25. Peace Offering
TWENTY-FIVE
Peace Offering
SHANNON
Shannon pushed back from the table and stood when she saw him approach. She waved, a confused and concerned look on her face. “What are you doing here?”
“Your boy sent me up here to find you,” Jags said. He smiled. “That’s Caleb, I should clarify. He said you’d be up here for your writing group and asked me to bring a few copies of his second draft for you. I’m also supposed to see if you had a copy of yours for him.”
Shannon furrowed her brow and dug in her backpack for the paper as half the table watched the exchange. “He didn’t say he was taking extra time after break. Where is he?”
“It’s kind of private.”
All heads turned. Trent glanced up and quickly looked away from the intruder in the football sweatshirt. Shannon rose and followed him away from the group. “Will he be back next week?” she asked. “We have a schedule, but maybe I could email?—”
“He said your team isn’t using the app, so I’ll scan your paper and send it to him. He’s going to be back soon,” Jags said. He pulled a narrow, gift-wrapped box from the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. “And he asked me to give you this.”
She plucked at the tape and the crisp edges of the red-and-silver paper, oblivious to the stares of her classmates. Inside, she found a blue velvet case like a jewelry box, and covered her mouth to keep from laughing when she opened it. A silver fountain pen adorned with gold scrollwork lay on a cushion surrounded by packets of red ink cartridges. Three tiny cartoon birds peeked from one corner of a handwritten note:
I’ve never done this before. Be gentle.
C.A.F.
Jags watched her, noting every angle of her reaction to report back. When she looked up, he was gone.
Pen in hand, Shannon darted after him to the elevator. “Hey,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Thank you for bringing that.”
“Caleb is a good buddy. We help each other out.”
“But that’s his handwriting on the note, and you said he’s not here. I haven’t seen him since before break.”
Jags shrugged. “He went straight home to Michigan with his brothers after that party, and he’s still home. The box I gave you was in a drawer in his dresser, all wrapped and everything. He told me where to look.”
Shannon’s mouth fell open.
“And hey, I didn’t want to say in front of the table since I don’t know those people, but I’ll tell you why he’s out, because he’s going to tell you, anyway.”
“Sounds top-secret,” she said .
“Just not something he wants the world talking about. You know how he is,” Jags said. His hand shot out to hold the elevator door when it pinged. “He gave his dad a kidney over spring break. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”