6. Eden
6
EDEN
E den glanced over at Jack again as they walked home from school the next afternoon.
For once, he had his backpack straps over both shoulders, leaving his arms free to clutch an old football to his chest.
“Mr. Williams gave you that?” she asked.
“Yup,” Jack said, nodding.
He’d told her as much already, but something about the way he was carrying it was strange. And he kept glancing over his shoulder, almost like he had stolen it and was afraid someone was going to catch him and take it back.
Jack is a good boy, she reminded herself. He wouldn’t steal a ball from school and then lie about it, no matter how much he wants to practice catching.
She had actually watched a couple of video tutorials about throwing a football during her lunch break today, hoping to be able to help Jack herself. But she wasn’t exactly confident that she was ready to jump in .
Too bad I don’t have gym class myself, she thought to herself, smiling at the irony.
Eden had never particularly liked gym as a child. She had been prone to getting in trouble for talking with her friends instead of concentrating on the game at hand.
Jack probably doesn’t have that problem , she thought to herself as she snuck another peek at the determined look on his little face, and the way his body was half-cocooning around the ball.
It’s just been a long day, she reminded herself. Maybe he’s having a hard time dialing back.
Her own class had been distracted today, their eyes on the snow flurries swirling out the window whenever there was the slightest lull in the rhythm of the routine. Some days were like that. It was always possible to get the kids engaged again. It just took a little patience and inventiveness on her part.
Maybe Jack needed a pick-me-up too.
“What do you think about inviting your grandparents for a video-chat tonight?” she asked him. “We could show them that you helped to hang up the wreaths.”
Her parents adored Jack. Her dad was always collecting silly jokes to swap with him, and her mom exclaimed over every accomplishment or story Jack shared with them.
“Sure,” he said, his face brightening a little. “That sounds nice. And maybe Grandpa knows about football.”
His grandfather certainly did know about football, if watching it counted. And he had tossed a ball around the schoolyard when he was a boy, Eden was pretty sure. It wasn’t exactly an impressive amount of experience, but it was an awful lot more than she knew.
“Great thinking,” she told Jack. “I’ll bet he could give you some good advice.”
Before he could respond she caught a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye.
The next thing she knew, three children were flying at Jack, trying to wrest the ball out of his hands. Two were boys, and one was a girl with ponytails that Eden recognized from his class.
Jack twisted away from them, working valiantly to hold onto his prize, but the kids kept at it, one of them clearly desperate to work his hand between Jack’s chest and the old ball.
“ Let it go, Jackrabbit ,” the boy crowed. Jack was tall, but there were three kids all trying to grab that ball. The only thing left for him to do was run.
As if her thought had made it happen, Jack suddenly broke free of the children and sprinted down the street so fast that Eden could only watch after him in wonder.
I didn’t even know he could run that fast…
“Get him,” the little girl yelled.
The other two ran straight down the street after Jack, but the girl sprinted diagonally through lawns and across driveways, at an angle heading for the cross street.
Eden was frozen for a second, and honestly a little bit impressed by the strategy. Then she remembered herself.
“ Jack ,” she called out to warn him.
But as he took the turn around the corner, the little girl dove and smashed her shoulder into his hips.
Both of them crashed onto the grass between the sidewalk and the curb in a pile of limbs and backpacks, just as the other two arrived on the scene.
Eden had begun jogging the moment the girl dove at Jack. When she reached him, she was amazed to see that he was still on the ground, curled up around that ball like a dying caterpillar.
“ Whoa ,” one of the boys yelled. “He’s good.”
“You saved it this time, Jackrabbit,” the little girl yelled gleefully. “But we’ll get you next time. You can count on it.”
“Jack?” Eden murmured, crouching beside him, as the other kids ran off, yelling excitedly about how they were going to take the ball next time. “Jack, are you okay?”
Her heart was breaking, and she knew he most certainly wasn’t okay. This was a classic example of bullying, and it hurt more than anything to think that her sweet Jack was a victim.
“I’m great,” he squeaked, his head popping up.
She blinked back at him. He had a huge smile on his face, and he was clutching the ball like a proud father with a newborn in his arms.
“What… what’s going on?” she asked him.
“I told you, Mr. Williams gave me the ball,” he said. “And he told all the other kids to try and take it from me.”
“He what ?” she asked.
“He said whoever has this ball at the beginning of the next gym class gets a prize ,” Jack told her importantly. “So everyone is trying to take it, and it’s my job to hold onto it.”
She studied her son’s face. There was an element of pride there, and a tough set to his chin she had never seen before. But he was a little boy, and boys were expected to keep a stiff upper lip. Maybe he was just trying to hide how he felt about being practically attacked.
“Let’s get you up,” she said over the lump in her throat. “Is your backpack okay?”
“There’s nothing in there but notebooks and stuff,” Jack said dismissively, scrambling to his feet without letting go of his death grip on the ball.
I’m going to give that Axel Williams a piece of my mind, she thought to herself as they continued their walk home.