Pamela gives an understanding smile, one that conveys no hard feelings. “Since Kim seems the better fit for you, she’ll stay here, and I’ll be taking a position at another school.”
I try not to wear my relief too plainly. “Good luck.” Grinning, I wish her the best, while also sort of pitying her next assignment. Who knows? Maybe she’ll end up a much better fit for someone else.
When I get home from Amber High, there’s another box at the front door. This one resembles more of the care packages my parents would occasionally send while I was at Brandview. Some snacks and crackers (that I already have in my pantry), a T-shirt (with the tags still on, but it looks like something Madison might’ve left behind in the closet), and a ten-dollar gift card to Starlight Chili (that barely covers an entree these days, but I have very little money, so I’ll take it).
This has to stop.
I don’t know how we’re going to repair our relationship, but clearly some sort of conversation is required. I’m not sure I want to be the one to start it, but I am the one who took the step to leave home. They might not want to risk crossing a line.
“Should we hold an intervention?” Shay asks, having witnessed the whole package saga firsthand and understanding how I feel about it just from the expression on my face.
“For my parents?” I’m not sure how that would go over.
“Well, my parents could use it, too,” Kayla adds, getting up from the couch to join us standing in the kitchen.
“Want my Deaf parents there?” Izzy offers with a smirk. “They can talk some smack to them.”
“They were very encouraging with mine years ago.” Alex smiles at Izzy. “I think it did make a difference, too.”
“Some adults have never had this.” Shay gestures between us all. “Support. Or, at least, a group that encourages Deaf culture for their kids with hearing loss.”
“Okay, let’s do it,” I agree. Confronting my parents like this could go poorly, but I’m out of ideas. “On one condition…ASL only. I don’t want them to feel like they have the upper hand.”
“Alex, can you get your interpreter friend?” Shay asks. “To maybe, uh, volunteer their time for us?”
“Yeah, they owe me for picking a tick off their back when we went hiking last month.” Alex laughs. “They can pay me back with an hour or two of interpreting.”
Chapter Forty-eight
Jackson
These weeks stuckat home are a blur. Somehow it’s already mid-December and time for the next MS support group meeting. It’s also the next time I see Ellie. She seemed relieved when I texted asking for another ride, and she’s standing on the driveway now, bundled up in a poofy winter jacket, waiting for me in this flurry of snow.
Seeing her again, I can’t help but greet her with a hug. Her forehead is cold as it presses against my chin.Friends hug, right? Maybe not for this long…Neither one of us wants to be the first to let go, but I lean back and grin. “It’s good to see you.”
Her cheeks are adorably red. “Am I just your personal driver now?”
“Oh, do you need me to cover gas?” I step back.
“No, no, it’s fine.” She waves a hand and walks over to get in the car. “I mean, it’s nice to see you, so I don’t mind.”
“How has school been?” I ask, getting in the passenger seat and adjusting the dials to turn down the heat blowing toward me. My body can’t handle this abrupt change in temperature.
“Well, boring without you. But!” She smiles wide. “I did find out that the interpreter I didn’t vibe with isn’t coming back next semester. What a relief.”
“That’s good. It’ll just be the one you like?”
“Exactly.”
“I’m glad.”
We turn into the parking lot, and I curse how short this drive is. Why isn’t there anywhere farther that I need a ride to?
“Actually,” I say, hesitating before walking away, “I know it’s freezing, but do you mind sticking around? There might be coffee inside.”
“Of course.” She beams ear to ear and rushes out of the car to meet me. I go slowly, avoiding any icy patches, and she sticks by my side. In the lobby, she points to a chair by the window. “I’ll meet you here when you’re done.”
“Thanks, Ellie.”
