I'll Stop the World (6)

What was wrong with her?

“She gave me twenty bucks!” Shawn said, holding up the coffee can in triumph as he jogged back.

Noah laughed. “You just doubled our take for the entire afternoon, and you’ve been here for five minutes.”

“Just good timing, I guess,” Shawn said, shrugging as the woman’s car pulled out of its parking space. As she drove past them, she slowed the car down to smile at Shawn. He waved back, and Rose could see the woman’s cheeks flush even through the tinted windows.

“Good something.” Noah grinned, punching Shawn in the arm.

Shawn shook his head, blushing slightly. With his high cheekbones and athletic build, he looked like a fiery-haired Matt Dillon in The Outsiders. Lisa liked to joke that the only reason they were dating was because she was the only girl in Stone Lake who could form a complete sentence around him.

“Here,” Shawn said, handing Noah the coffee can as the automatic doors of the Food Mart hissed open to spit out yet another frazzled-looking young mom trailed by kids. “Just do what I did.”

Noah shook his head. “No way is that gonna work for me.”

“Sure, it will. Just be friendly.”

“We’ve been friendly all afternoon. It won’t—”

“I’ll bet you five bucks that you’re wrong.”

Noah sighed. “Show me.”

Shawn flipped open his wallet, revealing a crisp green bill.

Noah rolled his eyes, then fixed a cheery smile on his face to approach the woman. “Hello, ma’am, would you like—”

“No, thank you,” the woman said, skirting around him with her elbows tucked in close to her sides, like she was afraid she might be poisoned at the slightest touch.

Noah looked back at the two of them and shrugged, but Shawn made a shooing motion with his hands, indicating that he should follow her.

Rose frowned. “Shawn, I don’t think—”

“Shhh, just watch, he’ll get her,” Shawn whispered insistently.

Rose remained unconvinced, but Noah trudged ahead, keeping his smile plastered on.

The woman’s car was parked at the front of the lot, close to where they were sitting, so he reached her car right as she finished loading her kids into the back seat. With his free hand, he gestured toward her groceries. “Would you like some help—”

“Don’t touch that,” the woman said brusquely, stuffing the bag closest to Noah into the open trunk, as if fearful he’d try to swipe it. She gave him a quick once-over, her eyes taking in his tight black curls, neatly tucked-in shirt, and wire-rimmed glasses, before coming to rest on the coffee can. “Maybe if you got a job, you wouldn’t have to beg for my money,” she sniffed.

Rose’s chest tightened, the air in her lungs as thick as soot. Beside her, she felt Shawn stiffen, but she grabbed his arm before he could make things worse. Just walk away, her stepmother always said about people like this woman. They’re looking for a fight, but you don’t have to let them find one.

But now, Rose wanted to fight. She wanted to tell the woman how wrong she was about Noah, how smart and kind and hardworking he was, how special he was. She wanted the woman to know she was small, and that she would always be small because her mind was small, but that Noah would be big because his heart was big.

Instead, she stayed where she was, her hand on Shawn’s arm, and said nothing. Like she was supposed to.

For a second, Noah stood completely still, his hand still pointing to her cart. Slowly, he dropped his arm to his side, his smile gone. “Sorry to bother you, ma’am.”

He walked back with his jaw clenched as the woman hurried to load her groceries into her car, her eyes tracking Noah as if she were afraid he’d come running back to steal her boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese and Lean Cuisine.

“Dude, I’m sorry,” Shawn said once Noah reached them. “I didn’t think—”

“It’s fine, man,” Noah said quietly. “Just leave it alone.” He kept his back to the parking lot, hands shoved deep in his pockets. No one spoke as they waited for the woman to leave, Shawn stealing glances toward her car while Noah kept his eyes on the ground and Rose kept hers on Noah. When the woman finally pulled out of her space, it seemed to Rose as though she drove by them at a laborious crawl, maybe to gawk at them one last time. Rose didn’t give her the satisfaction of looking.

Once she was gone, Noah surveyed the lawn chairs and posters, then sighed. “I’m gonna call it a day, guys. Thanks for trying.”

“Noah,” Rose started to say, but he patted her shoulder, causing gooseflesh to prickle up her arms.

“It was a nice thought, Rosie. Thank you.” He looked at the coffee can and smiled slightly. “I’m going to take this over to Gran. Brighten her day a bit.”

Rose doubted that their paltry efforts would be all that day-brightening, but she didn’t bother to point that out. She knew the can contained exactly forty-three dollars and twenty-nine cents, including the five dollars in ones and change she’d put in at the beginning of the afternoon so that the can wouldn’t be empty. She’d been adding it up in her head every time someone dropped a few coins or bills into the can.

Five fundraisers in the past two months, and all they had to show for it was a little more than $300. At this rate, Noah would have kids of his own before they raised enough to replace what his grandmother had lost.