My Soul to Keep
Page 36
Metal clanged against the faded Formica as Harmony set our good mixing bowl on the counter.
A labored engine roared down the street out front, then rumbled to a stop in the driveway. My father was home, and considering how quickly hed arrived, I was surprised not to hear police sirens following him.
Moments later, the front door flew open and smashed against the half wall. My dads keys dangled from his hand and his chest heaved as if hed just run all the way from work. His breathing didnt slow until his gaze found mine. Are you okay?
I scooted forward on the couch as Nash sat up straight next to me. Yeah. Im good. Thanks to twenty-eight stitches and a strong local anesthetic. But I wasnt looking forward to the next hour of my life. The nurse whod bandaged my arm had given me two Tylenol tablets. Because once the local anesthetic wore off, shed said, Id feel like someone sliced my arm open.
I think that was her idea of a joke.
What the hell happened? my dad demanded, still standing in the open doorway as a cold draft swirled across the room, fluttering the opened bills on one end table and raising chill bumps on my legs. Dont they have teachers at that school? Why wasnt anyone there to stop this?
Well, crap. I guess theres no way to avoid the whole truancy aspect.
We werent actually at school. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I looked pathetic enough to thwart the bulk of his temper.
The front door slammed and I opened my eyes to see anger and concern warring behind my fathers pained expression. I dont even know where to start, Kaylee. Ive only been back for three months, and youve nearly been killed twice. What do I have to do to keep you safe? Are you out looking for trouble?
In spite of the growing pain in my arm and my general state of guilt and grief, I managed a wry grin, trying to lighten the mood. You missed that part of the discussion. When his worried scowl deepened, the smile died on my face.
My father sighed and pulled his coat off as he clomped across the living room, bringing with him the scents of sweat and metal from the factory where he worked. Hed had to leave earlygiving up part of his paycheckthanks to me. Hows your arm?
Fine. I held out my hand when he reached for it, and he studied my arm, as if he could actually see through the long, thick bandage. The doctor said theres no permanent damage. Its just a few stitches, Dad.
Tod huffed and propped his feet on the footrest of my fathers recliner. Try twenty-eight, he said, and my dad actually jerked in surprise. I was almost amused to realize that, though he could clearly hear the reaper, my father couldnt see him.
Damn it,Tod! He glared in the reapers general direction.
Do not sneak up on me in my own houseI dont care how dead you are! Show yourself or get out.
Harmony and I shared a small smile, but my father didnt notice.
The reaper shrugged and grinned at me, then blinked out of the chair and onto the carpet at my fathers back, now fully corporeal. Fine, he said, inches from my dads ear, and my father nearly jumped out of his shirt. Your house, your rules.
My dad spun around, his flush deepening until I thought his face would explode. I changed my mind. Get out!
Tod shrugged again and a single blond curl fell over his forehead. Ill get the scoop from Kaylee later. My breaks over, anyway. Then he winked silently out of existence, leaving my father still fuming, his fists clenched at his sides in anger that had no outlet.
I looked up at the clock in the kitchen. It was 2:05 p.m. Tods shift had only started at noon. If he didnt watch it, he was going to get fired.
Is he really gone? My dad glanced first at me, then at Harmony, who shrugged, clearly trying to hide a grin as she shoved several fallen ringlets back from her face.
As far as I can tell.
Tod didnt torment his mother or me much because he couldnt get such a rise out of us. My father and Nash were his favorite targets, because they took themselves so seriously.
My dad closed his eyes and sucked in a long, hopefully calming breath, then refocused his attention on me. Where were we?
I was telling you Im fine. No permanent damage. No need to mention the twenty-eight stitches again
But you could have been killed, he insisted, and I couldnt argue with that, so I kept my mouth shut. Come in here where I can get a better look at you. He stomped into the kitchen and gestured for me to take a seat at the table, beneath the brightest light in the house.
I sat, and he sank into the chair next to mine, studying my face as if it now held foreign planes and angles. Who did this? He took my chin in one hand and carefully turned my head for a better look at the short, shallow cut on my neck, which the nurse had cleaned and left unbandaged. It hadnt even required stitches.
I sighed and pulled away from his gentle grip, already dreading the explanation I was about to launch. Scott Carter.
The same kid who trashed your car?
No, that was Doug Fuller.
My father twisted in his seat to glare at Nash, who was now hunched over on the couch, his head cradled in both hands, his broad shoulders slumped. And theyre both friends of yours? Teammates?
A labored engine roared down the street out front, then rumbled to a stop in the driveway. My father was home, and considering how quickly hed arrived, I was surprised not to hear police sirens following him.
Moments later, the front door flew open and smashed against the half wall. My dads keys dangled from his hand and his chest heaved as if hed just run all the way from work. His breathing didnt slow until his gaze found mine. Are you okay?
I scooted forward on the couch as Nash sat up straight next to me. Yeah. Im good. Thanks to twenty-eight stitches and a strong local anesthetic. But I wasnt looking forward to the next hour of my life. The nurse whod bandaged my arm had given me two Tylenol tablets. Because once the local anesthetic wore off, shed said, Id feel like someone sliced my arm open.
I think that was her idea of a joke.
What the hell happened? my dad demanded, still standing in the open doorway as a cold draft swirled across the room, fluttering the opened bills on one end table and raising chill bumps on my legs. Dont they have teachers at that school? Why wasnt anyone there to stop this?
Well, crap. I guess theres no way to avoid the whole truancy aspect.
We werent actually at school. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I looked pathetic enough to thwart the bulk of his temper.
The front door slammed and I opened my eyes to see anger and concern warring behind my fathers pained expression. I dont even know where to start, Kaylee. Ive only been back for three months, and youve nearly been killed twice. What do I have to do to keep you safe? Are you out looking for trouble?
In spite of the growing pain in my arm and my general state of guilt and grief, I managed a wry grin, trying to lighten the mood. You missed that part of the discussion. When his worried scowl deepened, the smile died on my face.
My father sighed and pulled his coat off as he clomped across the living room, bringing with him the scents of sweat and metal from the factory where he worked. Hed had to leave earlygiving up part of his paycheckthanks to me. Hows your arm?
Fine. I held out my hand when he reached for it, and he studied my arm, as if he could actually see through the long, thick bandage. The doctor said theres no permanent damage. Its just a few stitches, Dad.
Tod huffed and propped his feet on the footrest of my fathers recliner. Try twenty-eight, he said, and my dad actually jerked in surprise. I was almost amused to realize that, though he could clearly hear the reaper, my father couldnt see him.
Damn it,Tod! He glared in the reapers general direction.
Do not sneak up on me in my own houseI dont care how dead you are! Show yourself or get out.
Harmony and I shared a small smile, but my father didnt notice.
The reaper shrugged and grinned at me, then blinked out of the chair and onto the carpet at my fathers back, now fully corporeal. Fine, he said, inches from my dads ear, and my father nearly jumped out of his shirt. Your house, your rules.
My dad spun around, his flush deepening until I thought his face would explode. I changed my mind. Get out!
Tod shrugged again and a single blond curl fell over his forehead. Ill get the scoop from Kaylee later. My breaks over, anyway. Then he winked silently out of existence, leaving my father still fuming, his fists clenched at his sides in anger that had no outlet.
I looked up at the clock in the kitchen. It was 2:05 p.m. Tods shift had only started at noon. If he didnt watch it, he was going to get fired.
Is he really gone? My dad glanced first at me, then at Harmony, who shrugged, clearly trying to hide a grin as she shoved several fallen ringlets back from her face.
As far as I can tell.
Tod didnt torment his mother or me much because he couldnt get such a rise out of us. My father and Nash were his favorite targets, because they took themselves so seriously.
My dad closed his eyes and sucked in a long, hopefully calming breath, then refocused his attention on me. Where were we?
I was telling you Im fine. No permanent damage. No need to mention the twenty-eight stitches again
But you could have been killed, he insisted, and I couldnt argue with that, so I kept my mouth shut. Come in here where I can get a better look at you. He stomped into the kitchen and gestured for me to take a seat at the table, beneath the brightest light in the house.
I sat, and he sank into the chair next to mine, studying my face as if it now held foreign planes and angles. Who did this? He took my chin in one hand and carefully turned my head for a better look at the short, shallow cut on my neck, which the nurse had cleaned and left unbandaged. It hadnt even required stitches.
I sighed and pulled away from his gentle grip, already dreading the explanation I was about to launch. Scott Carter.
The same kid who trashed your car?
No, that was Doug Fuller.
My father twisted in his seat to glare at Nash, who was now hunched over on the couch, his head cradled in both hands, his broad shoulders slumped. And theyre both friends of yours? Teammates?
