“What did you see?” Diana asks. “Tell us what happened.”
Ever since we were kids taking the shortcut through the woods from her grandparents’ house to my house, she’s known I keep an eye out. She's never mocked me for it the way Marlow does. Diana has the unique perspective of someone who has had plenty of crap said about her behind her back. She knows how it feels to be made fun of, so she’s more open-minded than these other dum-dums.
While August types something on his laptop, I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Okay, so I’ve spent a lot of time in the preserve. I know what’s out there—the usual animals, the usual sounds.” I run my hands down the short dress I wore on my “date.” How was that date only a few hours ago? I’ve lived another life since then. “Just before sunset, I was maybe a quarter of a mile into the woods when I saw something from the corner of my eye. I stopped. I looked over, and it was—”
“A black bear?” Marlow guesses.
“This wasn’t a bear. It was walking like a person. Bipedal.”Yes, this is good. Bring some science-y words into it, Stevie.
“Bears can walk on two feet,” Diana says with a tiny wince like she's hesitant to remind me.
“Not like this.” I shake my head, and the movement aches. “Besides that, it was shaped like—”
“LikeHomo sapiens?” August guesses. “Like a human?” he asks, like I don’t know whatHomo sapiensmeans. This guy.
I need Ike here. He’d at least humor me. He doesn’t necessarily believe in Bigfoot, but he’s open-minded. He just wants proof. And this time I have some, but it’s on my phone—which has likely been dragged into a raccoon’s den by now.
“It wasn’t a person. It was way too tall to be human.” I remember not to shake my head this time. “It wasn’t a bear or a person. I’m telling you, it was huge.”
“Was it hairy?” Marlow bites her lip. “Did it have a family with the last name Henderson?”
I groan, but I’m choosing to pretend my friend isn’t razzing me. “Yeah, it was hairy.” I slide down from the examination table but regret it quickly when the room spins around me. I stumble back a step. “How long am I going to be dizzy like this, August? This sucks.”
It’s convenient that this concussion didn’t happen during the school year when I’m on my feet for nine hours a day. This would never work. It would give my choir students way too much material to work with. Teenagers are ruthless.
Luckily, I only have a few shifts at Marlow’s Diner this week. I have plenty of time to get over the vertigo and back out in the woods. I’m determined to find whatever I saw. I can’t believe it was out there tonight—right there, barely out of reach. And unless that sasquatch was just passing through, it’s still here somewhere. I need to tell my brothers, and I can’t do that until I find my phone. That’s item number one on the agenda, right after I walk across this room without running into a wall.
August guides me back onto the exam table. “It’s hard to say how long the dizziness will last. It could be gone tomorrow. It could be a few days, or weeks.” He thinks I can’t see him checking out my pupils again. “But until it clears up, you shouldn’t operate a car. No driving. You need to rest and let your brain heal,” he repeats gently. He knows exactly what’s going on in my head. “I’m serious about that. No bright screens. Noneof your crossword puzzles. No hunting for Bigfoot.” He almost keeps a straight face.
He’s a good man. Marlow is lucky. Men like August are a rare breed. But August is crazy if he thinks I’m going to sit at home doing nothing when there’s a sasquatch nearby.
“I’ll be honest, August.” I brace myself before I stand. I’m prepared for the spinning this time, but my head still thumps with the movement. “I’m going to ignore your advice.”
He purses his lips and shakes his head in defeat.
Marlow sighs. “Why?”
“Because I know what I saw, and I want to find it again before it moves on.”
Diana’s eyes turn serious. “It’s like gambling. She got a small payoff, and now she’s going back for more,” she says to Marlow.
That’s exactly how this feels, actually. I’m itching to get back into the preserve and look around. It drives me nuts when my friends are right.
Marlow is over there nodding with a smug grin. “You know what?” she asks Diana.
“What?” I ask because I sense the mockery is about to intensify, and I’m not letting them talk around me. They’re annoying tonight. Or maybe that’s the conk-cussion talking.
“Maybe she’s onto something.” Marlow is still looking at Diana instead of me. “The odds of Stevie finding Bigfoot are higher than the odds of us finding a man who she thinks is good enough for her.”
She’s just mad that the date with Desmond didn’t work out. On the drive to the hospital I found out that my friends had a bet going. Marlow lost money tonight, plus she owes August pancakes every Saturday for a month.
I scrunch my face, tipping my head to the side. I’m certain I can find that sasquatch. A decent man? Not likely.
“Two mythical creatures.” Diana snorts. “Bigfoot and a man who’s good enough for Stevie Sullivan.”
“Onemythical creature,” I clarify. Bigfoot exists.
Marlow rolls her eyes. “There areplentyof good men out there, but your bar is in the clouds.”
