Argh… the fun and joy of adding to the disclaimer… For this chapter only, I do NOT own Subway. And I don't own the term 'Polar bear swim,' I learned it at camp.
Chapter Three
April
I splashed my face with water from the pond. My eyes hurt from reading all the Yeerk updates on the laptop.
"Tired?"
My head swiveled. John was leaning against a tree, staring at the stars.
"I guess you could say that."
"Not exactly like you see them in Minnesota, huh?"
"What?" I said, confused.
"The stars, I mean. They're not this clear."
I looked up. "Yeah, I guess. Haven't really paid attention. Not since I was seven, and I fell down the ladder at my cabin. I couldn't do our annual 'polar bear swim,' so I just sat on the dock looking at the stars."
"You weren't hurt, were you?"
I laughed. "Think about that one, John."
"How high was this ladder, and why were you on it?"
"Ah, the ladder's a good ten feet, and it's the only way to get to the second floor of the cabin. Grandpa didn't build stairs. My mom said— never mind…" A flood of memories draped my mind.
"What?" John pressed.
"She said that she thought I was a bundle of clothes. She was walking by as I fell."
"Perfectly possible. I mean, if you do throw your clothes down the ladder."
"Yeah, we do," I bit my lip. "There are a lot of things that we automatically do."
"Like what?"
"Like… Like the last conversation I had with my dad before I left," A tear trickled down my cheek. "He and I got into a fight. I had left my Subway wrapper on the floor at our house, automatically, like I usually did, but this time… he just exploded. As if I was doing drugs or something… I— I didn't even get to say goodbye, or even write them a letter…" I took a deep breath. "But that doesn't matter anymore. They aren't even my real parents. And they probably won't be for some time…"
There was silence for a moment. "Hey, your birthday's coming up, right? 14 years?"
"Not really soon. Three, maybe four months. I've lost track. Why?"
He looked up again. "No reason."
I glanced at my watch. "9:40. Better get to bed." I turned around.
"Hey, April?"
"Yeah?"
"…Good night."
I had a feeling that that wasn't what he was going to say. "You too."
Review Responces (And a plea...)
Janika: They'll show up in a while. Quite a while,I think.Thanks!
Okay, now for the plea... I SEVERELY need a new title for this one. Remember, this goes to the end of the war. PLEASE at least give me something.