Agnes in JackieLand

Chapter 18

           Yesterday had been a day of chances and changes. I knew I was running out of time. The detective was encroaching on Jackie. It would only be a matter of time before he put all the pieces together and figured out that Jackie was the cause of my fall. I sat the boys down last night and gave them an update on their family situation.

          "Guys, I have something to tell you," I had started. "It seems that Dad has decided to move out permanently. He is going to get a place of his own."

          "Are we moving with him?" Jake asked.

          "No, I don't think so. He said he would take you guys two nights a week and every other weekend."

          "Are you going to Jacko?" Matt asked, looking a little frightened.

          I hadn't thought of that. Personally, I didn't want to be around the man; he made me feel sick to my stomach. I would not speak for Jackie, though. "I don't know. We will play it by ear. But hey, that doesn't mean that you guys can't go and have a fun time."

          They both looked skeptical, but I continued, "Dad told me he will be at all your baseball games."

          "Really?" Matt asked, hope shining in his eyes.

          "Really." I nodded and smiled at them. "He will be there to cheer you on. And I will too when I can."

          "What about mom? Is she moving out too?" Jake asked.

          "No. Mom is in the hospital. She is sick but working really hard to get better and get home to us," I told them.

          "When will she be home?"

          "I'm not sure, but I think it will be soon. But in the meantime, it's just us. I've been looking after you pretty well so far, haven't I?"

          Matt nodded, and Jake laughed. "Ya, if you like burnt food."

          I laughed. "Ok. You have me there. I'm not the best cook in the world."

          "Maybe you should take a cooking class," Matt piped up.

          "Maybe I should, Matt. Let's go play a video game."

          The boys were ecstatic that I had played an hour of zombie-killing video games. Turns out I wasn't so bad at chopping up zombies. Who knew?

          I felt a little better today, knowing that Jackie's family was getting better from the mess I had made. The other threat was there eating at me. I did not want to go to jail, especially for a crime I didn't commit, for a crime that was done to me.

          At school, I/Jackie was a pariah; nobody talked to me, smiled at me, waved to me, or even looked at me. I was used to this. This was my life as Agnes every day. But this was not normal for Jackie.

I usually had Graham to talk to if I needed to. But right now, I do not have one friend, which has strengthened me. I haven't felt the urge to be perfect in a while. For once in my life, my OCD was taking a back seat. But today I could use a friend. I really missed Graham.

          As if I had thought him into existence, Graham walked into the cafeteria looking like I felt. Alone and lost. Except he wasn't alone, not by a long shot. People flocked to him like moths to a flame.

He had that something most of us wished for. Girls hung off his every word when he spoke. They nudged each other out of the way for a second of his attention. He was the whole package and they knew it, how come I had never seen it before?