August (The Year of The Change Book 2) (26 page)

He turned to me with a grin. “I want you to sack your dad.”

My eyes shot wide. “You want what?”

He chuckled. “When the ball is snapped I want you to go after your dad. Get in his face, tackle him, do whatever you have to do. Don’t let him throw the ball.”

I blinked my eyes. “Me?” I squeaked.

Never before had I played sports with my father. I only vaguely remembered a time or two, before the divorce, that he’d played with me at all. I had no idea how he would react to this.

We lined up.

“You look shell-shocked.” Tog jabbed me in the shoulder. “Sylvia, head in the game.”

I shook myself and tried to concentrate. Tackle my dad? What was he thinking? Was he insane? I stood at the line and willed myself to think of my father as just another quarterback.

Dad took the snap. Everything went into slow motion. Tog contained Richard with ease. I slipped past too fast. I couldn’t stop before I threw myself at the quarterback. The rush took him by surprise. I knocked the ball from his hands. He fell backwards, scrambling to recover it.

The fact that I’d just tackled my dad, body slammed me and I jumped up, afraid I’d hurt him. I’d done that once when I played with Donny and his football friends. I was more surprised than the guy I injured.

“Are you okay, Dad?” Heavy breaths heaved from my chest from exertion and stress. I didn’t know what to do and I just knew he was going to be mad at me, even though I could feel I hadn’t hurt him.

He got up and threw the ball to Richard. “Nice job, Sylv. I didn’t know you could play football.”

My mouth fell open. He wasn’t mad at me. He patted my arm and I went back to my team.
He. Wasn’t. Mad. At me
. WOW!

They stopped underestimating us and the game stayed close, mainly because Tog controlled everything. It wasn’t so much what he said, but what he did. I watched him closely. No one could’ve convinced me otherwise after studying his moves. He was incredible.

All too soon, Emma announced the coals were ready and we ended the game. Dad’s team was up by a touchdown, so they claimed victory.

Emma had everything laid out for us. All we had to do was pick what we wanted to cook over the coals of the now perfect bonfire. I grabbed a couple of hot dogs and chicken. Sue gave me the eye.

“But … chicken takes longer to cook so while it's cooking I can be eating the hot dogs.”

She sighed. My logic made sense, especially since she knew how much I would consume tonight. She went to help the twins.

Tog sidled up and reached around either side of me for what he wanted. He was way too close. The sun was almost completely behind the horizon and only the weird civil twilight remained. The air had chilled. Covered in sweat, the evening breeze cooled my skin which made it very cold away from the fire. The temptation to lean into his heat was almost irresistible. My head swam.

I had to be good, not just because of The Change—which was important—but also so Cara would have a fighting chance. Speaking of Cara, she came up on my other side and I ducked under Tog’s arm and made for the fire.

My stomach didn’t understand why I had to play football for so long when I could’ve been feeding it. It protested and I snagged a bag of chips on the way.

The guys used a shovel and made piles of coals close enough for us to stick our food over without singeing our eyebrows. Tog and Richard had dragged huge logs over for us to sit on by the edge of the fire. After shallow trenches were dug and the logs rolled into them, the seating was very secure.

The first place I looked, the coals were perfect for my ‘prop and turn’ method of cooking. In no time, all my food was placed just like I wanted it and I plopped on the log. From here I could keep an eye on the sticks, stuck in the ground, with a medium rock to hold them in place over the coals. Every so often, while they cooked, I’d turn the meat. This kept my hands free to eat.

Tog sat near me and I looked around for Cara, who’d settled a couple of yards on my other side. I caught her eye and subtly jerked my head towards Tog.

It wasn’t as subtle as I thought and Tog laughed. “Cara, you’d better come sit over here.” He patted the space next to him. “Before Sylvia, or someone else, slips a gear trying to figure out another way to get us together.”

Cara blushed, eyes wide. She was adorable. If he didn’t like her, he was stupid. She got up and moved her things to sit by him.

That let me relax and I concentrated on food while they discussed the finer points of cooking over a fire. I finished the bag of chips in time to pull my perfect hotdogs out and turn the chicken again.

Very quietly, Sue placed an open package of hot dogs and buns next to me. I put another hot dog on my stick and put it over the coals.

Just as I pulled my chicken out, Tog stuck his stick in my face. I looked over and he grinned. I crammed a hot dog on his stick and he winked at me.

Tog and Cara kept up a quiet conversation that I worked hard to ignore. Richard sat on the other side of his mother and occasionally glowered at Tog for something he said. Or maybe it was something his mother said. I didn’t know, I wasn’t listening.

Destiny joined me on my left. She smiled at her mother, who was definitely having a good time. Cara deserved the attention, and Destiny had no problem with it.

Eddy was oblivious, one way or the other. He was too busy, teasing Tam and goading Tim, to notice his mother was huddled by the fire with a man. Eddy was such an active kid, in many ways the twins were perfect because it took two people to keep up with him. Had Richard been like that at Eddie’s age?

Speaking of Richard, he may have as hard a time with his mother dating as he will with his only sister. He’d been thrust into the role of guardian at too young an age. The females in his life just might turn his hair prematurely grey. Guilt engulfed me. For now, I was one of those females.

Destiny talked about school starting, which distracted me. She gave me a run-down of all the boys I should avoid this year. It wasn’t necessary since I would be avoiding all of them, anyway.

Tog helped finish off the package of hot dogs, so I got up and found another package plus some chicken and another bag of chips. I put the booty between him and me.

Destiny gave me a full accounting of the junior girls she knew. Mostly, she said nice things, but there were a few she warned me to stay away from. “Oh, and Cecilia will say really mean things about you, don’t take it personally. She says really mean things about everyone. Grandmother says she does it because she’s angry. Whatever the reason, just know that it’s coming and ignore it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had lots of practice ignoring mean words.”

There had been way too much practice. It’s easier when it’s someone you barely know. It’s very painful, though, when it comes from your best friend, who hates you for something you had no control over. Sigh. Just a little more than four months left. I repeated my mantra under my breath. “I must survive, I can survive, I will survive.”

I stuffed the rest of the hotdog in my mouth and washed it down with root beer. My actions were too quick and I burped out loud. I clapped my hands over my mouth and blushed. My slip-up brought on a chorus of male burps, each trying to outdo the others.

After an unusually loud one, Cara jabbed Richard.

He looked up innocently. “What? Sylvia started it.”

I threw a marshmallow at him. “Thanks, Richard.”

His big hand flew up and snagged the white confection from the air. “Anytime, Sylv, anytime.” He popped it in his mouth.

Tog was the only male that didn’t participate, but his booming laughter got louder with each juicy burst.

To cover her amusement, Cara got up to cut cake and pie. Destiny and I followed to help with the cookies.

With a plate loaded with goodies I headed back to Tog. “Cara makes the best deserts, too.”

He chuckled and whispered. “You don’t have to sell me on Cara. I’ve already figured out she’s special.” He winked and spooned in some pie. He swallowed slowly. “This is really good.”

I left him to enjoy his sweets.

Cara also took over a plate of deserts that he gladly accepted. He slipped the paper plate I brought him into the fire before Cara could notice. He ate almost as much as I did. When he was done, Cara jumped up with his plate and went to reload it. He tried to stop her, but she was gone in a flash.

I stayed out of the way and helped serve deserts. Every time I walked by, Tog tried to get me to sit down. I told him I would when I was done. Actually, I was tired, but determined to stay busy and away from the budding couple as best I could.

When Cara and I both walked by he jumped up, in desperation, and took us by the waists. “Enough is enough, time to sit down.”

He sat back and pulled us with him. When he had us on the ground and leaning against the log, he put his arms around our shoulders. “A bonfire is for relaxing in front of.”

My body would not relax beside him. I worried he would become affected, and that I would get in Cara’s way.

He relaxed and leaned his head to Cara. “I love bonfires. There’s something comforting about the flames.”

He was right, the fire did comfort me. My shoulders relaxed and I rested against the log trying not to lean into his radiating warmth. Tog and Cara whispered together. I didn’t hear the words as much as the soothing sounds they made. His bass to her soprano became a musical duet played in the background of my mind. My eyes drooped while I watched the kids roast marshmallows. My stomach wanted marshmallows, too, but the day’s activities closed in. Before long, there was nothing but shapes and sounds floating around me.

Somewhere, in the middle of my dreams, someone carried me to our car and someone else helped me up the stairs to my room. The smell of my attic told me I was home. Mostly asleep, I crawled into bed after dropping my jeans on the floor. This wouldn't be the first time I slept in my swimsuit and hopefully not the last.

The sound of birds chirping and the chatter of my furry little friend pulled me slowly from sleep. Vaguely, I remembered my dream. It was something about running after animals in a deep green forest. The ground was wet from melting snow and I could almost feel the chill on my hands. All my dreams this year were too real.

When I stretched, the room went quiet. I looked up and perched—upside down—on my rocking chair, were two finches looking down at me. I turned my head until the birds were right side up. We looked at each other for a prolonged moment. They looked at each other, as though to confirm their suspicions, before going back to singing.

I was on the small throw rug in front of my rocker. I checked to make sure I was awake. Ow. I was.

There were birds in my room. I didn’t know why that surprised me. I already had a squirrel visiting on a regular basis, an eagle that nuzzled me and had been a bird perch yesterday. Why not birds in my bedroom?

Speaking of a squirrel, mine was animatedly talking away while running up and down my legs. He seemed to not like that the birds were here, or maybe it was the singing. I wasn’t sure since I don’t speak squirrel. If this kept up I would need to keep my windows closed or maybe dad would get me a screen for the fire escape window.

How would Sue take this … if I told her? I really didn’t need to tell her since they aren’t dangerous. She’d seen the flock of birds that landed on me at the lake. At least it was only two little ones this time.

I sat up and stretched again before pulling my legs to my chest. The squirrel stopped pacing the rug and hopped up on my knee where he sat on his haunches. He stared.

“What’s the matter, can’t you share me?”

With one finger, I petted his head. He relaxed and closed his eyes. I scooped him up in my left hand as I stood and laid him on my pillow. He made a small noise, but didn’t move when I walked away. A little off-balance, I had to grab the footboard. I took stock of my body. There was pain from where the guy, who almost drowned me, had grabbed. My balance returned and I hobbled to the bathroom.

As I changed from my bathing suit and stood before the hamper I paused to stare at the bright material. Sigh. Yesterday was probably the last time I would get to use my swim suit this year.

I looked in my full length mirror and was surprised to find bruises on my arms, back and knees. I didn’t bruise easily, so the discoloration stunned me. It wouldn’t be easy to find an outfit that would cover most of the purple splotches. After a short search, I settled on jeans and a long-sleeved tee. I made sure my closet was closed securely. I didn’t want my new friends getting in there and leaving little surprises for me to clean up.

The birds were still perched on my rocking chair singing away. I walked over and put my finger out to the closest one and it hopped right up on it.

Cool.

With my left hand I did the same and the other bird hopped on, too. I really liked the way they trusted me. Unfortunately, I didn’t trust them not to pooh on my furniture and sheers. I sat them on the window sill and they flew away.

The squirrel remained still, on my bed, almost like it was asleep. Would I come back to a fairly clean pillow? Probably not.

Downstairs, I reached the swinging door. Emma’s voice floated through, from the kitchen, startling me. Emma must’ve brought rolls because I could smell the cinnamon. My stomach growled quietly for me to join them, it wanted fed.

Sue spoke, “I just wish she’d try.”

Emma must’ve patted her hand. “When she’s older, she’ll learn to be quieter. Someday you’ll miss the clomping.”

They were definitely talking about me and I rolled my eyes. I’d forgotten to walk softly down the stairs. Emma was wrong. Sue would never miss the clomping. Sue liked everything quiet and I was never quiet enough for her.

My stomach growled louder. Sue and Emma had to have heard that, so I couldn't stand outside and eavesdrop any longer. Stupid stomach.

The sweet smell of cinnamon and pancakes greeted me when I opened the door. My stomach purred.

Sue looked up. "I was wondering if you were getting up today.”

Emma smiled. "Yes, Sue was beginning to worry about you. She was about to go check when we heard you coming."

She was being kind. Sue didn't worry about
me,
just the trouble I might get into.

"It was nice to sleep in. I won't get to do that for much longer."

Sue smiled with the joy only a mother of three school-aged kids could. "Yes, school is only nine days away." She was far more excited than she should’ve been, not that I could blame her. Nine more days and she would have the house to herself during the day and I wouldn't be around to weird her out. Sue rose and dished me up a large plate of pancakes.

Nine more days and I would be trapped in a school building full of guys. Even though my stomach was jumping up and down at the anticipation of pancakes, it did manage to flip a couple of times at the thought of all those affected boys.

As I buttered my tall stack of flapjacks, I changed the subject. "So how did it go with Cara and Tog after I conked out?"

Emma chuckled. "Much better than Richard was hoping."

I giggled around a mouthful of food before I swallowed. "Poor Richard, he sure wasn't happy last night."

"He's even less happy this morning."

"Why?"

"Tog called this morning and asked Cara to dinner this coming Wednesday."

I stopped in mid-shovel, to the irritation of my stomach. "That was quick. Tog seemed like a really nice guy."

Emma smiled and looked over my head. "Yes, he would make a very good husband, at the least he would be a good boyfriend." Concern creased her brow for a moment. Slowly, her eyes drifted back to me. "You did a good job getting them together last night." She swallowed back a grin. "I am sure Richard will eventually forgive you."

The food caught in my throat and I coughed. "What? Richard’s mad at me?" I racked my brain trying to think of some way to make it up to him. I couldn't have him angry at me.

She chuckled. "Do not worry about this problem. He is madder at me than you. He will be over it in a day or two." She looked over my head again and frowned. "At least, I think so."

I wondered what had her unsure. Sometimes Emma didn't quite make sense. It must be old age.

Sue shifted in her chair. "So, is Cara excited about going out with him, alone?" Sue put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand.

Emma picked up her glass of what looked and smelled like strawberry smoothie. "Excited yes, but scared silly. She has not dated since she married the children’s father. That was almost twenty years ago and she is a little out of practice."

Sue smiled. "She just needs to be herself and she'll do just fine."

Emma shrugged. "I have told her that, but I think she would take it better coming from you."

I swallowed. "Cara is such a nice person. Tog would have to be brain-dead not to like her."

"I agree with you." She looked past me in that odd way, worry flitted across her face and then was gone. She smiled. "Time will tell. If it is meant to be, it will be." She pushed away from the table. "Well, I had better get home. I have stew started on the stove."

My stomach wanted to know if it was chicken or beef. I told it to shut up and refused to ask.

Sue pushed back her chair to rise, but Emma motioned for her to stay seated. "I will just go out the back. Thank you, Sue, for the strawberry banana smoothie."

How'd I miss the banana?

"You're welcome and thanks for the yummy cinnamon rolls." Sue looked relaxed.

Emma smiled. "You are most welcome." She gave my stepmother a meaningful look, but didn't say anything else as she moved swiftly out the back door.

Sue and I sat for a moment in silence watching where Emma exited. My stepmother turned to me and looked as though she wanted to ask me a question. I waited, but she must’ve changed her mind and got up from the table instead. I probably didn't want to know what she was wondering, so I let it go while I finished eating.

She bustled about the kitchen. Something was bothering her. Most likely it had something to do with me so I hurriedly ate before she could decide to chew me out.

Four more months and I could become invisible to her and maybe she would be happy again.