The Snowball Effect

by Holly Nicole Hoxter

  “You will,” I assured her. “When’s your birthday?”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No. How should I know?”

  “Jeez. September tenth.”

  “I’ll put it on my calendar.”

  Vallery ate one donut, I ate two, and Collin ate seven. We took the last two home in case he got hungry later.

  “He’s going to barf,” Vallery said in the car on the way home.

  I shrugged. “He can barf if he wants to. It’s his birthday.”

  My bruise was considerably faded but still a nasty puke green color, so I wore a tank top and Eric’s shirt. We’d invited Mabel to Collin’s party, and she came along with us to Collin’s grandmother’s house. Even though we took the Grand Am, Vallery drove. It reminded me of the dream about the mental institution. Mabel sat in the front seat, and I sat in the back with Collin.

  “Present please,” Collin said.

  “It’s up to Mabel,” I told him. Mabel’s present was the only one in the car. Vallery and I hadn’t gotten anything yet. She’d thought I’d bought a present and I’d thought she had.

  “I get what I want. It’s my birthday.”

  “I said Vallery and I would give you whatever you wanted. Mabel doesn’t have to.”

  “Mabel, please, please, please?”

  Mabel turned in her seat and smiled. “Why, yes, Collin, because you used very good manners.” She passed the present back to Collin, and he tore it open. It was a LEGO set.

  “Awesome!” he screamed, and shoved the box at me. “Open please, Lainey.”

  “Collin, let’s wait until we get out of the car. You don’t want to lose the pieces.”

  “Lainey, please!”

  “As soon as we get out of the car.”

  Vallery pulled up in front of Collin’s grandmother’s house. Collin’s grandmother lived north, closer to Towson, in a medium-sized house with an enormous backyard (at least compared to ours) and a two-car garage. I always wondered how Carl had ended up down in Corben. I wondered if he was raised there and then his mom saved up and moved out, or if he’d been raised in the big house but then grew up to be a lazy bum, and Corben was all he could afford.

  “Time for your party!” I said to Collin. I patted his leg. “Are you excited?”

  Collin looked at the house and shook his head. “King Collin would rather go to Disney World.”

  Vallery turned in her seat and smirked at me. “Well, Lainey?”

  I’d always known never to ask for anything extravagant, because I didn’t want Mom to have to tell me no. It was more fun to entertain the idea that I could actually go to the Eiffel Tower if I wanted to, but I’d really rather go bowling. Who wanted to spend ten hours on a plane on your birthday?

  “You should have put that request in a little earlier,” I said to Collin. “Disney World is really far away. Besides, there are no presents at Disney World. But there are presents at your party.”

  “More presents?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Let’s leave the LEGOs here and go get more presents?”

  Collin grabbed my hand. We walked around the side of his grandmother’s house. And as Vallery pushed open the gate to the backyard, and we saw the crowd of strangers gathered there, Collin froze.

  “Holy crap,” Vallery said. “Who are all these people?”

  I tugged on Collin’s hand. “Come on,” I said.

  “No.” Collin eyed the crowd. “Where are the presents?”

  “I don’t know—probably on a table somewhere. Let’s go find them.”

  Vallery touched my arm and leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Deal with him. We’ll go in and tell the old bat that we’re here.”

  Vallery and Mabel walked in. The gate shut behind them.

  I turned to Collin and straightened out his cape. “Collin, are you ready to go to your party?”

  “King Collin wants to go play LEGOs.”

  “But it’s your party, Collin. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

  “No party!”

  “Collin, let’s go.”

  “King Collin says no!”

  I couldn’t argue with that. It was his birthday. And it wasn’t in the spirit of the birthday tradition to argue with the birthday boy.

  “You really don’t want to go in and see everybody?”

  He shook his head so hard that I was worried it might break off from his neck and fly away.

  “Is it because there are a lot of people?”

  He nodded.

  “Okay, we’ll play LEGOs in the car. Let me go tell Vallery.”

  Collin crouched down in the bushes, and I went through the gate. As I walked across the yard, I looked around to see if I spotted any little kids, anyone he might go to camp with, anyone we might possibly know.

  I found Vallery and Mabel by the dip. “He wants to play in the car for a few minutes,” I said. “He’s too scared to come in.”

  “Oh, poor Collin,” Mabel said.

  “This party was a dumb idea,” Vallery said.

  I shot her a dirty look.

  “Not that I don’t think he deserves a nice party,” she explained. “But he’s…you know. Why would you want to invite fifty people over to witness Collin have a melt-down?”

  “Exactly. So we’re going to go play LEGOs for a few minutes.”

  I went back around to the side of the house and found Collin where I’d left him. I took his hand and pulled him to his feet, and we walked back to the car. We climbed into the backseat, and I opened the box of LEGOs.

  “What are you going to make?” I asked Collin.

  He studied the pieces in his hands. “Birthday robot,” he decided.

  Collin started building his birthday robot, and I tried to keep all the pieces on the seat. It was hot in the car—even after I rolled the back windows down—and I took off Eric’s shirt and threw it over the seat. I wondered how I would get everything fixed now that I’d broken up with Riley. It’d probably be cheaper to buy a whole new car. Not that I had money for either.

  Someone banged on the hood of the car. I turned around and was face-to-face with Collin’s grandmother.

  “You two need to come inside,” she said with her nose wrinkled. She wore a yellow shirt with a watermelon on the front and matching yellow shorts. The brightness of her ensemble hurt my eyes.

  I got out of the car. “He’s scared. He doesn’t know any of those people. I’m giving him a few minutes to calm down.”

  “It’s only family. And you’re already late.”

  I leaned in and looked at Collin. “Do you want to go get more presents?” I asked.

  He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “I’ll stay with you,” I promised. “I’ll hold your hand.”

  He shrugged.

  “Let’s leave the LEGOs.”

  Collin nodded and put his robot down on the seat. As he slid out of the car, Collin’s grandmother gasped. “Now what in the hell is he wearing?”

  “His pajamas,” I said.

  “And a blanket? Oh, for Christ’s sake. Come on in the house.”

  I didn’t really want to, but Collin didn’t fight me when I took his hand, so we followed her into the living room. Collin’s grandmother had one of those houses with pristine white carpeting and furniture that looks too antique and expensive to actually sit on. Collin’s grandmother disappeared. I pulled Collin over to the couch and we sat down. She came back a moment later and handed Collin a present wrapped in shiny blue paper with a bow on top. “Here’s your first present, sweetheart. Happy birthday.” And then the old bag glared at me.

  Collin tore open the present and then stared. He held a white polo shirt in one hand and khaki shorts in the other. I pictured him selling magazines door-to-door with Eric and Frank. I laughed. Collin’s grandmother shot me a dirty look.

  “Clothes?” he asked.

  “You have other presents,” I told him. “Grandma just wants you to put these nice clothes on for the party.”

&n
bsp; Collin looked at them and shook his head. He dropped the outfit on the floor with the discarded wrapping paper. “No,” he said.

  “Collin, you’ll look very nice in that outfit,” I said.

  “No. Batman pajamas.”

  “Collin, put the damn clothes on now,” his grandmother snapped.

  I turned and glared at her. “Don’t talk to him like that,” I said. “It’s his birthday. If he doesn’t want to wear the damn clothes, he doesn’t have to.” I took Collin’s hand, and we stood up. “Let’s go get the rest of your presents.”

  His grandmother grabbed his other hand and yanked him away from me. “Collin, you’re putting these clothes on for your party. I don’t care if you like it or not. You can’t run around in your pajamas and a blanket all day.”

  And then Collin screamed. He kicked his grandmother in her leg and ran up the stairs.

  “Collin Snodgrass!” she screamed. “Lord almighty.” In a flash of yellow, she ran up the steps after him.

  I picked up the clothes, folded them, and set them on the couch. I crumpled up the wrapping paper and walked down the hall, hoping to find the kitchen, where I’d hopefully find a trash can.

  And then I saw a familiar face staring back at me from one of the picture frames on Collin’s grandmother’s wall.

  Carl’s face. Carl’s young, smiling face. He was much younger there than he’d been when I’d known him. He was probably only eighteen. And handsome, actually, before he’d gained fifty pounds and lost most of his hair.

  Who could have known then that one day that handsome young man would turn out to be a lazy unemployed freeloader?

  Who could have known then that one day he’d take a dive off the highway and end up as roadkill?

  I thought about Carl’s mother. I wondered what she felt every day when she walked past this picture. I wondered what she felt when she looked at Collin. Could she somehow see Carl in his six-year-old, half-Puerto-Rican face even though he wasn’t actually Carl’s biological son?

  I started to shake. On the verge? You bet.

  I opened a door at the end of the hallway. Fortunately it turned out to be a bathroom. I sat down on the toilet. I closed my eyes and saw Carl’s face.

  Why cry over Carl now? I never did before.

  I sat there on the toilet with my hands pressed against my eyes until the tears stopped and I had myself under control. I splashed some water on my face and opened the bathroom door. When I stepped into the hallway, Collin’s grandmother stood there. “He’s locked himself in the upstairs bathroom,” she said, then turned and walked off.

  We were great guests. Come over, act rude, then lock ourselves in the bathroom.

  I went upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. “King Collin, it’s Lainey. Can I please come in?”

  He started kicking the door.

  “You don’t have to put the new clothes on. You can wear your Batman pajamas and your cape and your crown, and we’ll go get the rest of your presents and go home. Okay, King Collin?”

  “No!”

  “Okay, well stay here, all right? I’ll be right back.”

  I went out to the backyard to find Vallery. It was definitely her turn to deal with this. Instead of Vallery, I spotted Christine and Wallace. They were too far away to intercept me, so I just waved and kept walking. Then someone grabbed my arm. I turned. Riley.

  “Why…?” I asked. How many times did I have to break up with him?

  “You invited me,” Riley reminded me. I’d told him about the party, obviously. But that had been before.

  I sighed. “You know what? Now isn’t a good time. I have to go get Vallery.”

  He reached out and grabbed my hand. “Laine, what’s wrong?”

  I wanted to walk away, but instead I let it all spill out. “Collin’s spazzing out. His crazy-ass grandmother didn’t like his pajamas, so she started screaming at him and telling him he has to put on this stupid outfit that she bought for him. And he got pissed off and now he’s in the bathroom screaming and kicking the walls. I need to find Vallery and Mabel so we can get out of here.”

  Riley grinned. “You let him wear pajamas to the party?”

  “It’s his birthday!” I screamed. This had always worked out fine when Mom did it.

  “Calm down, okay? I’ll go talk to him.”

  “No. We’re leaving. I’m getting Vallery and Mabel, and we’re kicking the door in and going home.”

  “You can’t leave. Just let me try to talk to him.”

  “Fine,” I said. “Whatever.”

  I found Vallery and Mabel talking to a bunch of women I didn’t recognize. Vallery broke away from them and came up to me.

  “We may have to make a run for it,” I said. I filled her in on what had happened inside.

  “Riley’s in there with him?” she asked. “Are you two back together?”

  I glared at her. “No.”

  “Well. All right.”

  We watched the back door and waited. Finally Riley and Collin walked out of the house, holding hands. Collin had changed into the outfit his grandmother had bought for him. His face was red and he trembled a little, but when he saw the presents table, he smiled.

  “Crisis averted,” Vallery whispered.

  I walked over to Collin and Riley, but as soon as I got there, Collin ran off toward the presents. I stood there alone with Riley.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “Just talked to him.” He reached out and stroked my arm, right above the elbow. “What happened here?” he asked.

  I looked down at my bare arms, at the nasty yellow bruise, almost completely faded. I’d forgotten to put Eric’s shirt back on when I got out of the Grand Am. And of course Riley would notice.

  I watched Collin tear into a present. His grandmother ran across the yard, holding her camera.

  “I was bitten,” I said.

  “I thought he stopped doing that a long time ago.”

  I shook my head. “It wasn’t Collin.” I shook off Riley’s hand and walked across the yard toward my brother.

  13

  THE INCIDENT

  Before she died, Mom filled out Collin’s papers for summer camp and put me down as the backup emergency contact person. On the day of the incident, they couldn’t contact Mom since she was dead, so they called me at work.

  “We’ve had an incident,” his teacher said. “And I’m having trouble getting in touch with…your mother? Lisa Snodgrass? Could you come pick Collin up from camp?”

  “Lisa’s dead,” I said. “What’s wrong with Collin?”

  “I’d rather discuss it when you get here. He’ll be requiring medical attention.”

  “What? Well, take him to the hospital.”

  “This isn’t the sort of situation we deal with.”

  I imagined Collin bleeding to death and the stupid teacher at camp backing up slowly and then going to the office to look up my phone number and call me to come get him.

  “Is he hurt?” I asked. “Broken? Bleeding? What?”

  I noticed Rodney staring at me from his kiosk.

  “He…Collin has gotten a crayon stuck in his ear.”

  I laughed. “A crayon? Are you kidding me? Jesus.”

  What? Rodney mouthed. I picked my pen up off of my register and held it up to my ear. Rodney shrugged.

  “We don’t find this amusing, Miss Pike. It’s proving to be a large distraction.”

  “Jesus, it’s a freaking crayon. Did you try to pull it out?”

  “Of course we tried to pull it out. It’s stuck. He needs medical attention.”

  “Is he in pain?”

  “No. He’s playing quietly.”

  I didn’t believe that for a second.

  “Okay, well, I’m at work. I can’t come get him right now.”

  “As I said before, we need someone to come immediately. Perhaps I should call…Mr. Carter?”

  “Riley?” I asked. “Riley Carter?”

  I hadn’t realized Mom h
ad put him down as the other emergency contact. I mean, I knew she had during the school year. She’d used Mabel and Riley since I was still in school too. But for the summer session I thought she’d changed it to me and Mabel.

  “Yes, Riley Carter. Is that all right?”

  “Don’t call Riley,” I said. “He’s out of town. What about Mabel?”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know a Mabel.”

  “Mabel White. She’s our neighbor.”

  “She’s not on my contact list.”

  “That’s okay. I can call her for you.”

  “I can’t let him leave with someone who isn’t on my list.”

  “Oh my God. Well, listen. I’m going to call my sister. Your list is very outdated, but she’s Collin’s guardian. She has papers and everything. Would that be acceptable?”

  There was a long pause. “That’s fine. I’ll give her the forms when she arrives. Please tell your sister this is very urgent.”

  “All right.”

  I hung up and dialed Vallery. She hadn’t even wanted to give me her work number and address in case of emergency, but I’d insisted.

  “It’s a great day here at Parker Associates. This is Vallery speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I asked. “That’s seriously how they make you answer the phone?”

  “Well hello, Miss Pike!” she said in her fake friendly voice. “What can I help you with today?”

  “We have a situation. Collin got a crayon stuck in his ear. The teacher is freaking out and wants someone to come pick him up.”

  “I’ll call you right back,” she whispered, and then hung up on me.

  Rodney walked over. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “My brother got a crayon stuck in his ear,” I explained. Rodney stared at me for a second and then started laughing. I laughed too, and then the kiosk phone rang.

  “It’s a great day here at Perfume World!” I exclaimed. “This is Lainey speaking. How can I address your urgent olfactory needs?”

  “You know what?” Vallery yelled. “I don’t have time for this bullshit!”

  “They let you talk that way at work?” I asked. “And so loudly?”

  “I’m on my cell phone outside in the parking lot. And I’m only out here to call you back. I am not leaving work. I am not picking up that kid in the middle of the day because he has a crayon in his ear. Why don’t they just pull it out?”