car,” I said.
Adele Parks and I had an unwritten pact. She knew Gran wasn’t maybe the fittest parent figure around, but she’d once told me, when I’d gotten a bit too elaborate in my lies to protect her, that she wasn’t going to take us away from her anyway.
“You can trust me, Annie,” she’d said then. “I’m not going to separate you from your grandmother. That wouldn’t be good for anyone. Just promise me that if anything was
really
wrong, you’d tell me.”
I’d always thought that was a decent promise to make, and one I could keep. But it turned out to be like a lot of my other promises: impossible. So I broke our pact and walked her back to the car, smiling and lying all the time.
W hen I got back to the house, Andrew Snow was relieved, but Rew was furious. He couldn’t think of enough names to call me, and when he ran out of them, he rushed upstairs to his room and slammed the door.
I went upstairs to try and talk to him. If he’d have thought about it, he’d probably have locked me out, but Rew was too mad to think just then. I peeked into his room. He was lying on the bed, staring red-eyed at the ceiling.
“Don’t hate me,” I said. “Adele Parks isn’t the right one to tell. She’d just think about Gran and how bad she’s doing, don’t you see?”
Rew rolled over to look at me. “That’s not why you didn’t tell,” he said. “You don’t want them to take him away — that’s why.”
Then he sat up, and he looked at me hard, thinking. I got scared then. I should have left the room, but I wasn’t fast enough.
“Where’s the letter?” he asked me.
I tried to say I’d sent it. I wanted to blame it on the post office, but I was tired of lying to Rew. I hated it. So I didn’t answer him.
He looked at me, and I saw his face going red and white as his eyes widened.
“You said you sent it,” he whispered.
I looked away from him then. But he knew.
“I hate you, Annie,” he said, and he wasn’t shouting it, but he meant it — I could tell. “I
hate
you! Get out of my room. Go be with Andrew Snow if you love him so much.”
Rew turned his back on me then, just as he had with Andrew Snow. I stood there, blinking. Crying wouldn’t help me, I knew that. He wouldn’t care one bit if I cried now. Maybe he wouldn’t have cared right then if I’d jumped out the window. He might even have been happy.
I looked down at the floor, anywhere to take my eyes off Rew’s back. And there, beside his bed, I caught sight of
Treasure Island.
I leaned down to pick it up. The book fell apart in my hand. He’d torn it into three pieces.
I took it with me when I went downstairs. Now I really didn’t have anyone to talk to but Andrew Snow. I came down carrying that broken book, my throat so tight I could barely breathe, and sat down at the kitchen table.
Andrew Snow was busy at the stove when I came in. He glanced over at me. “You two okay?” he asked.
I stared at him. Did he think Rew had forgiven me just because he couldn’t hear the yelling downstairs? Did he think it was no big deal, what I’d just done?
Okay.
The word made my blood boil.
“No,” I said, my voice low. “No, we’re not
okay.
”
He turned to look at me then, holding the spoon so it would drip over the pot of soup he was making.
“Annie,” he said. “Give him a little time. He’ll get over it.”
He talked like he knew Rew. Like a real father would. But he didn’t know anything about him. Not about either of us. I wanted to throw something at him, but all I had was Rew’s broken book.
“What do
you
know?” I said. “You don’t know anything about it! You don’t know the first thing about Rew. Or don’t you remember that you haven’t ever been around here before?”
He frowned. “That’s not what I meant,” he said.
Once I’d gotten started, I couldn’t seem to stop. I practically spat the words back at him. “You do a lot of things you don’t mean,” I said. “Like coming
Adele Parks and I had an unwritten pact. She knew Gran wasn’t maybe the fittest parent figure around, but she’d once told me, when I’d gotten a bit too elaborate in my lies to protect her, that she wasn’t going to take us away from her anyway.
“You can trust me, Annie,” she’d said then. “I’m not going to separate you from your grandmother. That wouldn’t be good for anyone. Just promise me that if anything was
really
wrong, you’d tell me.”
I’d always thought that was a decent promise to make, and one I could keep. But it turned out to be like a lot of my other promises: impossible. So I broke our pact and walked her back to the car, smiling and lying all the time.
W hen I got back to the house, Andrew Snow was relieved, but Rew was furious. He couldn’t think of enough names to call me, and when he ran out of them, he rushed upstairs to his room and slammed the door.
I went upstairs to try and talk to him. If he’d have thought about it, he’d probably have locked me out, but Rew was too mad to think just then. I peeked into his room. He was lying on the bed, staring red-eyed at the ceiling.
“Don’t hate me,” I said. “Adele Parks isn’t the right one to tell. She’d just think about Gran and how bad she’s doing, don’t you see?”
Rew rolled over to look at me. “That’s not why you didn’t tell,” he said. “You don’t want them to take him away — that’s why.”
Then he sat up, and he looked at me hard, thinking. I got scared then. I should have left the room, but I wasn’t fast enough.
“Where’s the letter?” he asked me.
I tried to say I’d sent it. I wanted to blame it on the post office, but I was tired of lying to Rew. I hated it. So I didn’t answer him.
He looked at me, and I saw his face going red and white as his eyes widened.
“You said you sent it,” he whispered.
I looked away from him then. But he knew.
“I hate you, Annie,” he said, and he wasn’t shouting it, but he meant it — I could tell. “I
hate
you! Get out of my room. Go be with Andrew Snow if you love him so much.”
Rew turned his back on me then, just as he had with Andrew Snow. I stood there, blinking. Crying wouldn’t help me, I knew that. He wouldn’t care one bit if I cried now. Maybe he wouldn’t have cared right then if I’d jumped out the window. He might even have been happy.
I looked down at the floor, anywhere to take my eyes off Rew’s back. And there, beside his bed, I caught sight of
Treasure Island.
I leaned down to pick it up. The book fell apart in my hand. He’d torn it into three pieces.
I took it with me when I went downstairs. Now I really didn’t have anyone to talk to but Andrew Snow. I came down carrying that broken book, my throat so tight I could barely breathe, and sat down at the kitchen table.
Andrew Snow was busy at the stove when I came in. He glanced over at me. “You two okay?” he asked.
I stared at him. Did he think Rew had forgiven me just because he couldn’t hear the yelling downstairs? Did he think it was no big deal, what I’d just done?
Okay.
The word made my blood boil.
“No,” I said, my voice low. “No, we’re not
okay.
”
He turned to look at me then, holding the spoon so it would drip over the pot of soup he was making.
“Annie,” he said. “Give him a little time. He’ll get over it.”
He talked like he knew Rew. Like a real father would. But he didn’t know anything about him. Not about either of us. I wanted to throw something at him, but all I had was Rew’s broken book.
“What do
you
know?” I said. “You don’t know anything about it! You don’t know the first thing about Rew. Or don’t you remember that you haven’t ever been around here before?”
He frowned. “That’s not what I meant,” he said.
Once I’d gotten started, I couldn’t seem to stop. I practically spat the words back at him. “You do a lot of things you don’t mean,” I said. “Like coming
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