November 12th: Overwhelmingly Stressful
Mari is asleep on the couch, curled up in a shivering ball. I pull a blanket over her and tuck it around her shoulders.
Manuel is sitting on the stairs, staring at the ceiling. I sit down next to him and lean back.
He looks over at me. “How’s Garrett?”
I shrug. “Don’t know. They’ll only tell his family, and even if his mother is calling Ty... His dad won’t give him messages.”
“Oh.” He crosses his arms and sighs.
“Why do you think people lie?” I ask him finally.
He sits up slowly and shrugs. “Cos they feel like they have to. Or it seems easier.”
“I guess.” I sigh, cracking my knuckles. “So it’s not so much their fault for lying, always. Sometimes it’s our fault... For making them feel like we wouldn’t listen.”
His eyebrows lower. “Well sometimes, I guess.” He bites his lip. “But if this is about that Alice girl you like, that’s not why.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Really. Why, then?”
“I guess sometimes you lie because you’re not sure what the truth is,” he says with a shrug. “And it’s easier to just say something... Than admit that you don’t know what to say.”
I stare at him.
“I think so, at least,” he says looking nervous.
“No, that’s good.” I sit up and sigh. “That’s real good, Manny. Real good.”
* * *
“Your report card came in the mail,” Mari says the next morning at breakfast.
I look up from my cereal. “Um, is it okay? I haven’t really been paying attention.”
“Yeah,” she remarks drily. “We all know that.”
My stomach sinks. “It was bad?”
“B’s and C’s,” she says with a shrug. “Not bad. Not bad at all. But you need a scholarship, Xavier. B’s and C’s? Noone in their right mind is going to give you a scholarship!” She scrubs harder at the frying pan. “You need to stop hanging around with that girl. She’s distracting you.”
“You’re not my mother,” I remind her, rolling my eyes and spooning up some Wheat Chex.
“No, I’m not. Your mother is off working her ass off so that she can pay for you to eat and sleep soundly until you can get that scholarship. Because she loves you, and she wants the best for you.” She throws the sponge down. “She is not earning this money for you to sit around on your ass eating and sleeping and spending your homework time solving the numerous problems of Alice Creevy. Alice can take care of herself. You need to concentrate on your studies, Xavier. You need to go to a good college and marry a nice girl and maybe someday you can give your old mother a place to live outside of this creaky townhouse, because she has certainly done more than enough for you.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. I’ll try harder. Happy?”
“This isn’t a joke, Xavier.” She turns on the sink. “This is your future.”
“What about my present?” I ask, throwing my dishes on the counter.
She glares at me. “You have better ways to spend your present than being a doormat for Alice Creevy.”
I shrug on my jacket, grab my pack, and walk out the door, making sure to slam it behind me.
I know she’s right.
* * *
Meet me at the GK after school???? Please. Sorry about yesterday. I’m an asshole when I’m drunk.
I tear the note off the side of my locker and rip it into pieces. Down the hall, Alice shoots me a smile. I stare at her, snort and turn back to my books.
“Can I have a ride?” I look to my right. Ty smiles at me, out of nowhere. “They’re moving him to a regular room. His mother’s actually coming, she said.” His smile broadens. “They say at this rate, he maybe has to stay a week more. And then he’ll be okay.”
I grin at him. “That’s great, dude!”
“Yeah. So – ride?”
I stare at the shreds of note in my hands. “Yeah,” I say, sprinkling them on the ground. “Sure.”
* * *
Upon coming in the north doors at Traigville South, we’re accosted by a chubby, red-haired woman. She wraps her arms around Ty and gives him a hug, then pulls away. “He just got out of his last surgery a couple hours ago. He should be awake now. Do you want to go see him?”
We nod and follow her through a maze of elevators and dimly lit hallways. Finally she stops at a door.
Inside it’s quiet for a minute. Garrett is staring at the ceiling, his eyes vacant.
“Johnson?” Ty asks tentatively.
Garrett turns his head. His face breaks into a grin. “Nice lip, man! How man stitches was that one?”
“Thirteen,” Ty replies, walking over to his bedside. He grabs Garrett’s hand. “Crap, dude, you scared the living daylights out of everybody.”
I lean against the doorway and smile to myself.
“Xavier Gonzalez, I trust that you have been taking good care of my distraught boy here?”
I roll my eyes. “Because Ty is just so unbearably needy. I swear, you need to get that kid some counseling.”
They both laugh, their fingers intertwined. “Missed you, dude,” Ty whispers.
“I’ll give you guys some time alone,” I say, grinning.
Ty looks over at me. “You want to go home? I can catch a cab home. And Alice actually came up to me today to ask if I knew if you were meeting her at the Knoll. At three thirty. Which is...” He glances at his watch. “Which was fifteen minutes ago. Giddy up, pardner.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You sure?”
“Unless you want to break the heart of the girl you are madly in love with, I would go,” he says gently. “Whatever this big news of hers is, she’s counting on you, dude. Don’t let her down.”
“Okay. Bye, man. Take care of yourself. You too, Garrett – someone needs to be around to figure out my brother.”
Ty waves as I race out of the room. And somehow even the looming possibilities of Alice’s news can’t make me stop smiling.
* * *
She’s asleep in the grass, curled up in the sun, her hair covering her face. I walk over to her and gently rub her arm.
She stares up at me through the sheet of shiny blonde. “Didn’t think you were coming,” she says groggily.
“Had to drive Ty to the hospital.” She sits up slowly, and I collapse next to her. “But what’s up with you?” I ask gently.
Alice stares at me, her green eyes glassy. “I was a bitch to you yesterday.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “You were.”
“So I feel bad asking you for help after everything I said,” she says, shrugging, hugging her knees to her chest.
I sigh. “Alice, I’ve told you a million times that I would do anything for you. What’s up?”
“Promise you won’t hate me.”
I stare at her. “Is it really that bad?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t even know anymore.”
“Just tell me,” I say softly, putting a hand on her arm.
She pushes it off and stares at me with swollen eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
“Shit,” I say softly. “Shit, Alice. Holy...”
She shakes her head. “I knew you wouldn’t... I knew you’d get upset... I can’t even ask you...”
“Ask me what?” I whisper. “I’m just surprised... What can I do? What the hell does this have to do with me?”
She closes her eyes and leans on my shoulder. “I want you...” She takes a shaky breath. “I want you to pretend that it’s yours.”
It’s like I can’t breathe. Like someone snatched my lungs away. And suddenly, I understand Brady.
Manuel is sitting on the stairs, staring at the ceiling. I sit down next to him and lean back.
He looks over at me. “How’s Garrett?”
I shrug. “Don’t know. They’ll only tell his family, and even if his mother is calling Ty... His dad won’t give him messages.”
“Oh.” He crosses his arms and sighs.
“Why do you think people lie?” I ask him finally.
He sits up slowly and shrugs. “Cos they feel like they have to. Or it seems easier.”
“I guess.” I sigh, cracking my knuckles. “So it’s not so much their fault for lying, always. Sometimes it’s our fault... For making them feel like we wouldn’t listen.”
His eyebrows lower. “Well sometimes, I guess.” He bites his lip. “But if this is about that Alice girl you like, that’s not why.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Really. Why, then?”
“I guess sometimes you lie because you’re not sure what the truth is,” he says with a shrug. “And it’s easier to just say something... Than admit that you don’t know what to say.”
I stare at him.
“I think so, at least,” he says looking nervous.
“No, that’s good.” I sit up and sigh. “That’s real good, Manny. Real good.”
“Your report card came in the mail,” Mari says the next morning at breakfast.
I look up from my cereal. “Um, is it okay? I haven’t really been paying attention.”
“Yeah,” she remarks drily. “We all know that.”
My stomach sinks. “It was bad?”
“B’s and C’s,” she says with a shrug. “Not bad. Not bad at all. But you need a scholarship, Xavier. B’s and C’s? Noone in their right mind is going to give you a scholarship!” She scrubs harder at the frying pan. “You need to stop hanging around with that girl. She’s distracting you.”
“You’re not my mother,” I remind her, rolling my eyes and spooning up some Wheat Chex.
“No, I’m not. Your mother is off working her ass off so that she can pay for you to eat and sleep soundly until you can get that scholarship. Because she loves you, and she wants the best for you.” She throws the sponge down. “She is not earning this money for you to sit around on your ass eating and sleeping and spending your homework time solving the numerous problems of Alice Creevy. Alice can take care of herself. You need to concentrate on your studies, Xavier. You need to go to a good college and marry a nice girl and maybe someday you can give your old mother a place to live outside of this creaky townhouse, because she has certainly done more than enough for you.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. I’ll try harder. Happy?”
“This isn’t a joke, Xavier.” She turns on the sink. “This is your future.”
“What about my present?” I ask, throwing my dishes on the counter.
She glares at me. “You have better ways to spend your present than being a doormat for Alice Creevy.”
I shrug on my jacket, grab my pack, and walk out the door, making sure to slam it behind me.
I know she’s right.
Meet me at the GK after school???? Please. Sorry about yesterday. I’m an asshole when I’m drunk.
I tear the note off the side of my locker and rip it into pieces. Down the hall, Alice shoots me a smile. I stare at her, snort and turn back to my books.
“Can I have a ride?” I look to my right. Ty smiles at me, out of nowhere. “They’re moving him to a regular room. His mother’s actually coming, she said.” His smile broadens. “They say at this rate, he maybe has to stay a week more. And then he’ll be okay.”
I grin at him. “That’s great, dude!”
“Yeah. So – ride?”
I stare at the shreds of note in my hands. “Yeah,” I say, sprinkling them on the ground. “Sure.”
Upon coming in the north doors at Traigville South, we’re accosted by a chubby, red-haired woman. She wraps her arms around Ty and gives him a hug, then pulls away. “He just got out of his last surgery a couple hours ago. He should be awake now. Do you want to go see him?”
We nod and follow her through a maze of elevators and dimly lit hallways. Finally she stops at a door.
Inside it’s quiet for a minute. Garrett is staring at the ceiling, his eyes vacant.
“Johnson?” Ty asks tentatively.
Garrett turns his head. His face breaks into a grin. “Nice lip, man! How man stitches was that one?”
“Thirteen,” Ty replies, walking over to his bedside. He grabs Garrett’s hand. “Crap, dude, you scared the living daylights out of everybody.”
I lean against the doorway and smile to myself.
“Xavier Gonzalez, I trust that you have been taking good care of my distraught boy here?”
I roll my eyes. “Because Ty is just so unbearably needy. I swear, you need to get that kid some counseling.”
They both laugh, their fingers intertwined. “Missed you, dude,” Ty whispers.
“I’ll give you guys some time alone,” I say, grinning.
Ty looks over at me. “You want to go home? I can catch a cab home. And Alice actually came up to me today to ask if I knew if you were meeting her at the Knoll. At three thirty. Which is...” He glances at his watch. “Which was fifteen minutes ago. Giddy up, pardner.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You sure?”
“Unless you want to break the heart of the girl you are madly in love with, I would go,” he says gently. “Whatever this big news of hers is, she’s counting on you, dude. Don’t let her down.”
“Okay. Bye, man. Take care of yourself. You too, Garrett – someone needs to be around to figure out my brother.”
Ty waves as I race out of the room. And somehow even the looming possibilities of Alice’s news can’t make me stop smiling.
She’s asleep in the grass, curled up in the sun, her hair covering her face. I walk over to her and gently rub her arm.
She stares up at me through the sheet of shiny blonde. “Didn’t think you were coming,” she says groggily.
“Had to drive Ty to the hospital.” She sits up slowly, and I collapse next to her. “But what’s up with you?” I ask gently.
Alice stares at me, her green eyes glassy. “I was a bitch to you yesterday.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “You were.”
“So I feel bad asking you for help after everything I said,” she says, shrugging, hugging her knees to her chest.
I sigh. “Alice, I’ve told you a million times that I would do anything for you. What’s up?”
“Promise you won’t hate me.”
I stare at her. “Is it really that bad?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t even know anymore.”
“Just tell me,” I say softly, putting a hand on her arm.
She pushes it off and stares at me with swollen eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
“Shit,” I say softly. “Shit, Alice. Holy...”
She shakes her head. “I knew you wouldn’t... I knew you’d get upset... I can’t even ask you...”
“Ask me what?” I whisper. “I’m just surprised... What can I do? What the hell does this have to do with me?”
She closes her eyes and leans on my shoulder. “I want you...” She takes a shaky breath. “I want you to pretend that it’s yours.”
It’s like I can’t breathe. Like someone snatched my lungs away. And suddenly, I understand Brady.
posted by Angel at 10:47 AM
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