Chapter 8
Skylar perched on the attic window ledge, her knees bent as she hugged her legs. Pretending to relax while looking out over the neighborhood, she couldn’t lie to herself. She was waiting for Jeb as her heart betrayed her composed exterior.
Her life had changed drastically in the three years she had known him. His quiet strength had become an integral part of her existence.
The details of his life before arriving at the Bakers’ home remained shrouded. It was a common trait among children in foster homes, each harboring their own hidden reasons as to why they were in the system. She hated that term, but it was what the social workers and teachers would use.
Every story of a foster kid was different but personal, and the one thing she and Jeb had never shared was the why they were there. That was fine with her—the last thing she wanted was to have him know.
She was only nine when she first arrived at the Bakers’. Several girls rotated through, sharing the bedroom with her, each coming and going as their situations changed. But for her, there was no going back, so she stayed.
The Bakers were nice, and she liked the cookies Mrs. Baker always seemed to have on hand. God knows, her mother had never made a cookie in her life. As nice as everyone had been, it wasn’t until she first discovered the attic and then the ledge outside the attic window that she felt truly comfortable. She’d always found safe hiding places when needed, even before she was taken from her home. Though the Bakers were good people, she still desperately craved a safe hiding place.
She felt sure Mrs. Baker knew she disappeared to the attic and equally as certain her foster mother had no idea that she actually slipped out of the window. And none of the other kids ever followed her upstairs to the attic.
At least no one had until Jeb.
She’d noticed him the first day he arrived. Though he was only a year older than her, he was so much larger. And he was quiet. She’d liked that about him. And a few weeks later, she wasn’t upset when he appeared at the window. In truth, she’d almost hoped that he would search her out. He seemed to be the one person she didn’t mind sharing her secret hiding place with. After that first day, when he sat, listened, and pressed his palm against hers, she felt safe.
He’d become her champion. Walking her to school each day, making sure no one made fun of her or called her names. And the next year, when he’d gone to the middle school, and she was still in elementary, he walked with her to the elementary school door before saying goodbye and heading to his own school entrance.
And now that they were both in middle school, she had the chance to see him more often during the day. Last year, she’d even been placed in his math class. She’d been so scared of the change, but he’d made it easy.
Now, he was in his last year of middle school, and some things had changed. She heard the way girls talked about him. How cute he was. How much they hoped he would ask them to the eighth-grade dance. At least, he rarely smiled at the girls when they were walking down the hall, seeming to save his shy smiles for her.
And as much as she hated to admit it, she was jealous when the other girls tried to gain his attention. Jeb was her friend. Her special friend. Yet it seemed she would lose him eventually. After all, everyone eventually leaves.
Next year, he would be in high school, and she’d still be stuck in middle school. She was terrified that year would change everything between them. He would be the cool teenager, and she would just be the foster kid who shared a home with him.
She sighed heavily, shivering slightly as a cool breeze blew.
A sudden noise behind her caused her to jump, and she swung her head around to see Jeb climbing onto the ledge. Her heart leaped, as it always did.
He laughed. “You jumped like I startled you. You must’ve been lost in thought.”
“A little bit, I guess,” she said, shrugging. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming or if you had something to do after school.”
“Our baseball practice was short today since we have a game tomorrow.”
She nodded, hiding a secret smile that he came straight up to see her.
“So what were you thinking about so hard?” He gently bumped her shoulder.
“I was thinking about next year. You’ll be in high school, and I’ve gotten used to seeing you at school again every day.”
“It’ll just be for one year,” he replied. “After that, we’ll be in the same school again. Anyway, you’ll be at the high school for part of the day since you’re in advanced classes.”
He was right. She had moved up again in math and was already taking high school-level English as well as science. There was a program where middle schoolers could spend part of the day at the high school taking advanced classes, and Mrs. Baker had already talked to her about that possibility. She wasn’t concerned about the classes but now wondered if seeing Jeb in his high school glory while she was still a kid would be painful.
She hadn’t grown much in the years she’d known him. Her body had matured a bit, but thirteen was still so in-between. And Jeb had gotten taller and broader. At only fourteen, he was definitely the kind of guy who captured and held attention, even if he didn’t seem to notice.
The silence between them was always comfortable, and today was no different. That was one of the things she loved about him. He never made her feel stupid for staying quiet. He spoke when he had something to say and gave her room to speak when she was ready.
Suddenly, she blurted, “Do you ever think about life after this?” She kept her gaze forward but could tell his head had swung toward her, feeling his penetrating gaze.
“After we graduate?”
She nodded but remained silent, now wondering why she’d asked.
He shrugged. “Yeah… sure. Sometimes. I guess I’ll join the military. It’d be a good thing to do.”
“Oh…” The single word came out on a breath, barely heard.
“My dad had been in the military,” he continued.
She tried to stifle the hasty intake of air. His comment was the first time she’d heard him speak of his parents. Military. That sounds good. Honorable. Like maybe he came from somewhere nice. Keeping her gaze out over the neighborhood, she pressed her lips together to keep from asking him more, battling the curiosity that threatened to overspill.
“He was out by the time I started first grade, but I still remember seeing him in his uniform.”
Now, her breathing shallowed, worried he would stop talking. And even more terrified that he would start asking questions.
Jeb continued, “He got out of the service, so we didn’t have to keep moving. At least, that’s what Mom always said.”
Heart pounding in her chest, she barely breathed as she waited, and he didn’t disappoint.
“Holidays were the best. Dad and I would get the tree, and Mom would bake all kinds of goodies.” He sighed heavily, swiping at some of the leaves that had blown onto the wide ledge. “Mrs. Baker is a good cook, but even her holiday treats aren’t as good as what my mom made.” Shrugging, he added, “Anyway, I kind of like the idea of joining the military one day, just to feel like I could be closer to my dad.” After a silent moment, he shook his head. “I haven’t told anyone that.”
Skylar lifted her face to the sun and closed her eyes, realizing the gift Jeb had just given her. She’d been privileged to receive a rare glimpse into where he’d come from and what made him so awesome. The sting of tears pricked behind her eyelids, and she kept her eyes tightly shut, pretending it was just the sunlight that affected her. “What happened?”
The words were past her lips before she had a chance to halt them or pull them back. Her heart seized, and she knew he must hear its erratic staccato. But he didn’t appear offended by the question.
“Car accident. Ice on the road. They were coming back from a school program. I was going home with a friend or would have been with them.”
Her gasp could not be contained as her eyes flew open and her head swung around. “Oh… Jeb… I’m so sorry.” Her heart ached with the sorrowful expression on his face.
“I had no living relatives, so it was foster care. The first ones were just temporary, but then I landed here.”
“Yeah, me, too,” she blurted.
“Your parents are gone, too, Skylar?” he asked, his voice wrapping around her.
She couldn’t hold his gaze. The pain in her chest was too sharp. “Yeah. They”re gone.” She swallowed deeply, so wanting to be like him. “I remember the first day you came,” she whispered. “I saw you from the window and wanted to answer the door.”
“Why?”
Shaking her head, she shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about you standing on the front path made me want to open the door to see you.”
A small grin curved his lips at her confession, and knowing she had given him that moment of happiness made her chest ache less. Pushing her luck, she added, “I was really glad you wanted to come to the attic to see where I was hiding.”
His smile widened, and they sat in comfortable silence once again. She didn’t ask more about his pre-foster care situation, and she didn’t want him to ask any more questions. Just as she started to slide her hand toward him, he reached his arm over and lay his hand, palm up, between them. Without hesitation, she placed her palm on his. His hand had gotten larger with his growth spurts, and his long fingers curled around hers.