Page 11 of Perfect Tragedy
“I saw you pull up.” He walks around the truck and opens the passenger door for me. Once I climb up inside, I buckle my seatbelt as promised and watch as he climbs in and does the same.
He starts the truck again with a look at me and smiles. Jack smiling is a gift by itself. When he does, his eyes light up, and as his mouth lifts in the corners, crinkles appear at the edges of his eyes. I love them, and the sight always makes my heart pound a little harder and my lips automatically lift to return the gesture. He turns back to stare out the windshield as he drives and I notice his dark hair is standing on end like he just ran his hands through it and that’s where the strands ended up. He has a nervous habit of doing that when he’s stressed and I can’t help but wonder what’s making him feel on edge. My face falls when I wonder if there’s trouble with his mom again.
“Are you okay?” Blake asks.
“Me?” I ask surprised. “Yeah, why?”
“You just looked sad for a minute. Your whole face seemed to change.”
“Oh. No. I’m fine,” I say forcing a smile.
“Thanks for coming with me.”
“Sure! But, what are we going to the store for?” I ask curiously.
“Actually, we’re going to make a quick run to the mall. I need your help picking something out for someone.”
“Alright,” I respond expecting he’ll tell me what we’re looking for exactly, but he doesn’t.
“How’s school been going lately? I haven’t really talked to you one on one in a while. I assume if anything was going on, Jack would have said, but I should still check in more often.”
“No, it’s ok. Everything is fine, there’s nothing to report,” I shrug. “I guess I’m pretty boring.”
He smirks, “There’s nothing boring about you, Si.”
My breath catches, but somehow I manage to say, “I can’t believe we’re already in the fourth quarter. It won’t be long and it will be summer break.”
“I’msoready for that.”
“Why? School not going great for you?” I ask with clear doubt in my voice. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for summer either. I guess I just figured our school’s wonder boy would be dreading the end.”
“Wonder boy?”
Smiling I shrug, “You heard correctly.”
He shakes his head looking amused, but then sobers. “School is fine, I guess. Things have just been… stressful… at home. I think it will be good when I can spend more time there and not have to worry about school.”
“Oh,” I stay quietly feeling bad knowing why he’s saying that. Hesitantly I ask, “What’s going on?”
He doesn’t answer right away. The silence is long enough to make me wonder if I made a mistake asking and he’s just going to pretend I didn’t. “My mom has been drinking a lot,” he confesses suddenly and I still. “It started casually. A glass of wine at home after a stressful day. A few drinks when she went out with friends after working all day. Eventually it became every day and more than one to ‘unwind’.”
“Oh man, I’m sorry. No wonder you’re feeling stressed.”
“Yeah,” he takes the opportunity while we’re stopped at a stoplight to run his hand through his hair. “It’s only a matter of time until she gets fired. She’s missed too many days and then showed up at work drunk a couple weeks ago. They called me and asked me to come get her. Mr. Kimble had empathy for her I guess because he didn’t toss her out for good that day but did tell her to get herself together, but I’m already expecting it’s coming.”
“That didn’t make her stop? Realizing that she’s going to lose her job?”
He laughs without humor, “No. It seems to have only made her drink more. I think I’ll have to get a job to help support us.”
“How are you going to do that, Blake? You have school. And when school is over, sports. And sports camps.”
“I’ll figure it out,” he shrugs. “She’s already the talk of town. I imagine someplace will take pity on me and give me a job knowing why I need one.”
“Sometimes I hate living in a small town.”
“Yeah,” he nods. “At least no one at school has said anything to me about it.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” I shake my head at the thought of someone being so stupid.
