Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker

Author:Sara Pennypacker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Thirty-Seven

The next morning, Ware hung out on the oak branch for an extra moment, admiring the mudded wall. The church now looked strong and defiant, like the best castles, like a fist of rock bursting up through the ground.

As he was about to drop into the lot, he heard the squeal of car brakes. The squeal sounded urgent. Also familiar.

He glanced back. He stifled a panicked gasp.

His mother.

Ware ducked deeper into the leaves and watched. She shut off the engine, and when she turned to open the car door, he dropped from the branch and darted behind the bus kiosk.

His mother slung her bag over her shoulder and started up the walkway to the community center door at an extremely purpose-driven pace. It looked like the purpose was to find out if her son was where he was supposed to be.

“Mom,” he yelled. “Over here!”

She turned, a hand shielding her eyes. “Ware!”

Ware hurried to intercept her on the walkway. This would be a lot worse inside with all the Rec kids watching.

“Ware, I got to the end of the street and I realized—”

“I know, I know,” he began, hands raised.

“—that I didn’t give you an August bus pass. I was worried you’d . . .” She pulled a new pass from her bag. “Wait. What do mean, you know?”

“So . . .” He looked back at the oak. How could he even begin?

A clanging at the bike rack bought him some time. A girl locked her bike and then skipped up the walk. Ware raised a hand. The girl looked at him strangely, but she waved back and Ware breathed.

“Oh, my goodness,” his mother said. “You realized it too! You thought, ‘It’s August first, how will I get home today?’ so you went over to the bus stop to figure it out!”

“Actually . . .” Ware searched his mother’s face. The little lines that had creased her forehead all summer had relaxed. “Right,” he said. “I thought, ‘Hey, maybe there’s a sign in there or something.’”

She reached out as if to stroke his face, then pulled back as if she remembered how old he was.

Just then, a car pulled up to the curb. The tall-necked boy, Ben, got out. He leaned down and smiled into the car at the driver.

And once more, Ware recognized himself in Ben and winced. Because the smile Ben wore was the same one he used to flash every day he’d been dropped off here, at least the days he’d actually gone inside. Don’t worry, I’m fine, the smile said. Super popular, just like all the other kids. Why didn’t anyone else see how fake it was?

The tall-necked boy’s smile, when he turned and saw Ware, was real.

“Hey, Ben,” Ware said, smiling back.

“Hey,” Ben said. “See you inside.”

Ware turned back to his mother and took the bus pass. “I should go.”

His mother took a step and then stopped. “You’ve changed so much this summer. You’re like a new person.”

Ware was caught off guard. “I’m really trying to do that, Mom.

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