“Hey Theo?”
He didn’t look up.
“You know how people sometimes get student loans for school?”
It came out of nowhere, his face hot, his eyes prickling. He nodded and wiped his cheeks.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Theo took a shuddering breath. “Student loans, yeah, you just have to—” The next wave crashed over him, and his shoulders caved. He pressed fingers against his eyes.
Auggie sat up, pushing back the blankets. Theo waved furiously for him to stay, his whole body shaking, as he choked out, “I’m fine. God, I could hear you. I could hear you, hear what he was doing to you, and I couldn’t do anything. I was so fucking useless. Again.”
From the next room came a woman’s voice. “And how are we doing today, Mr. Hobarth? And how are we doing today, Mr. Francis?” Laughter that the woman—the nurse?—probably imagined in her head as tinkling. “And what are we going to watch today, Mr. Hobarth? And what are we going to watch today, Mr. Francis?” Clip-clop, clip-clop. “Let’s see that arm today, Mr. Hobarth. No, no, no. Now don’t be a sourpuss. It’s just your old friend Mr. Blood Pressure Cuffy-Wuffy.”
Theo’s eyes were sticky and burning when he finally managed to bring himself down. He tilted his head at the voice and said, “It’s like a bad kid’s show.”
“Jesus,” Auggie said, covering his face. “Where’s my old friend Mr. Weefle Injection?”
Theo’s laugh was wet and short, but it felt real. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about this. I’m going to go.”
“I guess you didn’t sleep much.”
“They had me at the station all night. The only good news is John-Henry thinks they’re going to drop the assault charges from earlier this year. He didn’t come out and say it directly, but he made it sound like the county wouldn’t have much interest in prosecuting me anymore. Have you talked to Orlando?”
Auggie shook his head. “I didn’t, you know. Sleep much either.” He didn’t say anything. He just lay there, his Adam’s apple moving under the bruises, his eyes dark and steady.
Theo shucked his boots. He climbed up onto the bed, and then they both had to squirm around until they were stretched out together, Auggie with his head on Theo’s chest, Theo’s arm around him.
“My arm’s going to be pins and needles.”
Auggie made a sleepy noise that sounded like he might not be too bothered by that fact. Then he roused, his chin digging into Theo’s chest, and said, “Student loans?”
“Why do you care about student loans?”
“I think—I think that’s what I’m going to have to do.” He chuckled, turning his face into Theo’s chest. “Fer’s furious, and rightly so. The Civic is totaled. I’ve blown so much money on stupid shit. I keep getting in trouble.” Auggie shook his head. “He’s going to try to lock me in my bedroom after this. I’ll be lucky if he lets me out before I’m forty. And—and I think Fer might need some help too, in his own way. He’s so stressed. He’s carried our family since he was a teenager, and I don’t think he’s been happy in a long time. I can do this for him, you know? Take one thing off his shoulders.”
“That’s really thoughtful of you.”
“What about a job application?”
“What?”
“A job application.”
“I’m not hiring.”
Auggie poked him.
“Jesus, ok, stop. I seem to remember that you don’t have the time or inclination for a job.”
“Could you, you know, help me fill out my first one?”
“They’re pretty self-explanatory.”
More poking.
“Fine, yes. Damn it, I think you punctured a lung.”
“Will you be a reference?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Just tell them how amazing and wonderful and smart and brave and strong I am. Oh, and that I’m dependable, reliable, a natural leader, a problem solver, and that I can definitely remember to clock in and out.”
Theo’s fingers played with the buzzed hair on Auggie’s nape. “I’ll figure out something.”
As though someone had flipped a switch, Auggie’s breathing evened out. In the silence that followed, Theo heard flies buzzing. He heard the sound of blows, the fear bleeding into Auggie’s voice, the call for help that he couldn’t answer.
Auggie’s hand was surprisingly cool when it touched his cheek and thumbed away tears.
“Sorry,” Theo mumbled.
“I thought we said crying is ok,” he said in a voice sandy with sleep.
“It is. I’m all cried out now, promise.”
But he wasn’t. And then, sometime later, he was. And he slept. And his last thought was that God must be real because Mr. Cuffy-Wuffy hadn’t interrupted them.
25
The week of finals, Auggie tried four times before he caught Dr. Kanaan in her office. When she answered, she was wearing a loose hijab, a Wroxall sweatshirt, and joggers. Her running shoes had mud on them.
“Yes?” Her thick eyebrows drew together as she studied Auggie. “I’m sorry, are you—”
“No, I’m not in one of your classes. My name is Auggie Lopez. I’d like to talk to you; I’ll only take a minute.”
“I’m sorry, Auggie. The end of the semester is exceptionally busy, and I’d prefer that you made an appointment.”
Auggie shook his head. “I don’t think this can wait.”
Down the hall, a pair of boys who looked distinctly like freshmen was waiting for the elevator. One of them was bragging about having finished all his finals. The other was obviously trying to cram, flipping notecards.
“It’s about Theo Stratford.”
“I’m really not sure—”
“This conversation would be better in private.”
Dr. Kanaan’s face was blank as she stepped aside. The office was lined with shelves, and although every available inch was filled with books, sleek modern furniture and the open window combined to make the room still feel comfortably spacious. Auggie shut the door behind him.
When they were seated, he pulled out his phone and displayed the registration page for the course Shakespeare in the World. He handed it to Dr. Kanaan. She looked at it and passed the phone back.
“I don’t understand. If you’re interested in enrolling in the course, you’ll need a pink slip, and you’ll have to discuss that with the instructor. The waitlist is exceptionally long, and if you’re hoping I’ll be able to make an exception for you, I’m afraid I can’t.”
“The waitlist isn’t just exceptionally long,” Auggie said. “The waitlist is unbelievable. You have two hundred people trying to add a single section of Shakespeare in the World.”