It's a Wonderful Death - Sarah J. Schmitt Page 0,39
says.
I race past Claudia, bending low to ram my shoulder into her gut.
“Ouch!” she gasps. But a moment later she recovers and is in hot pursuit. Her legs are longer than mine but I almost make it to the front of the playground entrance before she catches up. Grabbing the hood of my coat, she yanks me back, and once again I’m looking up at the starless sky.
“I’m done talking,” she growls.
I watch as she raises her fist back, ready to smash in my face. And I don’t react. I don’t try to protect my face. I just watch her fist as it moves in slow motion. First back and then picking up speed as it nears my nose. And then I do the only thing I can. I roll out of the way and her hand smashes into the blacktop. I think I hear the tiny bones breaking in her hand, but I’m too busy scurrying out from under her to care. With their leader howling in pain, the rest of the girls are paying more attention to her than me. I race toward the entrance and run full force into the wool coat of my dad.
“What’s going on here?” he asks, looking between me and Claudia.
I glance behind him and see Abby crossing the street with my mom. From the look on her face, someone is in a lot of trouble. I just hope it isn’t me.
“Um, I think she broke her hand?” I say, pointing toward the group of girls.
“What did you do?” my mom asks me, rushing over to Claudia.
“Nothing,” I answer. “I mean, when she was going to punch me in the face I moved, but I didn’t touch her, Mom. I swear.”
She pauses for a moment and looks at Claudia. “Is this true?”
I don’t know what Claudia says, but I see the disappointment fade from Mom’s face and pride sweep in. “Well, we should get you home.” She helps Claudia stand up.
“I’ll get the car,” my father says.
I can’t believe they’re being so kind to the girl who tried to beat me up. But a few minutes later, our tormentors are driving away with my father who’s on the cell phone with Claudia’s parents. I wonder how he’s going to explain their daughter’s condition.
My mom takes my hand and leads Abby and me back to our warm house. It isn’t until I’m in clean PJs and sitting in front of a cup of steaming hot cocoa that I find out about Abby’s mom and the car accident that took her away from her family.
That’s when the silver cord tugs and I’m soaring into the night sky away from the tears and sadness.
I land with a thump next to Angelica. When I look up, her eyes are brimming with tears and joy.
“You did very well,” she says, pulling me into her arms. “Thank you.” Her embrace is warm and nothing like I would expect from a ghost. But there’s something else about it that triggers the humming in my brain. Something familiar. It smells of lilacs.
I step back to look at her. She has the same red hair and big blue eyes. How did I not see it before?
“You’re Abby’s mom. But I don’t remember you looking so …”
“Young, relaxed, fabulous?” she asks, tossing her ginger locks over her shoulder.
“Well, yeah,” I admit. Abby’s mom was always rushing out of the house in a flurry of activity. She never let her hair down—literally or figuratively.
She throws back her head and laughs. “I like you, RJ. I haven’t always liked you, but I like you now.”
“Because I didn’t stand up for Abby?” I ask.
She nods. “Yes. I understood why you ran that night at the park. You were a kid. But I could never figure out why you didn’t go back. You just left her to face those girls alone.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, hoping it doesn’t sound as lame out loud as it does in my head. But there’s nothing else to say. I don’t know why I didn’t go back, either. I think it was Claudia’s threat to ruin my chance of being popular. And I honestly didn’t think they were really going to hurt Abby.
“There is no need to be sorry anymore. You made up for everything just now.”
I blink back the tears from my eyes. Her forgiveness is more than I’m ready for. “How did I do that?” I whisper.