Tornado by Sharon Jennings

Author:Sharon Jennings [Jennings, Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459827288
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2020-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Cam stared as the truck bumped its way to the road. Not your son? He looked over at his mom, wondering if she had heard.

She was bent over, shoving some bricks aside. She stood up, a piece of a broken plate in each hand. She joined them together, nodding.

Junk. She’s putting together broken junk, thinking it can be fixed. Whole again.

If what his dad said was true, then they’d never be whole again. Just like that stupid plate.

He walked over to his mom. “Is it true? What he said? Is it, Mom?”

“Not now, Cam. Can’t you see I’m busy? Lots to do around here. Peter will be home soon. Got to make dinner.”

What is she talking about? Cam grabbed the plate pieces and smashed them on the ground. “Who cares about this crap?” he yelled. She wouldn’t look at him. “Mom! Who cares?” And when she still didn’t look up, Cam reached out and shook her.

She went limp in his arms. “A year ago. He found out a year ago. I was young. Stupid. A mistake. Was never going to tell him. And I didn’t. But a year ago—” She started crying. “My mistake showed up at the bar one night. Talked about me. And, well…”

A year ago. End of tenth grade. That’s when it started. The fighting. The look in Dad’s eyes. And Mom drinking.

She sobbed, “I’m sorry. Oh, Cam, I truly am. And now this.” She flung her arms wide. “All this. And Peter missing. It’s all my fault. I brought this on.”

He wanted to tell her she was crazy, but he couldn’t. Don’t I feel the same way? Isn’t Peter being missing my fault? “Mom, I can’t—I can’t deal with this right now. I have to look for Peter. I have to.” He walked away from his mom and around to the rear of the house, back to the spot where he’d found the Spider-Man action figure.

A sudden urge came over him. He wanted to call Ava, tell her everything. Let her put her arms around him. Kiss him. But what about all the lies he’d told? What would she think of him? My whole life is a lie. I’m a lie. I don’t even know who I am. He wanted to run to his bedroom and crawl under the covers. Forget everything.

And who the hell is my dad? My real dad?

His head was going to explode. Should have been me. Back there in the BMW. I wish it had been me. But Peter…

Cam forced himself to think only about Peter. Where would a six-year-old go if he saw a tornado coming? Cam got down on his knees in front of the hedge, which made him about the same height as Peter. Now he could just barely see over the hedge. He looked to his left, in the direction of the ditch. The water from the creek was surging, flooding the ditch with stormwater now.

Cam jumped up. Of course. Of course! He knew where Peter would go! There was hardly a trickle of water in that ditch most days.

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