Not So Easy Read online

  “I’d better get going. I’ll meet you in the parking lot after school.” She snagged her backpack and left.

  Max settled back in his chair. This is perfect. Em befriends Izzy, and I get to run with her. Things looked better already. He reinserted his jump drive into the computer and finished all the proofing for Mr. Roberts, except for Em’s report. That he’d finish tonight. At her house. After they went running together.

  **

  Lunch didn’t suck completely. No one tried to hit him at least. Em still hadn’t returned, and Jeff, along with a few of the players on the baseball team decided to get in some extra practicing instead of eating. Max took his lunch, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and sat on the bleachers to watch. Three obnoxious sophomore guys, trying to impress a couple of the cheerleaders who’d come to watch the practice—well, to watch Jeff—decided to have some fun at JD’s expense.

  The tall gangly one took a can of soda and shook it, popping the lid. He aimed the explosive spray at Max, covering him in sticky-sweet root beer. The girls giggled, the sophomore boys celebrated the juvenile prank with high-fives all around.

  Max cleaned himself up the best he could in the locker room bathroom, running into Leo on his way out the door.

  “Move it, Lumpy.” He shoved past Max, knocking the backpack off Max’s shoulder as he did.

  “Excuse you,” Max snapped.

  Leo came flying across the bathroom and pinned Max against the wall. “Don’t ever speak to me, got it?” he sneered. “If the building is on fire and I’m sound asleep in the corner, don’t even wake me up. Capiche?”

  “Is there a problem?” Jeff and Michael, the second baseman, stood in the doorway. Leo turned to him, letting go of Max.

  “No. No problem. Just letting Lumpy here know the rules.”

  “His name’s JD,” Jeff corrected.

  Leo rolled his eyes and pushed past them, leaving the bathroom without another word.

  “You okay? Did he hit you?” Michael asked.

  “No. I’m fine. Thanks.” Max left and went to his next class, making sure to avoid the hallways he thought Leo might be in. He didn’t fear him, he only wanted to give him some space. Max hoped he would heal soon. It killed him to see Leo in so much pain.

  Em met him right on time after school and they drove over to the hospital. “I dropped some flowers by after my dentist appointment,” Em said as they strolled into the hospital.

  “How did it go?” Max pressed the elevator button. The doors opened and they stepped in the small cubical. “Did she talk much?”

  “It went pretty well, at least I thought it did. My mouth was still numb from the dentist and it was pretty funny when I tried to talk. She had me say red wedding ring, or at least try to, but I couldn’t do it to save my life.” On the third floor, they went to Izzy’s room. The nurse was taking her vital signs so they waited in the hall for her to finish. One of the nurses at the desk sat complaining about the smelly dressing change she had to do for Leroy in room 323.

  “The pus was a greenish-yellow, and it oozed everywhere. And the smell! ” A shiver rippled up his spine. Thankfully, Izzy’s nurse came out and they went inside her room before the nurse at the desk started telling the others about, in her words “the worse part.” Max beat back another shiver.

  “Hey, Izzy.” He smiled, stepping up to the bed.

  “JD, you stopped by two days in a row. I’m impressed.” She reached for his hand, playfully tugging it.

  “I’m a new man, what can I say,” Max said dramatically, smiling at the inside joke only he got.

  “Hi, Em. Thanks again for the flowers.” Izzy nodded toward the bright orange Gerber daisies on the nightstand. “They make the entire room appear happy, which is a miracle in and of itself.”

  Max agreed, glaring at the dull gray walls. “They really should paint these walls a bright happy color. No wonder you feel down when you’re here.”

  It didn’t take long for the conversation to drag. They made small-talk about the weather and mid-semester exams coming up. When the conversation turned to the baseball team and a possible championship game, Izzy became oddly silent, picking at the fuzz on her blanket.

  Emma seemed to sense something was up. “JD, I have to call the other cheerleaders about an extra practice I’ve planned. I’ll be in the waiting room when you’re done. No rush.” She turned to Izzy. “I hope you feel better soon.”

  “That was nice of her to stop by,” Max said as Em cleared the door. “She’s really making an effort to be your friend.”

  “I know. But why, JD? People like her don’t hang around people like us. If they did, there wouldn’t be people like us. It’s unnatural. It upsets the balance of the universe, you know?” It took Max a second to realize she was kidding, about the balancing part anyway.

  “I like the flowers she brought.”

  “Yes. They’re nice,” she agreed.

  Max shifted back and forth on his feet, wondering how to broach the subject of suicide with her. He swallowed hard and cut straight to the chase. “Are you still planning on taking the pills after the game?”

  She shrugged, her gaze held steady on her blanket.

  “Izzy, you can’t give up. Things are getting better.” Max stepped closer. “Emma’s dad is a cop. Maybe—”

  “No! I’m not going into foster care.” JD agreed with Izzy on that. Clearly the two of them had talked about it before. Max knew the decision was definite. Foster care—not an option.

  “Okay. No foster care. What about extended family?” Max dropped into a chair.

  “My dad’s family is a bunch of psychos, so forget it. My mom only has a brother, and he and his wife are in the middle of a divorce. They’re not going to take on a sicko like me.” Izzy lowered the head of her bed.

  “I think I’m going to have the surgery, JD. My dad is dead set against it, so that’s a plus, and maybe if I’m not sick all the time, I won’t feel so overwhelmed all the time.”

  “Your dad.” Max frowned. “I could castrate him for you,” he offered, straight-faced.

  Izzy laughed. “Great! I’ll spike his coffee with some Percs. He’ll never know what hit him.”

  “Perfect. Maybe we could tattoo the word pervert on his forehead also.”

  “He hasn’t bothered me since he started dating the lady from his office, but my main reason for having the surgery is to keep him away from me.” Izzy tugged the blanket up to her chin and shuddered.

  “That shouldn’t be why you do this. This is to make you better. Besides, I’d rather castrate him,” Max said, only half kidding.

  “Thanks. You’re the best,” she said through a yawn.

  “I’d better get going. You need sleep and I have a ton of homework.” Max held out his finger. She looked at it for a moment. “New code,” he said. “This one is: Never give up.”

  She chuckled. “Keep to the code,” they said in unison.

  Max found Em sitting in the waiting room at the end of the hall. “She’s tired,” he said as Em stood. “Thanks for coming to see her earlier. She appreciates it, I know she does.”

  “No problem. She seems a little better today than yesterday,” she said on the way to her car.

  “She’s agreed to the surgery. I’m glad. It should help her to not be in pain all the time,” Max said as they drove to Em’s house.

  “Since I’m not supposed to know about it, I won’t ask what kind of surgery she’s having, but I’m glad you’re glad.” Em turned onto her road and up into the driveway. They gathered their packs and went inside.

  “Mom, I’m home,” Em called.

  “You’re late, Emma,” she called from the other room. Her voice grew louder as she approached the family room. “Please tell me you weren’t at Max’s grave again. You know your father—oh, hi, JD. How are you?” Red-cheeked, Bev smiled as she stepped into the room.

  Max nodded soberly, offended that they didn’t want Em visiting his grave. Did they expect her to forget he
ever existed?

  “We have to finish a report for the school paper then we’re going over to Applegate Park for a run.” She led Max to the computer.

  “Maybe after your run you can bring JD back here for dinner,” she suggested.

  “Sure. Okay with you, JD?”

  “Yup. Sounds great. Thank you.” He took the jump drive from his bag and handed it to Em.

  “I have to get your brother from karate, and pick up a few things from the store. I’ll be back in a bit.” Bev pocketed her keys from off the small brass hook near the door and left.

  “Your mom won’t let you visit Max’s grave?” he asked as her report loaded.

  “See what I mean? They expect me to forget about him. It’s ridiculous. I planned on spending the rest of my life with him. I can’t just erase all my memories.” She shook her head. Anger wasn’t the only thing he saw on her face. He saw pain, a lot of pain. She turned to the screen and busied herself with the report, no doubt to keep from crying.

  It took about an hour to finish it up and email it to Mr. Roberts. “You are amazing, JD. I never would have gotten that done without you.” She wrapped her right arm around his shoulder and gave him a side hug. It took all of Max’s self-control not to lean over and kiss her.

  “I need to run,” he said, looking too closely into her sky-blue eyes.

  “I thought you were going to stay for dinner,” Em said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

  “I mean run, as in at the park on the trail.”

  “Oh,” she laughed. “Let me change, then I’ll take you by your house to change.”

  **

  While she got her running clothes on, Max called the hospital to check on Izzy. Both he and JD’s ire rose when her dad answered.

  “She’s sleeping, JD. The doctor wants to do the surgery day after tomorrow. I’ve tried talking her out of it, but she and the doctor think it’s the best plan.” Kevin lowered his voice. “Do you think you could stop by tomorrow and try and talk some sense into her?”

  “Why are you against this? Do you enjoy seeing Izzy in pain?” Max snapped.

  “No. Don’t be ridiculous. I just think the whole idea is disgusting. She’ll be solely responsible for emptying and changing the bag. I can’t do it.”

  Max gnashed his teeth at Kevin’s selfishness. A million smart-mouth responses fought to burst from his lips, but he held back. “As sick as Izzy has been lately, I’m hoping this surgery will help ease her pain,” you selfish disgusting perv.

  “Yes. Pain. You’re right. She’s gone through two bottles of Percocet over the past two months. That’s a lot, even for her. Maybe the surgery is for the best. I’ll let her know you called.” He hung up without another word.

  Em came down the stairs in a ratty old t-shirt and a stretched-out pair of jogging shorts. Not what he expected. She always wore color coordinated running clothes when they ran in the past.

  “Let’s go.” She jiggled the keys and he followed her out.

  “New outfit?” he teased as they drove over to his house.

  She laughed. “They’re comfortable for running in.”

  She pulled up to his house and he got out. When Em opened her door, he turned back. “You can stay here. I’ll only be a minute.”

  “Is my outfit so embarrassing you don’t want me to meet your family?” She playfully crossed her arms.

  “No. My mom’s not here. She works till nine.”

  The front screen swung open and out stepped Tim. “Where you been, fat boy?”

  “I told my mom. I don’t need to tell you.”

  Tim stepped toward him, stopping when he saw Em coming up the front walk. “Hi. I’m Emma McKay. You must be JD’s father.”

  Tim busted out laughing. “If this fat lump were my kid, I’d put a bullet to my head.” Em stepped back, her face tight. “So what’s a pretty young thing like you doing with fat boy here?” Tim’s eyes ran up and down Em several times. Max stepped closer to her.

  “JD and I are going running at the park.”

  Tim laughed out loud. “I’d pay money to see that. To be honest, I’m surprised he’s got any friends after killing that entire family last month.” Max knew what the jerk was up to. He hoped to push away any friends JD might have. Max didn’t know if it was because Tim feared they’d find out the beatings he liked to give JD, or if it was because he was just plain mean and wanted to make JD’s life miserable. Probably both.

  “JD did not kill that family. They hit a deer.” Em planted her hands on her hips. Max smiled, he knew the look. Tim was going down. Before Em could say anything, Tim’s blond friend rounded the corner spoiling the moment. Max ran inside and changed quickly. Tim drove away as he stepped back out the door.

  “Who is that guy anyway?” Em asked.

  “Sorry, I should have introduced you.”

  “Ah, so not a problem. The guy’s a . . .” She grimaced.

  “Scumbag?” Max shook his head. “No. He has to work his way up to scumbag. And it will take a lot of work for him to reach it from where he is.”

  “Does he live here?” she asked as they got back in the car.

  “Yes. He’s my mom’s boyfriend.”

  “Then who’s the blond woman he left with?”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think that’s his other girlfriend.”

  Em’s pretty eyes popped open wide. “Why does your mother stay with him then?”

  “Not sure. The guy’s downright mean, too. He’s got a nasty temper. He likes to use the extension cord to get his point across.” JD tried to stop him from telling Em, but Max refused. Tim’s little fetish needed to be brought into the light, and JD needed to have someone to trust, especially if he hoped to detour him and Izzy from taking their lives.

  “As in he hits you with it?” Em looked at him. Worry held her face. He recognized the look. He felt the same thing when he learned about JD’s life.

  “Yup.”

  “You have to tell you mother. That’s not right,” she said, pulling into the parking lot at Applegate Park. She positioned the car under a tall poplar for shade.

  “I’m afraid that if she confronts him, he’ll hurt her too. It doesn’t matter, they’ll break up soon. She’s going to find out for sure about the blond. She’ll dump him and move on.” At least, he hoped she would. Max couldn’t understand why JD’s mom would put up with a loser like Tim. But she did, and that meant JD had to endure his punishments.

  They climbed out of the Acura and hiked over to the running trails. Em, uncharacteristically quiet, sat on a large rock and retied her shoelaces.

  “I won’t let it happen again, Em. My days as a punching bag are done. I swear,” Max vowed, before changing the subject. “Now, how fast do you plan on running? Because I’m pretty slow.”

  “So am I.” Max knew that wasn’t true. She didn’t run as fast as he did, but she ran faster than JD. They decided to run two laps, and took the first one at a pretty good clip. By the second lap, Max dripped with sweat. Em slowed down, claiming a side ache, no doubt to save JD from embarrassment. When they reached the oak tree, Max collapsed underneath it, sprawling out in the shade.

  Em sat next to him, barely winded. “I love this tree,” she said, glancing up through the branches. She scooped up some of the discarded acorns and pulled at the cracked shells. “Squirrels do too.” She laughed and tossed the empty shells aside. “Max and I spent hours under this tree. We planned out our whole lives sitting in its shade.” She sighed. “This spring we were going to go down to South Carolina and see the Angel Oak tree together. Are you familiar with the Angel Oak?”

  “I am.” Max repeated the facts about the tree he’d heard her state a dozen times before. “I’ve seen pictures on the internet too. It’s pretty impressive.”

  She stood, rubbing her hands along the rough bark. A squirrel bounded across the grass nearby and scrambled up the poplar next to them. Fifteen feet up, it jumped across the short distance to the oak and climbed up to a
nest held high in the branches.

  “Hey,” Max said pointing to the nest. “Baby squirrels.” Em glanced up the tree as three smaller squirrels leapt from the nest and began playfully jumping back and forth in the branches.

  “Let me guess, you have a thing for squirrels.” He nodded. She laughed. “Max loved watching the squirrels. Sometimes he’d be so busy watching one run across the trail, he’d trip over his own two feet.” Max watched her laugh at the memory.

  “I’ll bet he could run faster than me.”

  “Yes, because Max was obsessed with running. I’ve never met anyone who enjoyed it as much as he did. It’d blow his mind if someone didn’t like it.” She dipped her head and under her breath and added, “Gosh, I miss him so much.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream. My treat, except don’t tell my mom we got some this close to dinner. She’ll have a cow.”

  Max jumped up and they loped to her car. “I figured you for a frozen yogurt kind of girl.”

  “It’s alright, but not nearly as good as ice cream. Max’s mom always ate frozen yogurt. She was a real health nut. I felt stupid asking for ice cream around his family, so I’d eat it when I wasn’t with them.”

  Max wanted to smack himself in the head. He’d always gotten frozen yogurt too when they were on a date, because he didn’t want Em to think him a slacker. He hated frozen yogurt. He dropped his head back against the headrest, daydreaming about what kind of ice cream he would order. JD hoped for Rocky Road. Hmm, that does sound good. Maybe we’ll get a double scoop.

  Chapter 19

  The next day, Max drove with Emma to the hospital to visit Izzy again. Her father left as soon as they got there for a business meeting. It didn’t break Max’s heart one bit to see him leave.

  “Any pain today?” Em asked.

  “Not too bad. They have me pretty doped up. I see two of you,” she giggled.

  “Really?”

  “No. I’m kidding. I only see one and a half.” This time both girls giggled.

  “So, um, I’m having surgery tomorrow,” Izzy confessed to Em. It took Max by surprised. It also made him happy. It meant she tried reaching out to Em.