Bird in the Wood, Part 4
"Please, Gus, please!" Waverly begged. "It's a once in a lifetime experience!"
Gus sighed. "It seems silly. Basketball tournaments? Why do they need cheerleaders for that?"
Waverly sighed in exasperation. "Every sport needs cheerleaders. Anyhow, it's only for the weekend! We'll leave Friday after school and we'll be back Sunday night. Everyone is going."
"If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?"
Waverly rolled her eyes. "Please, Gus. The entire squad is going. We've never been invited before. We'll be highly supervised." She stared at Gus, who didn't seem to be wavering. She looked over to her Uncle Curtis who sat at the dining room table, slowly sipping black coffee and perusing over the Farmer's Almanac.
"What is this?" Curtis asked. "A trip?" He sighed but didn't seem to want to come in between his wife and his niece, as he predictably would favor Waverly, much to Gus's dismay. "Predicting a late spring this year," he finally said.
Waverly turned back to her aunt. "Gus, I'm thirteen!" she stated.
"Exactly. You're thirteen. You're still a child, Waverly!"
"I'm not a child!" Waverly knew that yes, legally, thirteen was still a child. But she had been through so much, with her parents, and then being shipped off, then back home. She went out of her way to succeed, to overcome. She was nice. Sometimes, a little too nice. She didn't argue, didn't complain. But every now and then, she really wanted something, and chose to push for it. And she really wanted to go on this school trip.
"You're only in the eighth grade, Waverly," Gus said. She caught Waverly's expression. "I know you're in high school, but technically, it's only because of the consolidations. You'd still be in middle school if it weren't for the district changes."
Waverly knew that was true. Purgatory's population seemed to be shrinking all the time. For every family that came, it seemed three left. The town didn't have much money, and had been cutting municipal positions for some time. The last big budget cut consisted of making the elementary school kindergarten through the seventh grade, and relocating the eighth graders to the high school. The middle school currently sat vacant, awaiting demolition.
Gus turned to Curtis. "What do you think?" she asked him.
"I don't rightly know," he drawled, attempting to take his wife's side for a change. "I do agree, eighth grade is young to go away. Why not go next year?" His question was only half-hearted, but regardless, Waverly didn't want to hear it.
Waverly groaned. How many times did she have to tell the story of this trip? "Guys, there might not be a next year! These are the city schools, the big schools! They invite small rural schools each year, but they rotate the invites. There's a good chance that Purgatory wouldn't even be invited next year." She threw in one last, desperate plea. "This will be the only trip I'll ask to go on in my entire life! I'll do the dishes every day until I die! I'll throw myself down on my knees and beg!"
"That won't be necessary," Gus said. "And seeing as how doing the dishes is your chore as long as you're under our roof, that's hardly a fair exchange." However, she smiled at Waverly's expression. "Alright, I concede. You may go." She continued to speak over Waverly's ecstatic cheers. "Please room with Nedley's daughter. I'll call your coach."
A few days later, Waverly got a call from Wynonna. She wasn't quite sure what her sister was up to these days. She had graduated high school despite a lot of problems, and was taking what she called "a gap year." However, while most eighteen-year-olds gap yeared around Europe, Wynonna was traveling around Canada. No one really knew what she was doing and she wouldn't say. Waverly thought it might have something to do with bikers.
"I'm going to Toronto!" Waverly squealed, excited to share her news. "I'm going to a basketball tournament and I'm cheering!"
Wynonna groaned. "Ugh. I hate organized sports. And cheerleaders." She paused. "But that's great. Trips are always fun. You going to stay out of trouble while in the big city?"
Waverly scoffed. "Of course, I'm not you."
"Damn. Harsh, little sis."
Waverly paused. Their conversations always came to this. Waverly would make some off-handed silly insult that she both meant and did not mean, Wynonna would laugh it off, and then there was nothing left to say. The bottom line was that Waverly missed her sister, and even though she was nice and sweet and peppy, sometimes she had trouble telling what she really thought and felt.
"I miss you," Waverly finally said. "When are you coming home?"
"Soon, I promise." Waverly didn't believe that. Wynonna had often said there was no reason for her to be in Purgatory, that it didn't matter if she stayed or left, that no one there needed her anyway. I need you, Waverly wanted to say, but that sounded too childish. "What if I met you in Toronto?" Wynonna asked. "I could come to one of your games."
"Really? Even though you hate high school and everything associated with it?"
"Yeah, well, mandated education isn't my favorite, but you're pretty special. I could make an exception."
Waverly pulled out the trip itinerary from her perfectly organized binder and proceeded to give Wynonna the time of games and location of the hotel.
"Geez. You all are staying in the seedy side of town," Wynonna commented. "Stay in the hotel unless you're with an adult."
"Well, the school doesn't have any money. I bet if it weren't January they'd make us camp." Waverly thought for a moment. "How do you know the seedy side of town?"
"Girl, I know the seedy sides of every town. I'll see you at your first game, okay?"
"Okay!"
"And don't tell Gus."
While Waverly had wanted to comply with Wynonna's request, anytime she had exciting news, she looked like the cat who swallowed the canary. Gus took one look at her, after arriving home from her shift at Shorty's and asked if Champ Hardy had finally asked her out.
"Ew, no," Waverly replied. She and Champ been in the same class since second grade. Waverly knew that all her friends were getting boyfriends, and it would be sooner rather than later that she'd have to board the relationship train. "I don't want to date him. He's so self-centered. Although, there's not that many options in town. I'll probably end up dating him out of convenience."
Gus laughed. "Well, the deputy is looking pretty ancient." Waverly nodded. Deputy Jones had been around forever. Townsfolk kept joking he was only hanging on by a thread. People do retire, and his was long overdue. "Maybe the sheriff will hire a hot, new replacement."
Waverly laughed. "Wouldn't that be nice," she answered, thinking that the conversation was over.
"Okay, so no boyfriend. So, what's got you all excited?"
Waverly tried to hold it in, but the news burst out of her. "Wynonna's coming to one of my games!" she squealed. "She's going to watch me cheer, then we're going to have dinner together!"
Gus rolled her eyes. "Oh, good," she said sarcastically. "I'd feel more comfortable if Willa were chaperoning you."
"Gus, please. You do not want the sociopathic Earp watching my game. Willa probably has connections with the Canadian mafia."
Curtis looked up from his coffee and his book Tomatoes and how to Befriend Them. "Canada doesn't have a mafia," he said. "Maybe a syndicate? A cabal?"
"That's hardly the point," Gus said. She sighed and went to the stove.
"I made lasagna," Waverly said. "And muffins. As a thank you for letting me go on this trip." She pulled out the silverware and began to set the table, patting Uncle Curtis on the head.
"Lord save us all," Gus commented, and pulled the meal out of the oven.
Waverly was having the time of her life. Keeping with Gus's request, her coach had roomed her with Chrissy Nedley and another classmate, Stephanie. Their room originally housed a fourth girl, but she had gotten a bout of the flu and had to cancel.
The girls had enjoyed their first night in Tornoto, flitting about from room to room. There wasn't much to the hotel, no restaurant, no pool, and as Wynonna had informed her, it really was on the seedy side of town. Within walking distance was one diner, one strip joint, and four bars. Needless to say, the team was forbidden from leaving the hotel unsupervised.
The morning was wonderful. The teams were bused over, stopping at the high school first, where the boys' teams were playing, then moving down the road to the middle school, where the girls' tournaments were held.
"Why do boys get cheerleaders and not girls?" Waverly asked. "It hardly seems fair, you know?"
Chrissy looked at her as the bus pulled into the lot. "Seriously? You really want to jump around for girls looking like… that?" She gestured to Waverly in her scantily-clad uniform. Well, her large coat was over top, along with an incredibly thick scarf, but Waverly knew what she meant.
Waverly just shrugged.
"That sounds gay," Chrissy commented, and the girls stood up and exited the bus. Waverly didn't answer.
The Purgatory Blue Devils played the second game on the docket, and Waverly cheered her heart out. She was so happy to be out of town, to be around other people, new people. She cheered with more enthusiasm than ever. She jumped higher than before.
"Simmer down, little bit," the captain told her during a break. "You're a little over the top."
Waverly pursed her lips in response, and looked around the large gym. Then, in the corner, she noted a familiar dark-haired girl, holding a gigantic cup of Tim Horton's, and looking as out of place as a devil in church.
"Wynonna!" Waverly shrieked, earning her another annoyed look from the captain. "My sister," she explained. "Wynonna."
The captain looked at Waverly as if she were stupid. "We all know who Wynonna is," she said, sounding disgusted. Waverly didn't care, but ran off to greet her sister.
"Did you see me cheer?" Waverly asked, after she had attacked Wynonna in an awkward hug.
"How could I not?" Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Jesus. What am I doing here?"
Waverly grinned. "Just supporting your baby sister!" she replied. She and Wynonna walked into the hallway to talk before she had to return to the game.
"If my team wins this game, we play again in about an hour," Waverly said. "Will you stick around until then?"
Wynonna looked a little revolted. "Uhh…." she replied. "I mean, I'm watching your game now, and one's really enough for me."
Waverly pouted.
"Don't use that look on me," Wynonna commented. "It may work on Uncle Curtis, but I know better." Waverly blushed and grinned. "What if," Wynonna said after a moment, "What if I picked you up tonight and took you to dinner? There's a little diner down the road from your hotel. We could eat and talk, and then I'd take you back in time for your curfew. It's not like we can really talk here." Wynonna was right about that. Even though they were in the hallway and the gym doors were closed, it was almost impossible to catch each other's words over the shouting from the game.
"I'll ask my coach," Waverly answered, and disappeared back into the gym. She explained the situation briefly, that her sister was in town, and would like to pick her up and take her to dinner.
"I always did enjoy Willa," the coach replied, and Waverly cocked an eyebrow. Sure, she had enjoyed Willa. Everyone enjoyed Willa. Until they knew her. But Wynonna had such an even, well, grittier reputation that Waverly decided to let the coach think whatever she liked if it meant securing permission. "Call my room when you return so I know you got in safely," was the coach's only request.
"It's a go!" Waverly said as she came back into the hallway. "She thinks I'm going out with Willa, but who cares."
Wynonna rolled her eyes. "If only they knew." She paused for a moment. "I'll pick you up at eight?" she asked. "Can you just meet me out front?"
"Eight's kind of late," Waverly said. "Curfew's ten."
Wynonna shrugged, and Waverly wondered what had brought her to Toronto in the first place. Something that she herself wasn't privy to know. "Eight is good," Waverly added.
Wynonna nodded and smiled. "Great! Okay, wear something warm. I have the bike."
At 7:45, Waverly made sure she looked nice, then put on her big coat, extra long scarf, and earmuffs. She pulled ten dollars from her backpack and shoved it in her back pocket.
"Are you sure it's okay for you to go out with your sister at night?" Chrissy asked, watching Waverly ready herself. "I mean, this isn't the best part of town."
"I'll be fine," Waverly answered, nonplussed. "Wynonna will take care of me."
Chrissy didn't seem to keen on that idea, but instead she said, "Yes, but Waverly, you're just a kid."
If there were two things that Waverly abhorred with every fiber of her being, it was being told she couldn't do something and being told she was a child. "I'll be back by ten," Waverly replied, trying not to let her annoyance show.
The night air was biting as Waverly waited outside the hotel, watching intently in both directions for a motorcycle. Eight o'clock came and went. No Wynonna.
8:30.
8:40.
Waverly didn't have a number to reach Wynonna, and she was tired and cold. Perhaps she had misheard Wynonna. Perhaps she was supposed to meet her at the diner. After all, it was only just down the road. Or maybe it was at nine?
Waverly didn't want to return to her room, tail between her legs, like a wounded puppy. Surely, she hadn't been forgotten. So, she took off down the road to the diner.
She felt a little bit scared as she entered the actual town area. There were some very suspicious characters wandering about, and she was small, and yes… a child. But she ignored the comments of "Hey baby, where you going on this cold night?" and continued, quickly, head high and staring straight ahead.
Nevertheless, she breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped into the warm light of the diner and sat down at an empty table. She looked out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of… something.
A waitress came over and Waverly ordered a coffee to look older, when in reality, she really wanted chocolate milk and a grilled cheese. But the waitress didn't pay her any mind. She wondered if young girls often walked the streets alone. So she ordered the grilled cheese.
When the waitress returned with her sandwich, Waverly gave a brief description of Wynonna and asked if she had been in.
The waitress shook her head. "No," she answered. "But there have been a lot of young people going into the bar across the street. This is the ball tournament weekend, and some of these kids have their ways of getting out and sneaking drinks. So I'd check there."
Waverly sighed and looked out the window. Seriously? Would Wynonna choose a bar over her? Well, maybe, if the circumstances were right, she admitted. She quickly ate her sandwich, paid, and ventured back into the night air. Throwing caution to the wind for yet another time, she crossed the street to the bar.
It was set a way back from the road, and as she crossed the lot, the door opened and there was a huge commotion. First, two girls exited, one holding the other, who was clearly crying. Then, following that, two boys came out the door, drunk and hollering various apologies. After that, a familiar dark-haired woman came out, and jumped onto the taller of the two boys, pushing him into the wall of the bar.
"If you ever lay a hand on her again…" Wynonna shouted, sounding drunk as well. Inebriation didn't inhibit her coordination, as she whipped a knife out of her pocket and held it to the boy's throat.
"What the fuck?" the other boy yelled, and ran back into the bar hollering for security. The two girls moved to the side, and Waverly was torn between running closer and going back to the hotel.
A security guard came out, threatening that he had already dialed the police, and the boy that Wynonna had against the wall seemed to gather her strength and throw her to the ground. He then proceeded to lean over and seemed to punch her in the face. The tall girl left her crying and friend and came over, shouting, "What are you doing?" The boy didn't let up.
"Out!" the security guard shouted, and sirens wailed in the distance. The boys took off down the road, running, and Waverly sprinted over to Wynonna as the tall girl pulled her to her feet.
"I'm her sister!" Waverly shouted.
"Okay, but we've got to get out of here," the girl replied, and all three of the supported Wynonna as they moved down the road as quickly as they could, finally stopping when they hit a rickety bench a few blocks down.
The girl who had been crying breathed deeply. Wynonna seemed very out of it, bloody and perhaps drunk. "What happened?" Waverly yelled, wiping at Wynonna's face with her scarf.
"It was so stupid," the shorter girl said. "We're in town for the games, and we decided that we could sneak off to a bar, just for the true experience."
The taller girl nodded, and Waverly could barely see her face in the darkness. She also was hidden by a huge winter coat with a hood lined in fur.
"It was all fine," she began. "We weren't drinking, just shooting some pool. We ended up playing some rounds with those guys. They were drinking, but we didn't think anything of it."
The other girl picked up the story. "We were ready to go, settled the pool tab, and the boys asked for our numbers. We said no. Then the one tried to kiss me. I backed up, I mean, I have a boyfriend. Or I had a boyfriend. Or whatever. But anyhow, he kept grabbing at me, pushed me into the wall, groping."
"No one did anything?" Waverly asked, astounded.
"Your sister did," the red-haired girl answered. "I had stopped in the restroom quickly, and came out to see her pushing up to Laurie and that goon, throwing him off her. Laurie was really upset, so I grabbed her and we left. But they kept following us through the bar and out the door, and apparently your sister followed us too."
"Those guys were shit tickets," Wynonna commented, out of it, head lolling to the side.
They all sat in silence until the small girl, Laurie, asked, "How did you know where your sister was?"
"We were supposed to meet at the diner. I guess she stopped over at the bar beforehand and got carried away." Waverly sighed. "Propensity to drink runs in the family."
"Well, I for one, am glad she drinks," Laurie said. "I mean, Nic would have been out in a minute, but still, it was really scary." She paused. "I'm going to walk down to the diner and use the pay phone to call us cabs. Is that okay? I feel better, and don't think the boys will be back."
They nodded, and she headed back down the road.
"I'm glad you thought to come here," the taller girl said. "Your sister is lucky to have you."
Waverly smiled. Beside her, she felt Wynonna shiver. She didn't have a coat on, perhaps it had been left in the bar. "Here," Waverly said, unzipping her parka.
"No, she can have mine," the girl said. "I've got a fleece and a beanie underneath." She deftly slipped out of her warm jacket and tucked it around Wynonna. "The least I could do," she said, smiling shyly at Waverly, who thought that this girl was very pretty, and now kind.
Waverly looked at the tall girl as she sat back against the bench. In the dim glow of the street lamps, Waverly noticed a chunky pendant-like object around her neck.
"What's that?" Waverly asked.
"Oh," the girl said, fingering the necklace. "It's a carving I made a long time ago. See, my dad did some woodcarving in his spare time, and tried to teach me. This was the first thing I made." She paused for a moment. "Actually, it was the only thing I made."
"I like it," Waverly said. "It's a bluebird, right?" The other girl nodded.
They sat in silence for a moment, Waverly not knowing what to say. Then the girl said quietly, as if to herself, "I actually made it for someone else."
"Yeah?" Waverly asked.
She smiled. "Yeah, I was really young. I made it for a little girl I met. It took me only a few days to carve, but by the time I had finished, she was gone. I guess she had moved or something."
The other girl came back down the road, her boots squeaking loudly in the now quiet night. Wynonna didn't say much, just an occasional groan. A few minutes later, Waverly saw two taxis round the corner. The shorter girl got into the first cab, and the taller one helped Waverly get Wynonna into the other. They stood outside the open door, regarding each other.
Almost impulsively, the taller girl took the necklace off, and placed in around Waverly's neck. "You take it," she said. "Consider it a talisman. You know, protection and good luck. Like a Saint Christopher."
Waverly was torn. She did think it was special, but it wasn't supposed to be for her.
"It's okay," the other girl said, noting her hesitation. "It was never meant for me, anyway."
"What if you find the girl you originally made it for?"
She scoffed. "I doubt that. I mean, it was six or seven years ago. She's gone for good."
Waverly sighed. "Well, only if you're sure."
The other girl nodded. "I'm sure." She helped Waverly into the cab. "Will you be okay?" she asked.
Waverly nodded, and the girl backed away.
"Thank you," Waverly said, and she thought the girl didn't hear. Then, she turned her head, nodded, and was gone. Waverly was overcome with a strange sense that she had been here before, done this before, but couldn't place it. She chalked it up to the events of the night, slammed the taxi door, and gave the name of the hotel to the driver.
"I knew you'd get in trouble," Chrissy said when Waverly dragged Wynonna into the room. "I called Coach and told her you were home even though you weren't."
"Don't judge," Waverly said. "There's more to this story." She paused. "And thank you," she added.
Chrissy and Stephanie helped Waverly wipe Wynonna's face, and put her into an extra set of pajamas of Waverly's. Since she was so small, Wynonna's arms and legs stuck out comically. It would have been a laughing matter if it wasn't so serious.
In the morning, Chrissy and Stephanie went down to breakfast, leaving Waverly to have some time with Wynonna. She had awoken, showered, and Waverly brought up breakfast for them both. Wynonna called some friend to pick her up in thirty minutes, then sat back to talk.
"I wish you hadn't gone to the bar," Waverly said.
Wynonna sighed. "I'm sorry," she answered. "I know I need to get myself under control. I thought I'd have a drink or two, then head out to get you." She sighed heavily. "It's my fault."
Waverly decided to be forgiving. "Well, at least I got to see you." Wynonna scoffed. "But why did you get into an altercation that didn't have anything to do with you?"
Wynonna thought for a moment, then answered. "Well, I saw the way that guy was treating, what was her name, Laura? Lauren? Anyhow, he was pushing into her and her tall friend had left. He wouldn't have stopped."
"But why did you step in?"
Wynonna spoke to the Styrofoam cup. "When I was in juvie, there were three boys that took advantage of every non-supervised time to chase me down, to back me into a corner, to… well… hurt me. No one saw the horrible times. No one cared. But the stronger they got, the more reckless they became. One time, the largest one pushed me into a small maintenance closet. Another girl saw. But she didn't say anything. She didn't step in." Wynonna pulled the thick rim off the cup. "I wish she had."
Waverly nodded sadly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I hate how things worked out for you."
Wynonna smiled. "It's okay," she said. "I'm not my past. But those experiences have taught me not to let evil go unpunished. Not to be a bystander. To fight for what's right."
Waverly told Wynonna she was proud of her, and she blushed furiously. "Oh, please," Wynonna brushed off the praise. Then she noticed Waverly playing with the bird necklace. "What's that?"
Waverly shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, though it was. "The other girl gave it to me. She carved it when she was a kid."
"That's weird. People don't normally give gifts to strangers."
"It's not weird! She was nice!"
Wynonna shrugged. "Well, anyhow, she seemed nice from what I saw at the bar. I think she likes chicks though."
Waverly raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"
"She asked a girl for her number."
Waverly wasn't sure what to say. She was in high school, yes, but there wasn't anyone who was gay. Not that she knew of, anyhow. "What do you think it's like?" she asked. "You know, kissing girls?"
Wynonna gave a bemused expression. "How the hell should I know? I am strictly dickly."
Waverly smiled. "Yeah."
And then the phone rang, and it was Wynonna's friend. They hugged goodbye, and then, without any fanfare, she was gone. Then the girls were back the buses were loaded, and the trip was over.
Waverly left out all the sordid details as she told Gus about her trip, but her Uncle Curtis seemed to catch on to the fact that something had gone down. The next afternoon, he caught Waverly in the kitchen when Gus was working at Shorty's.
"Wynonna okay?" he asked.
Waverly nodded. "It was rough," she answered. "But she'll be okay." She paused for a moment. "I wish her past hadn't been so bad."
Curtis nodded, slowly. "I wish I had done things differently." His eyes looked sad. "But," he said, in a more chipper tone, "she'll be back. She'll be strong. She's a fighter, that Wynonna."
"Am I?" Waverly asked curiously. "A fighter?"
Curtis looked at her intently. "In your own way," he said. And because he wasn't good at heartfelt conversations, he blushed and headed out to the living room to read about pepper plants.
Perhaps because at times it's easier to talk to someone when you're not looking at them, Waverly called from the kitchen, "Thanks, Curtis."
He grunted, then said, "I see you've got some sort of new necklace. That a bird?"
Waverly fingered the bluebird and smiled. "Yeah, well, a stranger gave it to me." She frowned, remembering Chrissy's comment. "Do you think that's strange?"
Curtis didn't answer for a moment. "Maybe she wasn't a stranger," he finally answered.
Waverly thought hard. She didn't remember meeting the girl at all. "I wish I had gotten her name," she said, but only to herself.
Waverly wore the necklace around the house for a bit, but found it hard to explain why it meant so much to her. It was as if she didn't want to share the giver, and definitely not the story behind it. Finally, she put a thumbtack in her bedroom wall and hung it from that. She said goodnight to the bluebird every night, and faintly wondered if maybe she was saying goodnight to the tall girl.
But people grow up and life gets busy and eventually she hung other things on the tack too, until the outline of the bird was mostly obscured by chunky teenage jewelry.
And years passed, and high school, and graduation, and she did date Champ because who else was there, and the deputy did retire but the position sat vacant, and things around town started getting weird and she knew she was connected somehow.
One day, after speaking quickly on the phone with Wynonna, who now was in Greece (Greece?) Waverly went for a walk to the outskirts of Purgatory before her shift at Shorty's. She walked out to her old middle school, now a barren field. Every so often she'd find an old textbook buried among the wheat grass, as if her memories weren't quite ready to leave. She heard the birds coming out as the weather had warmed, and she envied their ability to flit between trees without a care.
She turned, walked past the lake, back into town. Twenty minutes until her shift, and if she kept walking, she could avoid having to meet up with Champ beforehand. She stopped at the coffee shop and ordered a cappuccino and drank it slowly from a table by the window. She saw a sheriff's car pass by. It looked too clean and white to be Nedley's.
And then it was time for work, and she walked into Shorty's and this odd feeling that she had been trying to ignore came back with a vengeance. Unrest. Premonition. Something was going to happen, and she wasn't sure what.
She scrubbed the counter at Shorty's while mentally translating random conversations into Latin. And then she got a call from Gus to come home immediately, and she knew this was the moment.
Instinctively, from memory, she automatically reached to rub the bluebird talisman, but of course it wasn't there. I wonder why I thought of that now, Waverly wondered to herself, but she pushed the thought out of her mind as she climbed into her Jeep and sped to the Homestead.