Page 30 of This I Know
I sit far enough away to not create any unnecessary tension between whatever’s going on between them. Our couch is small, but it’s a sectional, so they’re stuffed over there in one corner and I’m safely in another.
“So,” Cole says. He leans forward, releasing Julia to place his elbows on his knees and clasp his fingers together. “When are you gonna join us?”
I give a little laugh. “Ah. Still on that?”
He shrugs.
“I don’t think I have the time for that again. You know, gotta keep the grades up this year.”
“But I heard you were great.” He spreads his hands out in exasperation. “Come on, man. We need you. The guys I’m playing with don’t take it seriously.”
I don’t bother bringing up how the hell he heard I was great.
Julia, sensing my hesitation, jumps in. “Ethan, how are you liking Westfield? It must be such a change from where you came from.”
She has no idea where I came from. “It’s different,” I say. “But I like it.”
“What about your teachers? There can be some nasty ones.”
“Nah, they’re good. They’re fine.”
She looks down for a moment, then back up at me. “What about the students? Are they much different?”
I shake my head. “Not really. Kids are kids pretty much wherever. Everyone’s nice, though. It’s a good school.”
She claps her hand against her leg. “Did you hear about that girl?” She looks to Cole. “What was her name?” Then the realization hits her. “Avery.”
My chest tightens. I take another sip of my drink, the one that was already here from my computer lazing just a few minutes earlier.
Cole nods. “Avery Dylan.”
Julia’s eyes light up. She’s obviously eager to share the gossip. “She got attacked by someone walking home one night.” A look of disgust crawls over her face. “Apparently she was hurt really bad. I don’t know if she was raped, or what, but she was in the hospital for, like, forever. For a while some people were saying she was going to die.” She pushes her shoulders back and reaches for her Coke. “I’m sure that was just a rumor, though.”
My mind hazes over. I keep my cool, but that one word Julia just dared to utter won’t leave me. You know, the one that starts with anr.It makes me want to throw up.
We shouldn’t be talking about this.Ishouldn’t be talking about this. “She’s in my Chemistry class.”
Julia stops mid-sip. “Sheis?”
Cole interrupts, “Tell me – does she walk with a limp now? I heard she does.”
Yep, definitely shouldn’t be talking about this. What’s the best way to slam this conversation shut?
“She walks great,” I say, but my voice is weak with emotion. “You can’t tell anything even happened to her.” I avoid Cole’s eyes. “Good for her for surviving.” More like,Thank God for her surviving.And, if the rumors are true,I’m so glad she did.
“Yeah, good thing,” he says. “She’s pretty hot.”
I think he was meaning to change the subject, but he didn’t realize the totally obnoxious link between the two statements.
“Cole,” Julia says. She hangs her mouth open and leans away. She’s looking at him like she’s about to hit him.
Cole shrugs. “What? It’s true.”
I guess I was right – kids are kids wherever you go, and these two aren’t yet grown up. I guess it was inevitable that Avery would face some nasty gossip surrounding everything that happened. It’s not like that’s a common, everyday type of thing, so it goes without saying that it catches people’s interest. And that just so happens to often be the interest of the worst types. I only hope she’s not being teased, too.
“Isn’t she, Ethan?”
He’s prodding me. He’s pushing my buttons without even realizing it.
