by Debra Doxer
“Is everything okay?” I took a tentative step forward.
“Did you have a good time?” he asked evenly.
I nodded, explaining about The Butterfly Place and how Jonah had searched for the perfect spot to take me. As I told him about our day, I was unable to keep the smile off my face, despite the oddness of him sitting in the kitchen with no lights on.
Gradually, the worry lines on his face began to smooth out. “I didn’t expect you to be gone all day,” he said quietly. “I’ll order a pizza for dinner. You must be tired.” He reached for his phone on the table, and I decided not to tell him I’d just eaten in the car with Jonah.
“You should have called me if you were worried.”
“I did,” he said flatly as he walked to a cabinet, pulled it open, and shuffled through take-out menus.
Taking my phone from my bag, I looked for a missed call and there it was. My father had called over an hour ago, but I never heard it ring. I also missed a text from Lea asking why I wasn’t in school today. I hadn’t told anyone about the freezer incident and if Jonah hadn’t either, no one at school likely knew.
While my father placed the pizza order, I went to wash up, careful to keep the bandages dry, and when I came back into the kitchen, he was opening a bottle of beer. I’d seen the beer in the refrigerator but I’d never seen him drink one.
“Sorry I worried you today.”
“It’s fine, Candy.” He dismissed me and tilted his head back, drinking deeply from the bottle for a long time.
I doubted his worrying about me was driving him to drink, but it was odd to see him drinking. Moving past him, I pulled out some placemats and napkins. The pizza arrived a half hour later, and he asked me some general questions about Jonah while we ate, like where he was from and what I knew about his family. He nodded as I spoke, as if he was only half listening, and then he offered to clean up when we were done.
The rest of the night I was lost in my own head, not letting my father get to me at all as I relived moments from the day, thinking about how it felt to kiss Jonah and the way he’d called me beautiful. He also said I was strong and amazing. The way he saw me was hard to believe, and I saw him the same way. No one in school knew him the way I was getting to know him, and it made me feel special, like I had the real Jonah all to myself.
My father drove me to school the next morning. I had to wear the huge gauze bandages on my fingers for one more day before downsizing to something less glaringly obvious, which meant I’d be fielding questions about my fingers all day.
I was at my locker trying to turn the combination lock, which a monkey would have more adeptness at than me today, when Lea appeared at my side. Parker was standing next to her.
“What happened to your fingers?” Lea asked.
“Knife fight,” Jonah answered from behind me.
I smiled as I turned around, my heart skipping at the sight of him.
Jonah leaned down and pointed to his ear. “Whisper your combination and I’ll open your locker for you.”
I did, putting my lips close to the shell of his ear, inhaling his scent. When I stepped out of the way so he could work the combination, Lea was studying us curiously, and Parker’s eyebrows had become a straight, displeased line.
“So, seriously,” Lea asked. “You weren’t in a knife fight, were you?”
I laughed. “I’ve got frostbite. I got stuck in the walk-in freezer at Dempsey’s.”
Their eyes widened. “Really?” Lea asked.
“I told you to stay away from that place,” Parker said. Then she edged past me and sidled up to Jonah, putting her arm through his. “Walk me to class.”
My eyes narrowed at her.
Jonah withdrew his arm. “I’ve got class with Candy. I came to walk with her.” He eyed me expectantly since I was just standing there. “Are you going to grab your stuff?” he asked, nodding his chin toward my open locker.
I nodded, impressed with how Jonah had handled Parker. Meanwhile, her eyes shot daggers at me and I stared back, unflinching. This wasn’t surprising. No one expected Parker to be a good loser. After a moment, she blinked and her countenance changed, her face relaxing as she smiled. But now she looked more like a predator baring her teeth.
“I met someone interesting over the weekend, Candy,” she said, tilting her head at me. “I think you know him, Brandon Bishop.”
My jaw clenched at the sound of his name, and I could feel Jonah’s eyes on me. I should have known Parker would search for dirt. She’d had me in her sights for a while, and after the way she taunted me at lunch and lied about Jonah and Heather, her escalation of things shouldn’t have been surprising.
Folding my arms over my chest, I gave her a once-over. “You drove two hundred miles to meet my ex-boyfriend?”
“No. I noticed him on your Facebook page and happened to connect with him online. He had a lot to say about you. Does Jonah know what a complete psycho you are?”
I gawked at her gall. “Are you trying to give him a live demonstration now?”
Looking for Jonah’s reaction, I saw only irritation, all aimed at Parker. I was glad I’d already told him about my ex. Parker couldn’t drop any bombs he didn’t know about. The fact that my ex told Parker anything surprised me, though. I would have thought he’d be too embarrassed.
“Did you know she practically destroyed his car when he tried to break up with her?” Parker’s question was directed at Jonah.
He tried to break up with me? I snorted. That made more sense, the fact that my ex lied about what happened. He was probably dying to twist the story around.
Jonah put his hand on my arm reassuringly. “That’s not exactly how I heard it,” he commented to Parker. “But yeah, I know the gist.” Then he yawned and looked at me. “I think I hit my limit for bat-shit crazy today. You ready to go?”
Grabbing my books, trying not to laugh, I nodded. Jonah took them from me and led me away from Parker, who stood there glaring. Lea hesitated before choosing to stay with Parker.
“You know that was a lie, right?” I asked. “He didn’t break up—”
“You don’t have to explain anything.” He put his arm around my shoulder, and I released a breath as I leaned into him.
“I guess I need to update my Facebook,” I muttered tiredly, knowing I didn’t have the patience to deal with Parker, even though I had no choice now.
“Don’t engage her and she’ll lose interest.”
I laughed. “She’s not going to lose interest.”
He looked down at me. “Seriously, Candy. Just ignore her.”
If Jonah knew me better, he’d realize I couldn’t do that. But I knew enough not to press the point with him because he traveled the high road. The low road was my stomping ground. I knew every turn, every hill, and every pothole.
We were at the door to English class when Lea came running up behind me, apparently bursting with something to say. “Go ahead,” I told Jonah. “I’ll be right in.”
Jonah looked from me to Lea and sighed, then walked inside the classroom.
“I can’t believe Parker got in touch with your ex,” Lea said breathlessly. “Did you really do what she said?”
“He cheated on me more than once. So yeah, I did something about it.” Placing my hand on her forearm, I said, “Look, I know you’re friends with Parker, but I need your help.”
She looked hesitant. “She’s gone off the deep end. I have no idea what she’ll do next.”
“Then help me stop her. She needs to be taught a lesson.”
Lea bit her lip, glancing around the hallway nervously. “What kind of lesson?”
Hopeful, I asked, “Do you know when Parker has gym class?”
She gave me a curious look. “Yeah, I have it with her. It’s our first class after lunch on Wednesdays.”
“That’s tomorrow.” I was already running through possibilities that could be pulled together quickly.
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking?”
>
“I’ll tell you later.” I grinned widely because a plan was materializing, and I was hoping she would help since my hands were too messed up for the delicate work I had in mind.
The rest of the day was dull compared to the morning. I managed to avoid Parker by joining Jonah for lunch again in the privacy of the auto shop class. Things were so new between us that initially we did an awkward dance of eating and talking before things felt comfortable enough for Jonah to make a move and kiss me.
For some reason, I liked this hesitant side of him. It seemed respectful, as if he didn’t want to make assumptions or take liberties, even though I could tell eating lunch and working on the car were the last things on his mind when I arrived. If he’d come right at me, I’m not sure how I would have reacted. But instead, he warmed me up perfectly before taking me in his arms. It was kind of incredible how well he read me and how perceptive he could be about how I was feeling.
My father picked me up at the end of the day to take me to the doctor. Jonah had football practice and asked me to text him after the appointment to let him know how it went. I liked that he’d asked and cared. I tried not to show it, but I was terrified of what the doctor would say.
When the doctor peeled the bandages away, I was anxious to see what my fingertips looked like. At first, I was relieved. The purple was mostly gone except for a few spots, and I could feel it when he poked and prodded at my skin. He frowned as he held my fingers under a magnifying glass and turned them to get a good look all around.
“The tips of all your fingers are ulcerated,” he said.
“That’s normal, though,” I said. “It happens every winter.”
Silently, he nodded, frowning and holding the purple skin closer to the glass. “I would have hoped the discoloration would be gone by now.”
My father stood beside me. “Should she keep the bandages on longer?”
I groaned at the thought.
“No, just regular Band-Aids should be fine.” Dr. Fox looked at me. “I’ll give you some ointment to use, and I want to see you again next week. And Candy, no extended exposure to the cold. I know it’s winter, but do your best to stay warm.”
I nodded as I tried to dismiss the concern in his voice. Although he hadn’t seemed impressed with my recovery, he didn’t talk about removing any skin yet, which meant I had another week to hope for more improvement.
“I need some things at the drugstore before we go home,” I told my father as we walked back to the car. He was tense, which was nothing new, with tiny worry lines around his mouth.
“It’s okay,” I said, wondering if he was worried about me. “My hands will be fine.”
He nodded curtly. “I know.”
I frowned, trying not to let his permanent bad mood get me down. Instead I thought about the prank I planned to pull off tomorrow, and that cheered me up. Since my father decided to wait in the car while I went into the drugstore, I didn’t have to explain why I needed Krazy Glue, my go-to item for mayhem, and baby powder. I also grabbed a couple of candy bars.
“Here you go.” I sat down in the car and handed him the chocolate. “Candy improves your mood, especially chocolate. It’s a scientific fact.”
When he stared at the candy bar with no reaction, I added, “Come on. Everyone likes candy.”
I smirked at him and at my silly joke. The truth was, I needed to see him smile, and I needed the chocolate too.
He stared at it for another beat before flashing a reluctant grin, his lips turning upward as he ripped into the wrapper and took a small bite.
Feeling triumphant, I did the same, tearing into it easily with the bulky bandages now gone. We drove home, finishing our candy as the sun sank behind the trees.
Later that night, I texted Jonah so I could give him the update. But after I’d typed a few minutes as slowly as a turtle because of the Band-Aids, my phone rang in my hand.
“I’d rather hear your voice anyway,” Jonah said kindly, not commenting on my miserable texting skills. “What did the doctor say?”
I was going to gloss over it and tell him the visit went fine, which it mostly did, but I found myself describing the doctor’s apparent concern, and much to my surprise, confiding my fears to him.
“I wish I was there to give you a hug,” he said.
I smiled. “Me too.”
“I’ll go with you to the next appointment. I’d like to be there if it’s okay with you . . . and your dad.”
His offer threw me for a loop and I shifted, curling my legs beneath me. When my bottom lip trembled, I was glad Jonah couldn’t see what a sap I was being. “I’d like that.”
“You know you’ll still be beautiful even if your hands aren’t perfect.”
I blinked against the moisture in my eyes.
“Candy?”
“Um, yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Still here.”
“I’ve got a surprise to give you tomorrow,” he said quietly.
I sat up straighter. “Another surprise? What is it?”
Jonah laughed. “I thought we went over what a surprise is already.”
“You don’t have to give me anything.”
“I know.” Then he reminded me about our date this weekend, as though I could forget. Every time I thought of it, it felt like all the butterflies from The Butterfly Place had hitched a ride home in my stomach.
After we said good night, I just sat there staring at my phone. There were no words to describe the way Jonah made me feel. It was something new and it felt almost like floating, as if the good things that had been unattainable for so long were now within reach, and the bad stuff was way down on the ground below me.
I came down from the clouds long enough to text Lea, and we made plans to meet in the girls’ locker room the next day during her and Parker’s gym class. She was going to excuse herself to go to the bathroom so she could help me locate Parker’s things. Then I’d have to work fast before anyone missed us or discovered us.
I couldn’t help thinking that Jonah wouldn’t approve, but I also couldn’t back down no matter what he thought. He said he liked a strong woman, and I had a feeling I’d be putting that statement to the test more than once.
***
Theo: The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.
I read Theo’s text and smiled. Lately, I’d only been glancing at them. He thought they were all lame, or at least that’s what he pretended. But I liked today’s quote, and I hoped he took it to heart since I knew he had a treatment this morning.
I hadn’t been a great friend to Theo lately because I couldn’t text much, but I didn’t want to tell him why and worry him. He had enough to worry about. I sent him back a response, as best I could before grabbing my drugstore bag of items and meeting my father in the garage so he could drive me to school. He’d be driving me every day now so I wouldn’t have to walk in the cold.
My father had been working from home since the freezer incident, and I hoped it was okay with his bosses, whoever they were. I considered telling him that he could go into work and that babysitting me wasn’t necessary, but I selfishly liked that he was home more. He may not have been the best company, but I felt safer with him there. So in the end, I said nothing.
When I got to school, Jonah met me at my locker so we could walk to English together. The morning passed slowly because I was watching the clock, excited to spend lunch with Jonah and to show Parker exactly who she was messing with.
Finally, what seemed like eons later, it was lunchtime, and I was sitting beside Jonah at the small desk in the auto shop room, staring distractedly into a bag of chips while he ran his fingers up and down the tender skin on the inside of my forearm. Somehow his touch made me shiver and flush at the same time.
“I like it when you wear your hair up,” he said, eyeing my high ponytail.
His fingers traveled up my arm and over my shoulder to brush against the side of my exposed neck just below my ear. The potato
chip I was holding stalled on the way to my mouth, which had gone bone dry.
With a devilish grin, knowing how he affected me, Jonah took his hand back and picked up his sandwich again.
I released a breath, letting the chip finish its journey, crunching on it as I watched him, noticing the way he carelessly pushed his hair back off his forehead and stretched his long legs out beneath the table. I took in his broad shoulders, admiring the way his muscles shifted beneath his shirt when he moved, especially his impossibly flat stomach that contracted each time he hunched over his plate to eat.
Jonah knew my eyes were on him because I didn’t bother hiding it, but the arrogant smirk I expected to see never materialized. Instead he seemed pleased, looking back at me with the same admiration. I was pretty sure this was what people called making goo-goo eyes at each other.
So far Jonah hadn’t given me the surprise he mentioned on the phone, and I hadn’t asked about it because it felt rude to ask for my own surprise. But the moment I thought that, he reached into his bag under the table and withdrew a box. It was a medium-sized brown cardboard shipping box. Smiling, he placed it on the table in front of me and lifted the top.
Giving him a baffled look, I peered inside and saw black ski gloves. My eyes grew wide as I wondered if they were what I suspected.
He chuckled. “Take them out. They won’t bite.”
I gave him a look of disbelief as I withdrew the gloves and noticed two rectangular-shaped items beneath them at the bottom of the box with tiny wires coming out. These were lithium-battery-heated gloves. I’d heard about them, but I was skeptical they’d actually work. Plus they were outrageously expensive.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” I said, looking them over. “I can’t accept—”
“Hush, Candy. They’re yours.”
When I continued to stare at them, feeling overwhelmed, Jonah took the box back and placed it on his lap. He opened a zipper compartment in the gloves along the wrist line, plugged the batteries into the attachment before slipping them inside, and zipped the gloves closed again. Then he pressed the buttons visible through a mesh cloth at the wrist and the lights on the battery came on, glowing red.
