True (. . . Sort Of) by Katherine Hannigan Page B

asked.
    â€œFor the one hundred twenty-second time, RB,” she hollered, “I don’t know.”
    But mostly, he missed her. He wanted her back.
    Monday morning, before they left the house, RB told Delly, “You go ahead. I’ll catch up.” Then he smiled with just his lips, no teeth showing, which was wrong.
    Delly was too busy thinking about the hide-awaysis to notice. She took off.
    He caught her at the corner. He didn’t speak all the way to school.
    At his classroom door she started to say, “RB, you’d better keep walking with C—”
    But he cut her off. “I know. Walk with Cletis. You got your project.”
    That struck Delly as strange, but not enough to stop her. “See ya,” she said.
    â€œYes you will.” He smirked.
    At three o’clock RB ran to Delly’s class. He hid beside the garbage can in the hall. He waited till Delly passed him, then fell in silently behind her.
    He followed the copper curls as they bounced to the back door. Outside, he saw her sprint toward that pale, skinny girl. He watched them go on together.
    He could see Delly’s arms waving. He could tell she was having a good time. With somebody else. “You,” he whispered to her so far away, “you got a friend.” He’d never been so lonely.
    Then RB tailed them, across the playground, over the bridge, to the River Road.
    Those two were moving so fast, they didn’t notice the tiny boy tearing after them.
    Delly was telling how Novello had tried to trap her again. “He was dogging me, Ferris Boyd, calling me Little Delly with the Big Smelly. So I asked him, ‘Do you want Ms. Niederbaum to send you to the steps?’
    â€œâ€˜Ms. Need-a-Brain?’ he says. ‘She’d have to grow one first.’”
    â€œAnd there’s Ms. Niederbaum, right behind him.” Delly was laughing so hard she had to quit walking. For one second she was standing in the road.
    The next second she was flying.
    RB’d built up so much speed chasing those two, he couldn’t stop himself. He plowed into her.
    The Pattisons bounced off each other like rubber balls. RB landed on his behind. Delly ate dirt.
    â€œWhat the glub?” she muttered. She flipped over to see what had slammed her. “WHAT . . . THE . . . GLUB?” she hollered at him.
    RB was stunned, but not sorry. “What the glub?” he shouted. “What the glub you!”
    They came at each other, yelling so loud their lungs hurt, “You’re supposed to be with Cletis!” and, “You said you had a project!”
    Still, Delly heard it: a scream without a sound. She turned, and there was Ferris Boyd, eyes bugging and ready to bolt.
    â€œStop,” Delly told RB.
    He followed her gaze to the scared girl and was quiet.
    Delly only had a moment. “Ferris Boyd,” she said gently, “this is my brother RB.”
    The girl’s eyes were wild, but she stayed.
    â€œSometimes we get mad,” Delly explained. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
    Oh yes it does, RB wanted to wail. It means you lied, and left me . . . But he didn’t, because of the girl.
    â€œWe hardly ever fight.” She went on. “I . . .” Delly didn’t want to say it, but she would for her friend. “I love him.”
    Delly put her arm around his shoulders, and now RB’s eyes were bugging. “We’re sorry,” she said.
    Ferris Boyd looked from one Pattison to the other. They had the same skin and smallness. There was a softness between them. She relaxed a little.
    And with Delly’s arm around him, the anger ebbed out of RB.
    Till she said, “RB’s going home now, so we can get to our project.”
    â€œI am not going home!” he roared.
    Delly glanced at Ferris Boyd; she was getting skittish again. “Bawlgrammit, RB.” She glared at him. “What do you want?”
    â€œI just want . . . ” He started, but