headed straight to the condo development where Jessica lived.
It was small, as developments go; just five houses tucked into what were probably originally people’s backyards. Each house was divided into two side-by-side units with two different families living in them.
As I approached number seven, I noticed a man standing in the side doorway near the garage. He was dressed in a flannel shirt and was reaching up inside over the door, moving his arm from side to side. It was the man in the picture who I had seen taking Jessica to and from school.
When he lowered his hand, which had a wet rag in it, he also lowered his eyes and saw me.
“Yes?” he
“Is your uncle coming over tomorrow?” I asked, trying not to make it seem like a big deal. “You said he was, right?”
He shook his head. “Nah. Next week for sure. I gotta go to my father’s dump again. My mom’s working the whole long weekend. Can you believe it?”
That’s right. It was Columbus Day on Monday. My family always took a long car ride and looked for pumpkins up in the country. “That stinks,” I said. I shrugged a little and tried not to make it any worse. I knew something was going on.
“Here’s
The Human Torch,
” he said, digging into his backpack, then holding up four or five comics. “I thought they’d be better from the way my dad talked about them. Anyway, they’re only okay. This one’s the best. You can have them. I have some more at home, too. I don’t have to go to the city until morning. You coming over now?”
I took the comics but didn’t feel like going. I was tired and didn’t want to hear Jeff say anything about Jessica, and then find myself laughing five minutes later at some doofus thing he did.
“I can’t,” I said, trying to think of something. “I’ve sort of got stuff to do…. I have this church thing of my mom’s after school. She signed me up to help.”
“Are you kidding? What are you going to do there?”
I shrugged. “I don’t even know.”
When they started calling buses, and Jeff went into the hall to his locker along with some other kids, Mrs. Tracy called me up to her desk.
“Would you please take Jessica’s homework to her?” she said. “And her math book? She left before I remembered to send the assignments home with her. I want her to have them for the long weekend.”
Talk about off-the-wall. I guess I looked surprised. “What?”
“You’re just a few houses away from where she lives, aren’t you?” she asked, waiting. “Or are you busy after school? Do you have something to do?”
I couldn’t tell her the church thing because she’d know there was no church thing. “Um … okay,” I said finally. “I mean no, I don’t think I have anything. I guess I can take it.”
“Great. Would you find her math book while I write a note?” She sat down to write while I went to Jessica’s desk and reached under the seat.
“You’re taking stuff to Jessica?”
I looked up. It was Courtney. She had paused on her way to the lockers.
I was surprised. “Yeah. I live nearby.”
“Right,” she said. “Nice.”
Nice? What was this? And right? Did Courtney even know where I lived?
“Don’t forget the workbook,” she added.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” I dug out the math book and the workbook underneath it. When I looked up, Courtney had already gone. Jeff was standing there instead.
“Church thing, huh?”
“Well, yeah, but Mrs. Tracy…” I wanted to say something more, but Jeff turned and went straight back into the hall. The office secretary announced our bus over the PA and I got Mrs. Tracy’s note and quickly followed everybody out.
Chapter 13
On the bus, Jeff swung into a seat up front that already had someone sitting by the window. I went to our usual seat in the back. When his stop came, he ran off to his house without looking back. One stop later, I got off and headed straight to the condo development where Jessica lived.
It was small, as developments go; just five houses tucked into what were probably originally people’s backyards. Each house was divided into two side-by-side units with two different families living in them.
As I approached number seven, I noticed a man standing in the side doorway near the garage. He was dressed in a flannel shirt and was reaching up inside over the door, moving his arm from side to side. It was the man in the picture who I had seen taking Jessica to and from school.
When he lowered his hand, which had a wet rag in it, he also lowered his eyes and saw me.
“Yes?” he
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