Chapter 13
Jack refused to come out of his room the next morning as well.
Still in my pajamas, my hair sticking up in a million different directions, I stood at his bedroom door and read another note he had slid under the door.
Sunlight was dripping through the window at the end of the hall, golden honey that trapped the dust speckles that hung in the air like confetti.
Entertain yourself today. I’m going to stay in bed.
‘Entertain myself?’ That’s what I’d been doing ever since I arrived in Possibly.
Well, the first night, Jack and I had watched T.V.
together. But it wasn’t like he had come up with any other mildly entertaining activities since to keep our minds occupied.
Mostly he had stuck to himself and worked on the table in the backyard, sanding, carving, sanding some more.
Then covering it all with a tarp so that it wouldn’t get wet when the rain came.
After a breakfast comprised of cereal—again—I found myself standing in the backyard, staring at the tarp-covered project Jack had been working on.
The temptation to rip the tarp off and really inspect the grooves he had carved into the top was almost overwhelming.
However, I could tell that Jack had put a lot of thought and dedication into the project.
I didn’t want it to get ruined somehow; especially by my hand.
Having nothing better to do with my time made the compulsion stronger, though.
I had been staying with Jack for a little over half a week and I’d pretty much seen and done everything downtown Possibly had to offer.
There were a few shops that I hadn’t really paid much attention to that I could have checked out, but nothing I hadn’t already seen looked all that interesting.
Also, I had the lingering feeling that I didn’t need to get too used to life in Possibly.
It was obvious that Jack hadn’t expected me to be hanging around at all, let alone long term.
For all I knew, he had already texted my mom to let her know that she needed to come and get me as soon as possible.
Even though my stupid phone didn’t get good reception in Possibly, Jack’s most likely did.
His was newer and fancier and was through the local cell service, whichever company that was.
Because my phone was such a piece of crap, I couldn’t even call my mom to defend myself against whatever Jack had to say about me.
I mean, yeah, maybe I was a nuisance, but I hadn’t really done anything wrong other than what my mom had made me do.
After being dropped off on the highway, I’d walked to Jack’s house and asked to stay with him.
It hadn’t been my choice, after all. So, thinking about Mom and Jack having a private discussion about what a burden I was really annoyed me.
And maybe it was just a little embarrassing to think about.
My cheeks felt hot as I stood and looked at the tarped-up table in the backyard. Mom didn’t want me cramping her style on the road anymore, and it was obvious that Jack—though polite about it—didn’t really want me around disturbing his peace.
And I wasn’t so sure what I wanted.
Maybe I should just watch T.V.?
My toes kicked at the soggy earth, though I really wanted to kick the table.
I just couldn’t make myself be mad at Jack, though.
He hadn’t asked for me to come stay with him.
He’d made sure I had food and a place to sleep, though.
He’d even given me money to buy stuff, though money seemed to be useless in Possibly. Especially if you were the “new guy.”
I found myself walking into downtown. Maybe if I walked around the smattering of buildings, I could find something to do that I hadn’t seen or thought of before.
At least I wouldn’t be sitting around Jack’s all feeling sorry for myself or mindlessly staring at the T.V.
If I’d been a little braver, I would have introduced myself to the guys I’d seen in the windchime clearing.
They were probably okay guys—and they would have at least known what was worth doing in such a small town.
Maybe they knew of something further away from downtown that was worth doing?
I guess, maybe, Levi Lee will be my friend if I ask.
The thought of walking up to Levi Lee—in whatever costume he was wearing—and asking him to be my friend made me laugh out loud.
Having already encountered him a few times, I knew his response would have been enthusiastic and to the affirmative.
Levi Lee was definitely the human equivalent of a puppy dog.
Eager to please, cheerful, enthusiastic, and good-natured.
He’d agree to be my friend even if it wasn’t something he expected.
But I didn’t really want to hang outside of Starbuck’s all day and watch him perform, either.
When I passed by the graveyard, my eyes nervously flitted over to the shadows beneath the trees.
It was sunny enough that I could quickly discern that no weirdos in black cloaks were hiding in the shadows, waiting to mourn at the headstones.
Remembering the person sliding out of the darkness to mourn still sent shivers up my spine.
Even if it was one of the regular types of weirdos who lived in Possibly, it had just been odd to see someone dressed like the Grim Reaper, hanging around a misty cemetery early in the morning.
I shook my head to clear that thought away and made my way down Liberty Lane.
The guy with the pickaxe and rainbow bricks, the permissive cop, and the lazy tram conductor were up to their usual tricks.
When I stopped to actually pay attention to the song du jour at AMOR, I realized Tiny Tim was on rotation yet again.
However, this time, they were playing Ever Since You Told Me You Loved Me (I’m A Nut).
I didn’t know what the DJ at the radio station found so interesting about Tiny Tim’s music—but I also hadn’t realized I knew so many Tiny Tim songs, either. So, who was I to judge?
Down the length of Liberty Lane I walked, checking out the buildings that weren’t AMOR, and I quickly realized that the street also held a small grocery store, an art supply store, a lawyer’s office—it could have been an accountant’s office—and a “dry goods” store.
Whatever the heck that meant. Something told me that it was also owned by the grocery store since they were side by side and a quick glance let me know they sold non-perishable groceries and toiletries and whatnot.
I cut down to the post office when I neared the creek and found that nothing unusual was going on at Sofia’s place of work.
When I walked by, she saw me through the window and waved, obviously remembering me, so I waved back.
I raised my hands in question and she shook her head, letting me know there wasn’t any mail for me to pick up for Jack.
So, I waved again and cut to my right to head towards Starbuck’s.
Levi Lee was outside, doing his robot routine again. He was getting better. When I smiled and waved at him, the corners of his mouth jerkily raised and he mechanically raised his arm, then waved it back and forth like a metronome. Good for you, Levi Lee.
I thought about stopping for another coffee since I still had the twenty bucks in my pocket that Jack had given me, but I knew that Levi Lee would talk to me. He was doing so well at his robot routine that I didn’t want to ruin his vibe.
Further down the street, at The Pueblo, I saw a few people walking into the building out of the corner of my eye.
Wyatt’s gun went off in the distance and a cry of “Emmmmmiiiiiileeeee!” sounded by the bridge as I turned to check out the mosque-like building.
I smiled to myself as I thought about how I hadn’t even twitched when Wyatt’s gun went off.
I was already getting used to his poor timing.
When my eyes settled on a person standing in the doorway of The Pueblo, my breath caught in my throat.
At first, the person in the doorway didn’t really register with my brain since I had been thinking about the gunshot and the screaming of the guy down at the bridge.
However, it finally dawned on me that the person lingering in the doorway of The Pueblo was the kid I’d seen twice in the clearing in the woods.
Of course, if it hadn’t been for the fact that he had on jeans with a flowery scarf as a belt, flip-flops, and what I realized was his standard tank top, I might not have realized it was him.
When he shifted slightly so that I could see the white triangle of hair and matching, mirror-image white triangle of skin on his forehead, I knew I wasn’t mistaken.
Instinctively, I wanted to look away, for fear that he might turn and see me staring.
I didn’t want him to think I was staring for the wrong reason.
Like, I didn’t want him to think I was going to make fun of his clothes or the…
birthmark?…on his head. My eyes refused to be averted, though.
I stood there, a few yards away from The Pueblo, just staring at the kid as he loitered in the doorway, watching something intently inside of the building.
After a few moments, I realized that he was too focused on whatever he was watching to be aware of anyone watching him.
So, I did. Watch him, I mean. I stood there, between Starbuck’s and The Pueblo, and just stared at him.
The kid’s level of concentration on whatever was going on inside of the building was mesmerizing.
I’d never seen someone so self-possessed.
The way he was dressed, the unusual marking on his forehead and in his hair—surely, he knew that people might be staring at him.
However, he didn’t seem to care about anything going on around him.
He had simply found something that interested him and had shut out the outside world, unconcerned with what people might think of him and what he was doing.