Oh Brother

by Sonya Spreen Bates

“Bad news,” Callie said when she answered. “Mom says we have to take Blake to the mall with us. The boys have gone to a football game with Dad, but Blake hates football. And now Mom’s sick and she’s going to the doctor, but Blake can’t stay here by himself.” She sighed.

  Lauren shrugged. “That’s okay. Mom said I have to take Will too.” She gestured to where she’d left Will in his chair at the bottom of the steps.

  Will grinned up at Callie and waved.

  Callie waved at him. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” she said.

  Just then Blake came to the door. “Yes! Will’s coming too?”

  Lauren nodded, and Blake bounded down the steps.

  Callie shook her head. “Brothers,” she said. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Lauren let Blake push Will’s chair and followed behind with Callie. Callie was unusually quiet, and for once Lauren found herself searching for something to talk about.

  Blake and Will stopped at the entrance to the school.

  “Will wants to play on the playground,” Blake said.

  Callie rolled her eyes. “You mean you do.”

  “No, Will does,” insisted Blake.

  Will pointed toward the school and said, “Play!”

  “We can’t stop at the playground, Will,” said Lauren. “We’re going to the mall, remember?”

  “Swing!” said Will.

  “Just for a minute?” asked Blake. “The tire swing is awesome.”

  “The tire swing?” said Lauren. “I thought he was only allowed on the one they adapted for him. Is it safe? He can’t hold on very well, you know.”

  “We go on it all the time, don’t we, Will?” said Blake. “Come on. I’ll show you.” He pushed Will onto the school grounds, and Lauren and Callie followed. “Ms. Westhaven or Miss Chatwal usually lifts him on. Can you do it?” Blake asked.

  Lauren unstrapped Will and transferred him onto the swing so his legs hung over the edge and his bum sagged into the hole. Will wiggled in excitement, and she held on tight.

  “See, I told you he can’t hold on,” she said.

  “He doesn’t need to,” said Blake. “I hold on to him.”

  He grabbed the chains of the swing and hoisted himself on, sitting on the edge of the tire and wrapping his legs around Will’s body. Then he started pumping.

  Lauren watched as they swung back and forth.

  “Not too high,” she said, immediately regretting the words. She sounded like Mr. Burman.

  Will laughed out loud, and Lauren felt a pang of jealousy. She’d always been the one to make Will laugh, the one to play games with him, make him squeal in delight. Now here she stood on the sideline, telling Blake to be careful.

  She looked over at Callie, who was swinging alongside them, giggling almost as much as Will.

  “Come on, Lauren,” she called. “Bet you can’t jump from this high.” She gave an extra-hard push and then leaped from the swing, landing gracefully on her feet.

  Lauren turned away. “Nah. Let’s get to the mall.”

  She dragged Will off the tire swing, and they headed out the gate. Callie seemed to have shaken off her glum mood and chatted away about her birthday party.

  “It’s a sleepover,” she said, “and Mom’s going to help me make these cool invitations that look like sleeping bags. I was going to get the Harry Potter movies, but I’m not sure Maddy and Treena would be into that. What kind of movies do you think they would like?”

  Lauren shrugged.

  “And Dad’s going to make us a Sunday brunch because it’s his day off. Treena’s never tasted Dad’s cooking. She’s going to flip.”

  They arrived at the mall and went straight to the jeans shop.

  “Aren’t they gorgeous?” Callie said, holding up a pair of black skinny-leg jeans.

  “How much are they?” said Lauren.

  Callie looked at the tag, and her face fell. “Eighty-five. On sale. I only have fifty.”

  As if by magic, a salesclerk appeared beside them.

  “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” she said. “We’ve hardly been able to keep them stocked. All the girls are wearing them.” She looked Callie up and down. “Would you like to try them on? I think we have your size.”

  Callie shook her head. “No, I haven’t got enough money,” she said.

  “I can put them on hold for you, if you don’t have the money with you today,” said the girl. “Why don’t you try them on?”

  Lauren followed Callie to the changerooms, leaving Will and Blake just outside, where she could see them from the door.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked as Callie slipped the jeans on and admired herself in the mirror. “Where are you going to get the rest of the money?”

  “It’s only thirty-five more. I could do some weeding or something to make it up,” she said.

  “But—eighty-five dollars for a pair of jeans? You could get a new Xbox game or buy a speaker for your room.”

  “I don’t need a speaker. I’ve got headphones.” Callie took the jeans off and folded them carefully. “You don’t understand. I have to have these jeans.”

  “Okay,” said Lauren. “It’s your money.”

  Callie asked the salesclerk to put the jeans on hold, and they left the shop.

  “We may as well go home,” she said. “I can’t afford to spend any money on comics.”

  “That’s all right,” said Lauren, reaching into her purse. “Here. Mom gave me ten dollars for each of us.”

  “Wow, that’s cool,” said Callie, pocketing the bill. “Your mom’s really nice.”

  “She was just feeling guilty about making me bring Will along. I won’t complain though.”

  They took the elevator to the second f loor, where the comic shop was located. As they made their way toward the entrance, Callie’s chatter suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She grabbed Lauren’s arm and spun her around, steering her toward a coffee shop on the other side of the mall.

  “What’s wrong?” said Lauren, looking back toward the shop.

  Callie’s face was flushed. She looked at Lauren and then away. “Maddy and Treena are in there.”

  Chapter Ten

  The words hit Lauren like a bowling ball to the stomach.

  “I forgot,” Callie said, turning brighter and brighter shades of red. “I told them we’d meet them here after I got my jeans.” She glanced at Will. “You know how Treena is, Lauren.” Her eyes were pleading with Lauren to understand. “We can’t go in there.”

  The bowling ball rolled around in Lauren’s stomach. She glanced at Will, squirming with anticipation, pointing in the direction of the comic shop. “Why don’t we go and get an ice cream, Will?” she said.

  Will shook his head firmly. “Comic!” he said.

  “You can have mint chip. It’s your favorite.”

  Will frowned. “Comic.”

  “I think he wants to go to the comic shop,” said Blake.

  “I know what he wants,” Lauren snapped. She could see Treena through the window of the comic shop.

  “No,” she said. “No comics. Let’s go.”

  She took the handles of Will’s chair and headed back toward the elevator. She looked back and realized Callie wasn’t following her.

  “So…I’ll see you on Monday?” said Callie.

  Lauren’s eyes widened. “You’re not coming with us?”

  Callie’s face flamed bright red again. She looked at the floor somewhere near Lauren’s feet. “Well, I promised I’d meet them…you know, and…I can’t just not show up.”

  “So you’re ditching us?”

  Callie lifted her gaze. “No, I mean—” She bit her lip and shot a look back over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lauren. I’ve got to go.”

  Grabbing Blake’s sleeve, she dragged him over to the other side of the mall, disappearing into the comic shop.

  Lauren stood there, her hands clenched tightly on the handles of Will’s chair. She felt like the floor had dropped out from under
her. The world was spinning, and she didn’t know if she was going to come out on top or not. Then everything seemed to grind to a halt, and she glared at the spot where Callie had disappeared. Fine. If Callie would rather be with Maddy and Treena, she could have them.

  Lauren spun Will’s chair around so hard that it tipped up on two wheels. Inside the elevator she stabbed the button for the ground floor, tapping her foot impatiently. How could she have been so stupid? She’d thought Callie was her friend. She’d thought she could count on her when she needed her, but all Callie wanted was to hang out with her cool friends. The doors opened and she stormed out. She didn’t need friends like that. Friends like that weren’t friends at all.

  Will called out, and she realized she’d almost passed the ice-cream shop.

  “Ice cream!” said Will.

  She paid for the ice cream. That’s when she realized that Callie still had the money she’d given her, and it made her even angrier.

  “Is that mint-chip?” she heard a voice ask behind her. The voice sounded familiar. Lauren turned to find Byron leaning close to Will, comparing cones.

  “Byron?”

  He straightened up and stared at her. “Lauren. Hi.” His brows came down in a puzzled frown, and he looked from her to Will and back again. “Are you with Will?”

  “Yeah. He’s—he’s my brother,” she said. It felt strange to say it. She hadn’t told anyone at school that they were related. “You know Will?”

  “I help out in the library. Will comes in with his friends to use the computer.”

  Another thing Lauren didn’t know about Will.

  “He’s your brother, eh?” Byron continued. “Funny, I’ve never seen you guys together at school.”

  Lauren’s cheeks burned. “Well, I’m usually pretty busy, you know, with… things.”

  There was an awkward pause, and then Byron shrugged. “Well, I have to go,” he said. He bent down and saluted Will with his cone. “See you at school, Will. Enjoy your ice cream.”

  Lauren watched him walk off until he was lost in the crowd. He had never said more than a couple of words to her before.

  “Oh!” said Will from behind her.

  Lauren turned to find an empty cone in his hand and the ball of chocolate-flecked green ice cream lying on the floor next to his chair.

  “Oh, Will,” she said. She bought him another ice cream, pushed the scoop deep into the cone with a plastic spoon and handed it to him. “Time to go home, buddy.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Monday morning came around, and Lauren was still furious. For the first time in weeks, she left the house early and walked to school with her mother and Will. Since she had fifteen minutes to spare, she decided to go to the library. It didn’t take her long to choose a fantasy novel. She made her way to the checkout desk, where she saw a familiar face. Byron.

  “Hi, Lauren,” he said.

  “Hey,” she said, searching for her name on the computer and scanning her book. When she turned around, Byron was still standing there. She couldn’t read his face. Was he thinking about her and Will?

  “Is that The Knights of Gandor?” he asked, turning his head sideways to read the title.

  Quickly she hid the book behind her back. “What do you care?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a good book.”

  “You’ve read it?” said Lauren.

  “About fifty times.” He laughed. “I think I’ve got it memorized.”

  Lauren laughed too. “I’ve only read it three times, but it is great, isn’t it?”

  The bell rang, and Byron looked up. The smile left his face.

  “We’d better get to class,” said Lauren.

  Byron didn’t say a word as they climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked down the hallway to room 215. Lauren began to think she’d imagined the smile on his face. Callie was already in her seat next to Treena. Her eyes widened when she saw Lauren and Byron together.

  Lauren flushed and turned away. Callie wasn’t her friend anymore, so what did she care who Lauren hung out with?

  When Lauren went downstairs for breakfast the next morning, there was an envelope waiting for her on the table.

  “It was in the mailbox,” said her mom.

  Lauren peeled the flap open carefully and pulled out the card inside.

  It was an invitation to Callie’s birthday party. It was shaped like a sleeping bag. It’s party time! Lauren could hear Callie’s voice shouting those words in her head as she read it. She pressed her lips together and scowled.

  “Who is it from?” said her mom.

  Lauren stuffed the invitation back into the envelope. “No one. It’s nothing.”

  She watched her mom feeding Will his oatmeal with applesauce. He grinned up at her.

  “Play Will,” he said.

  “Sure,” she said after a slight hesitation. Her fingers tightened on the envelope. “Want me to push you on the swing at recess?”

  Will shook his head.

  “Blake!” he said. He pointed to a picture on his communication board that showed afternoon and said, “Laurie.”

  Now Will didn’t want to hang out with her at school.

  “Okay, after school,” she said. She went back upstairs to finish getting ready.

  There was the usual lineup of cars in the drop-off zone in front of the school when they arrived. Lauren had the door half-open when she saw Maddy getting out of a BMW. Maddy slammed the car door hard and flung her bag over her shoulder, stalking away without a backward glance. She headed straight for Lauren.

  Lauren froze, one hand on the door, watching her approach. Her heart started to thud. At the last minute she wrenched the door open just as Maddy reached her.

  Maddy paused, staring her down. Her eyes were red, her face crumpled by a frown. “What are you gawking at?” she said.

  “I wasn’t—I was just—”

  Maddy shook her head and continued through the door without another word. Lauren let it fall closed behind her. Then she spotted Callie and Treena walking toward her from the other direction. She ducked inside quickly and darted up the stairs.

  Still unwilling to face Callie, Lauren wandered over to the back field at lunchtime to watch a group of younger kids playing soccer. They were fun to watch, running after the ball in a pack and kicking it back and forth with no real strategy. After a few minutes she saw Will heading out onto the field. Blake was pushing his wheelchair. Lauren’s chest squeezed tight as the game started up again. She watched the two of them chase after the ball, Will’s chair bumping along the grass like a monster truck. Blake caught the ball between Will’s feet, and Will gave it a kick. It sailed over the heads of his opponents, just missing the goal.

  “Nice try, Will!” Ms. Westhaven called from the sidelines.

  Lauren glanced over at her, then back at Will and Blake. They were moving back into position while the goalkeeper retrieved the ball. She bit her lip as the ball was kicked in Will’s direction and Blake took off after it again, then closed her eyes and turned away. The lump had settled in her stomach again and sat there like a stone.

  She trudged aimlessly around the playground, watching other kids running and screaming and laughing, until she realized she was holding The Knights of Gandor. She’d finished it the night before and planned on returning it to the library. As she crossed the field and headed toward the building, she saw Callie, Treena and Maddy sitting under a tree. She put her head down and went the long way around to the back entrance. A burst of laughter followed her as she rounded the corner. Trying to block the sound from her ears, she yanked the door to the library open with such force that she almost knocked over a little girl coming out carrying several picture books.

  Lauren murmured an apology and dropped her book into the return slot. This was getting way out of hand. She couldn’t avoid Callie and the others forever. She would have to face them sooner or later.

  She couldn’t force herself to do it right then though. Wandering over to find a new
book, she noticed Byron standing in the fantasy section, a stack of books at his feet.

  “Finished The Knights of Gandor?” he said when she approached.

  “Yeah.” She plucked a book off the shelf and started reading the back cover.

  “Have you read Angels at Dusk?”

  Lauren looked at the book he was holding out to her.

  “No, is it any good?”

  “If you liked The Knights, you’ll love this one,” said Byron. “It’s Marg Tessler’s new one.”

  The bell rang. They’d just turned to go back to class when Lauren heard a commotion at the front of the library. It was Blake. He was trying to talk to Mrs. Dupont but was breathing so hard he could barely get the words out.

  “Lauren!” he called as he spotted her. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Will’s had an accident.”

  Lauren stared at Blake, her mouth open. There was blood on his shirt. Will’s blood? Panic surged through her like electricity.

  “What happened? Where’s Will?”

  “He’s in the medical room. He got hit with the ball and his chair tipped over. There was blood everywhere. He was crying and I couldn’t find you and…” Blake hiccuped, and tears started running down his face.

  Byron patted him on the back. “It’s all right, Blake. You’ve found her now.”

  Byron’s calm words seemed to set Lauren’s brain into action. She was suddenly able to feel her limbs again. She pushed past him and raced for the medical room.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lauren ran down the hallway, ignoring the stares of kids starting to move back to their classrooms. When she neared the medical room, she could hear Will crying.

  “It’s all right, Will. It’s all right, I’m here,” she said when she got there, cuddling him and stroking his hair. “You’re going to be all right.” But she wasn’t sure he was going to be all right. There was blood everywhere. Down his shirt, on the bed, on the floor. Mrs. Wallace, the first-aid attendant, was holding a cloth to Will’s face with gloved hands, but there was blood on her dress. Lauren’s insides turned to ice.

  She heard the sound of a siren, and then the paramedics were there, gently prying her away from him. They quickly transferred him to a stretcher.