Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
“Are you okay?” Kai asks as I lift my head off his shoulder.
I wipe my hands over my face and stand from the bed. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I cried like that.”
“I don’t blame you. This is heavy stuff.”
I nod. “It’s a huge shock.”
Kai stands and moves toward the doorway. “You wanna get a glass of water or something? Cool down a bit?”
I follow him out. “Yeah, sounds good.”
He shudders jokingly. “Good, because I can’t stand another minute in Milo’s room.”
I sniff back the last remnant of my tears, and tease, “Too clean for you?”
As we enter the living room, Milo exits Kai’s bedroom. He stumbles on his footing, muttering to himself as he wavers on retreating into the bedroom.
He hangs in the doorway and clears his throat. “Are you okay, Jamie?”
I push for a smile, delaying my response until I can ensure my hoarse voice won’t tremble.
Kai interprets the situation, standing in front of me. “Leave her alone. She’s not interested in homework right now.”
“I wasn’t asking about homework.” Milo cranes his neck to glimpse me, but Kai continues to block his view. “She just seems off.”
“Can you just listen to me for once?” Kai complains. “Give her some space.”
“Okay, I will,” Milo murmurs, moving across the carpet toward his bedroom. “Let me get Alfie and then I’ll go back to my book.”
“He’s not in there,” I say, and Milo halts by his bedroom door. “He’s outside.”
Milo’s eyes pop with horror. “What?”
My shoulders bunch high, filling with tension I don’t understand. I point to the bedroom window. “He wanted to go out. What’s wrong?”
Kai winces. “Oh, you didn’t.”
I look at him blankly. “What?”
Milo rushes to the window, pulling it open and scanning the darkened area. “Alfie? Alfie?”
Kai and I move toward the room, and I continue to question, “What’s going on? Don’t animals like being outside?”
Milo groans, moving away from the window. “He’s an indoor cat. He can’t be outside.”
“Oh,” is all I can manage as Milo pushes past me and hurries downstairs.
Kai sighs, running a hand over his brow. “This is bad. Last time Alfred was outside it took days to find him and Milo was a wreck.”
“I didn’t know.” I raise my palms, dumbfounded. “I’ve never had a pet. He seemed eager to get outside.”
Kai rubs my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up. If you didn’t know, you didn’t know.”
I gesture to the stairs. “Should we help look?”
Kai nods and leads the way. “Yeah. Hopefully, he hasn’t gone far.”
We land downstairs as all the adults are up and putting on raincoats. Mr. Nelson grabs his keys, announcing he and Grandpa will drive around the neighborhood to search for Alfred. Mrs. Nelson coaxes Grandma back to an armchair, while Milo and Kai are already out the front door.
I follow behind as Mrs. Nelson urges me to return to the house. The temperature outside has grown icy, and the rain hits my skin like needles. Foolishly, I came downstairs without a coat, but I’m not turning around now.
“He moved from the window ledge to that tree,” I say, raising my voice so I’m heard over the heavy rain.
Kai moves toward the tree, grabbing onto a branch with both arms and hiking a leg up. “I’ll get him down.”
“Kai don’t!” his mother yells from the porch. “It’s a thunderstorm. I don’t want you being struck by lightning.”
Milo points at the tree. “But what if Alfred’s up there?”
“Your cat is much too smart to be in that tree,” Mrs. Nelson answers.
I look around the front yard. “Then where would he be?”
Mrs. Nelson beckons to Kai. “Come back inside. This rain is freezing and you’ll catch a cold.”
Milo moves down the path, calling out to his cat.
“Milo!” his mother calls through cupped hands.
Kai waves her off. “Let him go, Mom.”
Kai follows his brother, ducking low and then treading on the balls of his feet, searching the surrounding area.
I move off the porch, but Mrs. Nelson grabs onto my arm. “Oh no you don’t.”
“I have to help,” I protest.
“No, I need all you kids to come back inside.” She signals to hOh,er kids. “Boys, come back in. Alfie will be hiding somewhere. He won’t hear you over the rain.”
Kai grabs onto Milo’s shoulder, but he nudges him off. Kai gestures to the adjacent houses and Milo nods. The twins then start walking along the street path.
“Boys!” Mrs. Nelson calls, her voice giving out.
I rub the space over my heart. “Milo must be going nuts.”
Mrs. Nelson frowns. “He loves that cat so darn much. I just don’t want them getting hurt out in this weather.”
“I feel like such an idiot.” I clench my fist and hit my thigh. “I didn’t ask if he could go outside.”
Mrs. Nelson strokes my hair. “No one thinks you did this maliciously. Milo’s not angry at you, he’s just worried about his pet.”
Goosebumps sprout over my arms, and when I briskly rub them away, Mrs. Nelson orders me back inside. Knowing better than to argue with her, I retreat. Grandma gives me her most heartbreakingly worried eyes from her armchair.
After what seems like an eternity, Mrs. Nelson returns with the twins. With heightened emotions bouncing off each of them, they hang up their drenched coats.
“Mom, I can’t stay inside,” Milo says with a hitch in his voice. “I can’t leave him alone out there.”
Mrs. Nelson holds the sides of Milo’s face as she talks in a calm and rational tone. “Honey, there’s nothing you can do about it now. Alfie’s not dumb. He’ll come back to the house.”
Milo pulls away. “What if the storm scared him off? He could be anywhere. What if he doesn’t know the way home?”
“Your dad and grandpa are out looking for him now. If they don’t find him, it’ll be because he’s sheltering from the rain.” Mrs. Nelson holds him still, looking into his eyes. “Honey, he’ll be okay.”
Milo chews his bottom lip and gives a slight head shake. “You don’t know that.”
Mrs. Nelson sighs, frowning as her eyes grow glassy. “Oh, honey.”
Milo steps back, frustration breaking his posture. “How am I supposed to go upstairs when I know he’s out there in the storm?”
“Maybe I should go for a drive too?” Kai says, reaching for his keys.
“No. It’s too dark and you won’t see anything through all this rain,” Mrs. Nelson replies.
Kai throws his arms up. “So we just sit here and wait?”
“I’m sorry,” I blurt, forcing everyone’s head to snap in my direction. “I didn’t know it’d be a big deal. I’m sorry I opened the window.”
Milo looks away, giving me nothing in return. His shoulder blades flex as if ripples of pain are flowing down his back.
“Jamie, it’s okay,” Mrs. Nelson whispers, moving my way. She nudges me toward the stairs. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed?”
“Shouldn’t I...?”
Mrs. Nelson shakes her head, ushering me away. “It’s okay. There’s nothing for you to do. It’s not your fault.”
“Umm, okay.” My legs are wobbly as I take the stairs. I keep my gaze over my shoulder, waiting for Milo to look my way.
He doesn’t.
It’s like he’s cemented in that spot.
My heart breaks in two. The reality sets in that he’ll do anything to avoid me.
Kai moves up the stairs with me. “Don’t take it personally,” he says as we move into the upstairs living room. “He’s just obsessed with that cat.”
I bite my lip, willing the tears back into their ducts. “Even you knew not to let the cat out.”
Kai shrugs. “Because I live here and have been through this rodeo before.”
I glimpse the stairs and mutter, “You really put in the effort for Milo.”
Kai snorts. “Hello? He’s my brother. Of course, I care.”
I plonk on the couch and throw my head into my hands. “I just feel so bad.”
“I bet you ten bucks the cat will be scratching at the back door, waiting to be let in.”
I look up and cross my fingers. “I hope you’re right.”
Kai kneels beside me. “How are you doing, anyway? You were already hit with a massive revelation tonight.”
A weighted sigh exhausts out of me. “Aw, crap. I’d actually forgotten about Coach. Oh, gosh. How do I face him at school tomorrow?”
“I can be with you when you tell him.”
I massage my forehead as a sting of tension fires its way into my skull. “How do I tell him?”
Kai pulls me into his arms. “You’ll find a way. It’s Coach.”
I nod against his shoulder and then pull away. “I need a shower and then hours of sleep.”
Kai stands, giving me room to move away. “I hope you can sleep. If you can’t, I’ll stay up with you and play video games to keep your mind off it.”
I smile at him with appreciation. “Thanks for everything, Kai. You really are the greatest friend I could ever ask for. Will you apologize again to Milo for me?”
“James, you don’t need to…”
“Please.”
He sighs and nods. “Okay. I will.”
“Thanks.”
After dragging myself to the shower and letting the hot water vaporize all my troubles, I found Kai was right. Sleep didn’t come easy. No matter how tired I am, I toss and turn all night in bed. My head pounds with thoughts of Milo. He was so angry he couldn’t look at me.
Throughout the night, I check the bedroom window, hoping Alfie’s there. He wasn’t, but I keep my ears pricked, regardless.
For good measure, thoughts of Coach and my mom torment me awake. I knew they were friends, but she never mentioned knowing him before the move to Victoria Falls. How could she have known the whole time that he was my dad and never say anything? She could’ve at least confided in Aunt Maddy.
Instead, she let us believe we should fear my dad’s identity.
I grind my teeth and clench my fists. That part I can’t forgive. How dare Mom make me so terrified? If she wasn’t sure who my dad was, it’d be one thing. But she knew! The whole time!
When it’s time to get up for school, my whole body is wrecked. I was so tightly wound last night, clenching all my muscles in rage and sadness, that getting up this morning and stretching is excruciating.
I get ready for school with less enthusiasm than a zombie. When I make it downstairs, I find out Milo already had his grandpa drive him to school. They’re taking detours through the neighborhood, searching for Alfie. I suggest to Kai we do the same thing.