Wacko Academy (19 page)

I tried to swallow the painful lump in my throat, but it wouldn’t go away.  A few stray tears ran down my cheeks.  I brushed them away before anyone could notice.  Well, Dustin pretended not to notice, but he didn’t say anything.

We sat back down at our seats without another word.  Seeing our expressions, True frowned.

“No change?”

We both shook our heads.  She was just about to say more when a tall buff man entered the emergency room.  He searched the room for a second, until his eyes settled on us.  He reached us in a few long strides and towered over us with a morose expression.

True grinned.  “Hi, Dad!”

Dad?  I couldn’t see the resemblance.

He cleared his throat.  “Sweetie, would you like to leave now?” The word
sweetie
really did not go with his stature or his voice, which was deep and gravelly like a jazz singer’s, only scarier.  

She nodded.  “Yes, I would.”

“Wait,” I said, touching her arm.  “Don’t you have to wait to talk to the police?”

She shook her head, explaining that she lived nearby and the police had already made an agreement with her parents.  Her explanation seemed strange to me, but I let it go.  I hugged True goodbye and promised to see her tomorrow at the hospital.

Once she had gone, the boys decided to go too.  Like Dustin had said, he could not be seen.  Marcus had flat out refused to let Dustin go by himself.  I followed them to the door.  This was it.  I was never going to see them again.  I hugged them both.

“Well, take care,” Dustin mumbled, unable to meet my gaze.

“I’m going to miss you,” I admitted.  “Can you believe that?”

He snorted.  “No, I can’t.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Whatever.  Just be careful.  I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you.  So stay safe.”

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face.  “I’ll do my best.”

With nothing left to say, he turned and walked out, hands in pockets.  I watched him go, unable to shake the worry.

Suddenly he stopped mid-step.  He turned back around and briskly came back.  I stared at him, wondering what the heck he was doing.

With a determined look on his face, he leaned forward and quickly pecked my cheek.  His neck was all red, just like it used to be whenever he was nervous about something.  My cheeks burned.  All I could do was stand there with my mouth wide open.

“Goodbye, Lily,” he whispered.

I blinked.  “Bye.”

With that, Dustin left for good.  He was halfway to the car, where Marcus patiently waited, when I realized something.

“Wait!” I called, running after him.  “You never told me how you got that map.”

He smirked.  “I will.”

I frowned.  “When?”

“When I see you again,” he answered simply.  

I smiled.  “So you’re saying that we’ll definitely be seeing each other again?”

Laughing, he put his hands on my shoulders.  “Of course we will.  I do have to check on Cameron.  Plus, I’ll have to tell you when I free everyone.”

My smile faded.  “You can’t do that all by yourself.”

He shrugged.  “Sure I can.  I have Mark to help me.  By the next time we talk, my dad’s school will be officially closed.”

I put on a brave face and tried to smile.  Everything was going to be OK.  It had to be.  

“I’ll be fine.  Trust me,” Dustin assured me.  He looked me over one last time.  Then he slowly leaned in to kiss my other cheek, not as quickly as the first time.

He dropped his hands from my shoulders and studied my face, trying to see my reaction, I guessed.  

Casting my eyes down, I said, “Umm, I should get back inside before my mom comes looking for me.  The police will be here any moment, so you need to go.”

He was quiet for a minute, searching for words.  Meanwhile, I mentally kicked myself for saying what I had just said.
Did you really have to mention your mom right now?  Wow, Lily.  Thanks for ruining the moment.
I gave myself another mental kick.

“Yeah.  See you later,” Dustin finally said.  Then he turned and got into the car.

I watched him drive off and lightly touched my cheeks with the tips of my fingers.  A wide grin spread out across my face.  Malerie would so want to hear about this.

But first, I had a whole lot of explaining to do.  With squared shoulders and a clenched jaw, I marched through the hospital doors.  

About the Author

Faith Wilkins
has been writing poems and short stories since she was seven.  She loves music and plays the violin.  She also sings in a local choral group called Jubilate.  Faith began writing
Wacko Academy
during the summer of seventh grade in a spiral notebook.  She currently attends high school and lives with her mom and two little brothers in New York’s Hudson Valley.