He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Hear me out, okay? You’re right—you’re too sick to go anywhere.” He huffs out a sigh, then opens his eyes and stares into mine. “So I need you to listen carefully. If we let you stay here with Amber, you have to be quieter than you’ve ever been. You can’t leave the storage room except to use the bathroom, and then only if you can’t hold it. If you get caught, we’ll be in big trouble.”
“We can stay, then?” Tears drip off my chin, but I don’t care. “They’ll never know we’re here—I promise.”
Mom and Nick exchange glances, once again having an entire conversation without uttering a word. He breathes out a sigh. “I don’t see that we have another choice. Let’s give it a try. It’ll be late before we can get back—maybe as late as eight. We’ll have to wait until everyone leaves the church for the day. Can you handle that?”
“Yes! Thank you, Nick! We won’t let anyone see us—I promise!”
Before leaving, Mom and Nick forage through the kitchen adjacent to the gym where they find several containers of mini muffins, three bags of frozen rolls, a half-used gallon of orange juice, and a large half-used package of American cheese. Mom pours two glasses of orange juice and hands both to me with a container of mini-muffins. “Share these with Amber when she wakes up, then the rolls and cheese will tide you over if you get hungry for lunch. We’ll bring back something for dinner, and I’m leaving a pitcher of water in case you get thirsty. We’ll replace the food we’ve borrowed—somehow.”
I nod.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asks.
“We’ll be fine.”
Mom glances at Amber’s sleeping form. She hesitates, then nods at Nick and gathers her things.
“We’re counting on you, Abby,” Nick says.
“I know. I won’t let you down.”
He squats next to me and squeezes my shoulder twice. “We know you won’t, kiddo. Get some sleep and feel better. We’ll see you tonight.”
I SLEEP UNTIL nearly ten, when Amber begins stirring. I offer her the juice and muffins, then we crawl back under the covers and sleep until around two o’clock when she wakes again.
“Sister.”
I crack my eyes open. Amber sits with her legs folded like a pretzel, her eyes bright and expectant. I close my eyes again and pull my blanket tighter around my shoulders. “You’re feeling better?”
“Uh-huh. But I gotta pee.”
“Can you hold it?”
She shakes her head. “Uh-uh. I gotta go now.”
I blow out a sigh and rub the sleep from my eyes. My head still aches, but the pounding has dulled. “Okay. Give me a sec.”
“No, Sister. I gotta go now,” she repeats, her voice whiny.
“Okay. Just—hang on!”
I take a second to calculate our options. We’re so far removed from the rest of the building it’s impossible to know whether anyone else is around. I place my finger over my lips to signal “quiet” and listen for sounds from beyond the storage room doors.
Nothing.
“Okay,” I say. “We have to be quiet as mice so we don’t get caught. Pretend you’re Jack and you’re trying to steal the harp from the sleeping giant. Only instead of stealing the harp, we have to make it to the bathroom and back without him catching us. Can you do that?”
Amber grins, her sparkling eyes proving she feels better. “Don’t worry, Sister. I’ll tiptoe.”
Despite how sick I am, her excitement makes me smile. Taking her hand, I lead her to the storage room doors and again place my finger over my lips before cracking the door open an inch. Dust motes hang in the air of the dimly lit gym and my heart pounds in the silence around us.
I open the door another six inches and survey the landscape. The locker rooms are about twenty yards away and marked appropriately for men and women—we should make it without issue. I tug on Amber’s hand. “Okay. Let’s go, but be quiet.”
We sprint on quiet feet across the gym floor and push open the locker room door. I feel for a light switch and find one inside to my right. The room glows under the fluorescent lights.
“Hurry,” I whisper.
Amber finds a stall and I take the one next to her. Adrenalin races through me—we’re too exposed here with the lights on. The stall next to me flushes and I do the same, meeting Amber at the sink. In no time, we’re back behind the safety of the storage room doors.
I’ve barely crawled under the covers and closed my eyes when Amber’s tiny fingers pull at my eyelids, prying them apart. “I’m bored.”
I swipe her hands away. “Stop. I don’t feel good and I need sleep.”
“Can I play with the basketballs?” She points to a rack of balls by the doors.
“No. You have to stay here and be quiet. Pretend we’re hiding from the giant, okay? Use the flashlight to read or color, but you can’t leave the room.”
Amber huffs out a loud sigh. “Fine.”
I pull my blankets around my chin and, within seconds, I drift off to sleep.
A FLY LANDS on my nose and I swipe at it with my hand. A moment later, it lands near my upper lip and I swipe again. Within seconds, it’s back on my nose. Without opening my eyes, I reach out to trap it but, instead, my hand wraps around the soft tufts of a feather. My eyes flash open. In front of me is Amber, her eyes twinkling as she snatches the feather out of my hand.
“What are you doing?” I groan.
“I’m hungry.”
I glance at my watch—it’s already after six and I’ve slept through most of the day. I cover a yawn with my hand and stretch under the blanket. “Give me a second, okay?”
I sit up and relief washes over me. My headache is gone and my throat is less raw than earlier. Even the dizziness has disappeared. I locate the rolls and cheese Mom left behind and assemble them into sandwiches, offering one to Amber. The rolls have freezer burn, but it might be a feast for how quickly we scarf them down.
“When are Daddy and Mommy coming back?” Amber asks, her mouth stuffed with sandwich.
“A couple more hours.”
“Why do we have to stay in here? Why can’t we go play basketball in the gym?”
“We can’t let anyone know we’re here, or Nick will lose his job. We have to be very quiet until they get back.”
“How much longer?” She frowns. “I’m bored.”
“Better bored than cold.” I ruffle her hair and feel her forehead for fever. She’s cool to the touch. “You’re feeling better?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “I don’t feel sick any more.”
“I’m glad. But I need you to be patient. Just a couple more hours, okay?”
Amber sighs. “But there’s nothing to do.”
“You can read.”
“I did that already.”
I finish off the last of my sandwich and brush the crumbs from my lap. Standing, I survey the room. Boxes labeled “Christmas” line one wall. On the adjacent wall is a metal cabinet labeled “Supplies.” I open it and find organized stacks of construction paper, white painting paper, a can of scissors, and several boxes with half-used watercolor palettes. I pull several paint sheets from the stack and a tin of watercolors from the cabinet. “Want to paint?”
Amber’s eyes light up, and for the next two hours I lie beside her as she paints like a pro. Just when I close my eyes and doze off again, the doors to the storage closet creak. My eyes open and my heart races before I realize there’s no threat.
“How’d it go?” Nick asks.
I sit up, relief washing over me as Mom steps in behind Nick. “Fine. We didn’t see anyone all day. Amber’s feeling better, but she’s restless.”
“And you?” he asks.
“Much better. Still weak, but I think I’ll be okay to go to school tomorrow.”
Mom sets a paper grocery bag in front of me, the red letters of Hy-Vee emblazoned across its front begging me to tear it open. She kneels next to me. “We brought you somet
hing.”
“You went grocery shopping? How?”
Mom pulls out several cans of chicken noodle soup, a half-gallon of milk, a jar of peanut butter, and a loaf of bread. “Nick did some panhandling today. He brought in twenty-seven dollars, so we picked up a few groceries.”
“You got milk?” Amber exclaims.
Mom holds up a bag of store brand Cheerios. “And cereal!”
Amber reaches for the bag. “Can we have it now?”
“Not for dinner.” Mom smiles and pulls the bag out of her reach. “But you can have a glass of milk with dinner, and cereal in the morning before school.”
“One problem,” I interrupt. “Bowls and spoons?”
“There are plenty in the cabinets here. We’ll wash and put them away before we leave in the morning,” Nick says.
“Wait. What?” My insides jump. “You mean—are we gonna stay here another night?”
Nick leans against the wall and folds his arms over his chest. He smiles, but lifts both eyebrows in warning. “We can’t go back to the van. It’s too cold and we can’t take the chance of you girls getting sick again. I’ve been thinking on this all day, and I think we can stay here at night if we’re careful and clean up after ourselves every morning. It’s risky and we’ll need to be out by six to avoid the daycare, but the setup is ideal. Besides the kitchen, we can use the locker room showers, and the daycare has a washer and dryer.”
I’m giddy with relief. It’s been a week since I’ve had a real shower, and I’ve run out of clean clothes. I swipe at a tear before it falls.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ZACH’S WAITING FOR ME AT THE DROP-OFF TO DOOR SIX. SPOTTING OUR VAN, HIS EYES LIGHT UP AND THE door is barely closed before he pulls me into his arms. “Where’ve you been? Are you okay?”
I breathe in his scent. “I’m sorry I bailed on you last weekend. I was really sick and couldn’t even get out of bed.”
Zach pulls away, his eyes studying me. “You’re okay now?”
“Much better!”
“It’s good to have you back,” he says, placing a kiss on our joined hands.
My heart flutters. “Anything new while I was gone?”
“Josh is back,” he says, opening the door for me.
“He is?” I scan the foyer. “Where is he?”
“I haven’t seen him yet this morning, but I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. You want breakfast?”
“Definitely!” I grin.
Zach pulls me to a stop and tugs me into his arms. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too.”
“Mr. Andrews and Ms. Lunde.” Mr. Zagan’s brittle voice jolts us apart. “I believe we’ve already talked about this. Stop by my classroom for detention slips before first period.”
My face flames.
“I seriously hate that man,” Zach groans.
“You and pretty much everyone else,” I agree.
Zach squeezes my hand and leads me to the cafeteria where we pick up bagels to eat on our way to Zagan’s class. Predictably, Zagan is waiting for us when we arrive, his cold blue eyes gleaming cruelly.
“I trust you won’t be late,” he says.
Zach rolls his eyes discreetly and takes both slips, handing one to me. Satisfied, Zagan steps back into the classroom.
“I trust you won’t be late,” Zach mimics in a nasally voice.
I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “See you at lunch?”
He grins then glances around to see if Mr. Zagan is spying. Finding his back turned to us, Zach leans in and kisses the tip of my nose. “Not if I see you first.”
With those words, he smirks and leaves me standing outside the classroom. My heart is full. A grin teases the corners of my lips as I find my seat behind Josh.
“Ariel!” He jumps up and throws his arms around me. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried sick!”
“Walt!” I laugh. “How’re you feeling?”
“Much better.” He tightens his arms around me and squeezes like he never intends to let go. “But you didn’t answer my question. Where’ve you been? You’ve been gone for days and we had no way to get ahold of you. Even Zach didn’t have a clue.”
“I’m sorry.” I can’t help but grin as I step out of his arms. “I was sick. But I’m back now and I’m better.”
“Still no phone?” he asks.
“Not yet—soon, though.”
Josh wags a finger in front of my nose. “Don’t ever do that again! Next time, find a way to get ahold of someone!”
Tera steps between us and pulls me into a hug. “What he means to say is, he’s glad you’re back.”
“At least it’s good to know I’ve been missed,” I say with a laugh.
I step out of Tera’s embrace and am enveloped into Wendy’s. “That’s an understatement. Josh about drove us nuts wondering about you. Was it the flu?”
I nod, stepping back once again. “I think so. Not as bad as Josh’s, thank goodness, but I was pretty sick.”
“I think I’m half jealous,” Wendy says. “I could use a couple sick days to cozy up under the covers and catch up on some TV.”
Before we can say more, the bell rings and Mr. Zagan promptly closes the classroom door. “Pop quiz,” he announces to the groans of the class.
As he nears my desk, I raise my hand. “Mr. Zagan, could I please make an appointment to take the quiz later this week? I’ve been out sick for several days.”
Zagan eyes me. “I’m sorry to hear that, Ms. Lunde, but no. My expectations are clearly outlined in my syllabus. If you’ve done as expected, you’ll have read ahead and should do fine.”
He slaps the quiz on my desk and walks away. Great—I did not need this today. What is his problem? Does he enjoy making people miserable?
I scan the quiz and find mostly multiple choice and true/false questions. Some of the answers are obvious, even though I haven’t read the material, but most of it requires my best guess. My best guess is that I’ll fail it.
THE BELL SOUNDS for lunch and I race to meet Zach in the hall. He smiles and takes my hand, and together we walk toward the cafeteria with Scott and Josh flanking us on each side.
“You’re coming over on Sunday?” Zach asks.
My excitement bursts. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“My folks have to work, so I’m stuck with Amber all day.”
“Then I’ll come to your house and hang out. I’ve missed you.”
I shake my head. “My folks would freak. I can’t have guys over when they aren’t home.”
“Then bring Amber to my house. She can hang out with us, or watch TV, or something. My mom won’t mind.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” I grin.
“So what’s the plan after school?” he asks. “Can I give you a ride?”
“I have to pick up Amber, so that would be great. But—” I pause, not sure how to continue.
Zach slows his stride and turns toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re not the only one I didn’t call this weekend.” I frown. “I wasn’t able to reach work this weekend to let them know I was sick.”
“You didn’t even call them?” He asks.
“No, I did. I tried Saturday morning, but all I got was an answering machine and I wasn’t sure what to say. I was going to call them again later, but then I felt so awful that—”
“You were sick—they’ll understand.”
“Maybe. But could you sit with Amber while I talk to them? I don’t want her to see me get fired.”
“You think they’ll fire you for that? It’s not like it was your fault.”
“I missed three straight days without calling in,” I say. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they will.”
“It’ll be their loss.” He shrugs. “But sure—no problem.”
Josh interrupts. “Do you realize you have less than two weeks until the Fall Concert?”
�
�Don’t remind me,” I groan. “I’ve only practiced with Keaton a few times and I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be,” Scott says. “You’ve got this.”
“I hope so.”
“You do! Do you think I’d hang out with a loser who couldn’t sing?” Josh teases.
“Oh, I might.” Zach wiggles his eyebrows. “She’s pretty cute, after all.”
“Ha-ha.” I poke him in the ribs.
“What are you singing?” Josh asks.
“Not telling. You’ll have to wait until the concert.”
Josh pushes his bottom lip out. “You’re mean.”
My grin spreads to a full smile. As much as I hate being homeless, moving to Rochester is the best thing we’ve ever done.
MRS. MINER IS waiting for me when I arrive at her classroom after lunch. “You’re back! I was worried—everything okay?”
I nod. “Yup. I just had the flu or something.”
“Glad you’re feeling better.” Mrs. Miner sets her granny glasses firmly on her nose. “We’re doing something different today. Ms. Raven found two vocal music scholarships offered by in-state schools—Mankato State and St. Cloud State. Are you still interested?”
My eyes pop wide. “Do you think I have a chance?”
“I do,” she says. “But we won’t know until we try. Are you ready to try?”
I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and nod.
“Good.” Mrs. Miner’s eyes smile. “Both schools have the same audition requirements, and we can use your solos from the Fall Concert. I want to run through them a couple of times, then I’ll videotape you performing them.”
“That’s all? I mean—is it that easy?”
“Pretty much.” She nods. “You’ll need to complete the applications and get three letters of recommendation, but you shouldn’t have any problem. Ms. Raven and I are both happy to write letters for you. Do you have another teacher you can ask?”
I think for a moment. “Maybe Mr. Thompson?”
“He’d be an excellent choice. I heard you took the ACT last weekend?”
I nod.
“How’d it go?”
I shrug. “Okay, I think.”
“What did you put down as your top three schools?”
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