Amalee Read Free Page B

Hally quietly noticing the pills on my sweater or the little ink stain on my pants.
    I heard my dad getting ready for work. He taught two classes at the college on Mondays.
    On my way to the kitchen, I was surprised to see Phyllis’s car in the driveway. My mind filled with that terrible silence in the car after I’d dropped that bomb, telling John to give it up.
    Phyllis was polite. She didn’t seem mad, but I couldn’t tell. She didn’t talk and talk and talk like she usually did. She was a little spacey as she drank her coffee and Ipoured some cereal. I tried to make small talk as if I were going to work like her and my dad.
    â€œAnother day, another dollar,” I said, shaking my head.
    â€œWould you like a ride to school?” Phyllis asked. “I’m not going to work today, actually, but I can drop you off.”
    â€œWhy aren’t you going?”
    â€œI’m driving your dad to the doctor,” she answered casually.
    â€œWhich doctor?” I asked.
    Phyllis crossed and re-crossed her long legs. “He hasn’t been feeling well.”
    â€œWhat do you mean? You mean the headaches?”
    â€œYeah, and he’s been feeling dizzy. A little dizzy.”
    â€œIs that bad?” I was worried now.
    â€œIt’s something to pay attention to.” Phyllis was looking into the next room, hoping my dad would come in and finish the explanation.
    â€œHow bad is that? I mean, how dizzy is he?”
    â€œHe fainted.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œYesterday. You were at the library. Don’t get me wrong, people faint sometimes. We’re just being careful. So we’re both calling in sick today. Don’t tell anyone I’m just the driver.” She stopped herself from going on, and she smiled.
    â€œSo this is just to make sure he’s okay?” I asked, still nervous.
    â€œExactly. And you know how careful I like to be.” She was right about that. “I said, ‘Nuh-uh, no driving for you until you see a doctor.’ If he fainted in the car — I can’t even think of it. So I’m cutting school.”
    I knew it had to be a big deal if Phyllis was cutting school. “I’ll tell them you’ve got a huge rash with blisters,” I promised her.
    â€œThank you,” she said with a near smile. “Then they won’t miss me.”
    â€œWell, hello,” my dad said as he came in for breakfast. “Are we taking you to school today?”
    â€œYeah, and then you’re going to the doctor,” I said. I looked at him closely, to see if I could notice something really wrong. Mostly he looked like he hadn’t slept at all.
    Dad looked at Phyllis. “Yup,” he said, “I’m sure I’m fine. It’s part of being healthy to be careful.”
    Sure. I narrowed my eyes to look very serious, but they didn’t notice.
    Dad insisted on sitting in the backseat of the car, and I got a little chill down my spine. Sitting in the front seat, I felt like I was the parent and we were dropping my dad off at school. But when the car stopped, it was me jumping out and going up the steps of the middle school.
    I walked in past Hally and Ellen on the way to my new seat. The seating had changed, and that was fine with me. Ellen was talking with Lenore. “New York was founded by the Dutch,” she said. “They had a boat called the Half Moon. The Mayflower went to Massachusetts, not the Hudson River.” And then she added what she always added: “Everybody knows that.”
    I groaned and quickly passed both of them.
    How was I going to make it through this day? I don’t even know if I did. I could only think about Dad at the doctor’s.
    At lunch, I went to my hiding place, the side of the stage we had in the gym. Once, during an assembly, I looked into the dark wings of the stage and knew I could go there to be alone. Sure enough, the door to the backstage was always open,