The next morning after breakfast, as I was pushing in my chair to the table, and preparing to go gather up my school stuff,
Hannah started telling Brian and I what she was packing, food-wise, to take with us for the weekend.
"Biscuits and jerky, and some cookies and granola bars. Coffee. And the coffee pot. What else do you two want?"
"Beans and some bacon," Brian said. "And a pan for the bacon."
Hannah nodded. "Okay. And some forks for the beans."
Brian looked to me. "How about you? You got any requests?"
He made it sound as though it was just another casual ranch ride to check on fence. That made me feel better.
I thought for a couple of moments. "We couldn't have pancakes, could we?"
"If you'll eat them with powdered eggs and powdered milk, then yeah, I think I can scare up a few pancakes," Brian said.
"So some butter, then, too?" Hannah asked him.
At his nod, I gave him a small smile. I found myself not dreading the weekend so much as before.
7
At school, Mr. Best was standing outside as students arrived for the day, as he sometimes did. He was standing with the vice principal, Mr. Wallace.
I intended to just walk right on past him. Guthrie was walking beside me. He'd parked near to where I had, and we had fallen into step
beside each other sort of effortlessly. I don't know if he did it on purpose, but it felt good to me. We hadn't discussed our disagreement
of a few days previous, but we also hadn't been like totally ignoring each other, either.
"Good morning, Guthrie. Good morning, Harlie," Mr. Best greeted us as we walked up towards where he was standing.
Guthrie said good morning in response, and I uttered a 'morning' very low, and not overly friendly.
I didn't think that was 'having an attitude' like Adam had said. I didn't feel like I had to be overly friendly, either.
I still thought Mr. Best had overstepped his bounds. If he'd actually seen me holding a cigarette, then that would have been different. If I'd
been dumb enough to do it on school grounds, then it would serve me right to be seen. I thought it had been really stupid of Chelsea, or reckless,
to do it.
When I had my first encounter with Chelsea after second hour in the hallway, she told me that her parents had been called
about her being seen smoking the day before.
"Best must have x-ray vision to have seen me holding a cig," Chelsea grumbled.
"Were your parents mad?" I asked.
Chelsea shrugged. "They're yellers, but then by this morning they were over it." Chelsea mimicked a voice who I guessed was her mother, 'Just don't do it again,
Chelsea.'
Again, I thought of the difference between other parents and my parental units. If I had actually been smoking-well, I could have
kissed any sort of happy future goodbye.
I muddled thru the day. I still wasn't used to being at school the entire day, and it hung over me like a heavy cloud. I did work up my nerve
and ask what my grades were in trigonometry and anatomy. From a low D in trig, it had gone up to a D plus. Anatomy had risen from a mid D to
a C plus. Progress, yes, but not fast enough to suit me. I sighed.
When I was done for the day, and walking to my truck in the lot, I saw Guthrie, perched on the hood. He was eating a package of M & M's,
tipping the package up to pour the candy into his throat.
"Hi," I said, in greeting.
"Hey."
"You waiting for me?" I asked.
"Just gonna talk to ya for a couple of minutes," he said.
He held out the package of candy to me now. "Want some?"
I shook my head, and he went back to pouring it down his throat.
"Goin' with Brian, huh?" he said.
"I guess. What are you going to do this weekend?"
"Maybe hang out with Trent or Kenny."
"And Kristen?" I asked him.
Guthrie hesitated for a long moment, and then said, "No. The thing is, Har, I don't think Kristen and I are gonna be seeing that
much of each other from now on."
I stared, stunned at Guthrie. "You're breaking up?"
"Not exactly that. Not yet."
"Why?" I asked, caught off guard, and upset.
"There's reasons," Guthrie said, slowly. He'd stopped eating the candy, and shoved the wrapper in his pocket. "I think it's what Kristen
wants."
"You think it is?" I asked. "Haven't you talked to her about it?"
"We've talked a little bit. We'll talk some more, too. For right now, though, we're not gonna go out so much."
"What's wrong with Kristen?" I demanded. "You're the best thing that ever happened to her!"
Guthrie gave me an embarrassed sort of shrug, and slid down from the truck hood. "Thanks, Har, but you've been a good friend to her, too."
"Doesn't she want to be friends with me anymore?" I asked, then. "I'll apologize to her again-"
"You did that," Guthrie said. "She's not mad at ya, or nothin' like that. She's just-mixed up, I guess."
I looked around the parking lot. "Where is she? I'll try talking to her now."
"She got a ride from her mom earlier," Guthrie said. "And, besides, you can't mess around getting home. Brian's probably waiting for you."
"I'll call her Sunday night," I said, realizing that Guthrie was right. I didn't want to start my weekend with Brian off to a certain rocky beginning. I
already still had the feeling that he had things he wanted to say to me.
7
When I drove into the driveway at home, Brian was already by the barn, with Old Charlie and his horse, Buck, saddled. He was busy
hooking canteens over the saddle horns, and tying on rolled sleeping bags behind.
He called out to me as I got out. "Get a move on. Change your clothes and get your stuff. Grab a snack if you need it."
I waved at him to show that I heard. I ran in and up to my bedroom, where I dumped my backpack, and changed to old jeans and
a t-shirt, and pulled on my older pair of boots. I took another few minutes to stuff some extra clothes into another old backpack, and
my hairbrush and rubber bands. I grabbed the book that I'd been reading, too, thinking I might have some time to read.
I went down the back stairs to the kitchen, where Hannah and Clare were sitting at the table, snapping green beans.
"All ready?" Hannah greeted me.
"Mostly," I said.
"I made you some peanut butter and crackers, there," Hannah said, pointing to the counter.
"Thanks," I said, going over to put a couple of the crackers into my mouth, chewing while I got out my diabetes supplies and
put them in the special carrier I had, that kept everything at the right temperature, and protected from getting jostled around.
Brian came into the back door, and came over behind Clare's chair, kissing the top of her head.
"Sure you're feelin' okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. You two be careful," Clare said.
"We will," Brian said, and went to the living room. When he came back, he was carrying his rifle, and a box of ammunition.
"Did you get the food?" Hannah asked him.
"Yeah, got it on the horse already. Thanks, Hannah."
A few minutes later when Brian and I were about to set off, Adam was there, too, and Hannah and Clare.
Clare and Brian kissed once, and I got on Old Charlie. Warrior was dancing around, and I could tell he wanted to come along.
"Can he come along?" I asked Brian.
"It's a long haul up there," Brian said. "He wouldn't be able to make it."
"He can," I said. "He'll be good, Brian."
Brian gave Clare one last squeeze. "Leave him at home," he said.
I thought I saw Adam and Brian exchange one of those looks. And with the instinct that I had, I knew it was about me.
Adam came over closer to Old Charlie, and laid a hand on my leg, looking upwards at me. "Be safe. Listen to Brian."
"I will," I said. And then, with a sassy spirit, I added, "Who else is there to listen to?"
Brian gave a humph at that, but Adam's eyes stayed steady on my face.
"Sass," he said, quietly, but his eyes weren't angry.
When Brian and I set out, it was going on five o'clock. We rode steady for a while, without much conversation. It was beautiful weather, warm but
not too much so. The first time Brian spoke was when the wind came up, and he said, "You brought a jacket, didn't you?"
I hadn't. I hadn't thought of it.
"I didn't," I admitted.
"It's gonna get cold later," Brian said. "You can wear mine."
"Then you'd get cold," I said.
"I'll be alright. Thick skin," Brian said.
I nearly laughed.
7