Part 2: Keep in Touch

by Margaret Iuni

Click here to read Part 1.

Tod

Pain. My body was screaming when I woke up. I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. There was a cast on my left wrist signed in curly writing, “Bummer, kid. Love, Aunt Lou.” I smiled. Definitely a bummer. There was a note on the table from Mom saying she’d be back in a bit if I woke up next to a glass of water, hopefully for me. I chugged it down as there was a knock on the door.
“Morning,” the girl with the weird name from earlier walked in with a bunch of balloons. “It’s, um. Straya. I’m really, really sorry,” she said abruptly. “For a lot of reasons, actually. If you don’t want to talk to me I get it. I just thought I should bring you these,” with this, she wiggled the strings in her hand and the balloons violently bounced together. “I’ll just tie them here?” She gestured towards the bed frame.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” a cold voice responded. “We were just waiting for him to wake up. We’re going home.” My mother stepped into view, sister in tow. Laura rolled her eyes behind mom’s back and mouthed, “She’s pissed.”
“Okay! Well, I’ll just give them to you then,” Straya said. She thrust the balloons in my direction and I took them from her with a raised eyebrow. Laura giggled behind her hand.
“Remind me again why you’re the one apologizing right now?” I asked, slightly bewildered. It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.
“Because my now ex-boyfriend tried to drown you last night? And because I broke your wrist when I pulled you out of the pool, apparently.” She nodded at my cast. “Fred, you know, the EMT, he told me I did that…” She glanced at my mom, now staring at her, and shot me a look that said and I’m sorry for making you deal with that. I shrugged.
“Your ex-boyfriend, however recent, is not you. So, apology not accepted. I’d take a broken wrist over death any day.” She wasn’t buying it. “Seriously, I wouldn’t worry about it. Adam’s the one who’s got to watch out,” I laughed, reading the balloons. There was a Get Well Soon and an I’m Sorry surrounded by four blue balloons. “Thanks for these.” She smiled back before tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear and clearing her throat. “How’s Hippa?” I asked.

Straya

Seriously? He was asking me about Hippa? Now?
“Noah, we have to get going,” the woman in the doorway was checking her watch exasperatedly. The girl rolled her eyes again and mouthed, “No we don’t.” Tod bit back a smile, but the twinkle in his eye was enough for her. She stepped out from behind the woman who I assumed was her mother and stuck out her hand.
“I’m Laura Tod, Noah’s sister. That’s my mother, Anne.” We shook hands. “What’s Hippa?”
“My little sister, actually. She fell out of a tree and broke her arm last night. She’s alright, though,” I added, more for Tod. “She’s already home—”
“We should be, too,” Anne’s words tore through the conversation. “Let’s go. I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Stacy. The police will be by later today to get a full report and we need to be home when they show up.”
“It’s Straya. But, sure. No problem. Get well soon, Tod.” I backed out of the room, biting my tongue. I was halfway down the hall when I heard my name.
“Straya! Australia! Hold up!” Laura was running to catch me. “Noah wants to know if he can text you later?” And now the boy wanted to text me. What was wrong with him? I wrote down my number on the piece of paper Laura offered me with one more I’m sorry written underneath. I figured it couldn’t hurt.

Tod

“As far as I’m concerned, you should never see her again. She never even introduced herself to me! Rude and dangerous. Bad combination…” Mom trailed off, twenty minutes into a lecture about how Straya was an awful human being. She had fumed silently until we got into the car, but once the doors closed she exploded. “As for your aunt, she’s dead. I cannot believe she didn’t notice you were being drowned in the backyard she was catering!” I was sure Aunt Lou’s half would be an equally long lecture. I glanced in the back seat.
“Laura, how was your night?” I interrupted.
“Fine, I guess. I’m so annoyed I missed out on all the adventure,” she joked. My mother almost drove off the road.
“Adventure? Young lady, your brother almost died…”

Straya

It was 8 p.m. when Tod texted me. Hey, it’s NT. Can I call you? I pried Hippa off my leg and picked her up. For a six year old with only one functional arm, she was pretty strong.
“Who’s that, Straya?” The weird boy.
“Just my friend,” I tickled her as I placed her in bed. Maybe friend was too strong a word, but it was complicated and she was just trying to avoid bed.
“Do you have to leave this week?” Hippa pouted. She tried to cross her arms, but her cast got in the way. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know,” I said as I tucked her in, “But school calls.”
“New York is so far, though. I’ll miss you this much,” she threw her arms wide open and her cast knocked a book off her nightstand.
“I’ll miss you more,” she sat up and gave me a hug. “Now, get to bed, Trouble!” I closed the door as I left. Not right now, I texted back, Tomorrow?
What if we just hang out tomorrow? he replied.
Why? I sent back. I didn’t get it. What the hell was wrong with him?
You saved my life. Do I need a better excuse? Yes, several more, probably.
Fine. Lunch? I shook my head as I hit send.
Sounds perfect. Meet you at Jeff’s Diner at noon. Ugh. And he was the kind who used the word noon.

Tod

“You’ll be relieved to know that the two boys responsible for this will be tried, ma’am.” Deputy Higgins reported. It was his turn to get the lecture. “We’re doing all we can to stop this from happening again.” The police hadn’t shown up last night. Instead, they arrived at 10 a.m. today.
“What I don’t understand is how this was allowed to happen at all?” Mom’s face was as red as a fire truck. She was, if nothing else, a fan of punctuality.
“Mom, it’s not their fault,” I interjected. They’d already been here for an hour and a half and the clock was ticking dangerously close to lunchtime.
“You stay out of this,” she shot back. She redirected her attention, “There were plenty of opportunities to take action with those boys before.” I sighed and glanced at the time again.
“Well, officers, it was nice to see you, but I’m afraid I have plans I need to keep. Unless you have any more questions?” I stood up. I could tell Mom was ready to kill me.
“Noah Tod, you sit yourself back down right now,” she ordered.
“That’s quite alright, ma’am. He’s answered all of our questions. He can go.” I shook the two officers hands and gave my mother a kiss on the forehead. I practically sprinted out the front door. It was time to meet up with Straya.

Straya

I was already having an interesting morning. So naturally, I was going to be late. I texted Tod. Hey. Apparently, the shuttle hates me more than you do. I craned my neck, desperately searching for the cross-town shuttle. My phone buzzed. How about a ride, then?

Tod

She got into my car while throwing her hands up in the air. “You know the idiot tried to call me this morning?”
“I’m assuming you mean Adam?” I changed the radio station to get away from commercials. “How’d that go?”
“I think I might have done the world some justice,” she buckled her seatbelt angrily. “Of course, I was watching Hippa too, because Mom went to go pick Dad up from the airport, so I couldn’t even be that colorful. Shame, really…” she trailed off before nearly shouting, “I’m so, so sorry.” She took a deep breath and looked up at me as I pulled out onto the street. When I didn’t reply, she tested the silence. “So, why am I here, exactly?”
“I owe you lunch.” I kept my eyes on the road, even though I could feel hers staring at me. “Least I could do, since without you I probably would be dead.”
“You seem pretty laid back about it. Why aren’t you mad at me?” She seemed annoyed.
“Do you want me to be mad at you?” I turned the radio off.
“Well, no, but it would be normal.” She crossed her arms and fidgeted in her seat.
“Not really. If I remember correctly, you’re not Adam and you were having a bad night, too,” I turned onto Monroe Avenue, named after the fifth president, known for the best food in town.
“I… I don’t get you,” Straya finally mumbled.
“You don’t need to, yet. So where are you going to school? You’re starting college, right?” I pulled into the parking lot.
“Yeah, I’m heading to New York on Tuesday.” Her face lit up. “You?”
“Leaving for Boston tomorrow.” We got out of the car. “We should keep in touch while we’re away.” Her laugh echoed as we walked to the diner doors.
“You are a strange one.” Her eyes searched mine and, whatever conclusion she came to, they seemed to lighten. “Okay. We can keep in touch.”