The Impossible Knife of Memory(40)

“Don’t move,” he whispered, staring over my shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Big guy. With an ax.” His voice was so hoarse I could hardly understand him. “By your door. I think he’s going to kill us.”

“Hayley Rose!” My scowling father knocked on the window and motioned for me to get out.

Shit.

“We studied at the library,” I whispered to Finn. “And we ate ice cream. Not a word about the quarry.”

Dad knocked again. “Out!”

I turned and put my face to the glass. “Hang on!”

“Ask him to put the ax down,” whispered Finn.

“It’s not an ax, it’s a splitting maul.”

“I don’t care. Just ask him to put it down.”

“Drive away as soon as I get out.” I reached for the door handle. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“I can’t,” he said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“It’s your father,” he said. “I have to meet him, right?”

“No, you have to leave.” I pointed at my father. “Back up, Daddy, and put that thing down!”

It took some arguing, but he finally walked to the garage, leaned the maul against the chopping block, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched as I climbed out of the Acclaim. Unfortunately, Finn got out, too.

“Man Law,” he whispered.

“Idiot,” I said.

“Who are you?” Dad growled as we walked toward him.

“Daddy, this is my friend, Finn.”

“Pleasure to meet you, sir.” Finn stretched his hand out to shake. “I’m Finnegan Ramos. I go to school with Hayley.”

Dad kept his arms crossed. “I didn’t give you permission to take my daughter out.”

I tried to smile. “He doesn’t need permission.”

“The hell he doesn’t,” Dad said, slurring.

It took a lot of booze to make him slur.

“Go home,” I told Finn.

“It wasn’t a date, sir,” Finn told Dad. “We were at the library.”

“Sure you were,” Dad said. “Did this boy touch you, Hayley Rose?”

Something was wrong with his eyes, too. They weren’t red, but pupils were tiny and he didn’t seem to be focusing.

“It wasn’t like that, Daddy. You’re overreacting.”

He glared at me. “So you let him touch you, is that it?”

“I didn’t touch her, sir,” Finn said. “Can I explain?”

Dad pointed at Finn. “You arguing with me?”

“Stop it!” I shouted.

“No, sir.” Finn’s voice got louder. “But you’re jumping to the wrong conclusions.”

I stepped in between them. “Finn’s the editor of the school newspaper. I have to write for that paper. Benedetti thinks it will help with my attitude. You’re the one making me go to this school. You can’t get upset when I follow the rules and try to act like the other kids.”

He grunted.

“Please go,” I told Finn.

He nodded and shuffled backward. “Yeah. I’ll . . . I’ll see you.”

I lifted my hand and waved good-bye as Finn backed his car down the driveway. He didn’t wave back.

Dad put a log on the chopping block.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” I said.

“What do you want from me, huh?”

Without waiting for an answer, he swung the splitting maul so hard that the two halves of the log flew off at different angles, one disappearing into the dark, the other one almost taking me out at the knees.

“It’s your own damn fault,” Dad muttered. “Stand that close and you’re gonna get hurt.”





_*_ 44 _*_

Gracie showed up after noon on Saturday with a duffel bag and pounded on the door until I woke up. When I opened the door, she announced, “You have to let me stay here.”

I rubbed my eyes. “You don’t want to do that.” “If you don’t let me, I’ll sleep in the park.”

I yawned. “What’s going on?”

“Garrett is at Dad’s and I’m stuck with Mom. Blood will be shed, I swear, but I don’t know if its going to be hers or mine. Maybe both.”

“My dad’s sick,” I said. “You can’t stay here.”

“Then come with me,” she urged. “My mom won’t lose it if you’re there, she’ll act like everything is normal. I’m begging, Hayley, please.”

I sighed. “Give me five minutes.”

I stood outside the door to Dad’s bedroom and told him I was going to sleep over at Gracie’s.

He muttered something, half hungover and half stilldrunk.

“What?” I asked.

“I said leave the door unlocked!” he shouted. “Michael’s on his way over.”

I packed fast.

Gracie talked nonstop as we walked to her house. Not only was her mom a wreck and her dad feeling guilty and her little brother angry enough to break his favorite toys, but Topher’s old girlfriend, Zoe, had been texting him and asking him for help on an English paper and other incredibly slutty things.