The Hollow

by Jessica Verday

  We both froze. I could hear muffled voices outside. "Parents!" I squeaked. "Quick, go out the back door. They won't see you that way."

  Caspian stood up and grabbed his coat while I rushed him along. Any second now they would be opening that door, and I would be so grounded.

  He opened the door quietly and I hurried behind him, hastilyshoving my feet into an old pair of boots left outside. "Bye, Caspian," I said in hushed tones. "Thanks for coming over. Now go!"

  He waved a silent farewell and stepped off into the night. I did a quick shuffle through the snow as I watched him leave, but I was having a hard time getting rid of all the tracks. The snow wasn't falling fast enough to cover them up completely.

  That was when inspiration hit.

  I lay down on the ground and waved my arms and legs frantically, creating an impromptu snow angel. Then I chose another spot and did it again. A third one did the trick, and all the "evidence" was cleared. I tried not to worry about the fact that his tracks led away from the house in the direction he had gone. I just hoped Mom and Dad would stay inside for the night.

  It was absolutely freezing outside now, and my heart was racing ninety miles a minute as I barreled through the back door to confront bewildered-looking parents.

  "We were just looking for you," Mom said. "We thought you'd fallen asleep."

  "Nope. I was outside in the snow. Just noticed it and I couldn't wait to go make a snow angel." Would they actually buy that? I wasn't seven anymore.

  "Without your coat?" asked Dad, with a puzzled look on his face.

  "I, uh, just thought I'd be a minute… so I didn't grab my jacket. I'm pretty beat, though. Time for bed. See you guys in the morning." They both watched me as I grabbed my soda can and headed up the stairs. I cast a discreet glance over my shoulder to make sure there were no visible signs that I had had a guest over.

  I was good to go.

  "Night. See you in the morning," I called again as I ran upstairs to my bedroom. I would be awake all night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Unwanted Conversation

  Our man of letters, therefore, was peculiarly happy in the smiles of all the country damsels.

  –"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

  I made it throuah most of the week, and thought that I'd pulled itoff. Mom and Dad would never find out that Caspian had come over when they weren't home. But it was not a good sign when I went downstairs for breakfast on Friday morning and saw Dad sitting in a chair reading the paper.

  Dad never stayed home this late. He should have left for work almost an hour ago.

  Stumbling into the kitchen, I pretended to be half asleep. "Hey, Dad, what are you doing here? Aren't you going to be late for work?" Say you 're going to work.… Please say you are going to work. I rubbed my eyes sleepily and looked at him.

  He folded the paper in half and tucked it under his elbow. "Why don't you stay home from school today, Abbey? I think we should have a little chat. I'll write a note for you."

  I almost missed the chair I was aiming for. This was it. I was in deep trouble.

  "Stay-" My voice cracked. "Stay home? From school? Can't we just talk right now? You know, over breakfast. I've got midterms coming up, and I really shouldn't miss any of the stuff we're reviewing in class." Think, Abbey. Think very fast. Come up with a really good reason for why Caspian was here. With you. Alone.

  My brain started spazzing.

  New student in town?

  Study buddy?

  Mandatory student exchange program participant?

  My brain kept spazzing.

  "I don't know, Abbey," he said hesitantly. "Your mother and I have gone over a couple of things that we feel need to be discussed with you."

  Oh. My. God. Legs. Turning. To. Water. Brain. Spazzing. Again. Can't. Think Complete. Sentences. "Gee, Dad," I finally spit out, after a full minute of brain malfunction. "I really don't want to miss out on anything for the exams. Can't we just talk tonight, after school?"

  After I have had the time to think up many, many excuses, to enlist the aid of many, many people at school, and/or possibly run away. Of course there was the very small problem that I didn't know many, many people at school. But that was a bridge, and it could be crossed.

  I bit my thumbnail. How many weeks would I be grounded if I made up some excuse having to do with school? Probably the least amount. It was the only way to go.

  "I know!" Dad said suddenly, practically giving me a heart attack. "If you stay home today, I'll make you pancakes and we'll go bowling. Besides, I'm sure your teachers won't cover very much material that you'll miss. It's a Friday. They never do much on Fridays."

  Well, he was right about that. Plus, with pancakes and bowling, I couldn't be in all that much trouble. At least I hoped not.

  Dad beamed and patted my hand happily as he waited for my answer. Interesting… Very interesting.

  I felt my hopes start to rise. Surely Dad would have on his stern disciplinarian face if I was about to be grounded for the rest of my natural life. And maybe during the pancake eating I could use the time to think up a killer school excuse if I really was in it deep. I might actually be able to make this thing work, I thought.

  "Oh, all right, Dad. You can write me a note for school today. But don't forget, extra, extra chocolate chips in my pancakes."

  "You got it," he said. "I'll take care of the note now so you have it for Monday. Then I'll start on the pancakes. You go get dressed. They'll be ready in about fifteen minutes."

  I flashed him my bravest smile as I stood up. Bowling and long chats with Dad.

  Yeah, this day was sooo going to suck.

  As I stood in front of my closet trying to pick the best outfit that would say No, really, I didn't have that boy over because I wanted to. I had to do it for a school project, I tried to think of what it was they could take away in punishment.

  I didn't have a car or my license yet, so that was out. And they couldn't exactly ground me from seeing Kristen either, so that was out too. I guess they could take away the job from Uncle Bob, and all the cash that would bring. But seeing as how I hadn't evenstarted that job yet, there wasn't any cash to miss.

  The only other alternative was being stuck in my room. And while that definitely presented a certain sucky-ness regarding not seeing Caspian, if it wasn't for very long, then I could work on my newest perfume project. Yup. Definitely use a school excuse.

  I gave up on finding an outfit that would lessen my grounding time and settled for a dark blue sweater and a pair of jeans. After throwing on my boots, I clomped slowly back downstairs. My fifteen minutes was up and my trial awaited me. Maybe I should compliment Dad's bowling skills …

  "Something sure smells good, Dad!" I said brightly, with a fake smile pasted onto my face as I entered through the kitchen door. "I hope you made a lot of pancakes, because I'm starving." I headed back to the chair I'd been sitting in earlier, making a quick pit stop along the way for the orange juice container. So far, so good.

  Dad brought over a heaping stack of pancakes piled at least ten high on a bright yellow plate. "Here you go, Abbey. Save me a couple if you can. I'll put a second batch on."

  I gulped as I stared at the huge pile making its way toward me. Maybe I had overplayed the whole Pm-so-hungry bit just a tad. "That's enough, Dad. Why don't you come help me eat these while they're still hot, and then you can make us some more?"

  He seemed to like that idea and grabbed a fork for himself.

  "Don't forget the cups," I reminded him. "I've got the O.J."

  Dad made his way through his first and second pancake before I was even halfway done with my first. "Come on, Abbey," he teased me. "I thought you were hungry."

  I smiled back and forced down the rest of my first pancake, already dreading the second. It wasn't until he was finishing the last bite of his entire stack before he spoke again. "Are you going to make it through the rest of those? If you're still hungry,1 can make more."

  I shook my head
and paused with my fork in the air. "That's okay, Dad. Guess I must have still been full from dinner last night. You can have these if you want, instead of making another batch." He willingly took the rest of my pancakes, and I gladly handed them over. I wasn't going to make it through a third one of those.

  Slumping against the chair, I let my leg swing back and forth, taking small sips of orange juice to keep myself occupied. I wondered how long it would take for the talking to begin. My heart sped up and I forced myself to keep taking small sips. Who was I kidding? I was totally screwed.

  I didn't have long to wait, because Dad polished off the rest of my pancakes faster than he'd polished off his, and pushed the plate away. "Abbey," he said, in between mouthfiils of orange juice. Oh God, here it comes. My heart hammered out a tap dance, but he launched right into it.

  "Your mother and I have been talking about this a lot lately, and we wanted to get your thoughts on it." Pushing the juice aside, he folded his hands and settled into his chair. "How have you been… coping… lately? How have things been going for you since the accident? I mean, now that Kristen's gone?"

  It was a good thing I was sitting down, or I would have missed that chair again. This was what he wanted to talk about? Kristenl Totally didn't see that one coming.

  I thought hard, and chose my words carefully. I couldn't tell him about prom night. That would just bring up too many questions. And lectures. There would definitely be lectures. "I've dealt with it in my own way. It was a lot harder when they found… her. But I've managed to wrap my head around it. I've made my peace."

  He was paying very close attention.

  "How have things been at school? I know it can't be easy to go through your entire junior year with your best friend suddenly gone. And your mother told me about the prom committee. Have those girls settled down a little?"

  I was completely shocked at the questions he was asking. They were actually intuitive and insightful. "School pretty much sucks," I admitted, "but that's any school. Everyone leaves me alone for the most part. Once the prom was over, those girls didn't have two words to say to me. I'd expected it, though. They were just doing itfor the attention."

  I played distractedly with the handle on my cup. I had been so wrapped up with Caspian lately, and obsessing over what Kristen had been hiding from me, that I hadn't given much thought to school. Each day really was lonely. Funny how I'd never noticed that.

  Dad cleared his throat, and I looked up at him. His hands were still folded together and he looked somewhat embarrassed. "Abbey, arrangements can be made," he said, leaning forward to pat my hand awkwardly. "If you need to change schools, we can do that. I know your mother won't like it very much, but I want you to be comfortable. And if you ever need to speak to anyone, a psychologist, or a counselor, we can arrange that, too. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

  Did I have some sort of invisible sign around my neck that said WARNING: TWO STEPS AWAY FROM CRAZY or something? Every one always assumed I needed professional help.

  I patted his hand back just as awkwardly. "No, Dad, I'm okay. Really. Thanks for the offer on the school, but I'm good there, too." He gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head. "I really am fine, Dad. If I ever need… anything… then you'll be the first to know. Deal?"

  He nodded and I removed my hand, glad that this conversation was not what I thought it would be.

  "So, since everything is okay at school for you, then, have you given any thought to what comes next?" he asked.

  I groaned inwardly. The "future" talk. I should have known this was coming. I geared up my defenses and tried to think of the best way to talk around the situation.

  "Well …," I started slowly, trying to think fast. "You know that I had talked about wanting to run my own business. I've been giving that a lot of thought lately. Researching different aspects and laying the groundwork, that type of thing."

  He didn't look impressed. "I meant specifics. What type of field are you looking at entering? What type of major are you going to choose? Any specific colleges you want to apply for?"

  His questions caught me off guard. Truthfully, I hadn't given any thought to those specifics. "I still have plenty of time yet, Dad. There are a lot of options out there, and I want to make sure I choose the right one. You know?"

  Now he was looking unhappy.

  "You don't have that much time, young lady. If you're going to get accepted to a good school, then you need to start thinking about applications, and essays, and tuition fees. There's a lot of work involved in getting into college, and it's not easy."

  A frown line was starting to work its way across his forehead, and I knew my ship was sinking quickly. I thought about my perfumes, and what it was / wanted to do with my life, and thenCaspian's words crystallized in my head. If you tell your mom and dad what your ideas are now, then maybe they won t waste their time planning a different future for you.

  "Look, Dad," I said, "I know you and Mom only have my best interests at heart-I really do know that-but what I do with my life is my decision. I'm going to be the one stuck with the consequences of the choices I make. I could go to a college you choose, or pick a major that you like, and maybe even get a job somewhere that you approve of, but I won't be happy about it."

  He started to say something, but I held up a hand. "Please just let me finish here and then you can rebut everything I say, okay?" He nodded, and I continued. "Of course I want a great job and a secure future, but I want to do it my way. I don't want to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a PR person, or a publicist. Those things might lead me to the most money, or they might make you happy, but they won't make me happy. Don't you want me to be happy, Dad, above all else?" I gave him my most sincere look, and he nodded slowly.

  "I just want to be happy with my choices in life. And like I said, I have given a lot of thought to my future-a lot more than most of the other kids my age. I want to have my own shop downtown. I've even picked out the place and everything. I know how much rent will be, what types of overhead costs I'll have… Plus I have a list started for inventory, and how much of it to keepin stock. Everything I have so far is written down in a business plan. I know it still needs a lot of work, and I know it will be tough at first, but I'm bound and determined to see it through. My way."

  I was hoping that I'd covered all my bases, when something else popped into my head. "Oh, and I do plan on taking some courses on business, maybe even get a degree in that, but it will probably take a while and will be at a local college. I want to work as an apprentice to someone who already has a store in a similar field while I take my classes, and use that as a hands-on approach to my education. That's one of the reasons why I'm so excited about working at Uncle Bob's, too. It will give me some practical experience."

  Sitting back, I took a deep breath. It was all out now. He would either love it or hate it. Any second, the screaming could begin.

  He had a thoughtful look on his face, and I couldn't tell if he was actually thinking about what I'd said, or thinking of ways to rebut it. But he didn't say anything and I started to get nervous. This could end up being very, very bad.

  "I think it's a great idea, Abbey."

  "You do?"

  "Yes, I do," he said. "You laid out your plans in a very clear, concise manner. You've obviously taken the time to give it a lot of thousht. And if you really have accomplished everythina that youjust told me, then you're already ahead of the game. I'm very proud of you."

  Wow. Today was turning out to be the most fantastic day ever.

  "Thanks, Dad," I gushed. "You have no idea what that means to me. I thought you and Mom would totally flip out when I told you. Thanks for being so cool about it."

  He looked slightly uncomfortable, but he patted my hand again. "Well, I don't know how your mother will react, but I'll break the news to her gently. After all, you are right about it being your decision, and we both want you to be happy. And if this means you'll be staying closer to home, then I'm sure she won't mind that
."

  I beamed at him. This talk was going very well.

  "I'll tell you what else I'll do," he said abruptly. "If you finish your business plan, say by the end of the school year, then I'll give you three thousand dollars as seed money to help you get started. Deal?"

  He stuck out his hand, and I quickly shook it. "Deal."

  Like I even had to think about that one. Three grand just to finish my business plan? I was so there.

  Dad looked pretty pleased with himself, and I was feeling pretty happy too. I smiled at him and jumped up to give him a spontaneous half hug. He was surprised, but returned the sentiment, and I grinned like a fool, feeling absurdly happy for the moment.

  Then he cleared his throat gruffly and set me to the side.

  "You know, you've seemed happier lately. Even with Kristen's death. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

  Let's see …

  I was in love for the first time. I hadn't gotten in trouble for having a boy over to the house when I was there alone. Tomorrow I was going to start a sweet job that paid really well. And I'd just gotten offered a bunch of money to write a business document.

  Is there anything I want to tell him?

  "Nope," I said with a grin.

  "Are you sure?" he asked me, with a wickedly teasing glint in his eyes. "There's no one special in the picture? A boy you haven't told us about?"

  I tried very, very hard not to blush, but I felt my cheeks go red. "Aw, Dad," I played it off. "You know us girls. We always have a crush on some boy or another. It's just a silly thing."

  He chuckled and pushed his chair back from the table. "I know, I know. But be sure to introduce us to anyone special. Your mother and I will want to meet that young man."

  "Okay, Dad." Yeah, right

  He started gathering up the dishes, and I moved fast to help him. "Why don't we go bowling now?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "Then we can stop for Chinese food on the way back."