Breaking Walls

by Tracie Puckett

  Chapter Eighteen

  I was exhausted.

  After my conversation with Mr. Davies, followed by a long and quiet shift at the bakery, my mind was on overload. I could assume, the word was out. By the end of the night, everyone would know that I’d quit.

  I ended up at home some time after eight thirty, and I dumped my things on the counter before traipsing down the hallway and knocking on my sister’s bedroom door.

  Enough time had passed. Whether awake or asleep, she and I were having this conversation tonight. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Enough was enough.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s me,” I said, pushing the door open a little wider. “Can I come in?”

  I expected a snarky remark of some kind, but she didn’t say anything. She just sat up from her bed, set her math book aside, and nodded. “Yeah. Come on in.”

  I took her invitation, shut the door behind me, and jumped on the corner of the bed, watching my sister as she looked up to me.

  “Bailey, I’m— ”

  “It’s okay,” she shrugged a shoulder.

  “No, it’s not,” I scooted closer to her.

  “Yeah, but Mandy,” she twisted her lips, “I don’t wanna do all this mushy-gushy love stuff. I know you’re sorry. It’s okay. I’m over it.”

  “But I am sorry,” I said, and she rolled her eyes. Okay, so she didn’t want to hear it, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to say it. “I was jealous, and I was just looking to point fingers. I didn’t want to deal with my insecurity, so I took it out on you.” I looked around the room, finally drawing my eyes to the window. I couldn’t look at her as I said, “Bailey, you’re the only sister I have. You and Dad are the only family I have, and I’ve treated both of you horribly. I’ve been way too hard on you, when what I should’ve been doing was thanking you.”

  “Thanking me?” she asked, jerking her head back.

  “Gabe needed someone to talk to, and you were there for him. He needed a friend, and you gave him that.”

  “Did he put you up to this? Did he tell you to say that?”

  “No, not at all. I’m saying it because I mean it. Sure, he asked me to dial it back a bit, but I was already on my way to apologize to you when he caught up with me.”

  “Oh.”

  “You were asleep when I got in last night,” I said. “I stayed out late talking with Gabe. Chances are I scared him off again, so you might be getting a phone call about that. I’m not really sure how often you talk.” She smiled. “Anyway, when I couldn’t come in and talk to you, I stayed up late with Dad, and we had a long overdue conversation.” One that Dad had asked me never to share with her, and I would honor that request as long as it seemed appropriate to do so. Bailey didn’t really harbor the kind of resentment that I did, so maybe she’d never really need to know, and I almost thought that was for the best. “I think we’ve worked out some major issues, so that’s promising. And then…I woke up this morning, and I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you but…you weren’t here.”

  “You wanted to talk to me?”

  “I wanted to apologize. I knew doing it before school was probably not the best idea, but I was just getting so tired of putting it off. That, and I wanted your insight.”

  “On?”

  “A really huge decision I made.”

  “You quit the program?” she asked, and for some reason, she didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

  “I did.”

  “Good girl,” she said, reaching over to rub my back. I smiled. I knew I wouldn’t have to explain it to Bailey. Part of me wondered if she hadn’t hoped for that conclusion all along. “So what are you going to do about financing school?”

  “I’ll find a way,” I said. “I’ll take a year off if I have to. I’ll work a second job and save as much money as I can. I’ll apply for smaller grants and scholarships. It’ll add up. And if doesn’t, I’ll apply for loans if I have to. I’ll figure it out.”

  “What about Dad?”

  “What about him?”

  “Have you thought to ask him again?” she asked. “You said you guys have worked out some major issues, so maybe there’s still wiggle room. Maybe you can change his mind.”

  “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it,” I said. “And I haven’t completely dismissed the idea of asking him again, but I want to make sure I know what all of my options are before I get into another long conversation with him about my future.”

  She nodded, drawing in a breath. “Well, speaking of options…have you ever thought of calling— ”

  “No,” I said. “I don’t want her help. I don’t want anything from her.”

  “But Mom has money,” she said. “And after everything she put Dad through, after everything she did to us, she at least owes you that much.”

  “I don’t care what Mom owes any of us, Bailey,” I said.

  And I knew she understood that. I sat there staring at my sister for what felt like an eternity, wondering how I’d waited so long to come back to her—not just after this fight, but after our falling out when we moved to Sugar Creek. She was one of the very few people I ever truly felt like I could rely on, and I couldn’t fathom how I’d ever let her slip through my fingers.

  “Are we going to be okay?” I asked. Because I was willing to do whatever I had to do to earn her forgiveness. I loved her too much to lose her again.

  “Yeah, sis,” she smiled. “We really are.”

  “Hey, do you have a second?”

  Fletcher turned away from his open locker, looking over his shoulder to meet my gaze.

  “Oh, hey Mandy,” he said, looking back as he shoved another book onto the crammed shelf. “What’s going on?”

  He slammed the door shut and turned back to me. It was the end of the school day, and I didn’t have much time on my hands. Bailey was outside waiting for me in the parking lot, and Jones was waiting on me to relieve him from his shift at the bakery.

  “I’m sure you’ve already heard—”

  “That you quit, yeah,” he nodded. “I was surprised. I thought you were in it to the finish.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I managed my best smile and lifted a folder. “I have something for you, and I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to let you know that everything’s in order for the dance.”

  He creased his brow. “What do you mean?”

  “It took a while to track everything down, but I finally started talking to the right people. After the meeting on Monday, Carla passed all the dance stuff on to Katie, and then Katie dropped it on Gretchen. Turns out, she didn’t want it either, so I finally caught up with Alan, and he was still holding onto the plans.” I glanced at the folder. “Between the work Carla and I did, and tying up a few loose ends, everything is ready. The dance is good to go.”

  “But you quit, right?”

  “Right,” I said. “But you didn’t. You’re still on the team, and I want you to take the lead.”

  “I don’t know, Mandy,” he said, shrugging. “I already told Carla I didn’t want it. I have my hands full.”

  “I can’t promise that you won’t have to do anything, but I can assure you that you won’t be responsible for much. The tickets, fliers, and ads are all printed up and ready to go. Everything’s boxed up in Mr. Davies’s classroom. I’ve made calls to confirm the band and the refreshments. I even stopped by the office this morning and confirmed the space in the gym just to be safe. It’s all in order. My sister has a ton of archived dance decorations ready to move into the gym on the morning of the finale, and Dad’s agreed to come in and do an opening speech of sorts.”

  “Okay?”

  “And since you’re so busy, and you can’t really take on much more, I’ve talked to Bailey. We stayed up all night last night working out a plan. She’s happy to do whatever she can to help you pull this off,” I said. “Actually, she’s agreed to do everything from here on out. Thing is, though, she’s not an RI volunteer, so she’s going to need someone on t
he team as a partner of sorts.”

  “A partner?”

  “Just basically someone she can say she’s tagging along with, reporting to,” I said. “Someone who can take credit when all’s said and done.”

  “And you think that someone should be me?”

  “Here’s what I think: the ticket sales are going to be great,” I said. “Any money you can add to your fundraising total will only get Sugar Creek that much closer to the win. I think you’d be stupid to turn your backs on the dance so close to the finish.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Mandy,” he dropped his hand to his side. “Why are you doing this? You quit. You shouldn’t be worrying about this stuff.”

  “Just because I quit doesn’t mean I stopped caring. I want to see you win, Fletcher,” I said. “Bailey and I want to help however we can. So I’ve finished up the planning, and Bailey’s agreed to do the executing. She just needs you there on the final day to help pull everything together, and then you have one more thing to take credit for in the end.”

  He blinked, watching me slowly.

  “Are you sure this isn’t like…cheating?”

  “It’s not,” I said. “Mr. Davies knows I’m passing it off to you, and he’s agreed to let Bailey step in to help you out. Fletch, you’ve had your hand in this project from the beginning. The theme was your idea, and you were there when I pitched the dance to Lashell, and then again to Gabe. It was just as much yours as it was mine from day one. Just because things have changed and the dance has passed hands doesn’t mean that you’re any less a part of the original idea.” He looked down to the notebook as I passed it to him. “It’s yours now.”

  He looked to me again, and then back down to the folder, and then he finally took it.

  “You’re sure?”

  “One hundred percent. Bailey’s number is in the folder. She’ll be in touch, but you’re welcome to call her if you need to.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” I said, nodding down the hall. “Now I’ve gotta go. I have to stop by the newsroom before I leave and drop some details with Georgia. Now that I’m off the team, she has me on full coverage of the Raddick Initiative. We’re running a single-page special edition next week to really drum up some good vibes for the finale. All the advertising, coverage, you name it. I’m in charge.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  “It’s really not,” I said, smiling. “But it means I’ll get to stay nearby and watch things as they unfold, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

  After a quick goodbye, I left Fletcher at his locker and turned down the far hallway and into the newsroom.

  “Okay,” I said, digging into my shoulder bag. “I’ve got doubles of all the dance information, so we need to start compiling a list of everything we have and everything we still need to run next week’s issue.” I pulled another folder from my bag and then looked up. Georgia reclined in the chair behind the editor’s desk, propping her hands behind her head as she arched her brow. She trailed a look to me as I stared between her and the man sitting on the other side of the desk.

  “Gabe?” My heart fluttered at his faint grin. “What’s going on? What are you—”

  “He just dropped by for a quick interview, that’s all,” Georgia said, not giving him a chance to speak for himself. She dropped her hands, sat up straight, and leaned forward. “Next week’s special edition is a big deal, and we want to include quotes from Gabe, Lashell, and a couple of the volunteers. I thought it would add a nice little touch.”

  “Yeah, yeah, it will. That’s a great idea,” I said, looking at the clock over her desk. Crap. I needed to hurry. I could hear my phone vibrating in my pocket, and no doubt it was Bailey on the other end, frantically calling to tell me to hurry up so we could leave. If she didn’t drop me off at the bakery soon, Jones couldn’t leave, and I couldn’t be the reason he was late for his economics test.

  I lifted the folder a little higher, sliding it across her desk. I avoided looking at Gabe again as I said, “There are the details you wanted. If there’s anything missing, you’ll just have to let me know, and I’ll talk to Bailey or Fletcher.”

  “Okay,” she said, still swiveling back and forth in her chair. She wore the goofiest smile. What was her deal? “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” I managed a small wave in their general direction as I headed for the door.

  “Actually, Mandy, we were just finishing up here.” She looked down to her notes. “Yeah, I think I have everything I need. If you wouldn’t mind, could you walk Gabe back to the office so he could sign out?”

  “He doesn’t need to sign out; the final bell already rang,” I glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes ago!

  “Then you can walk him to his car,” she said, widening her stare. “He’s our guest. Don’t be rude.”

  “Sure, okay,” I nodded.

  “That was very subtle,” Gabe said to her, laughing. He stood up and reached across the desk to shake Georgia’s hand. “Thank you for having me. This was…probably the strangest interview I’ve ever done.” She grinned. “If you do happen to need anything else, Mandy has my number. She can call anytime.”

  “Yeah, you hear that, Mandy?” she said, bouncing her eyebrows. “You can call anytime.”

  “I’m kinda in a hurry, can we just—”

  “Yeah,” Gabe nodded, and then reached over and took a piece of crumpled paper off the corner of the desk. Looking to Georgia he said, “I’m going to keep this.”

  “That’s what it’s there for,” she said, waving to both of us as we joined sides by the door. “Bye-bye, you two.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  I almost feared my heart would beat right out of my chest.

  The last time I saw him, I spilled my guts. I might’ve even inadvertently told him I loved him, only to watch him leave. What was I supposed to expect from him now? This walk out to his car could be disastrous.

  Since parting ways on Monday night, I’d made up with Dad, Bailey, and I’d even quit the program. I closed my eyes. No. I wasn’t ready to talk about that again—not with him. He’d never understand. So I had to get the topic of conversation off me before it ever got on me.

  “Whatcha got there?” I asked, looking at the crumpled piece of paper in his hands. As we walked through the quiet halls, he folded it into a small square and tucked it into his back pocket.

  He turned to look at me, and then his grin grew wider. “It’s an article.”

  “About what?”

  “Nothing special. Just a Mandy Parker original.”

  “It’s an article I wrote?”

  “Yep.”

  “And why are you keeping it, again?”

  “Long story short: I was talking to Mr. Davies and Georgia stopped me on my way out and asked if we could squeeze in a quick interview. I was hesitant, but when she told me you were officially in charge of the RI coverage, naturally I agreed.” I had to turn my head so he couldn’t see my smile. “When we got to the newsroom, you weren’t there, and she said she’d be conducting the interview herself.”

  “Okay?”

  “Of course, I had to ask why. Shouldn’t the person in charge of RI coverage handle the interviews about RI?”

  “Right,” I said, nodding. “Yeah, of course. I don’t know why she—”

  “She said that as much as she loves you, she doesn’t trust you with certain interviews.”

  “What? Why?”

  His smile grew wider, and it suddenly dawned on me. Please tell me she didn’t give him that article! She wouldn’t do that! She couldn’t have. I threw it away. After she assigned the piece, I interviewed Gabe, wrote up the article, and turned it in. She said she wouldn’t run it. If we were trying to publish a story that captured the angelic essence of Gabriel Raddick, then I’d print your article today. But then she scrapped it, and I tossed it into the garbage can myself.

  But Gabe’s copy was crumpled and wrinkled. Had she dug it out
? And why would she show it to him?

  “You read it?”

  “I did.” Oh, I was gonna kill her. And him! What was with that smug look? He added, “And I have to say, I was impressed. You have a way with words, Mandy. Very crisp and precise. Lots of detail in very few words. It was a great read.”

  “Oh my God, will you just say it already.”

  “Say what?”

  “What you’re dying to say. Just say it.”

  “It was a great ego-boost,” he said, finally letting go of a laugh.

  I shoved him. “It’s not funny. My judgment was clouded. You were in my head, okay?”

  “Oh, you can’t take it back now,” he said. “You wrote it; you meant it. And I loved it. I’m even thinking of taking it over to Evergreen this afternoon and showing my mom. It might finally give her a reason to admit I’m not a complete waste of space.”

  I creased my brow and slanted a look at him. Suddenly the air wasn’t so light-hearted and carefree anymore. Gabe dropped his head.

  “Okay, I’m sorry, that was out of line.”

  “Don’t apologize,” I said, and then I thought to ask if he wanted to talk about it, but again, I didn’t know where he’d drawn the line.

  Once upon a time, and not so long ago, Gabe had told me that if I had questions, all I had to do was turn those questions into answers. Maybe that had been his way of saying that all I had to do was ask, but he seemed to dance around answers a lot better than he gave them.

  We finally reached the front doors and walked out of the school. My eyes trailed over to the empty spot in the lot where our car should’ve been parked. Bailey had already left.

  I dropped my head and pulled my phone from my pocket. Three missed calls and one unread message.

  I opened the text. You snooze, you lose. Have Georgia drop you off. I’m outta here. I’ll cover for Jones until you can get there.