How to Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo

Author:Karole Cozzo
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781250063625
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2015-08-03T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

There are twenty-four days left after today in my countdown to when everything starts to unravel. I guess I’m thankful I’m not there when the pivotal thread is first tugged.

I leave school early for a dentist’s appointment. The chaotic office is running on time for once, and I get back home a half hour earlier than I’d expected to when I told Coach Marks I’d be missing practice.

The lazy thing to do, the thing I want to do, is stay at home and relish an unexpected afternoon off. Not for the sake of being productive and getting my homework done or anything. I have visions of sour cream and onion Pringles and watching Awkward reruns on MTV2 before Phillip shows up and reclaims the television.

I open the front door and sigh as I stare at my gym bag hanging in the mudroom. Forget the chips and bad TV. The right thing to do is get changed as quickly as possible and head back to school in time for practice. If I hurry, I’ll only miss opening stretches. We do have a game tomorrow.

But before I can dash upstairs, my attention is drawn into the kitchen. I walk toward the back of the house, hovering behind the doorframe, eavesdropping on my mom’s phone conversation.

Her back is to me and her shoulders are hunched, but I can tell she’s tiredly rubbing her forehead. It’s obvious she’s upset, but her voice is defeated, unsurprised. “Right, right . . . mmm-hmm . . . I understand.”

She shoves carelessly at the tendrils that have escaped her low ponytail. “And no other ideas as to what led to this? It was just the iPad situation that stood out today?”

Hidden in the doorway, I stiffen. It isn’t hard to guess what, or who, had caused her insta-migraine.

My mom listens for another minute, her hand still on her forehead. She clears her throat. “As always, I’m so terribly sorry. I’m sorry this isn’t easier for all of you there.”

My fingers tighten around the doorframe and I roll my eyes. We hadn’t decided to send Phillip back to school—what is she apologizing for?

“And as I’m sure Mrs. Akers and Anne saw in his daily log today, his medication was tweaked last week, but we started the dosage adjustment over the weekend so that we could keep an eye on him. We didn’t notice anything different on Saturday or Sunday, so I’m not sure if that could’ve had something to do with his heightened agitation or not.” She braces herself on the island and shakes her head back and forth. “Anyway. Where is he now?”

Another moment passes and then she is nodding her head again. “No, certainly, I understand. That’s okay. I can come pick him up.” She grabs the car keys off the hook near the phone receiver. “I’m walking out the door as we speak.”

My mom hangs up the phone without bothering to say goodbye. I don’t anticipate how quickly she moves, grabbing her down vest and purse and spinning in my direction within seconds.

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