Project Pallid by Christopher Hoskins Read Free Book Online

bookstore.
Turns out, we already had a reading assignment and a paper due, right
when we walked in the door.”
    “That’s
awful!” Mom’s reply was of genuine hurt for Nicole.
    “Yeah,
right? And I wasn’t the only one empty-handed. There were ten or twelve other
kids who didn’t pick-up their things and who didn’t get the assignment done
either—so at least I wasn’t alone.”
    “Well,
there’s a lesson in being proactive for you,” my dad proclaimed.
    “Relax,
Dad. I learned it,” she assured. “From now on, books first, then classes. I
won’t make the same mistake twice.”
    “I
would hope not,” Mom chimed.
    “And
for my High. Well, I guess my High was finding out that Meghan’s in the same
Biology class as me. She helped me with the assignment, and I got it
turned in by the end of the day!”
    “You
didn’t copy it, did you?” Dad asked with playful suspicion and a crooked brow.
    “What
kind of question is that Darryl? Of course she didn’t copy it!” Mom defended
Nicole, but switched gears when she realized the very distinct possibility that
my dad might be onto something. “You didn’t copy it, did you, Nicole?”
    “ Noooooooo ,Mom. Nooooooo ,Dad. I didn’t copy anything. She just helped
me with the reading so I could do the paper faster.”
    “Well,
it sounds like you’ve got yourself a great roommate.”
    “She
sounds like nothing but trouble to me.” Dad pressed on and continued poking
sticks at my sister.
    “Quit
it, Darryl. It’s Damian’s turn.”
    “I
don’t know if I want to go if he’s just going to pick at my story.” I spoke to
my mom, but pointed to Dad with the end of my fork.
    “Darryl,
promise you won’t badger him.”
    “You
know I can’t do that, Martha.”
    “Fine.
Then I’ll go instead. Maybe he’ll run out of gas by the time we get to you,
Damian.”
    “Fat
chance of that happening,” my sister, who’d gone back to slicing away at her
pork, interjected.
    “So,
I was down at the nursing home today, visiting my mother and some of the other
girls. And when I was there, I checked in with Linda from across the hall. I’ve
told you about her, right? That poor woman’s all alone; she’s got no family and
she never gets any visitors. Anyway, I popped-in to drop off the Chex Mix I
made her, and wouldn’t you know it? She took a fall this morning and banged
herself up something terrible. She scraped up her knee, and now she’s got
bruises up her whole side.” Mom’s hands illustrated the story on her own body as
she spoke.
    “That’s
terrible, Martha. How is she?” Dad’s uncharacteristically sympathetic response
was an obvious attempt to blanket his earlier misstep with her.
    “Thank
you for asking, Darryl,” Mom thawed and replied. “She’s actually doing quite
well.”
    My
dad looked satisfied with the few points he’d earned back in her good favor as
she continued. “And my High for the day was making lunch for her and my mother,
and watching game shows with them for the afternoon; it was nice seeing them so
happy and knowing I was able to play a part in it.”
    “That’s
really cool, Mom,” I mumbled behind a mouthful of potato and looked to my plate
instead of to her—eye contact would have just pushed her on, and on and
on.
    “Yeah,
cool,” Nicole followed.
    Obviously,
neither of us was all that interested in her sharing.
    “Okay,
Damian, I did my best to defuse your father. It’s time for your share.”
    I
looked over at him. Grinning, he’d bided his time and wasn’t about to let me
off the hook so easily without getting a rise out of me, too.
    “Alright,
alright. Let’s just get it over with,” I began. “So, my Low for the day came
when I got to school and went to my locker for the first time. I didn’t get a
chance to find it yesterday, and I didn’t really need to until my teachers
started piling books on me.”
    “Gross.
I remember that.” Nicole lent supportive sympathy to the start of my