“Did he tell you where he was going?”
“Yeah. He said he was going to see Grandma Grant—his Mom—before she passed on. She’s in a nursing home or whatever,” he said, waving his hand in front of his face, “and he wanted to say goodbye. But he said that he would be right back. He promised. Just a week or two; that’s what he told me.”
This was the part of the story where everybody got that look in their eye. Will had seen it a million times; pity cocktailed with condescension. They think, it’s sad (pathetic?) that one could be so stupid as to not see that your dad just skipped town. Dads do it all the time. Responsibility can suck. Running is easy.
Will expected to see that look on Jennifer’s face, but when he looked, he was surprised to find it not there.
“What do you think happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Will said, looking her in the eye.
“But your mom thinks he just bailed. Cops too, huh?”
“Yup.”
She nodded her head. “But that’s not what you think, is it?
Will stared at her and then said, “Something happened … something bad happened.”
The two kids sat quietly for the next few minutes. Jennifer’s time was almost up, and soon she would be walking out of his life, and he would be having his meeting with the Principal. His Mom would be there, and the two of them would be deciding his fate.
“So what are you going to do?” Jennifer asked.
Will stared at her intently, but she didn’t look away. Instead, she flipped back a few strands of red hair that had fallen across her face.
“What can I do?” Will said. “I’m only fifteen. Nobody cares what I say or what I think.”
“Hmm,” Jenn said, nodding her head.
“What?” Will asked.
“Nothing. It’s not my place.”
“No, say it. I want you to say it. Please.”
“Well, I think if you really wanted to do something … then you’d do it.”
“No—”
“Yes,” she said, mocking his petulant whine. “It is. You said, ‘nobody cares what I think, ‘cause I'm just a stupid kid.’ Well, I didn’t ask you what you thought; I asked you what you were going to do. You don’t need anyone’s approval to do something about your dad … you just do it.”
“Are you freaking serious? I’m only fifteen! What the hell am I supposed to do about it? Start my own investigation, like I’m a goddamned Hardy boy?”
“You see, that’s the thing, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want. I was just under the impression that you actually did want to do something. My bad.”
Will opened his mouth to respond but the end-of-class bell rang and cut him off. They both let out a silent sigh of relief.
“Good luck in your meeting tonight,” Jennifer said. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Before she left, she turned to will and asked, “Can I text you tonight to see how it went?” She slid her notebook across the table.
Will looked from her to the notebook, still not getting it. “Um, sure … yeah,” he stammered.
“Great,” Jennifer said. “Write your number down.”
It finally clicked, and Will scribbled his number on the back of her notebook. “Can you read that?”
She glanced at his writing. “Wow, you have the penmanship of a serial killer. Should I be worried?” With that, she winked and turned before disappearing down the hall.
Will sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, seemingly content with doing nothing other than listening to the rubber shoes squeaking in the hallways as kids hurried from one class to the next. For the time being, William Grant welcomed his solitary confinement.
CHAPTER SIX
Tuesday Night
“Do you understand the severity of your actions, William?”
Will’s mother, awaiting her son’s response, nudged his arm.
“Of course I do,” Will said, finally.
“Good,” Principal Paulsen said. “I have spoken with Mr. Woodley and we both feel that pursuing criminal charges is not in the best interest for either you or the school’s reputation. We have agreed on a one week in school suspension, plus the remainder of this week to be served in the detention room, studying. Do you have any questions?” He looked at both William and his mother. Neither of them did. “We have decided to respond to this matter with leniency, young man. I hope you can appreciate that. If this is an isolated incident—and I sincerely hope it is—then I can assure you, Will, that this suspension will not be reflected on your permanent record. I am extending a large platitude to you here, son. You may not see that now, but I assure you that someday, you will.”
Inside, William seethed. “He had no right to bring up my dad—”
Rene grabbed Will’s arm and squeezed, effectively shutting him up. “We understand,” she said. “And we do appreciate it. We really do.”
Principal Paulson nodded his head approvingly. “Well, okay then.” He stood from his desk and Will and his mom followed suit.
“Thank you so much, Principal Paulsen. I—we—promise to make sure that this type of behavior never happens again.”
“I’m sure you will,” Principal Paulsen replied, ushering them to the door.
“Thanks again,” Rene said, as the Principal shut the door on them.
“Jesus, Mom. Really?”
Rene grabbed Will’s arm and pulled him down the hallway. “You are too much. He’s right you know? You have no idea what just happened in there, do you?”
“Yeah, I know what happened in there. I believe that was a master douchebag giving out free douchebag lessons.”
Rene stopped her double-time retreat from the school and grabbed Will by the shoulders. She wanted to shake some sense into him, but somehow she resisted—barely. “I don’t know what to say,” Rene said, shaking her head, tears welling up in her brown eyes. “This is so hard. Please don’t fight me, Will. I miss him too—”
“Well, then let’s go find him! He’s out there somewhere. I know he is!”
“Please, Will, don’t. I can’t do this right now. I’m drowning here, honey. Your dad’s gone. He can’t help me but you can. Please.”
“What am I supposed to do, Mom? I’m just a stupid kid who just punched his stupid teacher. I think we’re both drowning.” He walked off and left her standing there. A few seconds later, he heard her dress shoes, (something he didn’t even know she owned) clicking on the hard linoleum. She caught up with him in the school parking lot—a few yards before they reached their Toyota Prius. Rene clasped Will’s hand and squeezed it gently as they continued towards the car. Will squeezed hers back.
“Sorry,” she said. “You’re right, I’m your Mom. It’s time I start acting like it.”
“Let’s go home,” Will said.
“Yeah, let’s go home.”
They drove through suburbia quietly without even the radio (which Will’s mom usually kept locked on a local indie rock station). Will’s cell phone beeped and Rene shot him a glance. He pulled out his phone and read the text. It was from Aaron.
JUST HEARD 2 UPPERCLASSMEN GIRLS TALKIN BOUT U, DUDE. UR GOIN LEGEND. Y DIDN’T I KNOCK OUT A TEACHER? U R A FREAKIN GENIUS. PEACE, KILLER
Rene saw Will smile. “What is it?”
Will shook his head and then tucked the phone back in his pocket. “It’s nothing. Just Aaron.”
Rene nodded. A few seconds later, his phone beeped again. Will rolled his eyes, expecting another text from Aaron but reached for his phone anyway. This one wasn’t from Aaron.
Hi, this is Jennifer. I saw you leaving. I hope the meeting went well. Was that your Mom? I like her hair. I want to apologize for what I said. I’m usually not an asshole. I have no idea why I said those things. It was way out of line and I’m really sorry. Call me if you want to talk.
Will didn’t know what to think of this girl. She’s was so forward, so honest, but sweet, too.
Very sweet.<
br />
He texted her back.
Yeah, that got weird but don’t worry about it. We should talk. I’ll call you tonight.
He stared at his words for a moment, changed them a few times, then finally pressed send and forced himself to tuck his phone away.
“Aaron again?” Rene asked.
Will shook his head. “Naw, Jennifer.”
Rene raised an eyebrow. “Who is Jennifer?”
“Just a girl I met in detention.”
“Great …” Rene sighed. “I don’t think running around with a girl in detention is a great idea right now.”
“Wow, Mom. That’s great. You do realize that I’m in detention, right?”
“Well, yeah, but that’s different. I know you’re a good kid.”
Will shook his head and looked away from his mother towards the traffic. “Relax, Mom, she’s the student aid who’s in charge of keeping me in line. And, by the way, she said she likes your hair.”
Rene blushed and subconsciously ran a hand over her expertly prepped dreadlocks. “Really? Aw, sounds like a sweet girl.”
Will chuckled. “Yeah.”
The two of them continued in silence, and ten minutes later, they pulled the Prius up to the house. Rene had to park in the driveway because Will’s motorcycle and boxes of junk took up most of the one stall garage.
“We need a fresh start, young man.”
Will nodded his head, not really knowing what she meant, but knowing that he didn’t want to get into it right now.
“I’ve got some paper work to finish up and then I’ll get started on dinner. In the meantime, I need you to start on those assignments you’ve got.”
“Jesus, Mom. I will.”
“Watch your tone, mister.”
The two of them climbed out of the Toyota and proceeded to the house. “Things are gonna be better,” Rene promised, “new beginnings, William. This is gonna be a good thing … mark my words.”
Will nodded to appease her and rolled his eyes when she turned away. She inserted the key to the house and turned the knob. The cool air from the air conditioner hit them immediately, cooling their sweaty skin in seconds.
Will dropped his backpack onto the couch and kicked off his shoes by the door. He headed towards his room and said, “I better go start those assignments.”
Rene pointed towards the sofa. “Aren’t you going to need your bag?”
“Oh, right.” He smiled wanly and returned to grab his book-bag. “It sorta blends into the cushions and I didn’t—” He trailed off knowing she wasn’t buying any of it.
Rene rolled her eyes and Will pretended he didn’t notice. They both laughed as he headed for the bedroom at the end of the hall.
“Let me know if you need any help,” she said. “I’ve got some work to do before I start dinner but it should be done in a couple of hours. I’ll holler for you when it’s ready.”
Will shut the door to his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.
He reached into his pocket for his cracked phone. A few finger swipes later, and Jennifer’s contact information stared back at him. His finger hovered over the call button but he hesitated. What would he say? Did he want to say anything? The truth was, he realized, that he just wanted to hear her voice.
Dammit, why is this so hard?
On the floor, the box of his father’s things called to him like a beacon in the night—or more accurately, a distraction. He set down his phone and opened the box.
Will’s phone rang and he jumped. “Jesus Christ,” he whispered after catching his breath. Underneath a pile of papers on his bed, he found his phone. It was Jen. He looked at the clock on his bedside table and saw that he had been home from school for over an hour. He had almost forgotten her. No, he had forgotten.
“Hello,” he said into the phone.
“Will? It’s Jennifer … from school”
“Yeah, I know. Hi.”
“Look, I’m sorry about … everything. I was way out of line. I don’t even know why I did that. I know I just met you, but I don’t like seeing you this way and I thought that maybe I could fix it. But that was stupid of me and, more importantly, none of my business … obviously.” The line went silent and Will wondered briefly if the call had dropped. “I’m sorry,” she finished.
Will swallowed hard. “Don’t be. You were right.”
“No. Actually, I wasn’t. I was being a bitch.”
“Well, either way, I’ve decided to do something about it.”
“Really? That’s great, Will. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” he said. He stood in his room with the phone to his ear, staring at the stacks of papers strewn across his bed. An awkward silence took over the phone call. “Thanks for putting me in motion.”
“Oh, stop it. You don’t—”
“No, I'm serious. Thank you … really.”
“I’m in the neighbourhood,” she said. “Can I stop by and see you?”
“What? I, uh, sure you can. How do you know where—”
“Thank you, Will. I’ll be there shortly. Bye.”
Will looked at his phone and she was gone. He chuckled. She’s weird.
From the kitchen, he heard his mom curse. She wasn’t a great cook—that had been his dad’s job—but she tried. And that was worth something. “You alright, Mom?” he called from his room.
“I’m fine … but my casserole wasn’t so lucky.”
Will rolled his eyes and then the doorbell rang.
“Holy shit!” Will said. She’s here already?
Through the paper-thin walls, he heard his mother talking to someone in the dining room. He ran to the mirror and tried to fix his hair. It was okay but he caught a glimpse of his room and cursed under his breath. Piles of dirty clothes were everywhere, while half-empty soda cans and dirty plates decorated every flat surface.
Shit.
A knock came at his door and Will jumped. “Uh, one second.” He scooped up the pile of dirty clothes and crammed them inside his closet, forcing the door closed and sighing with relief when it clicked shut.
“It’s me,” Jenn said from the hallway. Will opened the door and ushered her in.
“Congratulations! Your mom said you got good news.”
Will shrugged his shoulders as he kicked dirty underwear beneath his bed.
Jennifer pretended she didn’t notice.
“What’cha up to?” he asked.
“Nothing. Bored. Thought I would stop by and say hi. I’m sorry to just drop in like this.”
Will shook his head and nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “No. I was just …”
Jennifer smiled and watched him flail. “Your mom told me no Juvy. You’re not getting kicked out of school either and you even get to hang out with me in cell block D.”
“Yup. It’s a real Christmas miracle.”
Jennifer smiled and nodded. She motioned to the mess of papers on his bed, “so what were you doing? What’s in the box?” She pointed at the mostly empty box on the floor with ‘Dad’s Stuff’ marked on the side and the stacks of papers and photos strung across his bed. “Your mom said you were doing homework. That doesn’t look like homework.”
Will cleaned off a spot on his bed for the two of them to sit. He grabbed the photo of his dad and his childhood friend, Peter. “This is him,” Will said, pointing at the taller boy on the right. “My Dad.”
“Yeah, I can tell. He’s cute. Who’s the other one?”
“His name was Peter sumthin-or-other. They were best friends, I guess. Dad talked about him quite a bit ...” Will stopped talking and his eyes glazed over. After a moment, he chuckled under his breath.
“What is it?” Jenn asked.
“I was just remembering something my Dad told me. This kid,” he pointed at the other boy in the picture, “was kind of pathetic. He was afraid of some made up monster.”
Jenn smiled politely, not sure what was funny about a little boy being afraid of monsters. “Really?”
&nb
sp; “Yeah. He called him Mr. Dark or Mr. Black or something like that. It was pretty creepy actually. Dad used to try to tell me this monster—Mr. Black—would hide in our heater vents and get me if I didn’t go to bed on time.”
Jenn laughed. “That’s a good idea! Did it work?”
“I don’t remember. Probably. When I was little, Mom used to give Dad shit for telling me those scary stories.”
“I bet,” Jenn said.
Will looked off and smiled. He wiped at his eyes. “She thought it was funny, though, Mom did. It wasn’t that scary but I could tell they enjoyed it.”
“Enjoyed what?”
“It was like a game to them, I think. Dad would tell his stories and I would pretend to be really scared and then Mom would come in and make it all better. Looking back, I think we were all in on it.”
Jenn smiled at the picture in her head. She felt sad for him, but was surprised to find some jealousy too. “That sounds really great, Will. It’s the perfect life.”
“Yeah,” Will grunted, bitterly. “More like the perfect lie.” He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. Jenn looked away.
“So what is the rest of this stuff?” she asked.
Will cleared his throat and unfolded an old paper map of the United States. “Check this out. We are here.” He pointed at the tiny star indicating Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Really? I thought we lived in Fargo.”
Will ignored her sarcasm and ran his fingers along the thin red line he had drawn on the map. It followed a highway into Colorado. “This right here,” he tapped the map next to another star, this one marked in red ink, like the trail, “that’s Colorado Springs … that’s where my Grandma lives.” He traced his finger again down the red line. “This is my Dad’s hometown, Chaplin Hills, and this,” he pointed his finger an eighth of an inch southeast, “is Julesburg.” He looked at Jennifer with a manic look in his eye.
“Okay. What’s up with Julesburg?”
Will held up his finger, “Just wait.” He reached for a stack of papers next to the map and flipped through them. Satisfied that the stack didn’t include what he was looking for, he dropped it and grabbed the next stack. Just before he was finished with that pile, he held up a tri-folded sheet of paper. “Ah-ah. Here it is.”
The Complete Bleaker Trilogy Box-set Page 13
