Chapter 18
Alex put her fork down and groaned at her stuffed belly. They had been on the Vet’s property for three days since the operation and so far Quinn continued to improve. He was starting to complain about being bored and that his leg was itchy so Alex knew he was healing. She had switched him to Tylenol for the pain and packed up the stronger drugs for future emergencies. Josh had fashioned him a type of crutch and she was going to start him walking the next day. It had taken all the first day for Josh to get one of the generators working but with much cursing he had it done by dark. Unfortunately, there was a fancy, hot water on demand system in the house and he couldn’t do anything to make it work, so they had running water but still had to boil it.
On the second day, Cooper and Josh had poked around in the barn and found an ATV that they got started. They had gone out into the fields to see if there were any neighbours close by that the group would have to deal with. They found that the property was surrounded by forest and they couldn’t see any other homes. What they did come back with was very welcomed. At the back fence line, there was a small stream that ran through the property and six beef cows were nearby. When the water stopped feeding into their troughs, they must have gone to the stream to drink. Having been born and raised on a working farm, Josh had no problem rounding one up and getting it back to the barn.
When Josh showed the girls the cow and happily exclaimed “Dinner!” Alex had clapped her hands in applause but Cooper and Dara just stared at him in confusion. When Josh saw that they didn’t get it, he laughed and howled at them. “Where did you think steaks came from? They aren’t born in little white foam trays covered in plastic wrap!” He laughed even harder at their shocked faces. When he got his breath back he reassured them, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it, just have the barbeque warmed up in a few hours and we’ll have a feast.”
Cooper and Dara were excited about fresh red meat but were more than happy to leave the preparations in Josh’s hands. All of their bodies were craving fresh protein and greens. They had been eating from cans for the past two weeks and the girls were thrilled to find potatoes that were still good in the basement pantry. The vegetables would be canned but it was still exciting to have fresh meat and potatoes. With the power on, they could do their baking in the kitchens big oven and they moved from baking buns to baking loaves of bread. They still had plenty of flour in the camper but were pleased to find another big bag in the house.
Whoever had lived in the house had lived there alone. They had found only one bedroom that was being used with clothes in the closet. There were pictures of family members but only one man had lived in the house. Being out of town and in an isolated area seemed a strange place to have a business but the group was just happy to have a safe refuge while Quinn healed.
Josh stuffed the camper’s small freezer with meat and then braved the stench of the house’s refrigerators compartment. Alex helped him clean out all the spoiled rotten food and cleaned the insides with disinfectant before putting the fresh meat in it.
After an amazing feast of barbequed steak and baked potatoes, the girls brought out the cake they had baked in the house’s oven and they all went into the living room to eat dessert. Alex had wrapped and splinted Quinn’s leg so it wouldn’t move and with help, he could move from the dining table to an arm chair with an ottoman to prop up his leg.
Even with the generator working they couldn’t use the huge flat screen TV that dominated one wall. It had fried with everything else that had a computer chip in it. It was still nice to just sit comfortably in a lighted room instead of around a campfire on the ground.
Quinn fell into a doze as soon as he was done eating his cake and Josh and Dara started a card game together. Cooper was flipping through a magazine so Alex decided to go outside and take a walk. She missed the routine of gymnastics and her body wanted exercise. She slipped out of the house and walked down the driveway, enjoying the cool evening air. Emily was on her mind and she tried to picture where her friend might be. Had she made it home yet? How long did it take to sail up the coast and cross one province to get home? She couldn’t help but think of her family and what might be happening with them. As she came back up to the house, she stopped at the edge of the wide lawn and decided she had to get her mind off home.
Alex slipped her boots and socks off and dropped down into some warm up stretches. When she felt her muscles were ready, she launched herself across the lawn and sprang into handsprings and cartwheels. She kept it easy because of the grass and worked her way back and forth in different combinations. Everything faded away as she pushed her body through different tumbles and she had a light coating of sweat when she finally came to a stop. She did a few more stretches and went to pick up her boots. As she came to the stairs of the house, she was jolted by Cooper who was standing by the railing.
Happy that the darkness would cover her blush, she wondered if he had been watching the whole time. She went up the stairs and sat on a deck chair to put her socks and boots back on.
“I used to watch you,” he said quietly.
Her head snapped up from tying her boot and she stared at him in confusion.
“At school, I mean. When you would practice your routines in the gym, I’d watch you. It’s so amazing and beautiful the way you move from one flip to the next. It was like being able to see music. Okay, that sounded really dumb. Never mind,” he mumbled and turned away, embarrassed.
“No, not dumb,” Alex said standing and joining him at the rail. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you. I never saw you there.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t think you would be too happy about the local hoodlum spying on you so I stayed back out of sight.”
Alex studied him for a minute and asked, “So what’s that all about anyway, the whole bad boy reputation?”
Cooper didn’t respond for a while and Alex didn’t think he was going to answer her until he finally said quietly, “It’s a joke, a scam.” Alex stayed quiet and waited. He turned to her and asked, “Do you really want to know?”
When she nodded, he turned away and looked out over the lawn. “My dad’s an ass, a lowlife loser. He drinks too much, likes to be a bully and can’t keep a real job. My mom finally got fed up and left five years ago. I never had a lot of friends when I was younger and it got worse after my mom left. So I’ve been a loner for a while. I mean, who wants to bring friends over to a dirty, dumpy house with a bully dad around. So no one really knows much about me. Then a few years ago, I get a call from the bar to come get my dad because he’s drunk and stupid. I go over to the bar and the cops are loading him up into the back to take him home. They’re feeling bad for me and offer a ride. So I’m climbing into the back of the cop car and some kids from school see me. That started the first rumours. Then I get suspended for fighting and that added to it. The truth was, I tried to stop this jerk jock from tormenting a freshman and he took a swing at me, so I put him down. After that, the rumours were flying and I just kept my mouth shut and went with it.
“Do you know I’ve had kids ask me if I could sell them drugs, or get them an iPod for cheap? It’s such a joke. I’ve never broken the law in my life. My dad has some creepy friends and the cops come by now and then asking questions. They all know me and know I’m not like my dad, so when they see me walking they always stop and ask how I’m doing or if I want a ride somewhere. Every time some kid sees that it just fuels the rumours more. So it’s all a scam. I’ve just been waiting for graduation to get out of there. I get really good grades and I think I can get a scholarship next year. At least I did until all this happened.”
Alex stood beside Cooper and they looked out at the lawn together, both lost in thought. After a while, Alex sighed in frustration. “I don’t get it. I’m a teenager and I don’t understand teenagers, myself included. Things can be so hard and confusing and we make it even worse for each other. Why are we so quick to sell each other out? Did you know
Dara used to be one of my best friends growing up? She started to change when we hit junior high and I just let her go. All I saw was her crazy makeup and funky hair. I never tried to find out what was underneath it all, and now that we’re back together, I can’t imagine how we could ever not be friends. I never talked to you. I heard what was said about you and took it for fact and never gave you a chance. Why, why do we do that? We’re all struggling with things and we’re all scared sometimes so why do we make it even harder on each other?” She turned to Cooper and took his hand. “I’m sorry I never talked to you and I’m sorry I didn’t make the effort to see who you are under the reputation. I’m so glad you came with us. I’m so glad I can say you are my friend.” And she leaned in and kissed him softly on his cheek.
Cooper was humbled by this girl’s kindness. He had watched her over the years and admired her but now he felt something even more for her. The question was, could he have a chance with her?”
Before he could say anything more, Josh came out onto the porch. He took in their closeness and raised an eyebrow. “Cooper, you want to help me get Quinn up to bed?”
“Sure, man, of course.” He let go of Alex’s hand and followed him in.
Alex stayed on the porch thinking for a while about Cooper and how easy it was to misjudge people.