Elm Creek: A Readymade Family, Volume 2

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ELEVEN

After the talk Moses had with both Charity and Matt, things between them changed slightly. They no longer held hands going or coming from class and he didn’t try to kiss her again, even outside of school. They started spending less time together and more with their other friends, but they still ate lunch together and Matt often came over to her house or invited her, David, Missy, and Jake to his.

“Hey, Charity,” Missy asked in a quiet voice as they entered the library after lunch period so Charity could return books she’d borrowed and find new ones. “Are you and Matt not together anymore?”

“Daddy said we’re not old enough,” Charity said in a low voice. “He said we have to wait until we’re older.”

“That’s sad,” Missy said with a sigh.

Charity didn’t feel sad. She still got to see Matt and play with him. He still came to her house and invited her to his. There was nothing to truly be sad about.

Charity took the two books she’d borrowed on her last visit up to the librarian’s desk. After the books had been checked to make sure she wasn’t overdue—there was a fine for returning books late—she headed toward the novel section to find something new to read, Missy shadowing her.

After some browsing, she found an adventure novel that seemed interesting. She skimmed the pages for a few minutes to check that it was something she’d like. Satisfied, she took it to the librarian to check out.

Missy followed empty-handed. She wasn’t very interested in books. Jake was more likely to read for fun than Missy, but Charity was the one who enjoyed reading the most.

The two girls left the library and headed toward the playground. While Missy soon joined a group of girls who were jumping rope, Charity found an empty bench to sit down and read on.

She had only read about two pages when a familiar voice interrupted her. “Hey, Charity.”

She looked up at Matt with a smile. “Hey.”

He sat down next to her. “Whatcha reading?”

“An adventure story.”

“Jake says you like to read a lot,” Matt commented.

She nodded. “I do.” She cast him a curious glance. “Do you like to read?”

“Sometimes, but I like video games more. Will likes reading more than me.”

Charity smiled. “Missy doesn’t like to read. Jake does, but not as much as me.”

Matt pulled his video game device out of his pocket. “Do you want to play?”

“Not now,” she replied, returning her attention to her book. “Maybe later.”

Nodding, he pushed a button to turn it on and started playing a game.

A comfortable silence settled between them as Charity read and Matt played his game, but it was interrupted by a boy’s voice. “Hey, look. It’s the famous sixth-grade couple.”

“They kind of look like a married couple,” a second voice said.

“How?” the first asked.

“They’ve reached the part of marriage where you ignore each other, like my mom and dad.”

A huff of annoyance escaped Matt, but he didn’t say a word.

Charity glanced up as she turned the page out of curiosity. Blond Tom Sikes and dark-haired Paul Delaney, both in eighth grade, stood by the bench looking down at them with amused smirks. Though she wouldn’t go as far as to call the two older boys bullies, they had a tendency for inappropriate and sometimes hurtful teasing.