Living with Jackie Chan (18 page)

Jason comes rushing toward me the minute I get to my locker on the Monday after break.

“Did you hear anything?”

He looks too happy to see me. “Did
you
?” I say, since that has to be why.

“NYU. In.” He breathes out as if he’s been holding his breath for a month.

“Awesome,” I say.

“How ’bout you?”

“Nah. Not yet.”

“I’m sure you will soon.”

“Yeah, eventually,” I say. I try to make it sound like I’m not too worried. But now that people are starting to hear from schools, I feel even more on edge than usual. I applied to schools all over the place: San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Philly. Everywhere that’s too long to drive to and from my hometown in one day. That was my rule. Now I’m wondering if I aimed too high.

The whole day seems to be about people sharing college news. High-fiving. Consoling. It’s as if everyone’s life but mine changed over break.

By the end of the day, I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m heading to the library when I turn the corner and see Stella and
Britt
at the end of the hall. They’re hugging and laughing. I step back and am about to go the other way, but I can’t help risking another look. Stella’s familiar laughter echoes in the empty hallway. I peek around the corner again. Britt picks her up in a hug and swings her around in a circle, her legs flying out behind her. When he puts her down, he cups her face in his hands. “This is the best day ever,” he tells her.

“I know,” she says.

They’re both holding letters. I’m guessing college acceptance letters.

“Why did you wait all day to tell me?” he asks.

“I wanted to tell you when we were alone.”

He hugs her again. She looks so small, buried in his arms. I’ve never seen them alone together. I always figured they fought most of the time, since whenever Stella shows up after being with him she looks upset. But they look so . . . comfortable. Happy. Like they belong together.

“I love you so much,” he says.

And then he looks up and sees me.

I step back quickly and practically run down the hall. I can’t believe I didn’t just turn around the second I saw them. God. What is
wrong
with me?

“Hey, Josh.”

I swing around and see this girl, Kelly, who’s in my homeroom and a few classes with me. Where the hell did she come from?

“Uh, hey,” I say, out of breath.

“Are you OK?”

“Huh? Yeah. Why?”

She looks at me funny and shrugs. “Anyway. A bunch of us are heading over to Joe’s. Wanna come?”

“Joe’s?”

“Cuppa. You know, the café on Main? Big white coffee cup for a sign?”

I wonder what she means by “a bunch of us” and if that includes Stella and Britt. I can’t exactly ask. Obviously. But there is no way I want him to see me now. He probably thinks I’m some sort of stalker.

“Thanks, but I have too much work to do.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry.” I start walking away. Then I stop and turn around. She’s still standing there. “Thanks for asking, though.”

“Sure,” she says. “See ya.”

I spend two hours at the school library on my own. Jason never shows up. Maybe he got invited to Joe’s, too. The whole time I’m there, I keep thinking about how Stella and Britt looked. Happy. Maybe he is a bit possessive, but the guy clearly does love her. And she loves him. So yeah. That’s good. Whatever.

On my way out, I run into my guidance counselor.

“Josh! How’re you doing? Any news?”

“Nah, not yet.”

“Well, these next few weeks, the acceptances will start rolling in.”

I nod.

“How’s everything else going? You holding up? This time of year can be pretty stressful.”

“Yeah, I’m doin’ pretty good.”

He pats me on the back. “Good.”

Right.

Outside, the sky is a grayish blue. It’s windy, too. I wait for the bus with a bunch of other students. Some I recognize, some I don’t. They nod to me but don’t talk to me. It’s like I’m almost invisible but not quite.

At Larry’s apartment, I dump my stuff in my room and head to the kitchen to make dinner. Clover follows me, since she knows I’ll give her a treat. Larry will already be at the Y, teaching. I only have a few minutes to scarf something down, so I make a sandwich and sit alone at the kitchen table, with Clover rubbing against my legs.

While I’m eating, the phone rings.

“Hi, Joshy, it’s me,” my mom says. “I tried calling your cell, but you weren’t picking up.”

“We can’t use phones in school,” I say. “Remember? Sorry. I always forget to turn it back on.”

“That’s OK, honey. I just wanted to check in. I’m so glad I caught you. It’s been a while.”

There’s an awkward pause. My mom tried keeping up with her pledge to call me once a week to make sure I’m “fine,” but she always seems to call when I’m at practice. Or out. Sometimes I wonder how much she really wants to know.

“So, I have some good news,” she tells me. “I got a promotion at work!”

“Hey, that’s great!”

“It’s such good timing, with you starting college next year.”

“I can take out student loans, Mom. You don’t have to pay.”

“Of course we’ll pay! I mean, as much as we possibly can. We’ll take out the loans if we have to. Have you heard anything yet, honey?”

“No, not yet.”

“Well, I’m sure you will soon.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

Awkward silence.

“So, in addition to my promotion, I also got a nice little bonus, and your dad and I decided to go away for a long weekend.”

“Wow,” I say.

“I know. Crazy, huh? Your dad and I have never really gone away like this before. Just the two of us. It’s a big step.”

“That’s great, Mom.” I mean it. I do. Even if it’s a little weird. I knew things were better at Christmas, but I didn’t realize we’d reached, like, second-honeymoon level. If someone told me a year ago they’d be like this, I would have laughed.

“Actually it was our therapist’s suggestion. He thinks going away might help us . . . you know. Rekindle . . . things. Between us.”

Oh, God. I so don’t want to hear about them rekindling anything. And also, therapist?

“Is everything OK with you guys? Why are you seeing a therapist?”

I listen to her take a few slow breaths before she answers. “We’re trying, Josh. But it’s hard. We thought a therapist could help.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, honey. This is a good thing! Anyway, we’ll be staying at a little bed-and-breakfast place in Vermont. I wanted to let you know, in case you needed to reach us. I don’t know what the cell coverage will be like there.”

She gives me the name and phone number of the place, and I write it down.

“How’s Dad doing with — everything else?” I ask. I can’t seem to bring myself to say the drinking. I don’t know why, since we’re talking about them going somewhere to “rekindle” things.

“He’s fine,” she says, stealing my word. “He has his struggles, you know. But he’s trying really hard. And the walking has been so good for him. Rosie, too!”

“Tell them I said hi,” I say.

“It’s good to hear your voice, honey. School is still going all right?”

“Yeah, everything is fine.” I imagine her cringing at the word, but she doesn’t seem to miss a beat.

“All right. We’ll call when we get home.”

“I hope you guys have a good time,” I say. “Really.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

I hang up the phone and look down at Clover, who’s staring at me with her big, wondering eyes.

“Crazy,” I say to her.

“What’s crazy?”

I jump about a mile.

“Jesus, Larry, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry, Sammy. I had a break, so I dashed home for a bite before class. That your mom on the phone?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“She and my dad are going away for the weekend. Together.”

“Nice!”

“You mean crazy.”

“No-oh, I mean nice.”

“Nice and crazy.”

“Why crazy? They’re married, right?”

“Well, yeah. But they’ve been married for seventeen years, and they never wanted to be alone before. At least not in my memory. It’s just — crazy.”

“Seventeen years? Really? Wow. Time flies.”

Yes. Seventeen years, Larry. Do the math.

“So, what’s the special occasion?” he asks.

“My mom got a promotion. And my dad is stone-cold sober. And they have a therapist who thinks a weekend away is a good idea.”

“Wow.”

“I know.”

“Why aren’t you more excited? You should be happy for them, right?”

“I am.”

“You don’t sound like it.”

“I am!”

“Well, you don’t have to get all upset. Jeez.”

“I’m not upset. I’m just . . . never mind. I just wonder what made them change, that’s all.” But I feel like I know. And I guess it’s not such a bad thing. Maybe something good
should
come out of the mess I made. At least something good for other people.

“So, where are they going?”

I motion to the piece of paper on the table.

“Oooh, Vermont! Maybe they can scope the place out for me.”

Give me strength.

He makes himself a smoothie and downs it in about three gulps.

“Ahhhh. OK. Ready to hit the Y?”

“That’s all you’re having for dinner?”

“I’m going to meet the little lady after practice for a late meal.”

“Little lady? Seriously, Lar?”

“Aw, lighten up.”

I shake my head.

“You should be happy about your parents, Josh. You know? It’s cool they’re getting help to make things work. It means they still love each other. That’s awesome!”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t happy for them. I am! If I’d known what a positive effect my absence would have on their marriage, I would’ve left a long time ago.”

“Come on, that’s not true. And hey, it’s you who kept them together in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hell-o-oh? You know what I’m talking about. Shotgun wedding?”

Oh. So he does know.

“Do you know what the chances are of those kinds of marriages surviving? But look at your parents. After all these years, they stuck it out. And they’re still dedicated to making it work.”

“So you think they did the right thing?”

He looks at me and hesitates. Like he knows he has to be careful now.

“Every situation is different. All right? They made the best choice for them. You made the best choice for you.”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

Larry’s quiet.

“Never mind,” I say. “It doesn’t matter.”

“No,” he says sarcastically. “Obviously not.”

But I don’t reply. I go to my room, grab my karate stuff, and follow him out to the hall, down the stairs, and all the way to the Y in silence.

First thing Saturday morning, Stella, Larry, and I head downtown to look at rings.

“Can’t you leave that thing at home?” Larry asks Stella, who is madly texting and walking at the same time. “I can’t stand how everyone’s always buried in their phones. Hello! Pay attention to the people you are
with.
”

She ignores him.

“What are you typing, anyway?” he asks.

“A love letter.” She elbows him, finishes texting, and drops her phone in her purse.

A love letter. Fantastic.

We check out the mall first, but Larry says all the rings there look the same. He says we need to go somewhere off the beaten path. Finally, we find a shop downtown that’s an artists’ co-op, which means a bunch of different artists all sell their stuff at the store.

We lean over case after case until we finally find an artist Larry likes. Someone who works there comes over to help us.

“Would you like to see a few of these?” she asks, gesturing toward some artsy-looking silver bands Larry has his eye on.

Larry leans closer to the glass. “I think so,” he says. There’s sweat forming on his forehead.

The lady smiles and opens a glass door on her side of the counter.

“It has to be really special,” Larry tells her.

“Don’t they all?” she asks.

Larry looks embarrassed.

“I’m Grace, by the way.”

“Larry. And this is my nephew, Josh, and our friend Stella.”