Throw Away Teen (21 page)

“
Actually, I think Willa needs to toughen up a bit,” I said. “Then, she’ll figure out the rest on her own.”

“
Hey, I’m still here,” Willa informed me. “I’m not a shadow.”

“
I’d say whatever you’re doing is working, B.J.” Dr. Jackson’s grin widened. “Good job. Other than your classes, what else do you like at the Academy?”

“
Um, I don’t know, but I’ll tell you what’s weird.” I propped my elbows on the table and met his gaze. “I’m used to having like forty people in a class and the teachers having a tough time remembering names. And now, the biggest class I’ve got is PE. There’s only thirty-four girls. And we have three teachers plus a couple lifeguards to teach us swimming.”

“
There’d be more people in PE if they hadn’t signed up to take outside courses,” Willa told me. “If you do horseback riding or fencing or karate or judo, you can get your instructor to sign off and the school counts it for credit.”

“
Yeah, but I don’t know how to swim,” I said. “So it’s fun.”

With her dad being there, Willa didn’t ask me about Ringo and the way he kissed me. She might later, but I hoped she would forget about it. We were halfway through the cinnamon rolls when Ringo showed up.

He glared at me. “I’ve looked all over the mall for you, B.J. Next time you decide to disappear, would you mind telling me?”

“
Did you finish wiping out the vampires? They were more important.” While he considered that, I took another bite of my cinnamon roll. “And since I don’t need your permission to do anything, I would mind. So, I won’t.”

Ringo was still mad when he took me home two hours later. He parked the pickup and then turned to look at me. “I really like you, B.J., but I don’t know how to show you that.”

“
Well, I don’t know either.” I pushed open the passenger door and jumped out, heading for the house.

He caught up with me on the path. “I always walk the girl to her door.”

“
Always?” I tried to shrug like I didn’t care. “Popular, aren’t we?”

He snagged my hand and pulled me against him. He held me, stroked my hair.

For a moment, I let him, but the pain in my chest reminded me I shouldn’t let him or any guy get close to me. I pulled loose and bolted for the back door. This time he didn’t chase after me.

When I came into the living-room, Liz and Ted were caught up in some silly sitcom on TV. I offered Ted what was left of the money he gave me. He shook his head. “Keep it, honey.”

I eyed him warily. What was with the “honey” crap? Did he think he was getting to me? No way would I trust him, but I’d take his money. I shoved the cash back in my pocket and sank down on the floor to cuddle Guard. He licked my chin and my frustration eased. “Thanks, Ted.”

“
Did you have fun?” Liz asked me on the next commercial.

“
It was okay.” I got up and carried Guard toward the door. “I’m pretty tired. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“
He hasn’t been out for a half-hour,” Ted said. “Walk him first so you don’t have to scrub the carpet.”

“
Okay.”

The rest of the dogs came with me and I noticed that Ringo was long gone.

***

I’d only been in bed a few minutes when Liz tapped on the door and came into my room. She fixed the blankets and sat on the edge of my bed. “Did Ringo say something that upset you, honey?”

“
No!” The question shocked me. Didn’t she know he wouldn’t do anything to upset her or Ted? “Ringo even said he likes me. How can he? It doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t know anything about me or who I am.”

Liz stroked my hair. “After a person has been hurt for a long period of time, it’s hard to believe anything good about yourself. You’re a nice girl, B.J., a good girl.”

Did I have her fooled or what? When I saw that she meant it, I almost started to cry. “But I’m tough. You can’t be nice and tough at the same time.”

“
Of course you can.” Liz put her arms around me. “Real strength and courage comes from within. You can afford to be nice to people who aren’t as tough as you are.”

“
I never thought of that,” I said.

She kissed my forehead. “Then, it’s time to start. Sleep good, B.J.” She left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

Was I afraid to be nice to people? Being nice meant getting attached. Liz might think it was time for me to let myself get attached to those around me but I wasn’t so sure. And if I did stay and let myself fall for Ringo, he could just as easily change his mind about me. Just because someone liked me now, didn’t mean it was forever.

***

The next morning Fiona arrived early with mochas for herself and me. She actually made me pull out my binder and show her that I was keeping it organized the way she taught me and I’d turned in all my completed assignments. Then she asked Liz if we could use the computer in the study. When Liz wanted to know why, Fiona explained she wanted to teach me how to check my grades.

It wound up being a lesson for all three of us. There was a website we could go on and it listed my classes, assignments, lecture notes from the teachers, and even a grade-book screen for each subject. Fiona selected my English class and it showed that I had an A already. Mr. Barrett had started grading with the first day I arrived in his room.

My jaw dropped open. “I thought the teachers would include my grades from last quarter.”

“
How fair would that be?” Fiona asked. “The other teachers will give you time to make up assignments for the entire quarter if you want. Otherwise, you’ll just be graded from the time you entered the Academy.”

“
Will I get straight A’s in June if I choose door number two?” I asked.

Fiona hesitated then reluctantly shook her head. “No. I’m sorry, B.J., but it wouldn’t be the Academy way. To have a four-point GPA, you need to make up the work. Without it, you can only get a three-point-five or B plus.”

“
That’s still pretty good,” Liz told me. “You make thirty-five dollars for one of those.”

“
I’d rather have the fifty for an A,” I said. “And all A’s means three hundred and fifty bucks.”

Liz heaved a dramatic sigh and shook her head as Ted wandered into the room. “Honey, you’ve got to learn to read the fine print. You didn’t include P.E. so that’s another fifty and with the bonus for a four-point, you’re looking at five hundred dollars in June.”

“
Oh my—” ’That was some major bucks and I’d be able to make it really last on the streets. “Is that for real, Ted?”

He nodded. “But that’s the last time Liz does the math for you. If you don’t remember all the financial details on our contract, re-read it. You have to give me an invoice when your grades come and I’ll pay what you think I owe. If your figures are wrong and it’s in my favor, I don’t have to tell you.”

“
What if it’s in my favor?” I asked. When he smiled, I knew he’d nail me for any errors I made. “That’s so unfair.”

“
That’s life,” Ted told me. “Maybe, your tutor will help when you write up your bill in June.”

“
Bill?” I repeated.

“
That’s what an invoice is,” Fiona told me. “And we’ll go over how to design it when we do computer work. Now, let’s start work on your research project. I want to teach you how to take notes and cite your sources.”

***

I didn’t see Ringo at karate, but reciting the rules before we started reminded me of what Liz had said the night before. Sensei Nichols was a good example of what I figured she meant. He was always nice to me and yet, he was super-tough. I’d seen him go at it with the guys when they thought they were being macho. Sensei
could block any punch or kick. He didn’t back down from a fight, not even a practice one.

After karate, we went straight to Evelyn’s riding stable, Horse Heaven. It was between Stewart Falls and a town called Pine Ridge on the main highway. I spotted a few bus stops along the way.
Good to know
, I thought, adding the knowledge to my escape plan. I wondered if they kept bus schedules in the counselor’s office at the Academy. I’d swing in on Monday and pick one up. Just in case I needed it.

Liz sent me to a huge barn by myself while she went to the office to sign me in for my lesson. I felt really stupid carrying the white helmet and sack of carrots she’d bought me. Then, I saw Sarah coming toward me with a Hispanic girl from our Spanish class.

“
Hey,” I said. “So, what am I supposed to do now?”

“
Come with us and meet your horse,” Sarah told me. “This is Rita. She’s going to help us groom and tack up Windsong for you.”

“
And then what happens?” I asked.

“
Fiona teaches you how to start, stop, steer, and walk around the arena,” Rita told me.

“
I can do that now.”

“
On the mare, B.J.” Sarah giggled and led me to a stall where a gray horse munched hay. “Give her a carrot.”

Windsong pricked up her ears at the sound of the word and lifted her head, sticking it over the wall at me. I shoved the bag of carrots at Sarah. “Here. You do it.”

Rita laughed. “I thought you were tough.”

“
Yeah, but I’m not stupid. I’m not feeding my body parts to a horse.”

Sarah elbowed Rita. “Don’t freak B.J. out. Show her how to do it.”

“
Okay.” Rita pulled out a long skinny carrot and held it at the end so her fingers were at least a foot away from Windsong’s teeth. The horse sucked up the vegetable as if she were a vacuum cleaner. Crunch. It was gone.

“
Wow.” I took a carrot and held it up to the horse. She did it again. “Amazing. She eats these faster than Bull does cookies.”

It took us almost an hour to brush the horse. It made sense. She was a lot bigger than my puppy. Sarah showed me how to clean the hooves and then Rita taught me how to put on the saddle. After that, I led Windsong out to the arena where Fiona waited.

While I walked Windsong around, other people brought their horses into the arena to join the class. Sarah led in a reddish brown horse that was bigger than Windsong. Rita came back with a black one that matched her hair. It made weird noises and jumped sideways when she led it past the bleachers where Liz and Evelyn sat.

After a few minutes Fiona came up and explained how to get on the horse. The next thing I knew I was in the middle of Windsong’s saddle. I looked around the ring and noticed that everybody else was on their horses except Rita. She just kept walking the black horse that Fiona called Banshee in small circles at the far end of the ring.

Meanwhile, Sarah rode her horse out into the center of the arena. After calling for everybody’s attention, she said, “Hi, I’m Sarah and this is my Arabian mare, Xanadu. We’re going to teach you how to ride, so please look at us.”

***

Liz was waiting for me in the car when I finished putting Windsong away an hour and a half later. After lunch at
Taco Time
, we went grocery shopping. Because I had money, I paid for the dog shampoo and toilet paper like I’d promised. A deal was a deal and I always kept my end of a deal. When we got home, I started packing in bags of food after I took Guard for a walk. Ted came out of his den and hurried into the kitchen to find Liz. The two of them talked for about five minutes and then he was in an old Ford pickup I hadn’t seen before and headed down the drive.

“
What’s going on?” I asked Liz. “Is he okay?”

“
He’s fine.” Liz stacked packages of frozen vegetables in the upright freezer. “Dallas called. Her dad didn’t show up and Ringo needs a ride to the Academy for the ball game.”

“
Did their dad have to work or something?” I unpacked cans of dog food and put them away on the shelves in the pantry. “Sometimes stuff just comes up.”

“
Stuff always comes up with Marv,” Liz said. “He has great kids, but he always makes excuses and bails on Ringo’s sports events or Dally’s agility trials.”

“
What about Ringo’s mom?” I asked. “Where is she?”

“
At work. That’s another thing Marv doesn’t do, pay child support.” Liz jerked open one of the lower drawers in the pantry to put away the potatoes. “I’m sorry, B.J. It just frustrates me when parents don’t step up and take responsibility for their kids. Marv’s one of the worst fathers I’ve had to put up with over the years, but at least Ringo and Dallas have a good mom.”

“
Well, if he’s not around, then he can’t pound on them or starve them or lock them in the basement,” I said. “Things can always be worse, Liz, and at least they have Ted to come help them when they call.”

She turned and gazed me as if I’d come from a different galaxy. Then, the next second she was across the room and hugging me.

I let her hug me for a moment before I pushed her away. “Cool it, will you? I told you. I’m not the touchy-feely type.”

“
And I told you that I am. Get used to it.” She hugged me again then let me go. “Go walk your puppy. We have to get to the Academy for the ball game.”

We arrived at the field in plenty of time before the game started. Ringo was throwing baseballs while Mike caught them. Eyes still puffy from crying, Dallas sat by Ted, but I pretended not to notice that occasional tears still trickled down her cheeks. I plopped down beside her and handed her the second ice-cold soda I’d bought at the refreshment stand. Liz sat down on Ted’s other side.

Dallas sniffed then asked. “Why are you being nice to me?”

“
Why not?” I took a swallow of my cola. “Besides, you made sure your brother got here to pitch. That’s way decent of you.”

“
We could’ve walked, but we didn’t know my dad wasn’t coming until it was too late.” Dallas drank some soda. “And Ted freaks when we hitch rides.”