“Down in the blackberry bushes,” he said. “He told me he wanted to collect some for his mom, but I have a feeling he just wanted to eat berries.”
Everyone chuckled at this, and quite a few people wiped tears from their eyes.
“Thank you,” Kate told Zach, looking up at him with sincere gratitude. “I can’t thank you enough. Is there anything you want? I can’t afford a big reward, but I’ll scrape together something.”
“No, you certainly won’t!” Zach told her. “I don’t expect anything. I’m just glad we found him and he’s not hurt.”
Kate closed her eyes and nodded, more tears spilling down her cheeks. “If you hadn’t found him . . .” She trailed off and then shook her head, as if to chase away those terrible thoughts. “Thank you for finding him.”
“Mommy,” Hayden said, pulling away from her and holding up his hand. In his stained palm was a lonely, very squashed blackberry. “Berry!”
She choked out a laugh. “Yeah, baby, that’s a berry.”
Zach watched them, a smile on his face, but an ache in his heart. He only hoped that he’d be reunited with Drew just as soon.
Chapter 18
The ants go marching
It was only a few minutes after finishing his dinner that Drew began to feel . . . funny. The potato-like vegetable had been delicious and filling, and immediately after eating he had felt a little sleepy, which wasn’t unusual for him after a big meal. But now, he felt a thrum of energy beneath his skin, almost like there were ants crawling there. But . . . not in abadway.
Was there a good way to feel ants under your skin? He didn’t think there should be, but since he was feeling exactly that in this very moment, there obviously was. Drew rubbed at his arms, which made the ants dance and leap beneath his skin, tickling his nerves. He stared at his arm, watching for any movement, but there was none. He moved his face even closer so he could see better, and the soft hair on his forearm brushed against his nose.
“Drew?” Andras asked, sounding a mix of confused and amused. “What are you doing?”
“Ants,” Drew said, still staring at his arm.
“Ants?”
“Mmhmm. Under my skin,” he whispered, like he was sharing a secret. Maybe itwasa secret, though, since Andras didn’t know about the ants. Maybe the ants didn’t like Andras, and that’s why they’d left him alone? Did that make Andras sad? Would he be upset the ants didn’t like him? Drew’s eyes welled up in sympathy, and he jerked upwards in order to console Andras.
Who had been leaning down over Drew to look for the ants.
“Mudder flukka,” Andras cried, clutching at his nose. Bright red blood was streaming over his hand already and dripping onto the top of the table.
“Ow,” Drew whined, rubbing the back of his head. “Why did your nose hit my head? I was trying to be nice to you!”
“Youheb-buddedme!” Andras protested, pulling a folded handkerchief from his pocket and trying to stem the bleeding.
“Heb-budded?” Drew repeated slowly. “Heeeeeeeeeeb budddddddddded,” he said again, drawing the sounds out. He giggled suddenly. “That’s a funny word! What’s it mean?”
Andras glared at him. “Head-butted,” he said slowly and carefully, though it was still nasally.
“What does your butt have to do with your head? And why are you bleeding? Did the ants bite you?” Drew stared at Andras, becoming a little lost in the way the crimson blood contrasted with the paleness of his skin and his almost white-blond curls. “So pretty,” he whispered.
“I mean this in the nicest possible way,” Andras said, wiping another trickle of blood off his upper lip where it had pooled in his cupid’s bow. “But what the actualfuckis wrong with you?”
“With me?” Drew exclaimed. “Nothing’s wrong with me! It’syouthe ants don’t like, so there’s clearly something wrong with you!” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “The ants always know.”
“There aren’t any damn ants!” Andras snapped.
“You can’t see them because they’re under my skin,” Drew said slowly, wondering why Andras was being so daft right now.
“Jesus fucking Christ almighty,” Andras muttered to himself.
Drew gasped and darted a look around the room before turning back to Andras. He leaned in close to hiss, “Are you allowed to say that? Cos, like, it’sthe other dude?”
“The other dude?” Andras asked blankly.
