Chapter 5
ROAN
Roan set three large pizzas he’d picked up from Sugarville Slice on a folding table tucked into a corner of the gym.
He looked around the room, worried the decorations he’d found in the storage closet looked tired.
Wayne had left a small, plastic Christmas tree, a few dusty garlands, and a set of twinkling white lights.
He’d hung the lights in the front windows.
The tree occupied the front corner. After some thought, he’d tossed the garlands into the dumpster in the alleyway.
Walter had dropped off folding chairs and the sodas and cooler earlier.
Now, Roan tugged the cooler under the table.
According to the group chat, Reese was bringing a few bags of ice for the soda.
Mrs. Chen had managed to get all four of the kids to agree to come to the gathering. She must have been particularly convincing. At that age, he’s not sure he would have wanted to attend a party organized by a school counselor and a pastor.
Grace had set up a group chat so they could all communicate easily. It was not lost on Roan that Reese never addressed him directly. How were they supposed to work together when she could barely look at him?
The door opened, bringing in a gust of cold air and Reese with bags of ice in her arms.
“Hey,” Reese said. “Sorry I’m late. The grocery store was packed.”
“Hey. No problem. The kids aren’t arriving for a few more minutes.” Roan moved toward her instinctively. “Let me get that.”
“I’ve got it.” But she let him take it anyway, their fingers brushing before she pulled away.
He dumped the ice over the cans of soda, then closed the lid of the cooler.
When he straightened, Reese was in the process of shrugging out of her long coat.
She had her dark hair down this evening, cascading down her back, and wore a red cashmere sweater, with jeans tucked into riding boots.
She was the most beautiful woman in the world. Always had been.
“You nervous at all?” Roan asked, hoping to distract himself from staring at her.
“A bit, yes. I really hope the kids want to be here.”
“The pizza should help,” Roan said.
“Did you see the game instructions in the group chat?” Reese asked, hanging her coat over the back of one of the folding chairs.
“Yeah. Seems pretty simple.”
For the next few minutes they discussed how they would structure the evening. They’d encourage the kids to grab a few slices of pizza and a drink and join them in the group circle.
At each chair, Roan had placed a small paddle made from a paint stirrer with card stock circles glued to each end.
One side was blue with a large “A” written in black marker.
The other side was green with a “B.” Reese would ask the questions and everyone would have a chance to answer by holding up their paddle.
“But only if they want to,” Reese said. “We’ll tell them they can pass if they don’t feel comfortable.”
“Sure, yeah. That’s a good idea.”
“If they’re anything like us, they’re not going to want to speak too openly in front of adults they don’t know.” Color spotted Reese’s cheeks. “I mean, us as teenagers.”
“Right.” He nodded, though hearing her say us made his chest ache. There hadn't been an us in fifteen years. His fault. His shame.
The first kid arrived, saving Roan from having to say anything further. He was tall and lanky, with dark hair that fell in his eyes and needed a good trim. His shoulders were hunched under a black hoodie, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his gaze directed at the floor, avoiding eye contact.
Mrs. Chen introduced him, her hand resting lightly on Cody’s arm. “This is Roan and Reese. They’re going to be running things tonight.”
“Hey, Cody,” Roan said, keeping his voice casual. “Glad you could make it.”
The boy’s eyes flicked to him, then away. “Didn’t really have a choice.”
“Are you hungry?” Reese asked. “We have pizza and soda.”
Cody shrugged. “Yeah, I could eat.”
While Reese led him over to the food table, a girl arrived. She was small and blonde, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. So tight it made Roan wonder if it hurt her head. She wore jeans and a pale blue sweater. Her fingernails were painted a pale pink.
“This is Emma Pritchard,” Mrs. Chen said.
“Nice to meet you,” Reese said.
“Hi,” Emma said, her voice small. “My mom’s waiting outside. She needs to know what time to pick me up.”
“We’ll be done at seven-thirty,” Reese said.
“Okay. Thank you.” Emma gave them a polite smile. “I’ll just go tell her.”
Mrs. Chen watched her exit, a sad expression on her kind face.
Marcus Jenkins arrived next, dressed in a hoodie that engulfed his small frame and carrying a backpack. His dark eyes seemed too big in his gaunt face. His gaze went immediately to the pizza.
Mrs. Chen once again made introductions.
“Thanks for coming,” Reese said.
“Thanks for having me,” Marcus said.
“Help yourself to some food,” Roan said. “Then take a seat.”
“Thanks,” Marcus mumbled, heading toward the pizza.
The last to arrive was Julia Smith. Seventeen and five months pregnant, she wore black leggings and an oversized gray sweatshirt.
“Julia, meet everyone,” Mrs. Chen said.
“Hey,” Julia said, her chin lifted slightly.
“I’ll be back at seven-thirty to give rides to whoever needs them,” Mrs. Chen said.
Roan thanked her, wishing suddenly she would stay. But it was up to him and Reese to get these kids talking. At the moment, no one seemed to know what to do or say. Including him.
Cody slumped into a chair, ripping apart his slice of pizza with his teeth as if he were mad at it.
Emma sat with perfect posture, hands folded in her lap like she was waiting to be called in to the principal’s office.
Marcus stood near the wall, backpack still on his shoulders, gobbling down a slice of pizza.
Julia claimed a chair on the opposite side of the circle from everyone else, her expression sullen.
However, Reese seemed undeterred. “Okay, everyone grab more pizza and a drink and then we’ll sit in a circle and play a game.”
“What kind of game?” Cody asked, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.
“‘Would-you-rather’ questions,” Roan said. “You pick an answer, we talk about it for a minute, then move on. No pressure. It’s just a way for us to get to know one another better.”
Julia and Emma each took a piece of pizza and a drink from the cooler and returned to the circle. Roan sat between Marcus and Julia. Reese sat between Emma and Cody.
“All right,” Reese said, pulling out her phone where she’d saved the list of questions.
She picked up one of the paddles from under her chair, demonstrating.
“Here’s how this works. I’ll read a question with two options—A or B.
You hold up your paddle showing whichever letter you pick.
” She flipped the paddle from blue to green.
“Then we can talk about why we picked what we picked. Make sense?”
“Like a game show.” Marcus picked up his paddle and examined it. “Cool.”
“Exactly like a game show,” Roan said. “Except nobody wins or loses. We’re just seeing who thinks what.”
“What if we don’t want to answer?” Julia asked, her tone challenging.
“Then you don’t,” Roan said. “No one has to do anything they don’t want to do. This is supposed to be fun, not homework.”
Julia studied him for a moment, then nodded slightly. “Okay.”
“First question,” Reese said, glancing at her phone. “Would you rather have to sing everything you say, or dance everywhere you go? A is sing, B is dance.”
Emma picked up her paddle and held up the blue A, then switched it to B. “Can I sing and dance at the same time?”
“Do you like to do both?” Reese asked.
“Yes, I love to sing and dance,” Emma said.
The others picked up their paddles. Julia raised blue. Marcus raised blue. Cody and Roan both raised green.
Reese held up her own blue paddle. “Dancing for me. Why dance, Cody?”
“No one wants to hear me singing,” Cody said. “At least my dancing wouldn’t hurt anyone’s ears.”
Roan nodded. “Same. I can’t carry a tune to save my life.”
“What about you?” Julia asked Reese. “Why dancing?”
Reese smiled. “I’m a dancer.” She gestured toward her studio. “I own Sugarplum Dance.”
“Is it true you used to be a ballerina?” Emma asked, a hint of longing in her voice.
“I was, yes.” Reese played with the heart on the end of her necklace.
“Why’d you quit?” Julia asked.
“My body wore out,” Reese said. “It was time to retire.”
“Do you miss it?” Julia asked.
“A little. But I have my students now. I love teaching,” Reese said. “Why do you ask?”
Julia shrugged, a hard glint in her eyes. “I had plans for college.”
“You could still go,” Emma said. “Couldn’t you?”
“With what money? Or time?” Julia asked. “From what everyone’s telling me, my life’s basically over now.”
“It’s not over,” Roan said. “You’re just on a different path than you thought you’d have.”
“What do you know about it?” Julia asked.
Roan hesitated, wondering how much of his own story he should share and feeling a little shy to give that much insight into his own life.
But he had to be open with these kids if he expected them to trust him.
“I was a stuntman in Hollywood for a long time. Last year, I got thrown from a train and hurt my neck. I can’t do that kind of work any longer, so I had to pivot. ”
“How’d you choose this place?” Cody asked. From his tone, it was clear he wasn’t a fan of Sugarville Grove.
“He grew up here,” Reese said before Roan could answer.
“So you’re back?” Julia asked. “After living in L.A.? Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Roan said. “You may not realize it now, but this is a great place to live.”
“Did you think that when you were our age?” Emma asked.
Roan glanced over at Reese, feeling way too exposed. “I had dreams that took me away from here, I guess you could say. But I’m in a new phase of life and happy to be back.”