He tried to stick them in my face. I grabbed him around the ankles and tickled the bottom of his feet. He let out a shriek.
Well, youre still ticklish, I said. And you still giggle like a girl.
He tried to grab me, but I held his feet tight. Sam slid from the recliner and limped into the next room.
Our immaturity is scaring her off, I said. Sorry, Sam. Come back and well act our age.
No, Im just grabbing some food. You two carry on. Youve earned a maturity time-out.
I let go of Daniels feet and he pulled them off my lap.
Were home, I said. Well, not our home but I leaned back into the cushions and let out a happy sigh. Close enough for now.
Feels good, doesnt it?
Unbelievably good.
I opened my eyes and glanced at him.
Thank you. For keeping me on my feet and getting us back here.
Um, pretty sure you did at least half of the getting us back here part. And I needed some help staying afloat, too. He paused. Well, not as much as you, but thats because Im a guy and were naturally tougher.
I threw a pillow at him.
Shes not here, Corey called as he thundered down from the second floor.
TWENTY-SX
MOM ISNT HERE, COREY said. Neither is Travis. So much for my grand resurrection. He slumped onto the sofa. Well have to wait for them. Which is a little anticlimactic.
We decided to clean up and eat. Start looking and feeling human again.
Theres not much in the way of food, Sam said. Shed come out of the kitchen with a Coke and a spoon heaped with peanut butter.
What? Corey said. Mom knows better than to let our cupboards get empty or Ill dig up her stash of fancy chocolate bars.
The fridge is practically bare, Sam said. Grocery shopping is apparently the last thing on your moms mind.
Im sure theres more in the cupboards. I just stopped at the peanut butter.
We went into the kitchen. Corey headed straight to a cupboard and pulled out cereal and cookies.
Pops in the fridge, Sam said.
Daniel got that. As he stood there, door open, he glanced at me. I was looking past him at a loaf of bread, uncovered and rock hard, on the counter. Beside it was a pitcher. The smell of sour milk hit me as I moved closer.
Coreys mom wasnt here. She hadnt been here since the fire.
Daniel shook his head at me. Dont say anything yet.
I accepted a Coke from him and cookies from Corey. Then I took a bowl of cereal out toKenjii. Not ideal, but no worse than the granola bars Id been feeding her.
As we headed back into the living room, I noticed the phone on the counter.
Daniel followed my gaze and laughed. Um, yeah. Were holed up, waiting to notify someone that were back and theres a phone. Weve been in the woods way too long.
He picked it up. Sam leaped forward and grabbed it from him.
It could be bugged, she mouthed.
Corey opened his mouth to argue, but she motioned for him to wait until she hung up. As she lowered the phone, she stopped. She looked at it. Lifted it to her ear. Frowned.
Its dead, she said.
Corey took the phone from her. He jabbed a few buttons. Then he strode into the study and picked up another phone.
Dead? I said.
He nodded.
Must be from the fire, Sam said. Im surprised they even have electricity.
Corey said nothing. He was staring at the empty desk. All the wires for a laptop dangled over the edge. He turned and tapped an empty shelf behind him.
My laptop should be here. He gestured at the empty desk. It was when I left. He turned to Daniel. Okay, obviously between the fire and the crash, Mom hasnt come home. But she didnt take my laptop. She told me to pack it. I didnt.
Why? Sam said.
Because my homeworks on it, he said, in a tone that implied this was a stupid question. Laptop perishes in the fire? I get a free pass on every assignment.
Which Im sure she knew youd try, so she took it. Im supposed to be the paranoid one, guys, and I
Corey was already gone, heading for the stairs again. He took them two at a time. Then he pitched forward, hands clutching his head as he let out something between a moan and a strangled cry.
Daniel raced upstairs to help him to his feet and Corey promptly puked on him.
You were done with that shirt, right? Corey mumbled as we half carried him into his room. He started to say something else, and heaved again, this time twisting enough to vomit on the floor instead.
Sidestepping the puddle, we got Corey onto his bed. He went into fetal position, hands over his head, moaning.
Where are your pills? Daniel said.
Bathroom.
Well find them, I said, and started to go.
Corey grabbed my sleeve. Stay.
Good idea, Sam said. My bedside manner sucks. Ill help Daniel.
They left. I knelt beside Coreys bed, holding his hands as he groaned and writhed, his face shiny with sweat.
Well, youre still ticklish, I said. And you still giggle like a girl.
He tried to grab me, but I held his feet tight. Sam slid from the recliner and limped into the next room.
Our immaturity is scaring her off, I said. Sorry, Sam. Come back and well act our age.
No, Im just grabbing some food. You two carry on. Youve earned a maturity time-out.
I let go of Daniels feet and he pulled them off my lap.
Were home, I said. Well, not our home but I leaned back into the cushions and let out a happy sigh. Close enough for now.
Feels good, doesnt it?
Unbelievably good.
I opened my eyes and glanced at him.
Thank you. For keeping me on my feet and getting us back here.
Um, pretty sure you did at least half of the getting us back here part. And I needed some help staying afloat, too. He paused. Well, not as much as you, but thats because Im a guy and were naturally tougher.
I threw a pillow at him.
Shes not here, Corey called as he thundered down from the second floor.
TWENTY-SX
MOM ISNT HERE, COREY said. Neither is Travis. So much for my grand resurrection. He slumped onto the sofa. Well have to wait for them. Which is a little anticlimactic.
We decided to clean up and eat. Start looking and feeling human again.
Theres not much in the way of food, Sam said. Shed come out of the kitchen with a Coke and a spoon heaped with peanut butter.
What? Corey said. Mom knows better than to let our cupboards get empty or Ill dig up her stash of fancy chocolate bars.
The fridge is practically bare, Sam said. Grocery shopping is apparently the last thing on your moms mind.
Im sure theres more in the cupboards. I just stopped at the peanut butter.
We went into the kitchen. Corey headed straight to a cupboard and pulled out cereal and cookies.
Pops in the fridge, Sam said.
Daniel got that. As he stood there, door open, he glanced at me. I was looking past him at a loaf of bread, uncovered and rock hard, on the counter. Beside it was a pitcher. The smell of sour milk hit me as I moved closer.
Coreys mom wasnt here. She hadnt been here since the fire.
Daniel shook his head at me. Dont say anything yet.
I accepted a Coke from him and cookies from Corey. Then I took a bowl of cereal out toKenjii. Not ideal, but no worse than the granola bars Id been feeding her.
As we headed back into the living room, I noticed the phone on the counter.
Daniel followed my gaze and laughed. Um, yeah. Were holed up, waiting to notify someone that were back and theres a phone. Weve been in the woods way too long.
He picked it up. Sam leaped forward and grabbed it from him.
It could be bugged, she mouthed.
Corey opened his mouth to argue, but she motioned for him to wait until she hung up. As she lowered the phone, she stopped. She looked at it. Lifted it to her ear. Frowned.
Its dead, she said.
Corey took the phone from her. He jabbed a few buttons. Then he strode into the study and picked up another phone.
Dead? I said.
He nodded.
Must be from the fire, Sam said. Im surprised they even have electricity.
Corey said nothing. He was staring at the empty desk. All the wires for a laptop dangled over the edge. He turned and tapped an empty shelf behind him.
My laptop should be here. He gestured at the empty desk. It was when I left. He turned to Daniel. Okay, obviously between the fire and the crash, Mom hasnt come home. But she didnt take my laptop. She told me to pack it. I didnt.
Why? Sam said.
Because my homeworks on it, he said, in a tone that implied this was a stupid question. Laptop perishes in the fire? I get a free pass on every assignment.
Which Im sure she knew youd try, so she took it. Im supposed to be the paranoid one, guys, and I
Corey was already gone, heading for the stairs again. He took them two at a time. Then he pitched forward, hands clutching his head as he let out something between a moan and a strangled cry.
Daniel raced upstairs to help him to his feet and Corey promptly puked on him.
You were done with that shirt, right? Corey mumbled as we half carried him into his room. He started to say something else, and heaved again, this time twisting enough to vomit on the floor instead.
Sidestepping the puddle, we got Corey onto his bed. He went into fetal position, hands over his head, moaning.
Where are your pills? Daniel said.
Bathroom.
Well find them, I said, and started to go.
Corey grabbed my sleeve. Stay.
Good idea, Sam said. My bedside manner sucks. Ill help Daniel.
They left. I knelt beside Coreys bed, holding his hands as he groaned and writhed, his face shiny with sweat.
