The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek(69)
“How could you even consider that after what happened to Alicia?”
“Rex, that was an accident! And it looks like it was her own fault. You’ve got to stop with these ridiculous stories—”
“I can’t believe you’re that stupid!” Rex yelled, jumping out of bed. “You want me to die there too?”
His mom looked taken aback. Rex had never spoken to her like this. She steadied herself on the doorframe, her expression quickly transforming from shock to anger. “What do you think your father would think about you talking like that?”
Rex knew he’d gone too far. Things never turned out well once his mom asked that question.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said. “I’m really sorry. It’s just ever since Alicia died…” He had the thought that he should make himself cry to garner sympathy, but then realized he was already crying. He sat back on his bed, his face in his hands.
His mom’s face softened. “Oh, sweetie,” she said, sitting down next to Rex and putting an arm around him. “I know how hard this is.”
Rex leaned in to the snot and the tears and the mess of it all. “I just miss her so much, Mom. And now Leif is gone too…I didn’t mean to misbehave. Leif didn’t either, I swear. We just…we don’t know what to do, so we come up with these stories. I’m so sorry.” It was both a performance and not a performance, as most of what he was saying—and all the underlying pain—was more or less true.
“I understand,” Martha said. “I’m sorry I was so harsh with you. But you understand why you can’t keep behavin’ like this, right?”
“Of course. Of course I do.”
“Good. Now, Dad’s already over at the home—got a rush job funeral this afternoon that I need to get over there and help him with—but are you gonna be okay gettin’ to school?”
Rex stared at his mom and, again, the emotions were all there to support his case. “Is it…Is it all right if I stay home today?” he asked between sniffs. “I just…I feel so awful.”
“Rex, now, I don’t want people talkin’ when they hear that Leif has been sent to that school and see that you’re absent too.” Rex nodded as he let out a sob. “But then I don’t want people talkin’ when they see that you’re a total mess, either.” Martha puzzled it out for a moment. “All right, you can stay home, but you are not to leave this house, you understand?”
Rex nodded.
Martha hugged him. “All right then,” she said as she stood. “You take it easy today, okay? Call us if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Martha walked out of the room, and Rex gingerly rolled over and laid his head on the pillow, immediately beginning to brainstorm ways to take down the Whitewood School and save Leif’s life.
* * *
—
REX DIDN’T KNOW he’d fallen back asleep until he was again abruptly awakened.
It wasn’t the phone this time.
It was a tapping. At his bedroom window.
Rex tried to steady his breathing even as an internal voice said oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit.
He suddenly understood why his mom had been so easily convinced to let him stay at home.
His parents were sending him to the Whitewood School and the goons in coveralls were outside his window, moments from crashing into his room to abduct him.
How could he have been so stupid?
There was the tapping again.
Rex stepped out of bed—as quietly as he could—thinking his best bet would be to grab a baseball bat from the garage.
Just as he was about to leave the room, though, he heard a voice.
“Rex! Are you in there?”
It wasn’t the voice of a goon in coveralls.
“Ben?” Rex asked, cautiously lifting the shade, not quite believing that the wild boy from the woods was standing in the shrubs next to his bedroom window.
“Can you let me in?” Ben asked. “No one else is home, right?”
“Uh…yeah. But do you want to go around and use the front door?”
“Not really,” Ben said. “I’ve had too much exposure as it is. Can you just open the window?”
“Sure, sure.” Rex slid the window open and helped Ben negotiate his way over the sill. He was still in the dirty jumpsuit and, without the woods as a buffer, his stench was much more apparent. Rex left the window open but pulled down the shade. “What are you doing here?”
“Who’s your favorite?” Ben asked.
“What?”
“Your favorite Ninja Turtle. I see you’re a fan,” Ben said, gesturing to Rex’s underwear.
“Oh. Can we discuss that later?” Rex grabbed a pair of jams from his drawer and slid them on. “Why are you here?”
“Yeah, okay. Well, as you know,” Ben said, “I saw everything that happened last night.”
“Yep, thanks for the hoots.”
“I did what I could. And it still wasn’t enough.” Ben shook his head, as if feeling deep regret. “So I thought it was time for me to…emerge. To help.” Ben picked up a book from Rex’s desk. “Deep Thoughts. I love these. Jack Handey is hilarious.”