in the sink and went upstairs, where I snuggled next to Moose, asleep in Danny's room. I craved the dog's stillness, the rhythm of his breathing. “Hey, Moose-Moose,” I whispered. “I love you, old boy.”
Tears flowed with the image of a picture Danny had made when he was in first grade. It still hung on the basement wall, stuck with yellowed masking tape. A fat smiley face with green-and-orange-striped legs sits on a red brick wall. And at the top of the paper, in labored, little boy print:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
And all the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Chapter Twelve
I n the morning, I pulled Bob's message from my school mail–box—one line written under the notepaper imprint W HAT PART OF N O DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ?— Beth, Please see me ASAP.
I stopped by the cafeteria on my way to his office. Hilda poured the coffee when she saw me coming. “Mary Grant's kid's been around again. Asking everyone if they saw you yet.”
As I headed toward the counseling center, Meadow Brook unfolded like a movie set, a replica of a place I used to love. Lockers banged. A hat flew by my nose. Backpacks skidded, like shuffleboard disks, across the floor. And teen voices rankled me: Outta my way, loser. Anyone goin’ to Taco Bell later? I'll pay five bucks for the bio. lab. Fuck you! Almost eleven years at the high school, and I had never before been bothered by this blast of teen anger and the pumped up volume as the weather warmed, as if students rehearsed for noisy summer days.
I welcomed the silence of the center, where Sue picked at a muffin in the Dunkin’ Donuts box by her computer. “Beth, thank goodness you're here.”
“What's going on?”
Sue lowered her voice. “She's waiting in your office.”
“Liz?”
Sue nodded. “She insisted on waiting for you, and I didn't know what to do because of what happened with Mr. Stone yesterday.So I figured I'd let her wait in there before anyone saw her hanging around.”
“Thanks. That's fine.”
Sue gave me a thin smile and held out the box of muffins. “Look, Beth. No one saw her. Just thought you should know. Steve's over at the middle school. He won't be here till about ten. And Debra's not in yet.” Sue looked at the clock. “But she'll probably be around any second.”
Liz didn't turn when I entered my office. She sat as if a steel rod were stapled to her back, so different from her curled posture the day before. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Maller.” Sadness clung to her measured words. “I shouldn't have come to you yesterday. I should have worked it out myself.”
“Don't be silly, sweetie. Why would you say that?”
She avoided my eyes. “My mother said I really shouldn't talk to you ’cause it gets you in trouble. So, I'm sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. You can come to the counseling center anytime.” I moved behind her and tried to ease her shoulders. Protruding bones interfered.
Liz shifted in the chair. “But I told you not to tell my mother. And I know you talked to her.”
I sat at my desk. “I'll be honest with you, Liz. I wanted to get your gym class changed without telling anyone what happened. And I couldn't. So I did see your mom, though I wasn't going to tell her the whole story. I just wanted her to ask Mr. Andrews to make the change for you. But we didn't even have a chance to talk. Your mother said Mr. Stone had already told her you were having a rough day.” I paused for a reaction, which didn't come. “So what did you tell your mother?”
Liz spoke into her lap. “I said some kids were stealing stuff from lockers. That they took my clothes, but I got them back. No big deal.”
“Didn't she ask who did it?”
Liz poked at a snag in her jeans and shook her head. “No. She just said trouble finds you if you go looking for it, and that I must have bothered those kids or they wouldn't have picked on me.”
“But you didn't
Tears flowed with the image of a picture Danny had made when he was in first grade. It still hung on the basement wall, stuck with yellowed masking tape. A fat smiley face with green-and-orange-striped legs sits on a red brick wall. And at the top of the paper, in labored, little boy print:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
And all the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Chapter Twelve
I n the morning, I pulled Bob's message from my school mail–box—one line written under the notepaper imprint W HAT PART OF N O DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ?— Beth, Please see me ASAP.
I stopped by the cafeteria on my way to his office. Hilda poured the coffee when she saw me coming. “Mary Grant's kid's been around again. Asking everyone if they saw you yet.”
As I headed toward the counseling center, Meadow Brook unfolded like a movie set, a replica of a place I used to love. Lockers banged. A hat flew by my nose. Backpacks skidded, like shuffleboard disks, across the floor. And teen voices rankled me: Outta my way, loser. Anyone goin’ to Taco Bell later? I'll pay five bucks for the bio. lab. Fuck you! Almost eleven years at the high school, and I had never before been bothered by this blast of teen anger and the pumped up volume as the weather warmed, as if students rehearsed for noisy summer days.
I welcomed the silence of the center, where Sue picked at a muffin in the Dunkin’ Donuts box by her computer. “Beth, thank goodness you're here.”
“What's going on?”
Sue lowered her voice. “She's waiting in your office.”
“Liz?”
Sue nodded. “She insisted on waiting for you, and I didn't know what to do because of what happened with Mr. Stone yesterday.So I figured I'd let her wait in there before anyone saw her hanging around.”
“Thanks. That's fine.”
Sue gave me a thin smile and held out the box of muffins. “Look, Beth. No one saw her. Just thought you should know. Steve's over at the middle school. He won't be here till about ten. And Debra's not in yet.” Sue looked at the clock. “But she'll probably be around any second.”
Liz didn't turn when I entered my office. She sat as if a steel rod were stapled to her back, so different from her curled posture the day before. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Maller.” Sadness clung to her measured words. “I shouldn't have come to you yesterday. I should have worked it out myself.”
“Don't be silly, sweetie. Why would you say that?”
She avoided my eyes. “My mother said I really shouldn't talk to you ’cause it gets you in trouble. So, I'm sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. You can come to the counseling center anytime.” I moved behind her and tried to ease her shoulders. Protruding bones interfered.
Liz shifted in the chair. “But I told you not to tell my mother. And I know you talked to her.”
I sat at my desk. “I'll be honest with you, Liz. I wanted to get your gym class changed without telling anyone what happened. And I couldn't. So I did see your mom, though I wasn't going to tell her the whole story. I just wanted her to ask Mr. Andrews to make the change for you. But we didn't even have a chance to talk. Your mother said Mr. Stone had already told her you were having a rough day.” I paused for a reaction, which didn't come. “So what did you tell your mother?”
Liz spoke into her lap. “I said some kids were stealing stuff from lockers. That they took my clothes, but I got them back. No big deal.”
“Didn't she ask who did it?”
Liz poked at a snag in her jeans and shook her head. “No. She just said trouble finds you if you go looking for it, and that I must have bothered those kids or they wouldn't have picked on me.”
“But you didn't
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