opened the door.
I looked first at Dad, who knelt beside the wingback chair. Mom sat, head leaned back, eyes closed. When I set Higgins down, he bounded over to Dad and wagged his whole body.
We were frozen statues of a family, me standing in the doorway, Dad kneeling, Mom sitting.
“Hey,” I said, breaking the awkward silence.
“Sadie …” Dad said. But right then Mom went to stand up and fell sideways. Dad grabbed her arm. “Let me help you,” he said.
“I’m fine!” she said, not too kindly. “I just need to lie down.”
She stood, still a bit unsteady, and Dad said, “I’m helping you.”
“I’m glad you’re back Sadie,” Mom said. “Sorry but I’m a bit tired. I’ll be back after a nap.”
“Sure Mom,” I said, and I bent down to pet Higgins to hide my sudden tear-filled eyes. A well of emotion bubbled within me. Dad helped her up to their bedroom, and I closed the front door and then scratched Higgins’ tummy when he bounded over to me and wriggled onto his back.
Dad came back downstairs, his footsteps heavy.
“What happened, Dad?” My words were hot, angry needles.
Dad sat back on the bottom step and dropped his head into his hands. “I didn’t mean … It’s all …” He looked up at me and sighed. “Mom emailed Meredith Taylor and told her the true story of my black eye. I shouldn’t have lied to Meredith in the first place, but I didn’t want her to know about my fight with the hunters.”
I hadn’t known Dad had lied to Meredith, but it made sense now, how Mom had been more silent each day since Dad got his black eye, more worried. “Is Mom okay?”
Dad nodded and rubbed the bruised edges of his eye. “We’ll all be okay, Sadie.”
My eyes stung. I felt all shriveled up inside and so very tired. Was this how Mom felt all the time? I picked up Higgins. “I’m going to bed.”
Dad stood to let me pass. “Sure, little bug,” he said, but even my old nickname didn’t make me smile.
I cuddled Higgins against my shoulder as I climbed the stairs and closed my bedroom door quietly behind me. When I deposited him on the floor, he immediately started chasing a dust bunny underneath the bed.
“Pips, reason five better be amazing.” I took the scrapbook over to the window seat. I was tempted to climb up to the round porch, but the only way to avoid Mom and Dad was to stay put with the door closed. “I guess we’re in for the night, Higgy.”
WHY PIPPA REYNOLDS AND SADIE DOUGLAS WILL ALWAYS BE BEST FRIENDS —
REASON 5: YOU NEVER EVER STOPPED CHEERING FOR ME. AND I’LL NEVER EVER STOP CHEERING FOR YOU.
Pippa’s hand-drawn cartoons melted the lump that had lodged in my throat, and I found myself laughing, and then crying. Pippa learning how to do a one-handed cartwheel, falling over and over. Me playing tennis, hitting the ball up and over the fence time after time. Pippa during her frog-drawing phase. Me learning to dive. All doomed projects from the start. Still, Pippa was right. I truly believed she’d land a one-handed cartwheel and draw a frog that didn’t look like a pile of goo someday. She believed I’d learnto keep the tennis ball in the court and soar gracefully off the highest diving board. She’d put a sticky note on this page too.
Nothing is impossible. It just might not be possible yet. — Sadie Douglas.
Higgins bounced into my lap and jumped up to lick my salty cheeks.
“I’m not crazy, Higgy.” I pulled him away from my face. “I promise I’m not.”
He thumped his tail on the cushion. I wiped my face.
I’d told Pippa that nothing was impossible many, many times. The first time we’d been sitting in the car and blowing bubblegum bubbles. Pippa’s just wouldn’t bubble.
After ten tries, she kicked the seat in front of her. “This is impossible!!”
Quoting a teacher, I said, “Nothing is impossible. It just might not be possible yet.”
Our moms choked back laughter in the front seat.
“What?” I hated being laughed
I looked first at Dad, who knelt beside the wingback chair. Mom sat, head leaned back, eyes closed. When I set Higgins down, he bounded over to Dad and wagged his whole body.
We were frozen statues of a family, me standing in the doorway, Dad kneeling, Mom sitting.
“Hey,” I said, breaking the awkward silence.
“Sadie …” Dad said. But right then Mom went to stand up and fell sideways. Dad grabbed her arm. “Let me help you,” he said.
“I’m fine!” she said, not too kindly. “I just need to lie down.”
She stood, still a bit unsteady, and Dad said, “I’m helping you.”
“I’m glad you’re back Sadie,” Mom said. “Sorry but I’m a bit tired. I’ll be back after a nap.”
“Sure Mom,” I said, and I bent down to pet Higgins to hide my sudden tear-filled eyes. A well of emotion bubbled within me. Dad helped her up to their bedroom, and I closed the front door and then scratched Higgins’ tummy when he bounded over to me and wriggled onto his back.
Dad came back downstairs, his footsteps heavy.
“What happened, Dad?” My words were hot, angry needles.
Dad sat back on the bottom step and dropped his head into his hands. “I didn’t mean … It’s all …” He looked up at me and sighed. “Mom emailed Meredith Taylor and told her the true story of my black eye. I shouldn’t have lied to Meredith in the first place, but I didn’t want her to know about my fight with the hunters.”
I hadn’t known Dad had lied to Meredith, but it made sense now, how Mom had been more silent each day since Dad got his black eye, more worried. “Is Mom okay?”
Dad nodded and rubbed the bruised edges of his eye. “We’ll all be okay, Sadie.”
My eyes stung. I felt all shriveled up inside and so very tired. Was this how Mom felt all the time? I picked up Higgins. “I’m going to bed.”
Dad stood to let me pass. “Sure, little bug,” he said, but even my old nickname didn’t make me smile.
I cuddled Higgins against my shoulder as I climbed the stairs and closed my bedroom door quietly behind me. When I deposited him on the floor, he immediately started chasing a dust bunny underneath the bed.
“Pips, reason five better be amazing.” I took the scrapbook over to the window seat. I was tempted to climb up to the round porch, but the only way to avoid Mom and Dad was to stay put with the door closed. “I guess we’re in for the night, Higgy.”
WHY PIPPA REYNOLDS AND SADIE DOUGLAS WILL ALWAYS BE BEST FRIENDS —
REASON 5: YOU NEVER EVER STOPPED CHEERING FOR ME. AND I’LL NEVER EVER STOP CHEERING FOR YOU.
Pippa’s hand-drawn cartoons melted the lump that had lodged in my throat, and I found myself laughing, and then crying. Pippa learning how to do a one-handed cartwheel, falling over and over. Me playing tennis, hitting the ball up and over the fence time after time. Pippa during her frog-drawing phase. Me learning to dive. All doomed projects from the start. Still, Pippa was right. I truly believed she’d land a one-handed cartwheel and draw a frog that didn’t look like a pile of goo someday. She believed I’d learnto keep the tennis ball in the court and soar gracefully off the highest diving board. She’d put a sticky note on this page too.
Nothing is impossible. It just might not be possible yet. — Sadie Douglas.
Higgins bounced into my lap and jumped up to lick my salty cheeks.
“I’m not crazy, Higgy.” I pulled him away from my face. “I promise I’m not.”
He thumped his tail on the cushion. I wiped my face.
I’d told Pippa that nothing was impossible many, many times. The first time we’d been sitting in the car and blowing bubblegum bubbles. Pippa’s just wouldn’t bubble.
After ten tries, she kicked the seat in front of her. “This is impossible!!”
Quoting a teacher, I said, “Nothing is impossible. It just might not be possible yet.”
Our moms choked back laughter in the front seat.
“What?” I hated being laughed
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