“Michelle, I gotta go.” I grabbed a container of fruit andwalkedaway.
She said something to me as I left, but I didn’t bother trying to hear what it was. I just bought my groceries andwenthome.
I was surprised to see Mr. Lynch at my house when I got back. He practically accosted me as I walked through the door. “Hey, Julian,” he said with a smile just as my mom asked, “What did you dothistime?”
“Mr. Lynch.” I looked over to the man sitting at the dining room table with my mom. “Good to see you too, mom,” I said barely recognizing my voice. It sounded rougher than usual, tired. After months of living in this limbo, I wondered how much longer I could keepitup.
“No, Jane, I told you.” Mr. Lynch reassured my mom. “Julian has always been an upstanding boy. I know what they’re saying around town, but I just don’tseeit.”
Way to lay it on thick. I rolled my eyes at hispraise.
“I was actually wondering if I could ask Julian for a favor.” He looked back at me. “Come outsidewithme?”
“Yeah, okay.” I set the bags on the counter before following himoutside.
“Julian, I know you’re still working atThe Farmhouse, and I was hoping you’d do me a favor. Katie’s mom died this summer and she moved back here for a while. I’m not sure how long she’ll be here, but I want to make this time easier on her. Try to get her ready to face the world again like anormalteen.”
“No offense, but what does this have to do with me?” I asked, as I walked to my car and leaned against the hood. The sun was shining down harshly and I squinted my eyes, trying to keep them trained on the man who stoodbeforeme.
“You two were always so close growing up. And, well, I talked to Mike and got her a job at the diner waiting tables. I thought you might lookafterher.”
“You do know most of the town hates that I’m still living here?” I asked. He’d gone insane if he thought I was the guy for the job. “The golden boy and his fall from grace and all. I would think you’d wantanyonebut me helping your daughteradjust.”
“I’ve told you. I don’t know what is going on in your house right now, but I don’t believe a word of whattheysay.”
“Sure.”
“Julian.” He said, this time with more authority. “I’m going to trust my gut on this, and my gut is telling me something’s going on, but you are not the bad guy. Please, just consider reaching out to Katie. She’s hurting and she could use afamiliarface.”
“What about you? Aren’t you a familiar face?” Surely her dad would be better for thisthanme.
He looked away briefly before turning back to me, sadness clearly written on his face. “I messed that up a while ago. I’m working on it. But you…you could be the friend she needsrightnow.”
“I don’t think I’m the guy forthejob.”
“Just think about it,” he said before walking away down the street toward hishouse.
Katie Lynch. I hadn’t given her much thought these last few days. Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I thought about her before seeing her in the front yard of the Lynch house theotherday.
We had been best friends back before she moved. And there was a time when I missed her like crazy. But even those days were behind me. It might be fun to reminisce if I saw her at the diner. But it wasn’t like I had been sitting here pining away. I had my share of crap going on right now. I didn’t need anything else on my plate. Certainly not charity to a girl I barelyremembered.
She had been so funny though, convinced we would get married one day. I hadn’t ever thought that was going to happen, even with her telling me almost every day. Marco had teased me relentlessly about it at the time. He was a few years older than us and would do anything to get me worked upaboutit.
“I can’t believe you are friends with a girl! Don’t you know she has cooties?” He would joke when we were in elementary school. But as we got older and our friends started going out with one another, Marco’s teasing had changed. “Is that your girlfriend?” Hewouldask.
It never bothered Katie. She would always respond with a simple “Yep!” or something similar beforemovingon.
I did get embarrassed by the teasing though. I never understood how Katie could answer so easily and then jump on her bike and ask if I wascoming.
The girl was fearless and never had a problem keeping up. Hell, sometimes she was the one leading and I had a hard time not losing her. We’d go to these dirt hills near where we lived. It was a giant field with mounds of dirt piled all over it. We would attempt different tricks, pretending we were stunt devils or something. It’s a miracle we never brokeabone.
Other times, we’d climb the trees in my back yard and jump off different branches onto the trampoline below. One time, she missed the center of the trampoline and busted her lip on the springs on the side. Her lip had bled something fierce; I thought I’d pass out from seeing all of it. And yet, there she was the next day ready for more, stitchesandall.
But it was morethanthat.
She was also my first kiss. It was awkward and over in a matter of seconds. I mostly did it because she asked me to. That, and I didn’t want to be the last kid at school to do it. I hadn’t been interested in dating while I watched our friends hookup. It had been an experiment,nothingmore.
Regardless, I couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Katie hadn’t gone crazy after that first kiss wanting to do it all the time. Instead, she scrunched her nose when it was over and was ready to start doingsomethingelse.
