Freeze Frame Read Free Page B

It’s missing a scene.”
    October 8, 9:24 A.M ., Scene Five, Take One
    Mrs. Bishop brushed by me. “Maggie, what happened?” she asked. She dropped to the floor. “No, my baby! Hold on, hold on, hold on.” Her words barely made it through her tears.
    Mr. Bishop came right behind the men with the stretcher. They pushed Mom and Mrs. Bishop out of the way. They talked fast into walkie-talkies, hoisting Jason onto the stretcher.
    â€œGunshot wound to the chest.”
    â€œFifteen-year-old boy.”
    â€œNine millimeter.”
    â€œMassive blood loss.”
    â€œHow long ago did this happen?” They looked at me. “Kid, can you remember?”
    I shook my head. “I don’t know.” How long ago did what happen?
    Mom stepped forward. “We heard a loud noise around nine fifteen. I ran out, saw what had happened, and called nine-one-one.”
    The blanket dripped black with blood. A crimson pool formed on the floor.
    Jason blinked every once in a while. I could hear him gasping. He made a terrible, wheezing, choking sound, worse than anything I’d ever heard.
    Stop it. Stop making those noises. Say something.
    His eyelids fluttered.
    I reached out to touch his arm, but the EMTs pushed me away.
    The Bishops ran behind the stretcher. Mrs. Bishop heaved herself into the back of the ambulance and sat nextto Jason. The paramedics turned on the lights and siren and peeled out of the driveway. Mr. Bishop and Dad followed the ambulance.
    â€œMom, you need to change,” Mel said. I looked at Mom’s shirt, then down at my pajamas, stained with the same red-black color. I felt splatters on my face and started to scratch at the dried blood spots.
    â€œAnd the pancakes are burning,” Mel said.
    Was that the terrible burning smell?
    Mom pushed me to Mel. “I’ve got the pancakes. You help Kyle.”
    Mel nodded. She steered me through the kitchen door and upstairs. “Christ, Kyle, snap out of it! ” Mel looked nervous. She threw some clothes at me. “Get dressed. Wash your face. We have to get to the hospital.”
    My toes were blue—the same blue as Mel’s cheerleading uniform, as Mom’s eyes, as Jason’s lips. Why were his lips so blue? I pulled my socks on and shoved my feet into my orange sneakers.
    â€œCome on, Kyle. We need to get going.” Mel yanked my sweatshirt over my head. She took a cold washcloth and scrubbed at my face. She jerked back when she touched my hair and gagged. “Put on a baseball cap.” Her voice quaked.
    â€œI didn’t—” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “He isn’t—?”
    Mel wiped her cheeks. “Come on. We’ve gotta go.”
    We rushed downstairs. In the kitchen, Mom held on toan old towel and wiped her hands, over and over again. The pancakes were burned and the kitchen looked as disastrous as the morning I bet Jase he couldn’t eat seventeen pancakes. I never thought he’d actually go through with it. I ended up losing out on an entire semester of Twinkies from my lunch for that bet.
    Jase was the biggest sophomore in all of Carson City. At Carson High School, all the coaches drooled over him. Jase liked sports enough. He just had other shit he wanted to do more. They didn’t get that. I did.
    Mom led me to the garage. “Kyle, get in the car. Mel, go over to the Bishops’ and get Brooke and Chase. We’re going to the hospital.”
    I climbed into the very back of the Suburban. I pulled my knees in tight and tried to squeeze the pain out of my stomach.
    Mel came back with Brooke and Chase. Brooke and Mel cried all the way to the hospital. Chase didn’t say anything.
    He passed his Jack Sack from one hand to the other. Swish, swish, swish, swish. I could tell he was scared. Even though he was only eight, he did everything with Jason and me. He was a great kid. Chase unbuckled his seat belt and turned around. His head