The Ride Home by Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Author:Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459821446
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2019-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Grace elbows me. “You okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You kind of zoned out there when I asked about your mom.”

“Just tired, I guess,” I say. “First day at a new school and all that. And then this.” I wave a hand at the kids on the bus, hoping she will let it go. But no such luck.

“Is she sick or something?” she asks. “Your mom?”

I’ve already offered up more of my life to this busload of kids than I wanted to. So I start shooting her questions. “I heard your mom had a stroke. That right?”

“A few months back. She used to run marathons. Now I have to help her climb the stairs.”

“I’m sorry.”

Grace fiddles with a folded corner on the page of her book. “It’s okay. She’s getting better.” But then she looks so sad that I feel like I should offer her something.

I take a deep breath. “My mom,” I say finally, “she’s sick too.” I figure that isn’t giving much away. Chucky Cheese has already got that out of me.

“Sick how?”

“Just sick.”

Grace keeps her eyes on me, trying to figure me out, I guess. She’s kind of pretty in a nerdy sort of way. Her eyes under those glasses are a deep brown, framed by long eyelashes. Her skin is zit-free, unlike almost every other middle-school kid on this bus. Me included.

“You’re not the only one living with a grandma, you know,” she says.

“Oh?”

“Eric is too now.”

“Emo guy?” The Grim Reaper lives with his grandma? Doesn’t seem likely somehow.

“Eric,” she corrects me. “His name is Eric.”

Right. Eric.

At the sound of his name, Eric scowls at us. He’s still wearing the princess crown on top of his hoodie.

After he turns away, Grace lowers her voice. “He just left home,” she says. “He couldn’t live with his dad anymore. His granny took him in.”

“Huh.” Who knew? I have something in common with this guy.

Grace closes her book. I guess we’re having a conversation whether I want to or not.

“I’m sorry you had to leave your school like that.”

“Not your problem.”

“I mean, I know what it’s like.”

“You live with your grandma too?” I ask.

“No. But my mom remarried a few years ago, and my brother and I had to move here with her. I hated it for a long time. I kept thinking maybe Mom would break up with Bryan. That’s my stepdad. Or maybe she and Dad would get back together. I just wanted to move back to Calgary and to the way things were. I didn’t want to make friends here because that would mean I was giving up on my old life.”

I guess she does know what it’s like. I don’t want to make friends at school or on this bus. If I do, I’ll have to admit I’m here for good. And that things have changed.

“I know what you mean—” I start. But then Jeremy and Eric both turn in their seats.

“Hey, Fresh Meat,” Jeremy calls.

“Mark the Merman,” Eric corrects him.

“Want to play a little truth or dare?”

I look at Grace.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.