Ollie’s cracking up. “Are you kidding me right now? That’s the worst advice ever. She doesn’t just wanna hang out with you. She wants to feel special. You gotta woo her and shit.”
Kersey’s rolling his eyes. “Ok, Spoonboy…Listen, Van, I’m totally serious and I’m right. Sophie’s an art history major, so I started taking her to museums. Three years ago, I didn’t give a shit about art, but I’m into it now because I love watching her get all excited about it. When we had last weekend off, we went to an art show in D.C., and trust me when I tell you I wasn’t the asshole sitting on a bench waiting for my girlfriend to be done looking at paintings. Fuck, no. I spent my day listening to Soph tell me all about brushstrokes and color theory. It makes her happy, and that makes me happy. Find Josie’s happy and take her there.”
Kaden might be onto something. I mean, he and Sophie are solid. Last week, he showed me the ring he’s proposing with over Christmas, so he must really like following her around to artshows. I get what he’s saying, but Josie’s thing is reading, and since we literally spend four or five nights in the library each week, I think I need to come up with something else.
“Rosco, c’mere,” Ollie calls as our second-line center walks in.
“What’s up? You need a spotter?” Rosco’s a good guy and a good friend, but he’s had a shit time of it lately. He took a nasty hit to the hand minutes before our first game and was out for six weeks. Injuries suck. But the rest of his semester hasn’t been much better.
“Nah. I need you to help me prove a point. You’ve been with Maya for almost a year now. So if you had to plan the perfect date, what would you do?”
It occurs to me that I’m the guy a lot of other guys confide in. And that’s great. But it also means that not everybody knows all the stuff I know.
Rosco shakes his head. “Don’t ask me, Olls. Maya and I are over. She came back from her mini-mester in Italy and didn’t call or message me for two days. When I went over to visit, I found her in bed with a guy from her study abroad program. So…I am definitely not the guy to ask for dating advice.”
As the guys wince at Rosco’s announcement, Booker hops off the treadmill and jogs over to me. He grabs a spare mat and starts doing planks. I figure the conversation’s over, but then he turns to me and says, “If you had told me a year ago that I’d be giving out dating advice, I’d have laughed my butt off. For what it’s worth, I think Kersey’s right. But since Josie’s always at the library and always has a book in her hand, maybe you need to get creative? Maybe do something to show how much you care? Since she’s busy taking care of her siblings all the time, maybe do something that’s just for her? I don’t know. Ian took me to an arcade once. It wasn’t our first official date—I hadn’t even admitted to myself how much I liked him. But I’d had a crappyday and he knew I needed to get out of my head, so he fed me carbs and we played a bunch of games. It was just what I needed.”
The guys keep talking around me, consoling Rosco even though he looks like he’d rather forget the whole thing. Ollie’s still convinced I need to rent a stretch limo and take Josie to a five-star restaurant, but I’m not so sure. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Booker’s boyfriend Ian had the right idea.
33
Josie
I’m supposed to be on a date right now. My amazing boyfriend planned a day date for us, but I had to cancel at the last minute, which makes me feel like a terrible girlfriend.
I’m not even sure what Van was planning because he insists on keeping it a secret, but I am absolutely sure I’d rather be on a mystery date right now than where I am.
It’s not that I’ve never been in a principal’s office before. I have. I used to help the secretaries during my study hall. I can run a copy machine and alphabetize mail at the same time. I’m a pro.
I’ve just never been to The Principal’s Office before, and neither have any of my siblings. Until now.
“Josie, honey, Dr. Helwig is ready for you.” Mrs. Vernon has been the secretary since before I started kindergarten. She’s the epitome of kindness, but I just nod and avoid her gaze. If I make eye contact now, I will burst into tears. Thanks, anxiety.
I step into her office. It’s decorated in various shades of purple, which I appreciate. What I don’t appreciate is the defiant look in Milo’s eyes as he sits in a chair that’s way too big forhim. His feet don’t touch the ground, but the angry set of his shoulders nearly fills the room.
I’m not even sure why I’m here. All I know is that I was getting ready to meet Van when I got a call from the school. When that number appears on my screen, I know it means the bus will be running late, so I almost ignored it. But I was alone in my dorm, so I answered the robo-call. Except it wasn’t a robo-call. It was Mrs. Vernon asking me to come pick my brother up so we could count today as his first day of out-of-school suspension.
When Van appeared in my doorway a few minutes later, I dashed past him and mumbled a string of apologies and promised to be back in time for tutoring. Depending on how long this meeting takes, and the traffic on Route 33W, I hope I won’t be late.
I sit down next to Milo, but he won’t look at me. Zane’s at hockey practice and the girls are with Mrs. Fulton, so at least everyone is accounted for. I’m sure Tillie is in hysterics, but I’ll deal with that when I get Milo home. Right now, I need answers.
The door opens and Mrs. Dailey walks in. She’s been the twins’ teacher for the past year and a half since they loop second and third grade, so I know her pretty well. I know her classroom is decorated in rainbows and that she tells her students her favorite color is glitter. I know she loves to get coffee shop gift cards for Teacher Appreciation Week. And I know she has a basset hound named Frank. We give him doggie treats at the holidays. But I did not know she had a great poker face. The woman is giving nothing away and I feel clueless.
I take a deep breath and remind myself that I’m basically Milo’s parent, so falling apart is not an option, at least not for several hours. I’m also an adult with responsibilities. There are things I love about my job at the library, like finding the book someone is searching for. There are also things I dread, likehaving difficult conversations with volunteers about coming in on time, or completing assigned tasks instead of getting paid to study or chat with friends. Those conversations are not my favorite, but they are a necessary part of the job. And so is this.
“Thank you all for meeting with me,” I begin. My voice trembles a little, but I don’t let that stop me. “I received a message from Mrs. Vernon and came here as quickly as I could. I was told that Milo’s being suspended, but I haven’t been told why. Can we please start there?”
Dr. Helwig nods. “Of course, Ms. Reynolds. My apologies. I’ll let Mrs. Dailey explain since she observed the interaction that has resulted in Milo’s suspension.”
I’m not sure what Milo did—and knowing my eight-year-old brother, it could be anything—but it definitely sounds ominous. My anxiety ratchets up a few notches, so I take a calming breath and hold it in for four counts before releasing it. That helps, but what really centers me is the picture of Van that my subconscious sends to my brain. Something in his smile tells me I’ve got this. Armed with borrowed confidence, I focus my attention on my brother’s teacher.
Mrs. Dailey smiles kindly. “Let me start by saying that Milo typically exhibits better behavior in the classroom. I’ve seen so much growth in him over the last year and a half, that I was really surprised by today’s outburst. Josie, you and I have discussed Milo’s ADHD on several occasions, and I feel confident in saying that it’s well managed. I hope today’s incident was an aberration, but if something like this happens again, we’ll have to make a behavior improvement plan.”
She’s right. Milo showed signs of ADHD all the way back in preschool, but we manage it with meds and therapy, the same way we manage Levi’s PTSD, my anxiety, and Zane’s depression. It’s the same way we’ll navigate any challenges Iris and Tillieface. My dad was a child psychologist and my mom was a music therapist. We are all about behavioral health in my house.
“Milo,” she says, turning to my brother, “I understand you were frustrated and annoyed. There are appropriate ways to express that you want to be left alone, but the language you chose was not Rainbow Room language.”
I’m about to use language unfit for the Rainbow Room if someone doesn’t tell me what happened. Both women are looking at Milo expectantly, but I know my brother. He’s as stubborn as Mom was. He feels an injustice has been committed against him and he’s silently protesting.
