I walked out on the sidewalk. I had to tell Tocks about the three jerks that attacked Gaze, and I was headed toward the park to see if he was there when I heard my name.
“Pixie Rae!”
Over my shoulder, my mom was wrapped in her bathrobe with her feet tucked in her house slippers.
Seeing her caused tears to spring into my eyes.
“Oh, baby, come here.”
I ran to her and she held out one arm, while holding her robe closed with the other.
When I wrapped my arms around her waist, she enveloped me with both arms, kissing the top of my head. “Do you like Bic? He has a lot of personality, but he’s a good one.”
I tilted my head so I could see her. “I don’t know him.”
That was obviously the hardest thing. I didn’t know him. I didn’t want to know him. I didn’t want anyone to have a claim on my mother.
“You’ll love him. He’s got a big heart. And he’s going to be here with you when I’m gone. I mean, no more alone at night. That’s good, right?” She brushed my hair away from my face.
I wished I’d never told her I was scared of the dark. Then she wouldn’t have tried to solve that problem.
A loud wolf whistle came from my mom’s window. “Hey, wife! It’s up again.”
Mom waved her hand toward the window. “Okay. Shh. Okay. I’ll be right back up.” She turned back to me. “Do you want to come upstairs? It’s pretty hot up there now. What do you want for dinner? You name it. I’ll get us anything. It’s a celebration.” I’d prepped dinner already. We were going to have spaghetti and cookies. All at once I didn’t want to have that with her and him. Stupid Bic. Mom kissed my head again. “Anywhere you want, Pixie. When you get home, we can go anywhere. Where are you going… to the park? Reading? Don’t let me interrupt your day.”
And then she turned to leave.
Interrupt my day.
I used days to interrupt the loneliness of missing my mom. Now it was switching. All in one afternoon. Bic leaned his arms against my mother’s window and pointed to the ramp. “What the hell is this? We’re pulling that up as soon as I’m finished with your mom.”
Oh, I hated him. I hated Bic. And now he was in my family somehow.
Chapter 15
Gaze
PIXIE’S NEW STEPDAD was a dick. That’s what my dad said. That’s what Pixie said. And now, it was what I was saying. One of his first acts in the neighborhood was to attempt to pull up the ramp Pixie and I had found. It was wedged in so good that he couldn’t move it. I watched him from the shadows of my room. He sure as heck pissed himself off. He used a few tools to try to pull it up, but it was rusted and jammed hard. He grumbled about tetanus shots and a welding saw.
Then he tuckered himself out. The ramp was staying for now. I wasn’t sure how determined Bic was to get it out. He was a disgusting smoozeball according to Dad. He came down and bought everyone beer at Tapps to introduce himself, but had Ms. Stone’s credit card, so she had to come down and approve the charges. She didn’t seem thrilled at all, but did it. It was crazy that my dad was good at judging character when he was who he was.
Pixie was so angry she didn’t even want to discuss it. She went on with our days in the summer like her mom wasn’t even home. Pixie did get a refurbished cell phone from her mom. So we kept track of that.
We met with Tocks and he had warned Alfie and his buddies away from me. I didn’t love that I had to get protection from anyone, but I was grateful that Tocks seemed so fond of Pixie, because pretty much the kids on the block worshiped him.
I healed from their attack, and Dad’s drinking tapered down a little. He was getting on a health kick, focusing on vegetables. He was like this. Extremes. Either it was all or nothing. I was hoping he would get back to sober, but he’d get shaky hands if he didn’t at least drink something every day.
He kept it to three beers. I was impressed because three beers just made him friendly and a little forgetful, but didn’t turn him into a monster.
Despite summer seeming to drag on forever, the school supply displays appeared in CVS, and soon Pixie was telling me about open house before the first day of school. Bic and her mom were traveling, so she’d be by herself. My dad never cared about my schools before, and I couldn’t imagine that changing. So, Pixie and I decided we would go together.
The day of the open house I met Pixie out in front of our building. She had a sundress on and her hair in a high ponytail. I was just wearing shorts and a tank top. It didn’t occur to me to dress up at all. She had a folder and a pencil. I didn’t even have on matching socks.
“Well, are you ready for seventh grade?” Pixie led the way. We could walk to school, which was good luck because I hated using the school bus at my last school. I’d try to just sit there and get to school, but there was always some kid acting up for whatever reason. My dad said it was because when we are young they have to dial in our drugs, and some kids just couldn’t figure out how to be human on their own. Dad kind of sucked at being human, so I wasn’t sure if he was in any place to judge.
“No. I’m ready to turn right back around.” I made like I’d do just that and Pixie caught my arm.
“We’re going. It’s just an open house. Then we can go home and relax.” Pixie and I walked arm-in-arm for a block before we separated to look at the window display in a cool store. It had a fake pool and what looked like a dog swimming in it.
When we were done naming the fake dog, we continued walking. “How was Bic last night?”
Bic had been pontificating on the stoop of Pixie’s building about politics. He wasn’t gaining any friends. I wasn’t sure what Ms. Stone saw in him.
Pixie’s gaze went steely. “I don’t know. I locked my door.”
“Probably a good move.” Pixie’s door had a deadbolt from the previous owners. It took me pointing it out to her for her to realize its potential. She hadn’t even considered it. She always liked her bedroom door open. But now she had a reason to keep it closed. Privacy from Bic.
We walked up to the busy school building cluttered with kids and groups of parents.
“Here we are.” Pixie weaved through the staring crowd and waved to the people she knew, which was damn near all of them.
The open house was chaotic. It was supposed to be a way for us to meet our new teachers and get a few forms in. If Pixie wasn’t dragging me around, I wouldn’t have even walked in. We met her homeroom teacher and mine, and then we couldn’t take it anymore. There were about triple the amount of people who should’ve been in the space jammed up in there. At least that’s what Pixie said and hoped it was true. I wasn’t spooked by crowded spaces, but I had a feeling that Midville Middle School would instill that fear in me.
We walked all the way home, and I waited outside while Pixie changed into a more summer-ready outfit.
We spent the rest of the day attacking summer like we were trying to make it last. We went to the swings, we played basketball, and we danced in the hydrant that Tocks opened like it was his job. We played freeze tag for a few rounds with a group of kids, before Pixie and I were starving. The local hot dog stand guy still had some dogs left, so we each bought a Coke along with our lunch.