The black cloud that was Ms. Lewis’s aura made sense to Aja now. Trust turned to dust. No wonder the woman was such a hard ass. Aja noticed both Tish and Sissy pass a look between them that said there was more to the story.
“Good luck with her being your T.O.,” Sissy said. “I got a kid, and she still makes me come here every day ’cause I’m not eighteen yet. Soon as I turn old enough, I ain’t never crossing that dike’s path again.”
Tish laughed. “You shoulda named your baby after her.”
“Don’t make me hurt you,” Sissy said.
“You get to go home at night?” Aja asked Sissy.
“Yeah, lots of us just go to school here.”
“Come on, it’s slop time,” Tish said, standing. “Quit that.” She pointed at Aja’s books. “I got a headache just looking at those books.”
As they stood, Aja said, “Haven’t you ever enjoyed any classes?” She glanced at her physics book. “Have you ever mixed baking soda and vinegar? Every science fair always has a kid making a volcano.”
“Science fair? No way.” Tish took the lead to the cafeteria.
“What about the Mentos trick, ever done that?” Aja asked.
“What, try to fit all of ’em in your mouth?”
“No, get a liter of Diet Coke and put a roll of Mentos in. It explodes.”
“Cool. Hey, Sis, bring a Coke and Mentos tomorrow,” Tish said. “I want to blow up this joint.”
“It’s not going to leave a hole in the building.” Aja laughed. “It just makes a big mess.”
They walked to the cafeteria, where only a few students were lined up to eat. “Where is everybody?” Aja asked.
“They all gone home.” Tish grabbed a tray. “Only us hardass criminals get to spend the night.”
Sissy broke away to leave for the evening. “My ride’s here, see ya’ll.”
Aja got a sick feeling in her stomach, first when she saw the brown glop they were serving for dinner and second, for being one of the hardened criminals who was locked in.
Chapter 33
The next afternoon the attorney, Maggie, and Aja’s mom came to the detention center to take her home. She was going to be able to go to school and home, like before, but this time Ms. Lewis said she’d be stopping by every night.
“Before we go, I want to get those photographs of your bruises,” Maggie said, pulling a camera with a funky ring-flash around the lens. “Let’s find a private room.”
They were allowed to use an office next to the lobby. Aja raised her shirt enough to show the painful bruises. “I couldn’t sleep last night because they hurt so bad.” She didn’t mention that a veil of fear also kept her awake, fearing she’d be locked in this place forever.
Aja’s mom became livid when she saw the bruises. “I’ll kill the bastard myself.”
“Mom, remember, peaceful resolutions for all.” Another of her mom’s favorite mantras.
“Sometimes revenge just feels better,” her mom sighed.
They finished with the photos and left the building. Aja sucked in a big breath of air, not because she couldn’t go outside in the locked detention yard, but because the feeling of freedom was sweet. The deep breath hurt her bruised ribs.
“Your counselor, Mrs. Burnett, wants us to stop by school on the way home so she can give you your assignments.” Her mom started her truck, which spit and huffed with the effort. “She said she gave you some college essay topics, too?” Her mom looked at her. “She said you aced your SATs.”
“Yeah, she’s really trying to help me go to college.” Aja pulled the folder of finished homework out to give to Mrs. Burnett.
“Janie called,” Aja’s mom said as she pulled into traffic. “She said to tell you that Mr. Jensen’s not eating again. He keeps asking for you.”
“Is he okay?”
“She said he’s still getting IVs, but they want him to eat real food.”
“I wish I could see him.” Aja smiled, thinking of the trouble she, Tish and Sissy got into by blowing up the tube of Mentos in Diet Coke earlier that day. It was worth having to clean up the sticky mess. Mr. Jensen would have been happy. Aja left instructions on how to make a volcano. As she was leaving, she saw Tish in the rec room building a small hollowed-out mountain with Play-Doh.
They drove for a few minutes in silence, then Aja asked, “Has anybody called?”
Aja’s mom glanced at her. “No, he hasn’t.”
“I didn’t say Walker.” Aja sighed and thought of Kendall and her meanness and lies. Maybe that was the way to be in life. Screw the rest of the world and just take care of yourself.
“Don’t be like Kendall, honey.”
“Mom, stop!”
“Sorry, I just saw it. You know I usually can’t read you.” She sighed. “Even though many times I wish I could.”
Aja slumped in her seat and tried to keep her head clear.
They pulled into the school parking lot, empty since school was out for the afternoon. Mrs. Burnett was waiting for them in her office.
“Aja, Mrs. Harmon, thanks for coming.” She looked at Aja. “Did you get your assignments done?”
“Yeah.” Aja handed the folder of homework over.
“Here’s today’s homework.” Mrs. Burnett gave Aja a new stack of papers.
“Thanks for doing this,” Aja said, taking the assignments. She wondered if Mrs. Burnett thought of Aja as her “project,” like Ms. Lewis and Julia.
“You have a test in English tomorrow, and Mrs. Dempsey is aware you’ll be in class.”
“Okay.”
“And Aja?”
“Yes.”
“No science experiments please, like with Mentos,” Mrs. Burnett said sternly, but with a slight smile. “Ms. Lewis got a call from the detention center, and she called me.”
“Noted.” Aja smiled back.
“Did you look over the essays?”
“Yeah, I’ll work on them more tonight.”
Aja’s mom had been quiet during the meeting. As they stood to leave, she turned to Mrs. Burnett and said, “You don’t have to feel sorry for Aja.”
“What? I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
Aja cringed.
“I’m not a bad mother, just different.”
“I see.” Mrs. Burnett stood behind her desk, looking as if she’d been stripped of her clothes. “I can tell you you’ve raised a very bright young lady.”
Stalemate.
“I know,” Aja’s mom said, looking with pride at her daughter. “She’s very special, thank you.”
“Aja,” Mrs. Burnett turned to her. “Lauren Jensen called. She’s asking the assisted living hospital for permission for you to visit Mr. Jensen. You seem to have made an impression on him. I’ll let you know more about that tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Burnett.” Aja followed her mom out, but turned back and said, “Thanks, really, for everything.”
Chapter 34
After school the next day, Aja and her mom pulled into the residence home’s parking lot. Aja had butterflies in her stomach and hated herself for wondering if Walker would be there, as well as being nervous because everybody here thought she was a thief, including him. They were to meet the director, Edna, and Lauren Jensen in the lobby and walk to the hospital to see Mr. Jensen. The one person Aja didn’t want to see was Mrs. Poston.
When they walked into the lobby, Edna stood near the front desk with Lauren. She turned and greeted Aja curtly. “Aja, I’m only allowing this because of Mr. Jensen. Otherwise…” she let the sentence hang in the air like a deflated balloon.
Lauren approached her. “Dad said he was going to help you with homework. His eyes really light up when he talks about you, and he still calls you Princess Bride.”
Aja smiled. “He was helping me with physics. I need to tell him about some new…um, friends I just made. I showed them some science experiments, and they thought it was fun.”
Aja’s mom rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Aja made qui
te an impression.”
Aja failed to mention that she almost wasn’t released because of the commotion she’d caused.
“Come on, let’s go,” Edna said in a clipped tone.
“What is that little crook doing here?”
Mrs. Poston’s voice snapped through Aja like the crack of a bullwhip.
“She is being supervised,” Edna said to her.
“She needs to be handcuffed. I heard you broke the law again when you tried to steal from Steven Jensen in his hospital room. You slunk back here looking for more trouble.”
Aja tried to keep her mouth shut but said curtly, “I came to visit him. And I did not steal your jewelry.”
Mrs. Poston waved her hand, sputtering incoherently about Kendall seeing Aja in the hallway that night. Edna took Aja’s arm and led her out, followed by Lauren and her mom.
“That’s exactly the scene I was trying to avoid,” Edna huffed. “I should have had you meet me at the hospital. What was I thinking?” she said, more to herself.
Aja craned her neck in the parking lot, looking for Walker’s car. It was still early for dinner if he was coming. She chastised herself for looking—even he thought she stole the jewelry—but she wanted him to believe her innocence. For some reason, it was important to her. He seemed to see the good in everybody else why not her?
Entering the hospital, Lauren took the lead. She knocked at her father’s door and opened it. “Dad? Hey, look who’s here.”
Mr. Jensen looked like he’d lost more weight. Aja recalled his wife the first night she’d met them. He turned his head slowly and raised an arm, taped and badly bruised by the IV line.
“I’m tired, just want to rest.” He set his arm on the bed.
“Hi, Mr. Jensen.” Aja stepped from behind Lauren.
It took a moment for him to focus on Aja, but when he did, he smiled. “Princess Bride,” he croaked. “You helped me with my sweet Buttercup.” His face became sad again and he said, “You know we lost her.”
“I know, Mr. Jensen, and I’m sorry.” Aja took a seat next to the bed. The others stood near the doorway. She saw that his lunch tray sat cold and uneaten. “You need to eat something.” Aja turned to Edna, “Is Janie in yet? Can you call her to see if she’ll bring a tray for him?” She looked back at Mr. Jensen. “You love Janie’s cooking.”
He tried to sit a little higher but couldn’t. “Maybe a bite or two,” he whispered.
Edna left the room, hopefully to call Janie.
“Can we help you sit up?” Aja asked, beckoning her mom and Lauren to help pull him higher in the bed.
All three hooked their arms under his and scooted him up. Then Aja adjusted the motorized bed to a sitting position.
This seemed to energize him a little, and he stared at Aja. “You look so much like my Buttercup.” He adjusted the sheets and settled in.
Aja sat down again. “Guess what, I helped some girls with physics.” She went on to tell him about the Mentos and volcano demonstrations.
Now he was alert. “Vinegar and baking soda is just simple physics of acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate making carbonic acid. Now, the Mentos experiment is fun, that’s nucleation.” He laughed. “That was always a favorite of the students.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it was.” Aja smiled at Lauren and her mom while they all listened to him talk animatedly about science.
“You’re smarter than that,” he went on. “Those experiments are done in first grade.”
“I was helping some girls with their homework,” Aja said, wondering if Tish ever got her Play-Doh volcano built and if it sparked an interest with her in something other than her dead-end life. As many times as she called Aja “bitch,” Aja wished she’d gone over some vocabulary too.
Janie and Edna came into the room, Janie exuberant. “Hey, stranger, great to see you!” She put a hot covered plate on the bed table and hugged Aja. She turned to Mr. Jensen and said, “I made your favorite, roast beef and mashed potatoes with extra gravy.”
He didn’t say anything but looked genuinely happy with having so many people fawn all over him.
Aja pulled the tray closer and lifted the lid. “This smells great, Janie, thanks.”
“Janie, you need to get back now,” Edna said, but with a little more warmth than when she’d spoken to Aja earlier.
“Okay, bummer, I wish I could visit. Can you stop by after?”
“No!” Edna said. “Lauren, you will stay and supervise Aja and her mom, right?”
“Sure,” Lauren said, a big smile on her face as she watched Aja spoon dinner to her father. He ate each bite with vigor.
Edna glanced at her watch. “It’s four ten, I’ll come by to escort you out at five.” She waited for everyone to acknowledge her then she left with Janie.
“Call me,” Janie said to Aja as she left.
Mr. Jensen finished his plate. Aja’s mom always called them “happy plates” when she was young. They talked about school, and he asked where Aja was going to college. She deflected the question for now.
“You know my Buttercup needs me,” Mr. Jensen said to Aja.
“I know she does.” Aja looked over his shoulder and felt the love in the room.
Mr. Jensen took a few big bites of dessert before he patted his belly and fell asleep.
A few minutes later, Edna was at the door, purse over her arm. “It’s time to leave.”
They all stood. Lauren said to Edna, “Look, he ate everything.” Then to Aja, “You really have magic around you.” She gave her a big hug.
Aja arranged the covers over Mr. Jensen and refastened some tape that had pulled up around his IV. If only Lauren knew the magic, Aja thought. Mrs. Jensen was there, too, by her husband. Aja sensed the feeling of love, knew it came from his wife.
As they closed the door behind them, Aja’s mom held her a few steps back and whispered, “You felt her, too?”
Aja turned away.
“Aja, you have the gift.”
“The curse. I don’t want it.”
Her mom put an arm around her shoulders. “Take it at your own speed.”
“Ladies,” Edna snapped, standing impatiently by the lobby door. “We’re leaving—now.”
They walked through the steaming hot parking lot, Edna keeping a close eye on Aja and her mom. Aja tried to clear her head. She wasn’t ready to talk to her mom about her abilities. Wasn’t sure she was ready for them.
A car pulled in front of them and Aja heard her name. She looked up and saw Walker, window rolled down, and Kendall next to him with her arms crossed defensively.
Chapter 35
Edna sighed heavily when Aja stopped by Walker’s car.
“We heard you were in jail,” Kendall said, arrogance lacing her voice.
“Bitch camp, mostly. You’ve been, right?” Aja said, glaring at Kendall. “They teach you all about lying.”
“Young lady, we don’t use that language here,” Edna said. “I’ll see you to your car.”
As Aja and her mom started to follow Edna, Aja quickly turned back and asked Walker, “How are your grandparents?” She wanted to scream at Kendall for spreading lies but held her tongue. And she wanted to ask Walker why they were still together.
“Fine, same. I know Janie misses having you in the kitchen.” The pitch of his voice rose a little, like maybe he wanted to tell Aja he missed her too. “Kendall came to Texas for a surprise visit,” he said, clenching his teeth a little as he glanced at her.
Kendall said something Aja couldn’t hear, but sounded like she said “skank,” as Aja and her mom walked with Edna to their car. After they got in, Aja watched Walker meet up with Edna and go inside as she and her mom drove away. She glanced back and saw Kendall drive away in the Buick, surprised she’d actually be seen in such an uncool car.
“Do you want to talk about sensing Mrs. Jensen?”
“No.”
“Why? I suspected you had the gift. Don’t be scared of it.”
“Quit calling it
a ‘gift,’ it’s weird.” It scared Aja more than she wanted to admit. When she allowed a vision or feeling, it seemed to take a small piece of her and leave her vulnerable.
“Do you want to talk about Walker?”
“No! Can we just not talk about anything?”
Aja’s mom patted her leg. “I’ve just missed you these past few days.”
“What are you going to do when I go away to college?”
“I don’t know.” Aja’s mom sighed. “I’ve wondered that too. Part of me is excited for you to spread your wings. Another part dreads you going away.” She glanced at Aja as she drove. “I want to get out of this town anyway. It’s time to move on. Maybe I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t you want a normal life? A real home? We’re like gypsies, casting black magic, then moving on. That’s why I don’t want the ‘curse.’ I just want to be a normal person. You know, have someplace to come home to, not live like we’re migrating every season.”
Her mom was silent for a minute. “Aja, there is no normal. I’m sorry we’ve jumped around so much. We’ve had some fun, haven’t we?”
“I guess,” Aja whispered. She and her mom were closer than most. Maybe it was because, for every new city they moved to, her mom was the only constant part of her life. Aja had never been away from her mother, and since Aja rarely cultivated friendships she and her mom were friends. Sure, her mom encouraged Aja to be independent and try new things. She pretty much was cool with anything Aja wanted to do.
“We need to stop at the store and pick up stuff for dinner, and then I’m going to call the attorney Maggie when we get home,” Aja’s mom said, changing the subject. “She was going to show the pictures she took of your bruises to a judge or somebody so we can file charges against Clay Richards.”
“Did they allow the restraining order?” Aja asked. The healing bruises didn’t hurt as much as the memory of the malevolent feel of his hand on her skin.
“I don’t know,” Aja’s mom said. “I hope so.”
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