wrong. ”
She looked at Max for several long moments. “ I guess you ’ re old enough to know this, so I may as well tell you. ” Max did not like the sound of th at at all .
“ You already know that I got pregnant when I was seventeen and that your father and I had to get married. What you didn ’ t know was that grandma was, and still is for that matter, a bit of a religious zealot. She got mad at me and tossed me out of the house, telling me I was a sinner and God was going to punish me. She claimed I purposely made a mockery of her. Your grandma is well respected in her church and my pregnancy tarnished her reputation.
“ When you r father was killed in the hunting accident fifteen years ago, she told me it was God ’ s way of punishing me for my evil sins. I never saw it that way. How could anyone think of you as evil? ” She put her arms around Max and hugged him tight. “ She ’ s not spoken to me since the funeral, but once in a while I get a birthday card, telling me she ’ s praying for my wicked soul. ” She waved the card at Max. He took it and tore it into tiny pieces and tossed it in the trashcan.
Hearing Mel ’ s story took him by surprise. He and JD had more in common than he would have guessed. His mom also got pregnant with him at seventeen, and her father was the local minister. She told him how she sat in their living room, with his father at her side, crying her heart out as she told her parents she was pregnant. H er dad put his arms around her and told her everything would be okay. If they wanted to get married, they could live with them until Max ’ s father finished college, and they ’ d help out with the baby. If they decided to give the baby up, they ’ d help find a good, loving home. Max had a hard time understanding JD ’ s grandmother and her crazy ideas. He also had a new respect for Mel and the burden she carried alone.
“ I love you, mom. ” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Happy Birthday.” T he love JD had for his mother swell ed in his heart. More than ever , Max was determined in his mission to help JD.
Chapter 10
Monday started out like every other weekday in JD ’ s body; Max woke up feeling sick. He spent the entire morning trying to calm JD down, but his efforts fell flat. He did get JD past the im pending feelings of doom that haunted him, for now, but the fear thing was another story.
He shuffled to the bus stop, forcing JD ’ s feet to keep moving. Izzy was there already, with her back to the others on their corner. She smiled slightly, waving as Max approached. When he reached her, she slipped her left index finger around his and said low, “ Keep to the code, ” firmly sh a k ing their intertwined pinkies once.
Greg crossed the street, approaching him as Izzy let go of his finger. “ Hey, Lumpy. Kill anyone lately , or did you take the weekend off? ”
“ Back off, Greg. ” Izzy stepped between him and Greg. Greg threw his head back and laughed. “ Seriously, dude, you ’ re going to let this anorexic stick defend you? You really are a wimp. ”
Greg strutted back over to his corner, loudly telling everyone what had just happened. Amidst the laughter, the bus came, only instead of stopping in front of Greg and his friends, the bus stopped in front of Max and Izzy. The driver opened the door and Max followed Izzy up the steps. They took the first seat behind the driver. The rest of the kids loaded next. The driver stood and watched each and every student get on. No one touched Max or Izzy, though some did pull faces. Greg covertly flipped Max off.
When everyone was seated, the driver , a pudgy older woman with curly gray hair, turned and faced the students. “ My sister ’ s oldest child is in a coma. It seems a few kids at his school decided to hang him upside down from a flag pole, all in fun, mind you. ” There was no missing her sarcastic edge. “ The ropes broke and he fell fifteen feet, landing on his head. If he
She looked at Max for several long moments. “ I guess you ’ re old enough to know this, so I may as well tell you. ” Max did not like the sound of th at at all .
“ You already know that I got pregnant when I was seventeen and that your father and I had to get married. What you didn ’ t know was that grandma was, and still is for that matter, a bit of a religious zealot. She got mad at me and tossed me out of the house, telling me I was a sinner and God was going to punish me. She claimed I purposely made a mockery of her. Your grandma is well respected in her church and my pregnancy tarnished her reputation.
“ When you r father was killed in the hunting accident fifteen years ago, she told me it was God ’ s way of punishing me for my evil sins. I never saw it that way. How could anyone think of you as evil? ” She put her arms around Max and hugged him tight. “ She ’ s not spoken to me since the funeral, but once in a while I get a birthday card, telling me she ’ s praying for my wicked soul. ” She waved the card at Max. He took it and tore it into tiny pieces and tossed it in the trashcan.
Hearing Mel ’ s story took him by surprise. He and JD had more in common than he would have guessed. His mom also got pregnant with him at seventeen, and her father was the local minister. She told him how she sat in their living room, with his father at her side, crying her heart out as she told her parents she was pregnant. H er dad put his arms around her and told her everything would be okay. If they wanted to get married, they could live with them until Max ’ s father finished college, and they ’ d help out with the baby. If they decided to give the baby up, they ’ d help find a good, loving home. Max had a hard time understanding JD ’ s grandmother and her crazy ideas. He also had a new respect for Mel and the burden she carried alone.
“ I love you, mom. ” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Happy Birthday.” T he love JD had for his mother swell ed in his heart. More than ever , Max was determined in his mission to help JD.
Chapter 10
Monday started out like every other weekday in JD ’ s body; Max woke up feeling sick. He spent the entire morning trying to calm JD down, but his efforts fell flat. He did get JD past the im pending feelings of doom that haunted him, for now, but the fear thing was another story.
He shuffled to the bus stop, forcing JD ’ s feet to keep moving. Izzy was there already, with her back to the others on their corner. She smiled slightly, waving as Max approached. When he reached her, she slipped her left index finger around his and said low, “ Keep to the code, ” firmly sh a k ing their intertwined pinkies once.
Greg crossed the street, approaching him as Izzy let go of his finger. “ Hey, Lumpy. Kill anyone lately , or did you take the weekend off? ”
“ Back off, Greg. ” Izzy stepped between him and Greg. Greg threw his head back and laughed. “ Seriously, dude, you ’ re going to let this anorexic stick defend you? You really are a wimp. ”
Greg strutted back over to his corner, loudly telling everyone what had just happened. Amidst the laughter, the bus came, only instead of stopping in front of Greg and his friends, the bus stopped in front of Max and Izzy. The driver opened the door and Max followed Izzy up the steps. They took the first seat behind the driver. The rest of the kids loaded next. The driver stood and watched each and every student get on. No one touched Max or Izzy, though some did pull faces. Greg covertly flipped Max off.
When everyone was seated, the driver , a pudgy older woman with curly gray hair, turned and faced the students. “ My sister ’ s oldest child is in a coma. It seems a few kids at his school decided to hang him upside down from a flag pole, all in fun, mind you. ” There was no missing her sarcastic edge. “ The ropes broke and he fell fifteen feet, landing on his head. If he
Similar Books
