The Black Coats(10)

Thea cleared her throat awkwardly. “One thing first—I want you both to stay for this.” Both of her parents froze, clearly anticipating the worst. She spread her hands flat on the table, a strange guilt creeping up her chest. “Don’t get too excited, but I’ve decided to join a new group at school.” Her dad’s face lit up immediately, and her mother’s eyes filled with tears. Thea sighed. “Oh my gosh, this is what I was talking about. Please don’t freak.”

“Oh, Thea!” Suddenly, her mom was wrapping her arms around her, smelling like lemon and coconut oil. “This is exciting, baby! We can’t help but be happy for you.” Her mother’s voice was tinged with more than joy—a palpable relief was pouring forth through both of her parents. Our daughter is participating in life. She’s not suicidal. Maybe she’ll be okay.

Thea squirmed out of her mom’s grasp. “Can you please, for just a minute, act like normal parents?”

Her dad straightened up as her mom returned to her seat. He said, “Yes. Absolutely.”

Thea took a deep breath. “I’ve joined a club called the Historical Society for the Restoration of Victorian Houses.”

Her dad looked ready to fly to the moon. “Victorian houses? Restoring them? Do they need any volunteers?”

Thea’s heart rate raised significantly. Bill Soloman loved tinkering with old things. He was, after all, an engineer. “No. They have pretty strict rules about parents helping. Students only,” she explained truthfully.

Her dad leaned back in his seat, obviously disappointed. “That makes sense, I guess—can’t have adults doing all the work.”

Thea looked over at her mother, who looked disappointed. “Mom?”

Her mother’s voice creaked out from somewhere deep emotionally. “You aren’t . . . doing track anymore?”

Thea looked down at the table to avoid her mother’s distressed gaze. “No, Mom. I don’t think I’m ready for that, not yet. Maybe in college.”

Her mother stared at her, her face struggling to control its emotion, as her dad leaped up from his chair. “Menah! Be supportive! I know you love watching Thea run, but I think this is exciting! A chance to meet new people, to learn new things.”

You have no idea, thought Thea, how true that’s going to be. Thea noticed her mom was still staring at her. “I know you’re disappointed. I can tell.”

Menah gave her head a shake. “No. I’m not. Honey, I could never be disappointed in you. I just don’t want you to throw away your future,” she challenged.

Annoyance pricked inside of Thea. “I know it’s not what you want me to do, but I’m not going to run track just because you want it to be like old times.”

Her mom stood and went over to the sink, violently shoving her plate in. “Do you know what you’re giving up? You are so talented, Thea—”

Thea cut her off. “I know, we all know—but every single time my sneaker touches that track, all I can remember is running with Natalie. It’s too painful!” Her voice broke. “I know running has helped you grieve, but I need to do something else. Something that can make things better. And this, this will help. Restoring these houses. It will help me forget.”

“Thea.” Her mom’s voice faded away as steam rose from the sink. She closed her eyes. “Just don’t forget what you can do.”

Thea sighed as she stood. “I’m more than a runner, Mom. Maybe you’ve forgotten that.”

She stomped out of the kitchen as her father’s voice boomed out, “Girls, calm down!”

Thea pounded up the stairs and shut her door, leaning against it with a sigh. She had no right to be mad at her mother, especially when she was lying to them, but her mother’s obvious disappointment made her crazy. Thea would never be the person that she was before Natalie died, but perhaps she could become someone better. Someone powerful.

A Black Coat.





Five


Thea’s morning classes dragged on forever, one long period ticking into the next. Her legs bounced under her desk with restlessness. Mademoiselle Corday was waiting for her, and that made each minute in school seem like agony. Finally, the first half of the day was done and she was able to escape to her depressing yet comforting lunch corner, a small table in a secluded back section of the library surrounded by old math textbooks.

The discreet corner wasn’t luxurious; the threadbare carpet was torn up under her feet, a half-painted wall sat behind the table, and overhead fluorescent lights flickered sadly. Thea slowly unpacked her lunch from her mother, and to her surprise she found a folded note. She opened it with a little smile; her mother hadn’t left her notes in her lunch in a long time. Her smile faded when she read the words in her mother’s loopy handwriting. I love watching you run. Please reconsider. Underneath that was the drawing of a happy face. Thea crumpled up the note and dropped it on the floor.

“I hear you can be fined for littering, but littering in a library . . .” The boy named Drew Porter tsked disapprovingly, and Thea jumped.

She sat up in her chair. “Sorry, you scared me!”

Drew smiled. “There’s a special place in hell for people who destroy libraries.”

Thea grinned in spite of herself as she picked up the note. “I wasn’t planning on leaving it there, you know.”