Read Online Here by Denise Grover Swank - Free Book Online Page B

boy push her at recess and he ran over to stop him, but the girl had already shoved the other boy to the ground. But she saw the boy run over to help her and she smiled at him. He was a goner.”
    “
Who was the little girl? Sarah?”
    He scowls with a snort. “No.” He looks up into my eyes. “The girl left him for awhile and he was devastated. Then one day, he found out where she was.”
    “
Did he go to her?”
    “
He moved heaven and hell to get there.”
    “
Who is she?” I whisper.
    But he only looks at me until he clears his throat. “Nope, that’s my story. You never said I had to mention names.”
    “
That wasn’t about you and that was the rule. It had to be about you.”
    “
I assure you it’s about me and if you think about it long enough, maybe you’ll figure out who she is.” He leans back in his chair. “Time to get back to work. Let me know if you need any help.”
    I scour my brain, searching for memories of Evan but they’re all fuzzy. I still doubt his truthfulness but realize he’s not going to volunteer any answers right now. I pull out my notebook and it falls open to a page full of my drawings.
    Evan leans forward. “What’s that?”
    Covering it with my hand, I slide it toward my backpack. “It’s just doodling. I started doing this after the accident.”
    He reaches for it and stops. “Can I see?”
    I hesitate. No one’s seen my drawings. But the gentleness in his eyes is reassuring and I slowly slide it toward him. “Sure, it’s just doodles. I don’t even think about it when I draw. It just flows out.”
    He pulls it closer to look, then sucks in his breath. “You don’t know what this is?”
    “
No. Do you?”
    His face is paler than usual and after a moment of hesitation, he nods.
    “
What is it?”
    Evan scoots the notebook between the two of us. “See this? It’s a Celtic love knot.” His finger traces a scroll design in the middle. The lines on the page are so intricately woven it’s difficult to make out. Finally, two elaborate interwoven hearts jump out, one upside down on the other.
    “
I didn’t even know I was doing this,” I whisper. “I can’t believe I drew that.”
    “
Why not? You’re an artist.”
    I purse my lips and shake my head. “No. I don’t know why I said that last night. I wasn’t lying, though. It just slipped out.”
    His lips part as he stares at me in disbelief. “But you can draw. Look at this.” He points to the paper.
    “
No, I only started doing this after the accident. I could never draw anything before.”
    He sits back in his chair in silence.
    “
You said this was a Celtic knot. I thought Celtic knots were three interwoven triangles, not two hearts.”
    After a couple seconds, he sits straighter. “Um…” He rubs a hand over his face. “Celtic knots have lots of different shapes and styles. Triangles usually represent the Holy Trinity. This is a love knot, which is why it has two hearts. The lines don’t have a beginning or an end. It represents a timeless love.”
    “
How do you know about Celtic knots?”
    He pauses, then, for the first time since he saw the page, he smiles. “I’m Irish. Part of my heritage.”
    “
Whittaker doesn’t sound very Irish.”
    “
I’m Irish on my mother’s side.”
    “
Lucky you. I’m German. You get St. Patrick’s Day and Celtic folklore. I get wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut.”
    The smile disappears. “You’re different.”
    Dread creeps in. “I thought that was obvious.” My words are clipped.
    “
Wait. That’s not what I meant.”
    Pulling the notebook away, I close the cover. “That’s okay. I know what I am.”
    “
And what exactly do you think you are?”
    I heave a sigh. “A freak.”
    He grabs my chin and turns my head to face him. His eyes narrow and he looks angry. “You’re not a freak and don’t you let anyone make you think you are. You’ve been through hell.”
    The courage to ask the question burning in my gut erupts. “Why now, Evan?