Seven

        Where We Bond

        “You really want to do this for a cat?”

            I nod and Jacoby shrugs at my response. He pulls his gloves on and grabs the dead body, moving it into the empty box. Belle had run out and gave it to us, insisting that the kittens were locked safely in her room.

            My hands fidget awkwardly in front of me as Jacoby gently lowers the box into the dug hole, that’s only a few feet away from the trunk where I found the kittens. He kneels as he rests the cardboard in the dirt, doing it much more respectfully than any other guy I know would.

            He straightens up and grabs the shovel, but rather than starting to fill the grave, he looks at me, waiting patiently.

            “Do you want to say anything before I bury her?”

            “I guess,” I reply, plucking a stray flower from the grove. It’s pink and I twirl it in my fingers. “I’m sorry that you had to leave your kittens behind, but I promise to make sure they’re healthy and happy. May you rest in peace.” I lower the flower onto the closed box and Jacoby starts to fill in the hole. “How do you think she died?”

            “Judging by her shape, she probably starved to death trying to put her kitten’s health before hers.”

            Though it was noble, it didn’t seem like a good way to go.

            “So that’s it then? Nothing else I need to do?” He pats the dirt down flat and starts to climb out of the grove with me only a few steps behind.

            “I suppose not.”

            I walk him to his Camaro in the driveway, neither of us speaking until he’s sitting in the driver’s seat.

            “See you tomorrow, Stevie.”

            Before I can ask when, he drives through the trees and speeds down the road, leaving me by myself.

©

            “Stevie,” someone says, a small knock sounding under their voice.

            I roll over in bed and shove my face into my pillow, not caring if I suffocated. That would mean that I got to sleep longer.

            “Stevie, wake up.”

            I ignore the voice and squeeze my eyes tighter as I roll onto my side, happy to be back in my own room. Grandpa had been staying in it when Mom was here and Belle and I were in her room. But now I get to be back in my own bed, snuggling happily under the covers.

            There’s a soft mewing noise and then suddenly something is touching my nose.

            My eyes fly open and I come face to face with the white kitten as it presses its small nose right onto mine. I specifically remembering the kittens being in Belle’s room when I went to bed last night, but now all three of them are snuggled into me.

            “What the he-“ I start, but quickly close my mouth when I hear a boy’s voice laughing.

            My head snaps towards the door of my bedroom and I scream.

            “Get out!” I yell, pulling a pillow from behind me and covering my face with it.

            “Oh, calm down,” Jacoby says, still laughing.

            “What are you doing here? Who let you in?”

            “You’re sister and Grandpa went out for breakfast when I pulled in the driveway. They said to come on in as long as I make sure you eat.”

            “Well, that’s fantastic,” I reply sarcastically. “Please get out of my room.”

            I peek out of from the corner of my pillow and see Jacoby shrug. I thought he would notice me looking, but instead he’s looking around my bedroom, his hands shoved in his pockets.

            When he’s gone, I take a shower that could break a record for being so quick, throw my hair in a top knot and pull on some clothes. When I come out, Jacoby’s in my room, sitting on my bed. He’s playing with the kittens, letting them swat his fingers.

            “You’re insane,” I mutter, leaning against the doorway. “What time is it?”

            “Eleven.”

            “You’re insane,” I repeat, crossing my arms across my chest.

            He ignores my comment and meets my eyes. “We have to go to the junkyard to get some parts, so I thought after we could stop at the diner to eat.”

            I step towards the bed and scratch the grey kitten’s head. “What about these three?”

            Jacoby gestures to the floor beside my bed. I lean over and see that there’s a small bowl of cat food and another of milk. “They’ll be fine for a little while. I already left a note on the counter.”

            Last night when Grandpa heard about the kittens, he was against the idea of keeping them. But as soon as Belle started crying and I placed the mewing animal’s in his lap, he said we could keep them, maybe for just a little while.

            “Fine,” I mumble, grabbing my IPod from my dresser. “But if we’re going, I get to play my music in the Camaro.”

            “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Jacoby mumbles, turning onto the road. He’s saying this about my music that’s plugged into the car speakers. “I would have taken you for a pop fan.”

            “That’s insulting.”

            He nods his head to the beat of System of a Down, mumbling the words and surprising me by full on singing occasionally. He’s not bad, but it’s a complete shock to me. By the time we pull into the junkyard that I don’t remember existing when I lived here, Jacoby’s grinning and laughing at my surprised expression.

            “Hey, Ian!” Jacoby waves as we walk climb out of the car. A tall, burly looking man is leaning against the main building, smoking a cigarette. “We won’t be long.”

            “Take your time,” he grins, showing yellowing teeth. He winks at me and I try not to shudder. “I’m enjoying the view.”

            Jacoby makes a face, his mouth still smiling but this time it’s fake. He grabs my upper arm and pulls me down a row of smashed cars. “Ignore him. He’s drunk.”

            “Yeah, will do,” I mumble, liking the feeling of Jacoby leading me by my arm. “So what exactly are we looking for?”

            “Well,” he starts, dropping my arm and grabbing the empty window of a smashed car. He leans his head inside and looks around. “From what I saw yesterday, I’d say we’re looking for anything that will fit in the old engine. Your dad never wanted to get a new one?”

            “He never wanted to get a new one,” I explain, remembering him fighting with my mom about it. “He said he wanted to keep it as close to the original state it was in as possible.”

            Jacoby nods thoughtfully and I follow him down the rows of stacked cars. He occasionally looks inside them or pops open the hood, looking for spare parts.

            “Can you hold this?” He hands me a bucket that’s lying on the ground and drops a few small pieces into it that I can’t name. “We’re going to try changing some of the old parts and see if we can get her running, and if not, we’ll come back for more.”

            An hour goes by slowly before Jacoby sends me back to the Camaro. He mentioned something about getting a list he made up in the glove box to see if we have everything. As I walk out of a isle of cars, I’m now standing in the entrance, where Ian is sitting in a lawn chair, drinking a beer. Even though I get a chill up my spine as he grins at me, he’s not what I’m worried about

            Dove Miller is sitting on the hood of the Camaro, her arms folded across her chest. Her big blue eyes are narrowed at me and her lips are curved into a scowl. When she sees me she slides onto her feet and throws her blonde hair over her shoulder.

            “Stevie Greenwood,” she hisses, walking towards me.

            “Hey, Dove,” I reply awkwardly. “Long time no see!”

            “Unfortunately that long time has ended,” she mutters, stopping a few feet away. Ian whistles from his lawn chair but we both ignore him.

            “Sorry, did I do something wrong?” She looks unhappy to see me, and even though I’m slightly annoyed that she’s with Jacoby, she used to be one of my best friends, and I have no idea what’s going on. “Last time I checked we were friends.”

            “Last time I heard your name, it was from Jacoby when he ran to my house, crying his eyes out when you left three years ago.” There’s no hint of remorse in her words, but instead, she seems angry.

            “So you’re angry at me for leaving?”

            “No,” she says smiling. “I’m angry at you for coming back. Why did you come back, Stevie?”

            “Are you two gonna fight?” Ian asks. “Cause that would be awesome.”

            We both ignore him and I grip Jacoby’s keys tighter in my hand. She notices them and her eyes narrow.

            “Clearly, it’s none of your business,” I snap, leveling my eyes with hers.

            Dove shrugs, taking a few steps closer to me until she’s practically in my face. “Stevie Greenwood, being mean. Never thought I would see the say,” she smiles. “Two can play that game. Jacoby’s not just my boyfriend, Stevie.”

            She starts to walk away, past the Camaro and ignoring Ian as he watches her, grinning his creepy smile.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            She pauses, but doesn’t turn around. Instead she turns her head over her shoulder, her eyes downcast. “Oh, he hasn’t told you?” Her eyes briefly flicker to mine and she smirks. “Maybe you should ask him.” Then, she’s gone.

©

            I sit in my old chair in the shed, watching as Jacoby looks around in the hood of my father’s Mustang. When we came back, I mentioned nothing about the meeting with Dove and Jacoby didn’t suspect anything.

            As we walked through the house, Grandpa was home and acted like nothing was out of the ordinary. Belle however, was watching me with narrowed eyes. Grandpa whispered to me on the way out, smiling sheepishly.

            “I think Belle has a crush on him,” he said, nodding to Jacoby as we went out back.

            “Can you hand me a wrench?”

            I blink myself out of my thoughts and hand him the heavy tool. He smiles at me without meeting my eyes, too focused on the car. I thought Grandpa would have said something, told me to leave it alone, but instead, he condoned it.

            “Hey, can I ask you something?” I keep my voice low and stare at my hands in my lap. I keep fidgeting so I pick up a ratchet and start spinning it around, taking comfort in the familiar sound it makes. To me, it’s the sound of my childhood.

            Jacoby shrugs and leans up. He sets down the wrench and claps his hands together. “Sure.” He smiles, leaning against the hood of the car. “What’s up?”

            “I was…” I trail off, unsure of how to ask my question. “Wondering, uh, what’s with Dove Miller?”

            His smile doesn’t waver but he looks puzzled, like I just asked him a math question. “Dove? I don’t know, she usually keeps to herself mostly. I don’t see why-“

            “No,” I mumble, cutting him off. “What’s with you and Dove Miller?”

            This time his lips curve into a frown before he quickly turns back to the car, using the wrench to tighten something he just loosened. He’s trying to look busy because he doesn’t want to talk about this.

            “There’s nothing.”

            “Well, that’s not what I heard.” I slide off my stool and keep spinning the ratchet, the noise making me calm.

            Jacoby instantly stands back up again, looking at me with curiosity and worry in his eyes. “What did you hear, and from who?” I open my mouth to respond but quickly close it. He seems mad and moves closer to me, towering taller than me. “Stevie.” He places his hand over mine, stopping me from spinning the metal in my hand. The touch makes goose bumps appear from my hand to my shoulder. “What did you hear? Who said something?”

            “Dove,” I finally spit out, unable to break away from his ocean blue eyes. “She said that you’re more than…more than just her boyfriend.”

            His hand instantly lets go of mine and he walks across the garage, leaving me standing there. My knuckles are white from gripping the ratchet but I don’t dare move. Jacoby wipes his hands on a dirty towel and keeps his head low so that his dark hair covers his eyes.

            “Don’t listen to Dove, Stevie.” His voice is quiet, barely audible, but also serious. “She’s not the girl you used to know.”