balancing their trays and searching for a few feet of table space when Jake’s friend Darrell snagged Sam’s elbow.
“Hey! I need this hamburger,” Sam snapped. And then she recognized Darrell.
He was the kind of guy Gram labeled “bad company,” but Sam only knew two things about him. First, he’d taught Jake how to disable a car by pulling loose strategic wires under the hood. Second, Jake didn’t want Sam to know him.
Today, defying the rain and school policy, Darrell wore an orange tank top and sunglasses. Where was Mrs. Santos when there was a real delinquent around? Sam wondered.
“What happened to my man Jake?” His index finger hooked the hinge of his sunglasses and pulled them down so he could watch Sam. “I’m hearing bad things.”
“What have I missed this time? Jen despaired.
“I was going to tell you when we found a quiet place,” Sam said.
“This looks quiet,” Jen said.
It was, because when Jen slammed her tray down next to Darrell’s, Jake’s usual crew made room with amazement as the girls sat down.
For strength, Sam took a bite of her hamburger, then summed up yesterday’s disaster. She had to explain it quickly. If she pictured the fall and that tortured ride, she’d get weepy all over again.
“Jake’s horse slipped in the mud and crunched his leg, but Jake insisted on riding back to our place. And so,” she finished, “he had a compound fracture--
“Ahhh man”--Darrell drew the words out in twisted admiration--”like where the busted bone shoves through the, skin?”
“Right.” Sam nodded.
Her stomach didn’t turn over as it had the first time Dad told her what Jake’s bloody jeans had hidden. That was progress. And she tried not to recall how they’d made Jake swallow a dose of pain pills and wait for them to take effect before Dallas and Dad moved him from the saddle to the backseat of Gram’s Buick.
“And so?” Darrell encouraged her.
“The emergency room doctor put him in a cast and said he’d be down for a while. The Elys were all there by then, so Dad left before they talked about when he could ride.”
Darrell made a waving motion as if that didn’t matter.
“What about driving?” he asked. “We’re supposed to go to Cimmaron for the midnight drag races in a few weeks.”
“I don’t know. What are drag races?” Sam pictured draft horses pulling heavy loads, but she had a hard time believing Darrell was bereft at the thought of missing such a competition.
“Like with two cars … going fast as they can in astraight line? Darrell studied Sam for comprehension. “You know.”
“Not really,” Sam said. She noticed her hamburger was getting cold and began eating again, feeling more ravenous than before.
“When is he coming back to school?” Darrell asked, with no concern at all for her meal.
Sam shrugged and kept eating. She wished the crowd of boys would go away so she could talk to Jen, but it was their table.
Satisfied that they’d leeched the choicest information from her, Darrell and the guys leaned together, talking.
For a minute, Sam wondered if Jake was still in the hospital. She remembered how scared she’d been in a big white hospital bed after her accident two years ago.
She’d been younger, of course, and Jake might not be scared, but he’d hate the limits on his movements. He’d get cranky and restless, though the doctor had said it wasn’t an especially bad break.
“So that’s where you were when I called last night,” Jen said.
“Yeah.”
“Your Gram said you were out riding, so I figured you hadn’t gotten into trouble.” Jen looked at her meaningfully. “You know, over the incident?”
Sam stared at Jen.
“The school bus incident?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Sam hadn’t forgotten really, but the shame she’d felt yesterday had faded. “I’m grounded.”
“Even after what you did for Jake?”
Sam considered the question. Her thoughts felt like they were swimming through honey, but she was
“Hey! I need this hamburger,” Sam snapped. And then she recognized Darrell.
He was the kind of guy Gram labeled “bad company,” but Sam only knew two things about him. First, he’d taught Jake how to disable a car by pulling loose strategic wires under the hood. Second, Jake didn’t want Sam to know him.
Today, defying the rain and school policy, Darrell wore an orange tank top and sunglasses. Where was Mrs. Santos when there was a real delinquent around? Sam wondered.
“What happened to my man Jake?” His index finger hooked the hinge of his sunglasses and pulled them down so he could watch Sam. “I’m hearing bad things.”
“What have I missed this time? Jen despaired.
“I was going to tell you when we found a quiet place,” Sam said.
“This looks quiet,” Jen said.
It was, because when Jen slammed her tray down next to Darrell’s, Jake’s usual crew made room with amazement as the girls sat down.
For strength, Sam took a bite of her hamburger, then summed up yesterday’s disaster. She had to explain it quickly. If she pictured the fall and that tortured ride, she’d get weepy all over again.
“Jake’s horse slipped in the mud and crunched his leg, but Jake insisted on riding back to our place. And so,” she finished, “he had a compound fracture--
“Ahhh man”--Darrell drew the words out in twisted admiration--”like where the busted bone shoves through the, skin?”
“Right.” Sam nodded.
Her stomach didn’t turn over as it had the first time Dad told her what Jake’s bloody jeans had hidden. That was progress. And she tried not to recall how they’d made Jake swallow a dose of pain pills and wait for them to take effect before Dallas and Dad moved him from the saddle to the backseat of Gram’s Buick.
“And so?” Darrell encouraged her.
“The emergency room doctor put him in a cast and said he’d be down for a while. The Elys were all there by then, so Dad left before they talked about when he could ride.”
Darrell made a waving motion as if that didn’t matter.
“What about driving?” he asked. “We’re supposed to go to Cimmaron for the midnight drag races in a few weeks.”
“I don’t know. What are drag races?” Sam pictured draft horses pulling heavy loads, but she had a hard time believing Darrell was bereft at the thought of missing such a competition.
“Like with two cars … going fast as they can in astraight line? Darrell studied Sam for comprehension. “You know.”
“Not really,” Sam said. She noticed her hamburger was getting cold and began eating again, feeling more ravenous than before.
“When is he coming back to school?” Darrell asked, with no concern at all for her meal.
Sam shrugged and kept eating. She wished the crowd of boys would go away so she could talk to Jen, but it was their table.
Satisfied that they’d leeched the choicest information from her, Darrell and the guys leaned together, talking.
For a minute, Sam wondered if Jake was still in the hospital. She remembered how scared she’d been in a big white hospital bed after her accident two years ago.
She’d been younger, of course, and Jake might not be scared, but he’d hate the limits on his movements. He’d get cranky and restless, though the doctor had said it wasn’t an especially bad break.
“So that’s where you were when I called last night,” Jen said.
“Yeah.”
“Your Gram said you were out riding, so I figured you hadn’t gotten into trouble.” Jen looked at her meaningfully. “You know, over the incident?”
Sam stared at Jen.
“The school bus incident?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Sam hadn’t forgotten really, but the shame she’d felt yesterday had faded. “I’m grounded.”
“Even after what you did for Jake?”
Sam considered the question. Her thoughts felt like they were swimming through honey, but she was
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