by CeeCee James
Cassie eyed her suspiciously. “You aren’t arguing with Jason, are you?”
“No. Why?” Miranda frowned.
“I don’t like you brushing my hair when you’re arguing,” Cassie muttered and spun around. Miranda sighed and gently ran the brush through her sister’s hair.
Jason carried his coffee cup to the sink and started rinsing the dishes.
“Ready for breakfast?” Uncle Stew wheezed. His old man’s voice didn’t carry far.
“I don’t have time, sorry,” Miranda mumbled around the rubber band she gripped between her teeth. She scooped Cassie’s hair tight against her scalp and twisted the rubber band around the ponytail. Her blond curls popped over the top like a ball of cotton candy. “You go eat,” she instructed her sister.
“Oh!” Uncle Stew glanced at the clock on the wall. “Right! I see it’s time to get you to school.”
Miranda kissed Cassie’s forehead. “Have fun! I’ll see you this afternoon, okay?”
Her sister nodded. Miranda reached for her backpack sitting beside the front door and slipped it over one shoulder.
“Bye Jason!” she called and followed Uncle Stew out to the car.
Jason watched the two of them leave. The house immediately became quieter. He swiped the sponge inside the coffee cup and caught Cassie studying him.
“Why aren’t you going to school?” she asked.
He rinsed the mug and set it to dry on the towel, then retrieved a frying pan out of the cupboard. “I’ve missed too much.” Jason half-smiled. “Can’t catch up.”
“What are you going to do then?”
Jason shrugged and opened the fridge. He juggled a couple eggs out of a carton and carried them over to the frying pan. “I don’t care. Guys like me don’t amount to much anyway.” His hair fell into his eyes as he cracked two eggs into the pan and tossed the shells.
Cassie climbed on the stool and thumped her feet on the rungs.
The eggs sizzled. Spinning the spatula, Jason continued. “But you, young lady, you’re smart. I have high expectations.” He scooped the eggs onto a plate and set it before Cassie.
She wrinkled her nose at the breakfast. “Uh Jason…”
“What?”
“I don’t like runny eggs.”
Jason glanced at her plate and sighed. Reaching into the pantry, he pulled out a bag of bread and cracked a couple more eggs. “How about a piece of French toast instead?”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes, please!”
He beat the eggs with a fork then dipped bread into them and laid it in the frying pan. While it cooked, he grabbed her rejected eggs. “Can’t let these go to waste,” he said, scooping a mouthful.
She watched him with one blue eye squinted. “Yuck!”
“Cassie, you know better than to turn your nose up at food. You’ve felt what it’s like to go hungry.”
“I’d rather eat another dandelion leaf than a runny egg.”
Jason laughed and flipped the bread. “Well, I went hungry a lot longer than you. I think I can eat just about anything now.”
“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?” she asked, her chin resting on her hand.
A mischievous gleam twinkled in his eye. “Probably the time I boiled a slug.”
“You. Did. Not.” Her eyes rolled around and she stuck out her tongue.
Nodding, he responded, “Yeah. Don’t recommend it.”
He passed the plate of French toast over to her then searched for the Maple syrup.
“Your story just made French toast gross,” she said, staring down at the plate. Her eyebrows knotted together.
“Trust me,” he said, setting down the bottle. “Syrup will help. Now hurry up. The bus will be here soon.”
“What are you going to do here all alone?”
He wiped down the beige counter top, then tossed the sponge into the sink. “I guess I’ll just wait until you guys come home.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun.”
“Yeah, just until I get my GED. Then I’ll get a job. For now, I guess I’m just a professional bum.”
Cassie paused while chewing. “What do you want to be a professional of?”
“Not a lot of options, I’m afraid.”
“You can be whatever you want to be, Jason. Don’t let fear hold you back.”
Jason grinned. “Listen to you, Mrs. Psychologist.”
“It’s true!”
“Where the heck did you hear that?”
She picked up another piece of the toast with her fork and swirled it through a puddle of syrup. “On a talk show.”
Jason frowned. He’d seen those Who’s-your-daddy talk shows. “Don’t be watching that garbage.”
“Well, you can learn a lot of good things from them.”
“You’re a smart girl. You don’t need those shows to learn from. Now hurry up.”
He carried the frying pan to the sink and slowly washed it. What the heck am I going to do with the day? He thought about Miranda at school, how pretty she looked, all the new people she would meet. Normal people with families and money. His heart dropped. All the guys she was going to hang out with.
Guys better than him.
What am I even doing here? She didn’t need him any more. At most she’d give him a pity friendship. He cringed at the thought. I did fine on my own. He dried the pan and put it away. His heart felt heavy. How is it I finally have everything I wanted, and somehow feel worse than before? I felt better living outside under a tarp watching the stars every night.
“Jason!” Cassie’s high voice cut through his thoughts.
He pulled his face together and put on a stiff grin as he turned back toward her. “What?’
“Walk with me to the bus stop. Miranda’s the only one that ever did before.”
“What about your dad?”
“No, he was too busy.” She jumped off the stool and ran over to hug his arm. “I’m so glad you’re here. You’re like the brother I never had.”
Jason tousled her hair. Cute kid. “I’m probably the brother you never wanted. Go get your shoes on and grab your books.”
She filled her pink backpack with her school supplies and slung it on her back.
“Here,” Jason said. “Let me take that.” He brushed his hair out of his face. “Hurry! I think I hear the bus, and you don’t want to get busted for being tardy the first day of school.”
“We’ll be fine, you old worry-wart.” Cassie smiled and tied her shoes.
Together, they jogged the length of the driveway and headed down the road.
7
Jason 16 years old
Winter rain pounded against the windowpane. The old house felt damp and cold despite the furnace running nonstop. “Wow, quite a storm outside.” Uncle Stew wheezed and coughed. “Jason, you off work early today?”
“Yeah,” Jason nodded. “I’m off at three.”
“Good. Good. I need you to pick up Miranda after class.”
Jason’s gaze cut away. “Why can’t she take the bus home?”
“Buses will be gone. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment, or I’d do it.”
Jason sighed, dread already building in the pit of his stomach. The last few months his friendship with Miranda had waned as she made friends at school. Awesome. Maybe I can get an intro to all her new besties and learn the secret handshake.
“I’d appreciate it. I know it’s your early day.” Covering his mouth with a handkerchief, Uncle Stew coughed wetly into the folded cloth.
“It’s no problem,” Jason lied.
That afternoon, when his shift at the garage was over, Jason climbed into his white Mazda and headed for the high school. He’d been there once before, to take the GED test. His face burned with shame at the memory of how the kids out in the hallway had stared at him when he entered the testing room, one of them calling out, “Moron!”
He turned into the high school parking lot, hitting the speed bump hard, and immediately grimaced. The place was a zoo. �
��Get out of the way,” he muttered as a group of students crossed in front of his car without looking. “Yeah, that’s great. Just walk down the middle of the road. Take your sweet time.” His sweaty hands gripped the steering wheel.
Finally he found an empty spot and parked the car.
Am I supposed to wait here? How’s she going to find me? He drummed his fingers on the windowsill and chewed the inside of his cheek. Impatiently, he craned his neck to watch the crowd of kids milling around at the school’s entrance.
She ain’t there. Rolling his eyes, he shoved open the rusty car door and climbed out.
A line of kids threaded their way in between the cars and temporarily swarmed him. He lifted his arms to keep from touching anyone. Someone slammed into him. He spun towards the kid, fists clenched. Oh, hell no, you didn’t. But the guy gave him a half wave, “Sorry!”
Jason swallowed hard in an attempt to deflate his anger. How does Miranda cope with these idiots?
For a split-second he felt sorry for her, imagining her lost and intimidated by a sea of loud-mouthed kids.
Then he heard her. Miranda’s old man laugh pealed across the schoolyard. Lifting his chin, he spotted her in the center of four girls, her backpack hanging from her shoulder. Relief shot through him and he waved to get her attention.
Two football players stood to the right of the girls. Miranda’s eyes flashed at some joke she was sharing. One of the guys tugged on her hair and gave her a cocky look as he replied, and all the surrounding girls giggled. Miranda blasted that old-man laugh again, and the football player poked her arm.
Jason’s stomach fell. She was fine. She fit right in.
Yeah, you dope. And guess who doesn’t.
Jason slumped against the side of the car, head down. He unconsciously rubbed his face to keep from showing any emotion, then glanced in her direction again.
The guy was hugging Miranda, his meaty arms squeezing her tight. Jason’s lip curled, and he spit through his teeth before climbing back into the Mazda. I ain’t sitting here watching some guy paw all over her. She can come find me. He sank into the driver’s seat and cranked the radio. Finding a station he liked, he closed his eyes and drummed to the beat on the steering wheel. He took a deep breath in and let the rock song take over his thoughts. After a minute, he pulled out a scrap of wood from the ashtray and slid his knife from his pocket.
Slowly, he scraped the knife against the wood, examining it every now and then. The miniature profile of a swan was starting to emerge.
There was a tap on the window. Jason squinted to see who it was. Some girl in a crop-top smiled and gave him a little wave, her fingernails painted bright green.
He rolled down the window. “Yeah?”
“I’ve never seen you here before.” She winked at him.
“I’m waiting for someone.”
“Oh.” Her bright pink lip-glossed mouth formed a pout. “Who?”
He jerked his head in Miranda’s direction, alarm shooting through him when he realized she wasn’t there. “Great, where’d she go?”
“Who is it? Maybe I can help.” Her dark overly-plucked eyebrows formed apostrophes of fake worry.
Jason opened the car door slowly, in an attempt not to smash into her. She scooted away on high wedges.
He slammed the door and strode in the direction he’d last seen Miranda.
Shrugging off the stares and whispers, he stood tall and walked right through the middle of the pack. He wasn’t going to make eye contact with any of these scumbags. Miranda, where the heck did you go? She knew I was picking her up. Why didn’t she come find me?
Several cheerleaders watched him approach. One of them, a girl with long blonde hair, broke away from the group and sashayed over. She ran her gaze along the length of his body, pausing at his greasy work shirt. “We were wondering where your sign was?”
His eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”
“You know. Your homeless sign saying you’ll work for food. You need someone to write it for you?” The girls behind her laughed.
Heat spread in his chest and face, but he forced himself to keep eye contact. Stupid cheerleaders. “Wow, I’m impressed. You learn that in school? Get an ‘A’ in Snot class?”
“What are you talking about?” A pinch of color filled her cheeks as she nudged her friend for support. “Looks like this homeless guy wants to talk to us.”
“Hey, you got something in your teeth.” He squinted with a smirk.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Just then, Miranda appeared at the entrance of the building. She threw a parting remark over her shoulder, and then lightly skipped down the stairs, dark curls flying. She smiled when she caught sight of him standing there. “Jason!”
The cheerleader stared at her. “You know him?”
Miranda gripped her backpack, shifting uneasily. “Yes.”
“He’s so rude. You need to teach him some manners.”
Jason tapped his tooth. “Still didn’t get it.”
“Okay. We’ll be going now.” Miranda looped her arm through his and dragged him away. She didn’t let go as she hurried him towards the car.
“What happened?” Miranda whispered, her face red.
“Where were you?”
“I had to get my math book from my locker. Sorry I made you wait.”
He licked the corner of his lip. “It’s fine. But your friends are real creeps.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, them. They’re not my friends.”
“Yeah? Why are you nice to them then?
“You just have to be. It’s like a rule.”
“What are you talking about, Miranda? You’re worth more than that. Why are you kissing up to them?”
“I wasn’t kissing up to them!”
“Yeah. Sure you weren’t.” He made kissing noises at her.
She frowned and pushed him away. “Shut up. You don’t understand.” Climbing into the car, she fastened her seatbelt and sat with her arms crossed.
He started the Mazda and maneuvered the car out of the parking lot.
“Look. I don’t want to fight,” he finally said.
“Me either.”
Jason stopped at a red light, his forearm hanging lazily over the top of the steering wheel. “Man, I’m hot.” He glanced at her. “You hot? Let’s go down to the river.”
“It’s been a while.” A small smile softened her face. “But I don’t have my suit.”
“You don’t need a suit to go swimming.” His mouth curled suggestively.
“You wish!” Miranda nudged his shoulder. “Like I ever would.”
“What? Everyone should go skinny dipping at least once.”
Laughing, she rolled her eyes and looked out the window.
The car bumped along the gravel road leading to the boat launch. Leafy trees hung over the water, and a few fishermen sat on the banks. Jason pulled the Mazda up to a sign stating the park hours and tilted his head. “Come on.”
The two of them headed down to the river’s edge. The trail was well worn from the countless fishermen who’d traveled its banks searching for the best spot.
“Check out that water. Isn’t it tempting?” He leaned close, teasing her, tickling her ear with his breath.
She stared out at the dark green river, cool and flowing at a lazy pace. Sweat trickled down her forehead. “Fine, I’ll wear my bra and underwear. But don’t look!”
His heart beat in his throat at the flash of smooth skin as she pulled her shirt off. Quickly he turned, shucking his shirt, and waded into the water. After a minute, sounds of splashing let him know she was in.
They waded out to the center where the water was chest-deep on him, and shoulder-deep on her. She dipped her head back and smiled as the water cooled her head.
“Someday Jason, We’re going to see the Caribbean Sea.”
“Palm trees are overrated.”
“How would you know?” Her eyes were soft and dreamy. “I think it would be amazing. And from t
here sail through the Bahama Islands, then over to the Giza Pyramids.”
‘Pretty sure you can’t sail through the desert.”
“I know that. Maybe a camel.…”
“You’re a goof. Want me to launch you?” he asked, lightly splashing water at her.
“You think you could lift me?”
He gave her a look.
“Okay. Just checking.” She waded over to him.
Jason reached down to cup her foot and she laughed as it tickled. She dug her fingers into his shoulder, struggling to gain purchase.
“Relax.” He grinned. “Jump at the count of three and I’ll fling you.”
Miranda jumped at his count and he rocketed her, squealing, into the air. The water sprayed upwards as she hit it. She broke the surface, spluttering, and blindly searched for him through long wet lashes. “Come here you!” Her hands beat the water to splash him.
He laughed at her efforts and lunged forward, ready to launch her again. She leaped sideways, breaking into a sidestroke. After a few strokes, she spun back towards him.
“Where’d you go?” Miranda hopped in a circle, her toe dotting against the river bottom to keep her head above water.
Suddenly strong arms grasped her waist, lifting her out of the water and causing her to screech at the top of her lungs.
“Think you can get away from me, huh?” He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her close. “Don’t you remember the rules? I always win.”
She clung to his shoulders in an attempt to keep her head above the water. “Always so bossy,” she whispered, looking up at him with a grin.
Their eyes locked together.
Despite the coolness of the water, heat rose between them. Her eyes widened at the feel of his heart beating against the palm of her hand, now held flat against his broad chest. And when she held her own breath, she could feel the warmth of his gently caressing her cheek.
“Woohoo love birds!” A voice called from the bank. Startled, Miranda’s head jerked in that direction. Two young boys stood on the bank making kissing noises. Miranda bit her lip and blushed. Jason continued to stare at her, but immediately dropped his gaze as she turned back.