“Katelyn, Max, can you two find your seats?” Mr. Graves said, stepping up to the front of the classroom.
“Um, sir, Katelyn has a really bad headache. Do you think I can take her to the nurse’s clinic?”
“Katelyn, do you just want to go home?” Mr. Graves asked, making him the third person in less than five minutes to ask.
“No, really,” I said quietly as he approached us. “It’s just, the light in here is making it worse. If I could just lie down for a little while, it will go away. I get them all the time,” I added.
“Hmm, that sounds like migraines. Are you on medicine for them?”
“No, I just pop a few Advil and normally sleep them off,” I mumbled, squinting my eyes to help alleviate the pain some.
“Max, why don’t you escort Katelyn to the teachers’ lounge instead. That light remains off the majority of the day, unlike the clinic. Grab her one of my Cokes out of the refrigerator; caffeine usually helps my wife when she gets a migraine.”
Max propelled me from the room, keeping an arm firmly around my waist. I knew every eye probably followed us out of the room, but I couldn’t find the energy to care. The teachers’ lounge was only three rooms down from our class, but by the time we made it there, my stomach was threatening mutiny once again. Max helped me to the couch, and I gratefully sank back on the cushions.
“Here, lie down,” Max said, gently nudging me back against one of the throw pillows.
“Thanks,” I said, keeping my eyes closed.
A few moments later, I heard Max pulling the tab on a soda before handing it over to me. “Here you go, take a few drinks of this.”
The ice-cold liquid helped ease my unfortunate nausea. “I’m going to put it here in case you need it, okay?” Max asked before heading out the door.
I nodded before sinking into blissful, headache-free sleep.
Several hours later, I woke to the door slowly opening. Blinking in the dim light, I saw Mr. Graves smiling down kindly at me. “How’s the head?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the table.
“Better,” I said truthfully, able to sit up. “What time is it?”
“Lunchtime,” he said, handing me my lunch bag.
“Wow, seriously? I so didn’t mean to sleep half the school day away.”
“It’s no problem, you look much better at least.”
“Ha, thanks.”
“I’ve wanted to talk to you anyway about this,” he said, indicating an overflowing folder on the table next to him.
“What’s that?” I asked, nibbling the corner of my sandwich.
“It’s your school transcripts with feedback from all your teachers over the years.”
“Really?” I asked as my curiosity piqued. I yearned to look inside it. After years of leaving my belongings behind each time we moved, the idea of having something so concrete from my past that proved I actually existed made me want to scoop the folder up and never return it. To actually have a tangible item that could be held was surreal. “What did they all have to say?” I asked, fighting the urge to see for myself.
“Well, they all agree you’re a bright girl, that you’re good-natured and a welcome addition to any classroom. Reading over many of the different comments, though, I see where they show extensive concern over your home life,” he said gently.
I nodded my head, suddenly sick of all the pretenses. He had the proof in his hands anyway. I could only imagine the things some of my more observant teachers might have added over the years.
“It’s bad?” he probed.
I nodded again.
“Do you trust me enough to tell me about it?”
I studied him for a moment, contemplating keeping my mouth closed like I always had, but before I was even aware of doing it, I allowed everything to pour out of me. I told him about the abuse, being homeless, never having enough to eat and even confided my biggest fear that Kevin would someday get caught in the line of fire. All my worries flooded out as if someone had opened up a dam. Mr. Graves sat patiently, without interrupting and when I was finally spent, he commented.
“Katelyn, you are a truly phenomenal person,” he said quietly.
“No I’m not,” I said, ducking my head down in embarrassment.
“Yes, you are. The things you’ve been through and have seen should have beaten you down, but instead you persevered, which is an admirable characteristic.”
“I’ve only persevered for Kevin’s sake,” I said.
“Exactly, you put the needs and wants of your brother ahead of your own. If it wasn’t for your fear of being separated, you would have reported your mom a long time ago, right?”
I nodded.
“See, there you have it. Now we just need to fix your current circumstances. I’m going to put feelers out to see if there are any local foster families that would be willing to take in siblings.”
I started to protest, but he held up his hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll do it discreetly,” he said. “We only need to get you to eighteen, and then you can petition the courts for custody of Kevin yourself.”
“We only have eighty-nine days until we’re kicked out,” I reminded him. “I’m not sure if Lucinda will wait to for Jim to get released when we get evicted or just move on. Truthfully, I’m surprised she’s still sticking around and hasn’t moved us yet.”
“Will she let you know ahead of time?” he asked, sharing my concern.
“She never has before. Normally, it’s a one-day notice, sometimes less. When we lived in Texas, she woke Kevin and me up after we had only been sleeping for an hour and told us to pack a bag because we were leaving. Most times it was to skip out on rent or bounced checks or something, but it could have been because of that too,” I said, indicating the folder. “Only she knows the real reasons for the hasty moves we’ve made, all I can do is guess.”
He looked disgusted at my words. “So she skips out instead of facing the music,” he said.
“Yep, that sounds about right.”
“Alright,” he said, taking a deep breath. “So we know time is of the essence. I’m going to go home and talk to my wife about applying for foster status. Our kids are all living their own lives now, leaving just my wife and me to rattle around our big house by ourselves. Would you be okay with that?”
I nodded, not daring to believe he was serious. “Until I turn eighteen,” I said, trying to reassure him that he wouldn’t be stuck with us forever.
“For as long as you need us,” he corrected, making my heart swell.
“Okay, so you’ll ask your wife?” I asked, expecting several roadblocks that could derail his generous offer.
“I believe that will be more of a formality,” he said, smiling at me.
“Then I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I said pessimistically. He meant well, but in all honesty, things like this never worked out for Kevin and me.
“Katelyn, we’ll work this out. I promise.”
“I don’t know. This town is starting to feel like the ‘Stepford Town.’ Everyone is just way too nice,” I said, trying to remove some of the pressure off of him.
He laughed. “Being nice isn’t a bad thing. Do you feel good enough to return to class?”
“Yeah, my headache is all but gone,” I said, standing up.
Max was just finishing up his lunch when we returned to the classroom. His eyes met mine and I returned a thankful look. I knew I was probably opening myself up for a major letdown, but I decided in that moment I no longer cared. My face must have given Max some kind of indication as to what I was thinking because he grinned widely and waved me over to him.
“I moved your desk back. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfect,” I answered, looking at Bethany who was obviously fuming. I didn’t like hurting her feelings, but I had spent the past two months trying to convince myself that I was just like her because we both came from nothing. The truth is that being poor is the only thing we had in common. Unlike Bethany, I didn’t
blame the rest of the world for my problems. Life was tough enough without carrying around that kind of hate. For her sake, I hope she gets over that one day.
Max squeezed my hand lightly as I slid into my seat. “Thanks for the necklace and the rest of the stuff,” I whispered as Mr. Graves started covering the different layers of an atom.
The rest of the day passed in a happy blur. Every once in a while Max would reach over to touch me as if he was reassuring himself I wouldn’t leave.
***
The days following my reconciliation with Max were the happiest of my life. Kevin and I spent most our afternoons at Max’s large and inviting home. His parents took to Kevin immediately and I watched him blossom under their affection and attentiveness. I put aside my embarrassment over the Halloween fiasco and the fool Lucinda had made of herself in the grocery store with Max’s dad. Kevin and I were invited to dinner every night, and at first I felt bad for the imposition, but I quickly began to realize they seemed to enjoy our company.
The free meals took the pressure off of worrying about Lucinda’s welfare card which was a good thing since the January money was spent much like the December money had been. Lucinda used the small amount of cash she acquired to pay for gas to visit Jim and purchase more cigarettes. If not for Max’s parents, Kevin and I would have surely starved. I was unsure of how she was surviving, but I did notice that many nights she slept elsewhere, leaving the trailer to Kevin and me. She was uncommunicative when I tried to press for details, choosing to either outright ignore me or give me a slap for annoying her.
As January crept into February, Kevin and I were only home at night and as little as possible on the weekends. He quickly became the mascot for our group and hung out with us the majority of the time. Lucinda’s erratic behavior kept me from wanting to leave him with her, and Max seemed to know this without a word from me. Though he did grumble about what an excellent chaperone Kevin made for us. I laughed at his complaints, but felt the same frustration at times, especially when our heated kisses began to escalate, only to crash down to reality when Kevin would give us an “ew, gross.” Needless to say, it was a definite mood killer once he piped in.
I was over at Max’s house the week before Valentine’s Day when he asked if I was comfortable enough leaving Kevin with his parents while we went out for Valentine’s Day. We had snuck down the hall to the movie room to get a few minutes by ourselves.
“Don’t they want to go out themselves?” I asked, standing by the recliner he had sunk into while I munched on a licorice whip.
“Nah, my dad says it gives him an excuse to stay home instead of fighting for a table with a bunch of lovesick couples,” Max reassured me, laughing. “Besides, they plan on getting that new movie he and Kevin have been itching to see on Netflix.”
“Your parents have been really great,” I said, letting him pull me on to his lap.
“Where’s the kissing police?” he asked, nuzzling his lips into my neck, making me shiver in anticipation.
“Mmm, that feels good,” I said as I leaned my head back to give him better access. “He’s in the kitchen with your mom,” I said, distracted when he dragged my lips to his. I opened my mouth and tangled my tongue with his, making him groan this time. “I love you,” I added through a half moan in the heat of the moment. I came crashing back to Earth when he stopped kissing me. I looked at him with vulnerable eyes, wondering how he would react. The words had just slipped out of nowhere. The only other person I had uttered them to in years had been Kevin, but I had known for several weeks that I was in love with Max.
I waited with baited breath for his response as we continued to stare deep into each other’s eyes. “You do?” he finally choked out.
I nodded. “Look, I know it might be too soon and I shouldn’t…” I said until my voice trailed off as he crushed his lips to mine.
“I love you too,” he said, pulling back after a moment. “I think I’ve loved you for months. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but I do believe in fate. Every crappy situation you’ve had to overcome led you here. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and it’s because I’ve been waiting for you, I just didn’t know it until you got here.”
“I think so too,” I said, feeling my heart melt at his words of confirmation. I pulled him back to me, tangling my fingers through his lush auburn hair. He settled firmly against my body by placing his hands on my hips. I could feel his passion matching mine and I moaned again as his hands sought the firm skin of my stomach, slowly inching up my midriff. I shifted my hips more, snuggling against him and making him well aware of how I was feeling. Liquid fire poured through my veins as I strained even closer. His needs matched my own and I felt his hand creep farther up until it rested right below my bra. I fought the urge to beg him to continue and deepened the kiss even further. He sensed my desire and moved his hand further up, resting it finally where I wanted it the most. The moment was ours as his hand explored my body, causing me to gasp with pleasure.
“I think they’re in the movie room waiting for us,” I heard Max’s dad say in a voice that sounded like it was coming through a tunnel.
Max’s hand retreated at his words and I wanted to cry out in frustration. Giving my lips one last nip, he shifted me off his lap in one deft movement. I gripped the arm of the La-Z-Boy, trying to get my racing heart beat back to normal.
“Yep, I was right, they were kissing,” Kevin said, trailing behind Maxwell and Karen.
“Hush, Kevin,” Karen said, chastising Kevin good-naturedly. “You’ll embarrass your sister. I’m sure they were in here discussing a homework assignment or something to that effect,” she added, grinning at me mischievously.
“Um, yeah, that’s right,” I said, slightly flustered. His parents were cool for the most part, but I was pretty sure their trust in us would be put to the test if they saw how close we had come to removing our clothes just a few moments ago.
Max grinned at me sheepishly, obviously guessing what my beat red face indicated. He playfully grabbed at me as we settled onto the oversized bean bag chair.
“Behave,” I said out of the corner of my mouth. “Or I’ll have to go sit with Kevin,” I threatened.
“Hmm, okay, but you’d be sitting with my parents too,” he chided quietly.
I turned around to see that Kevin had made himself right at home between Maxwell and Karen on the full-size couch that sat on the other side of the room. Normally, he preferred to sit on the humongous navy blue bean bag chair closest to the big screen television, but looking at him sandwiched between Max’s parents, he looked quite content. In an alternant universe, this would have been Kevin’s life, surrounded by people who loved him. I smiled happily and felt my new love for Max’s family overflowing in me. Whatever happened in the future, at least Kevin and I were happy at this very moment.
Chapter 15
The following weekend Max and I headed to Bozeman, leaving Kevin behind with Karen and Maxwell, which worked out well since Lucinda had been MIA most of the week.
“Sooo, where are going?” I asked for the hundredth time as Max accelerated toward the bigger city.
“Now if I told you, it would ruin the surprise,” he said, pretending to sigh heavily.
“Surprise, smurprise,” I said, grumbling good-naturedly.
Max shot me his dimpled grin. I leaned over and pressed my lips to the small little sunk-in space on his face. He rested his hand on my knee and gave it a light squeeze. “Are you trying to make us wreck,” he said huskily.
“No,” I said, sliding back to my seat. “I’ve just wanted to do that for months,” I added.
“Really?” he asked, grinning widely.
“Don’t let it go to your head. I feel that way about most dimples I see,” I said.
“Oh yeah? Well, my grandpa looks just like me, dimples and all. Will I have to keep you two separated?” he teased, winking at me.
“Funny, you just might,” I said, feeling a sudden pang of envy that
he had so many people who loved him. Lucinda never talked much about her parents, and I had never met them. My life had been made up of a long line of strangers who floated out of our lives as quickly as they had entered it. When she tried, Lucinda could be very engaging and once she laid out her sob story about never getting a decent break, most people were more than willing to lend a helping hand. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Lucinda to bite that helping hand and show her true colors. After a while, I stopped allowing myself to get close to anyone, knowing in the end they only would wind up hating us when we screwed them over one way or another. Lucinda had burned so many bridges over the years by scamming people that retaining friendships was obsolete.
“Hey, why the sudden long face?” Max asked concerned.
“Huh?” I asked, coming back to reality. “It’s nothing, I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Just how different our lives have been,” I answered honestly. “You’ve never had to
move and you’re surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins galore. Don’t our differences bother you sometimes?” I asked, tugging on my bottom lip.
“Katelyn, you couldn’t be further from the truth. The only thing that bothers me is the shit you’ve had to put up with. I know talking about your mom is a taboo subject, but the thought of her hurting one hair on your head is enough to make me want to pound something. I’ve never been the violent type, but when it comes to you, I go nuts.”
“I’m sure there’s millions of kids who have had it worse than me. Matter of fact, I’ve met several of them over the years. Plenty have wound up in the hospital after being abused or neglected.”
“I’m sure you’ve had lots of times where you probably should have gone to the hospital too,” he said, looking at my head meaningfully.
I touched the spot Old Man Wither had fixed up for me self-consciously. “Maybe,” I said, feeling slightly betrayed that Wither had given away my secret.