Author's Notes:
Hello dear readers!
I might be discouraged about this story, if not for the fact that has this nifty thing where you can see how many hits your story gets. So even though only one person reviewed, it looks like 139 of you read this. So that makes me feel good. (: If you're reading this and liking it (or not liking it, even!) please drop me a review to let me know for sure! Special thanks to the person who added this to their alert list, and to Hopeless Sarcastic for writing a lovely review.
Okay, onto chapter 2! Chapter 3 – in which there will be coffee and donuts, Toby and Paige telling secrets, and maybe even a smidge of Palex – will be out soon. Yay. Enjoy!
("Around the Sun" – chapter 2)
My dad's arms were full of Chinese food; he smiled and walked into the dining-room so he could set the bag down, and Ashley grabbed at Kate's hand to get a better look at the ring. "Geoff finally popped the question!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, yes," said Kate, laughing. "At the Mandarin Buffet, where we had our first date."
"You had no idea your dad was such a romantic, did you?" my dad said, coming up behind me and ruffling up my hair like he did when I was still a little kid.
"No idea," I answered, honestly. They were both in really good moods and smiling a lot more than they normally did. I suppose marriage proposals do that to people.
"Mom, another wedding…I don't think I have the strength," added Ashley. She was referring, of course, to her father's wedding last spring. She and Kate planned it, I helped too, I guess.
"Oh, hush, Ash," said Kate. "I'm not your father; I don't need a coronation."
"We already decided it would be small and simple at City Hall," my dad added. "We've both been married before, and there's no need to go to lots of fuss."
"Does this mean no parties at the gay bar?" I asked, because I couldn't help myself. Mr Kerwin's party at the bar was a very memorable experience.
Ashley flinched, but Kate laughed. "Well, I suppose that'll be up to my maid of honour here," she replied, putting one arm around Ashley's shoulders.
"Gee, I'd hate to disappoint you," Ashley told me, giving me one of those looks.
I could feel myself blushing. "Ashley," I said, in my very best Toby Is Not Amused voice.
"Leave him be, girls," said my dad, "I'm starving, and dinner's getting cold." I gave him a relieved sort of smile, followed him into the dining-room.
The doorbell rang. "Oh," said Ashley, "That's Jimmy," and she ran to answer the door.
"Jimmy! It's great to see you again," Kate said when Ashley wheeled Jimmy into the dining-room.
"Hey Mrs Kerwin! Mr Isaacs. Congrats on the engagement."
"You told him already?" Kate mock-glared at Ashley. The three of them all started talking at the same time, which was nice because no-one noticed how I was busying myself scooping out rice onto plates as a way to keep from looking at Jimmy. Because, the truth is? Jimmy Brooks makes me nervous. It's not Jimmy so much as his wheelchair. And it's not like I'm prejudiced against the disabled or anything, it's just Jimmy in particular.
I guess it's because every time I see him, I can't help remembering why he's there. In the wheelchair, I mean. I'm sure everyone remembers seeing the story of the Degrassi school shooting on the news, and the thing is, I was there when it happened. It's funny; whenever anyone talks about it now, it's always 'when Jimmy got shot', always in the passive voice, almost as if there was just a disembodied gun ready to ruin people's lives. No one ever says 'when Rick shot Jimmy'. It's like Rick's been forgotten about, and that bothers me, because…Rick was there. Rick shot Jimmy. And then Rick died.
And Rick was my friend, Rick was more than that, and even though he did such bad things, things he shouldn't ever have done, I miss him. It's horrible, but it's true. And that's what I think about, every time I see Jimmy's wheelchair. It makes my stomach do flip-flops. I hate myself for it, a little.
Luckily enough, between dad and Kate's engagement and Jimmy putting together his portfolio to apply to art schools and Ashley's return to songwriting, everyone had plenty of things to talk about and I sort of blended into the background, listening to everyone else talking, eating my sweet and sour chicken and hoping that Ashley wouldn't bring up that surprising phone-call.
And then, just as I thought about Paige, I heard the doorbell ring.
"Is that your ride already?" Kate asked Jimmy. He shook his head.
"It's for me," I said, a little too quickly. "I'm going out with some friends, okay? I won't be too late, and Ash already promised she'd do the dishes." I stood up, dropped my napkin on the table.
"You haven't finished your dinner," my dad protested.
"Who cares," teased Ashley, "Toby has a date!"
It wasn't a date, but I ignored them both. "Like I said, I'll be back soon," I told Kate, who smiled at me, as if to apologise for Ashley and my dad.
When I opened the door, Paige was waiting on the porch. "Hi hon," she said. "I was thinking maybe coffee?"
"Sounds great," I replied, "Just great."