CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Fern looked up from her book. Her mom decided to pick her up after school to make sure the poster project went alright. It had, but now they were having a different sort of trouble. The heavy rains that feel throughout the day had flooded the street, causing her mom to detour around various streets.
But Fern's eye was caught by a police-taped utility pole, its main structure bent and folded in a sickening way. Something big hit the pole, probably a car. Fern wondered who hit the pole and if they survived.
"Mom, when did that happen?" Fern asked. Her mom shrugged, glancing over at the pole.
"I've been at work all day, sweetie. I didn't check the news, but I'm sure they'll say something tonight. Look, there's one of the news trucks over there. It looks like Channel 8, so check them out later. Oh, that reminds me, I have to pick up some dry cleaning. Do you mind waiting in the car, dear? It'll only take a minute," Fern's mother asked, quickly turning to go towards the dry cleaning place. Fern shook her head, looking back down to her book.
Fern's thoughts were on the plot of this book, but in the background she could see the four booklists Dr. Langley wanted them to choose between. One of Fern's favorite was a modern mystery list filled with some of the newest mystery writers, specifically those from a young age group. Three of the books Fern wanted everyone to read were only available at the city library as ebooks, meaning that Dr. Langley drew angry red lines through the titles.
Snow Fire's favorite list was half-filled with these angry lines. She wanted to read poetry and short story collections, but most of the ones from newer artists were only available in the ebook form at the public library.
"We should think of a good compromise. All four lists look this way," Snow Fire suggested before Fern had to run outside to meet her mom. Fern was hoping they wouldn't have to create a random list, but she also knew how Dr. Langley would feel about the ebooks. They'd have to create a new list, a random reading list with all of the books he didn't cross off. That would give people some choice and variety, Fern assumed, but she still liked the themed collections better.
"All done," her mom sighed as she put a handful of cleaned items in the back seat. She then took her spot in the driver's seat, glancing at Fern softly. Fern looked up to her fully; she looked like she wanted to say something. "They were running the story during the afternoon soaps. It's someone you know, Fern, two people."
"What are you talking about? People from the accident?" Fern asked. Her mother nodded. "Well who was it?" Fern begged to know. Her mother sighed heavily.
"Your old classmates, Buster and George, were involved. They're okay, the report said, but Buster was badly injured, as was George. Buster is…they say he's paralyzed," her mother stuttered. "His mother is asking people to come forward to help her financially. She just can't handle any of it right now, and I really can't blame her for asking. I may even donate a little."
Fern felt numb for a moment, but then she felt inspired. She would create a new list based off inspiring young people, both real and fictional. As soon as she got home, she logged onto the Elwood City High homepage and found the library's inventory. From there, she started searching with very pleasing results.
A/N: Fern is going to be a great book club leader with the way things look. Now that she's received news about George, Buster, and Mr. Lundgren, we'll check in with them at the hospital. How does Buster's mother react to the accident? What really happened at that intersection? And most importantly, what is Buster's future? See Chapter Fifty-Five for some answers.
