free. Her grip was like a pair of handcuffs. My hand throbbed.
She had me, and not just by the wrist. She'd wanted to be the group home's top hen, or the alpha she-wolf, or whatever you call it. And now she was.
I relaxed, and she released my hand at last. I was tempted to slug her even now. But I didn't. It wasn't worth it.
I slipped off my sweatshirt and handed it to her.
"That's a good girl," Joy said, like I was a child or a dog. Then, before I could move an inch, she said, "You can leave now."
Nate Brandon had kissed me--our very first lass. But it might very well have also been our last. Because whether or not I got to stay at Kindle Home--whether or not I got sent to Rabbit Island instead--was out of my hands. It was now entirely up to Joy.
• • •
That Sunday night, I woke up again to the sound of screaming.
Not screams, I realized as I lay there in bed. Sirens.
Sirens? Yeah, they were sirens--lots of them. It sounded like they were coming from right in front of the house. Problem was, Yolanda's and my window looked out over the backyard, so I couldn't see for sure.
I looked over at Yolanda's bed. Even in the moonlight, I could tell it was empty.
I climbed out of bed and hurried to the door. I started to turn the knob when I felt it turning in my hand.
It was Yolanda, on her way back into our room.
"What is it?" I said. "What's going on?"
"There's a car on fire!" she said.
"What? Where?"
"Out on the street! Come on!"
There was a window above the landing, and that's where Yolanda led me. Juan was already there, his face up against the glass.
"There's a car on fire!" he said to us. So I'd heard.
I stepped up next to him and immediately spotted the fire trucks. Two were parked about half a block down the street, and another was just arriving. There was lots of movement and shouting all around them. Neighbors had gathered too, gaping and gawking, close but not too close to the center of it all. And rising from the middle of all the commotion, there was an eerie orange glow. The car itself was mostly blocked by the fire trucks, but you could see part of its front end, with tongues of fire licking up from under the hood.
"It's gonna blow!" Juan said excitedly.
"No," I said. "That hardly ever happens in real life."
"I can't see good!" he said. "Let's open the window!" But as he searched for the latch, I saw it had been soldered shut.
"I'm going to go find out what happened," Ben said, startling me. I hadn't even noticed him and Gina joining us at the window.
"Can I go?" Juan said.
"No!" Gina said. "Everyone stays inside."
Suddenly, Joy was at the window too. "Move it," she said to me. Unlike Ben, she hadn't surprised me. I'd expected her to show up eventually.
And I did move it. There wasn't anything else I could do. Joy squeezed in to take my place. I knew I wouldn't see anything from the windows on the first floor, so I accepted the fact that I wouldn't see anything more. But I stayed anyway, listening to the shouts of the firemen and the murmur of the neighbors.
A few minutes later, Ben returned. "It was parked," he told us all, as well as Damon and Eddy and Melanie, who had joined us from their bedrooms. "No one was inside it, so no one was hurt."
I'd never heard of a
parked
car catching on fire. For a parked car to catch on fire, someone had to set it on fire. But I didn't say that to Ben. If anybody else was thinking that, they didn't say it either.
"Can we go see?" Eddy said, and almost everyone else joined him with pleading cries.
"No," Ben said firmly. "It's all put out now anyway. The excitement's over, so everyone back to bed."
But I had a feeling the excitement wasn't over. On the contrary, I had a feeling it was just beginning.
• • •
Sure enough, when I got home from school a little before four o'clock the next day, I immediately
She had me, and not just by the wrist. She'd wanted to be the group home's top hen, or the alpha she-wolf, or whatever you call it. And now she was.
I relaxed, and she released my hand at last. I was tempted to slug her even now. But I didn't. It wasn't worth it.
I slipped off my sweatshirt and handed it to her.
"That's a good girl," Joy said, like I was a child or a dog. Then, before I could move an inch, she said, "You can leave now."
Nate Brandon had kissed me--our very first lass. But it might very well have also been our last. Because whether or not I got to stay at Kindle Home--whether or not I got sent to Rabbit Island instead--was out of my hands. It was now entirely up to Joy.
• • •
That Sunday night, I woke up again to the sound of screaming.
Not screams, I realized as I lay there in bed. Sirens.
Sirens? Yeah, they were sirens--lots of them. It sounded like they were coming from right in front of the house. Problem was, Yolanda's and my window looked out over the backyard, so I couldn't see for sure.
I looked over at Yolanda's bed. Even in the moonlight, I could tell it was empty.
I climbed out of bed and hurried to the door. I started to turn the knob when I felt it turning in my hand.
It was Yolanda, on her way back into our room.
"What is it?" I said. "What's going on?"
"There's a car on fire!" she said.
"What? Where?"
"Out on the street! Come on!"
There was a window above the landing, and that's where Yolanda led me. Juan was already there, his face up against the glass.
"There's a car on fire!" he said to us. So I'd heard.
I stepped up next to him and immediately spotted the fire trucks. Two were parked about half a block down the street, and another was just arriving. There was lots of movement and shouting all around them. Neighbors had gathered too, gaping and gawking, close but not too close to the center of it all. And rising from the middle of all the commotion, there was an eerie orange glow. The car itself was mostly blocked by the fire trucks, but you could see part of its front end, with tongues of fire licking up from under the hood.
"It's gonna blow!" Juan said excitedly.
"No," I said. "That hardly ever happens in real life."
"I can't see good!" he said. "Let's open the window!" But as he searched for the latch, I saw it had been soldered shut.
"I'm going to go find out what happened," Ben said, startling me. I hadn't even noticed him and Gina joining us at the window.
"Can I go?" Juan said.
"No!" Gina said. "Everyone stays inside."
Suddenly, Joy was at the window too. "Move it," she said to me. Unlike Ben, she hadn't surprised me. I'd expected her to show up eventually.
And I did move it. There wasn't anything else I could do. Joy squeezed in to take my place. I knew I wouldn't see anything from the windows on the first floor, so I accepted the fact that I wouldn't see anything more. But I stayed anyway, listening to the shouts of the firemen and the murmur of the neighbors.
A few minutes later, Ben returned. "It was parked," he told us all, as well as Damon and Eddy and Melanie, who had joined us from their bedrooms. "No one was inside it, so no one was hurt."
I'd never heard of a
parked
car catching on fire. For a parked car to catch on fire, someone had to set it on fire. But I didn't say that to Ben. If anybody else was thinking that, they didn't say it either.
"Can we go see?" Eddy said, and almost everyone else joined him with pleading cries.
"No," Ben said firmly. "It's all put out now anyway. The excitement's over, so everyone back to bed."
But I had a feeling the excitement wasn't over. On the contrary, I had a feeling it was just beginning.
• • •
Sure enough, when I got home from school a little before four o'clock the next day, I immediately
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