I was never so happy to go to school, freezing ferry ride and all. At the same time I was nervous, envisioning my mother being called down to the principal’s office at my brother’s elementary school, where Mr. Woods would calmly explain to her how her irresponsible, sixteen-year-old-daughter broke in and trespassed along with a bunch of underage, alcohol-toting teens.
I wondered if I’d be able to hear my mother’s reaction across Casco Bay all the way to Portland High when he dropped the bomb. What would she do once she found out? Ground me to the house or to my room indefinitely? I should’ve packed my belongings just in case my mother demanded that I go and live elsewhere. I felt that I was a disappointment to her lately, but also didn’t care at the same time and couldn’t explain why.
I looked out the window and saw that we were almost at the dock in Portland. I thought back to the night before. I had just finished my homework when Tessa called. I almost didn’t pick up. I didn’t feel like talking to her and rehashing our idiotic adventure.
“Hey,” I had said.
“I guess Rocky and Connor got grounded for breaking into the school, Connor forever because it’s the second time he got caught doing it. He’s such a moron. Nice way to spend the rest of your senior year, locked up in solitary.”
“I’m gonna be just as grounded as them, by the way, probably even more because my mother works at that freakin’ school. I can just hear her now about how much of an embarrassment I am.”
“So what,” Tessa had said. “Is your mom perfect? Didn’t she ever screw up?”
“Not like me, I’m sure,” I sighed as I gathered my books and placed them into my backpack.
“Well, either way, you gotta admit that it was kind of fun.”
I became annoyed. “It was for you because your parents are never gonna find out! I would love to have an older brother cover for me and my mother not always breathing down my neck about everything I did.”
I could sense Tessa thinking on the other end before she answered. “Trust me. You wouldn’t.”
The boat pulled into the harbor and snapped me back to reality. Maybe Tessa was right. Maybe having a mother who cared, even if it meant being punished, was better than having no one care at all.
• • •
I was as slow as a snail as I made my way toward my homeroom. I took a seat in the back and looked around. Most of the students were already there, but Tessa was noticeably absent. I wasn’t surprised. She was always late for homeroom and would come up with some lame excuse for Mr. Singer. He bought it each and every time. It still annoyed me how much she got away with just because she was flirtatious. I couldn’t be bothered.
Obediently I raised my hand when called and said, “Here.” There was one minute left in homeroom and Tessa still hadn’t appeared. Morning announcements were over and I gathered my things for first period. Just then the door to our classroom swung open. Here she comes, I thought to myself, even before Tessa entered. I was dying to hear what excuse she had this morning; her locker contained a hidden bomb that detonated the second she opened it or her ride to school got detained as it had to wait behind a blockade so a convoy containing the president of the United States could pass by.
I was ready and poised, waiting for her tall tale. No one entered right away. Voices could be heard coming from beyond the threshold. Everyone looked at the door to see who was there.
My jaw dropped when the mysterious student entered. Michael Cooper walked in, strolled over to Mr. Singer and said, “Here.” The bell rang. The other students got up and headed for the door. Michael searched the room and found me. He stared at me. I remained frozen in my seat and stared back.
• • •
“What are you doing here?” I whispered as I looked around to make sure no else was nearby. “I thought you were sick?”
“I am, I mean I was.” Michael turned away to cough.
“You still sound sick to me.”
He touched my arm and tried to reassure me. “I’m fine.”
We stood in a small, dead-end hallway where the custodial staff resided, far away from the other classrooms. I was skipping my English class and would most certainly get a detention because of it, but I didn’t care.
“Your mom doesn’t mind that you’re here? Can’t you get even sicker?” I asked. I had done more research on CF and found out that a person who was in a weakened state could get worse if exposed to even the common cold. A high school, or any school for that matter, was a cesspool of germs waiting to invade the most vulnerable.
He looked away when he answered. “She doesn’t know.”
“What? Why not?” I was shocked.
“She left early this morning and went on a field trip with my brother’s school. I felt bad for canceling our plans the other night.”
“But you were in the hospital, Michael. I think that’s as good an excuse as any.”
“I know, but I still wanted to see you.” Michael brushed a wisp of hair from my forehead and let his fingers linger. “I needed to see you,” he leaned in closer, “to touch you.”
I studied Michael, his face, his eyes, his complexion. He didn’t look as sickly as I’d expect having been in the hospital only two days prior. His hair was still short and his dark eyes more intense than ever. He slowly licked his lips and they glistened brightly, even in the dimly lit hallway.
“You’re the reason I got better so quickly,” he confessed. “Your pretty face was the light at the end of my tunnel.” He smiled when he said this and that very moment melted all my worries and fears away.
I looked down. “I just don’t want you to get sick again. I’d rather you just stayed home in Portland and got tutored and I’ll come over to your house to visit you,” I rambled.
“Would your mom really let you?” he asked, hopeful.
I paused and thought about the harsh punishment I would most likely receive later, but for some reason, I felt optimistic. I looked up at Michael and smiled. “I think so.”
Michael flashed a toothy grin and said, “Great. Then I’d better get back home before my mom finds out I left. She’ll have a fit if she knows I escaped.”
I giggled. Michael leaned down toward me and closed his eyes. His lips moved toward mine. I closed my eyes and waited. Little, flittering butterflies overtook my stomach as I lifted my face toward his.
The sound of squeaky wheels filled the hallway as one of the janitors pushed a garbage can toward us. “Hey! What are you kids doing? You know you’re not supposed to be down here!”
Startled, Michael and I separated and stared at the grumpy, old man. He waved his hand in the air and growled. “Hurry up. Be on your way, you two.”
Michael rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand. “Come on.” He walked me to the door of my English class and, only then, let go of it. He stared into my eyes as if trying to memorize them. “I’ll call you,” he said. “I promise.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
Michael turned and walked away down the Language Arts hallway and left me staring after him, praying that he’d remain strong and healthy enough so that he’d be able to keep his latest promise.
• • •
The rest of the morning passed by rather quickly. Because I had seen Michael earlier, I was feeling really good, almost giddy.
I ran into Tessa in the lunchroom.
“Do you still have to buy your lunch?” she asked.
I held up my brown bag. “Brought it, why?”
“I wanna sit with you.”
I shrugged. “Sure.” We walked over to a table and sat. Since I wasn’t speaking to Erica or Taylor, I had started eating lunch with some other girls who attended my sweet sixteen. Despite the fact that the senior girls didn’t like it, Tessa didn’t care and still sat with the guys. Now it was just the two of us.
I pulled out my turkey sandwich and took a bite. “Why aren’t you over there with Connor?”
“Cuz he’s an idiot and I’m pissed at him.”
“Why? What�
��d he do now?”
“It’s what he didn’t do. He didn’t call me on Sunday. At all.”
“So? Is that so unusual?”
Tessa lowered her voice. “It is if you sleep with me the day before.” She looked toward the popular table and glared. “Who the hell does he think he is?”
“Well, I think it’s his loss,” I said cheerily as I sipped my water. “That’s how you gotta look at it, Tessa. It’s strictly Connor’s loss.”
Tessa stared at me. “Why the hell are you so bubbly?”
“I’m just high on life, I guess,” I said and smiled. I sounded crazier than ever.
“I hope you have that same attitude when you see your mom after school,” Tessa said sarcastically.
And just like that, with one simple sentence, my giddiness turned into gloominess. I didn’t want to think about going home and dealing with my mother and the array of possible punishments she would inflict upon me. It was easier living in a state of complete denial.
I put the rest of my sandwich inside the bag and crumpled it up. “Thanks a lot. Now I’ve lost my appetite because of you.”
Tessa ate her salad. “It’s not my fault the shit’s gonna hit the fan when you get home.”
Any happiness I had experienced after my brief time with Michael completely dissipated by the time I boarded the ferryboat bound for the island. And, no matter how uninterested my mother may have seemed about my life in the past, I knew there was no way I was going to remain unscathed when the axe finally came down on Juniper Drive.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
In the Middle of Nowhere (Willow's Journey #1) Page 33
