Read Online The Return by Christopher Pike - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Pike
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the deal, Mom?"
Her mother sighed. "Maybe this is not the time to talk about this. You go see him. Do what you can for him. We'll talk later."
Jean stood and looked down at her. "I'll feel the same later. I love him. I didn't know that before, even when I slept with him, but I know now. Maybe my love can't heal him. Maybe I just lied to Teddy and there isn't any magic in this world. But at least my love makes him whole in my eyes. Lenny is not half a man." She turned away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll wait outside for Carol. She's supposed to pick me up in a few minutes."
Her mother sounded sad. "I don't want to fight with you, Jean. I just want to protect you."
Jean paused at the door. "I know that. We're not fighting. We're just—arguing."
She opened the door.
"Have a nice day, Mama. I don't know when I'll be home."
While waiting for Carol, Jean reflected on why those close to her were saying she had changed. There was truth in their comments. Despite Lenny's serious injury and her own wounds, she did feel lighter. Each morning she woke up anxious to start the day. Why, even the sun was brighter, the sky bluer. It was as if she had refound a childhood innocence she couldn't remember ever having enjoyed. Plus her head was filled with strange ideas she had never had before. She kept thinking of the stars and planets, dreaming of ancient civilizations, imagining vast supernatural dramas. She had begun to jot down her thoughts in a notebook, although she had no idea what she would do with them.
"What did happen that night?" she wondered aloud.
Carol arrived a few minutes later. She was on her way to a date with the Russian guy who worked at McDonald's, the guy with the scarred face. Seemed the guy didn't have a car. Carol was dressed to kill and excitedly smoking a joint. She offered Jean a hit the moment Jean got in the car. Jean took the joint and threw it in the garbage can at the end of their driveway.
"Hey!" Carol protested. "I just rolled that."
"I don't want any."
"Well, excuse me. I want it. You could have just said no and handed it back."
Carol started to get out of the car. "I'm getting it."
Jean grabbed her arm and smiled. "I don't even want to have to smell it. Leave it in the can, porfavor. "
Carol looked at her as if she were an alien creature.
"You don't want to get loaded anymore? What'sgotten into you?"
Jean let go of Carol and gestured to the block. "You see this street? There's graffiti on every wall. There's garbage on every lawn. Paint is peeling from the houses. Dogs and children are running wild. This is my street, but your street is just as bad."
"So? We live on the crappy side of town. When you get rich and famous, you can move to Malibu."
"I don't want to move to Malibu. I want to stay in this neighborhood because this is where I grew up. I want to clean up this place. I have given it a lot of thought. But I can't clean this place up by myself and, besides, it will just get dirty again because the minds of too many people around here are dirty. I know we get screwed in school. We have the worst teachers and the ugliest buildings.
I know we get screwed at work because we're not white. But I think we're screwing ourselves with all the drugs we're taking. Look, you and I have been stoned since we were twelve. Haven't you gotten sick of it yet?"
Carol stared at her dumbfounded. "I don't know. I guess."
"I'm sick of it. I'm not getting loaded again, ever."
"But you'll still smoke pot now and then, won't you?"
"Carol. I'm not taking anything. And I don't want you to, either."
Carol was annoyed. "Right, great. If I don't want to be Miss Purity, I can't be your friend anymore. You know it, Jean, you might be nicer nowadays, but you're also turning into a royal pain in the ass."
"I didn't say you couldn't be my friend anymore. It's just that every time you light up a joint around me, I'm going to throw it away. And you won't be able to stop me 'cause I can kick your ass any
Her mother sighed. "Maybe this is not the time to talk about this. You go see him. Do what you can for him. We'll talk later."
Jean stood and looked down at her. "I'll feel the same later. I love him. I didn't know that before, even when I slept with him, but I know now. Maybe my love can't heal him. Maybe I just lied to Teddy and there isn't any magic in this world. But at least my love makes him whole in my eyes. Lenny is not half a man." She turned away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll wait outside for Carol. She's supposed to pick me up in a few minutes."
Her mother sounded sad. "I don't want to fight with you, Jean. I just want to protect you."
Jean paused at the door. "I know that. We're not fighting. We're just—arguing."
She opened the door.
"Have a nice day, Mama. I don't know when I'll be home."
While waiting for Carol, Jean reflected on why those close to her were saying she had changed. There was truth in their comments. Despite Lenny's serious injury and her own wounds, she did feel lighter. Each morning she woke up anxious to start the day. Why, even the sun was brighter, the sky bluer. It was as if she had refound a childhood innocence she couldn't remember ever having enjoyed. Plus her head was filled with strange ideas she had never had before. She kept thinking of the stars and planets, dreaming of ancient civilizations, imagining vast supernatural dramas. She had begun to jot down her thoughts in a notebook, although she had no idea what she would do with them.
"What did happen that night?" she wondered aloud.
Carol arrived a few minutes later. She was on her way to a date with the Russian guy who worked at McDonald's, the guy with the scarred face. Seemed the guy didn't have a car. Carol was dressed to kill and excitedly smoking a joint. She offered Jean a hit the moment Jean got in the car. Jean took the joint and threw it in the garbage can at the end of their driveway.
"Hey!" Carol protested. "I just rolled that."
"I don't want any."
"Well, excuse me. I want it. You could have just said no and handed it back."
Carol started to get out of the car. "I'm getting it."
Jean grabbed her arm and smiled. "I don't even want to have to smell it. Leave it in the can, porfavor. "
Carol looked at her as if she were an alien creature.
"You don't want to get loaded anymore? What'sgotten into you?"
Jean let go of Carol and gestured to the block. "You see this street? There's graffiti on every wall. There's garbage on every lawn. Paint is peeling from the houses. Dogs and children are running wild. This is my street, but your street is just as bad."
"So? We live on the crappy side of town. When you get rich and famous, you can move to Malibu."
"I don't want to move to Malibu. I want to stay in this neighborhood because this is where I grew up. I want to clean up this place. I have given it a lot of thought. But I can't clean this place up by myself and, besides, it will just get dirty again because the minds of too many people around here are dirty. I know we get screwed in school. We have the worst teachers and the ugliest buildings.
I know we get screwed at work because we're not white. But I think we're screwing ourselves with all the drugs we're taking. Look, you and I have been stoned since we were twelve. Haven't you gotten sick of it yet?"
Carol stared at her dumbfounded. "I don't know. I guess."
"I'm sick of it. I'm not getting loaded again, ever."
"But you'll still smoke pot now and then, won't you?"
"Carol. I'm not taking anything. And I don't want you to, either."
Carol was annoyed. "Right, great. If I don't want to be Miss Purity, I can't be your friend anymore. You know it, Jean, you might be nicer nowadays, but you're also turning into a royal pain in the ass."
"I didn't say you couldn't be my friend anymore. It's just that every time you light up a joint around me, I'm going to throw it away. And you won't be able to stop me 'cause I can kick your ass any
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