No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Author:Jaye Robin Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Monday morning, my ankle is the entire range of purple and blues and swollen like an eggplant. I’m beginning to suspect it might be more than a sprain, but I don’t want to cause a fuss for Mama and Daddy.

I swallow three aspirin and wrap it in an old Ace bandage.

Daddy drops me at school. “Bye, caboose, have a good day.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Love you.”

I don’t respond. Besides, Coby’s the caboose now anyway. I swing out to the sidewalk on my crutches. I glance at him before walking in. He’s smiling at me from the cab and waves before driving away. He’s my daddy. Right or wrong. Good or bad. I’m stuck loving him. Just like Mama.

The bell rings as I walk through the door. I rush to the art room, trying not to mow anybody over with my crutches as I go.

C.A. pats my chair and whispers, “Those crutches are the only reason I’m still speaking to you.”

“I told you I was sorry.” It was easier to let her, Kush, and Devon think I bailed from the dance, rather than explain what Will and I were up to that night. She’d pouted on the phone but I guess she was over it now.

Ms. Thomas passes out worksheets on facial features and takes us through a diagram of where to place the eyes, the nose, and the mouth within the oval of the face.

“How’s your ankle?” Kush asks me, once Ms. Thomas sets us on task to draw our table partners. “My parents are all worried about you.”

Devon reaches across the table for a kneaded eraser from the supply box. He has to lean across Kush to get it. Kush leans backward, away from Devon’s arm.

“It’s okay. Still really swollen, but it’s only been a day and a half.” I pull a bottle of ibuprofen out of my pocket and shake it. “Mama hooked me up, though.”

We settle into positions. Me holding still while Kush draws. Devon holding still for C.A. It’s silent for a few minutes while they sketch.

Kush stares at my nose, his pencil scratching across the paper. “Well, my dad said to remind you and your mom to stop by one day. He was serious about it. So was my mom.” He pauses, then looks at C.A. “You should come, too.” He bends down to his paper again, his hair swinging forward, covering his face.

Devon inhales sharply and raises an eyebrow at me. I know what he’s thinking. Kush said nothing about Devon coming over.

“Stop by for what?” C.A. asks.

I answer, hoping to calm the churn I know is rising inside Devon. “Kush’s dad helped me on Saturday when I fell on his property. He offered to let me come do pottery if I wanted. And I think Kush’s mom got really excited about meeting Mama. She might be a little lonely, being new in town.”

“Aw, that’s so great for your mom. She’s awesome.” C.A. holds her pencil out toward Devon’s face, measuring the space between his eyes.

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