Infuriating - Onley James Page 0,1

the branches of the tree to the sky above, watching the clouds roll by as the sun set. Sarah’s feet pointed one way and Day’s the other, their heads slotted together so they could both see.

“When I finally get my new lungs, I’m going to fly away to California and be a movie star,” Sarah said with a sigh. She always said that. She was going to be a big star and be on the tv.

Day couldn’t imagine wanting that kind of attention. People staring at him, listening to him talk, making fun of him. “Not me. The idea of a bunch of people sta-staring at me sounds kinda awful.”

He tried to avoid words with Rs and THs. They always made the w sound. His teacher said those were his ‘problem letters.’ He didn’t know what that meant other than that was when the other kids started laughing. His teacher tried to make them stop but she wasn’t with him at recess. Sarah said she thought maybe his eyes and his tongue didn’t talk to each other. His grandma said all letters were his problem, that he was just born dumb…like his mama. That was why he still couldn’t read.

“Nah, acting is neat. You get to be anybody you want, and you get to wear costumes and makeup and jewelry,” Sarah gushed, ignoring his slowed speech.

Wearing makeup and jewelry sounded fun, but Day would never do that again. He might be dumb, but he wasn’t that dumb. His grandma had flipped out when she’d seen Day and Sarah playing dress up, said dressing up was for girls and sissy boys. She always liked to use that word. Sissy. She called him that every time he cried, anytime he showed any sign of pain.

But Sarah always looked pretty in her fancy clothes and her mama’s big earrings and her scarlet lipstick, even if she sometimes put it on outside the lines. Day’s grandma said makeup was for sluts. He didn’t know what a slut was, but it had to be bad because his grandma spit it at him like she did the R word. Day liked the way girl clothes felt. They were soft and silky, and Sarah’s sneakers had sequins. Day didn’t understand how a fabric could be made just for a girl or just for a boy but he didn’t argue with his grandma.

“I don’t want to be he-ar wif-without you,” Day said, blushing as the words didn’t come out right once again.

As far as Day could see, anywhere was better than Challis, Idaho.

“You’ll come with me. I’ll need people.”

“Why?” Day asked.

Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. Movie stars and famous people have people that just do things for them. You could be the person who just does things for me and then we can be friends forever.”

Sarah started to cough, not a regular cough but one of those coughs that triggered spasms in her lungs. There was nothing to do but wait it out. When it finally died down, she looked pale, with purple crescent moons under her eyes. Sarah had something she called CF. It scarred up her lungs. It was why she needed new ones. But there was a list for new lungs so she had to wait her turn. It seemed weird that there was a list of people who needed new parts. But Sarah didn’t really seem bothered by it. She just sort of acted like it was normal.

Day wished somebody would give him a new brain or maybe a new tongue, then maybe his grandma would stop hating him. Sometimes, he didn’t think he wanted her to stop hating him. If she loved him then maybe that meant he was like her. He didn’t want to be like her. He hated her back. Sarah said it wasn’t nice to hate people, and he guessed that was true, but he was scared of his grandma. He hated going home. Shouldn’t it be okay to hate somebody who made you scared? Who hit you and was mean to you all the time?

“Promise me you’ll come with me to California when I get my new lungs,” Sarah said, holding up her pinky.

Anywhere was better than Idaho. He hooked his pinky with hers. “Okay. As soon as you get new lungs.”

“Have you missed Daddy?”

Dayton tilted his head to the side, giving the man on the other side of the screen a secret smile, the one they all thought was just for them. “Of course, I have. I was