ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, Kaitlyn walked toward the school, for once feeling okay and safe. How could she not, with Venus on one side of her and Sunny on the other?
The sun was finally peeking out and the wind had died down, so there was a slight possibility of a good hair day. Kaitlyn had gotten over her mother’s annoying behavior after Mom had made an awkward apology. And then there’d been an even more awkward conversation with her father about how all bodies were beautiful.
They meant well, and they cared, but ugh.
“I have a good feeling about today,” Sunny said. “We’re gonna figure out who sent those pictures. Easy.”
“How?” Venus asked, frowning.
“Trust me. We’re going to nudge our suspects until they rat themselves out.”
“I kind of think someone who’s good with computers. I mean, someone edited down that video into stills, high-quality ones. They even...” She hesitated.
“What?” the other two girls said simultaneously. They must have heard something in her voice.
“They doctored them,” she said. “I took them home and looked, and they made me even bigger than I already am.”
“How is that even possible?” Venus gave a sideways glance at Kait’s chest.
“Shut up!” Kaitlyn’s face heated. If only she could be a cute, moderate B cup like Sophia.
“Wish you’d throw some of your endowments my way,” Venus said. “I’m still flat as a tortilla, and looking at how my mom’s built, I’ll probably stay that way.”
“It’s not always easy having Kaitlyn’s figure,” Sunny lectured. “It can make boys interested for the wrong reasons.”
The two of them talked so normally about bodies. Not like Mom, who was all tied up in knots about it. “Anyway,” Kaitlyn said, “in addition to Chris and maybe Tyler, we think Kyle Sprang could be involved, right? So you know the drill by now.”
Both girls nodded, because this was the third time they’d gone through it, casually discussing loaded topics with their targets, eliminating suspects each time.
They walked into the school and down the hall three abreast, Kaitlyn in the middle, Venus on one side and Sunny on the other. Today was an all-school assembly—about bullying, ironically enough—which Kaitlyn usually hated. School assemblies were a chance for kids to yell stuff, catcall and make mean remarks, because they were outside of their normal school routine.
But with her friends flanking her, she felt protected.
“There they are,” Venus said, nodding in the direction of Chris, who was finding a seat next to popular Tyler Pollackson. Ugh. Normally, Kaitlyn would have sat as far away from them as possible.
Her heart pounded as they found seats directly behind Kyle, Chris and Tyler. “So, Tyler,” Venus said, leaning forward, “what do you think about the topic of today’s assembly?”
He frowned back at her, obviously surprised to have been spoken to by a mere mortal. “What is it?”
“Cyberbullying,” she said patiently. “You know, like posting inappropriate photos of people to make them feel bad.”
Did Chris and Tyler look a little uneasy? It was hard to tell.
“It’ll be boring just like all assemblies,” Chris said and glanced over at Tyler, his forehead wrinkling. Then he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a contraband Juul and took a hit.
Tyler laughed, and then Chris did, too. Obviously, doing something against the rules—making their own rules—made them feel in control again.
Hearing their cocky laughter made Kaitlyn’s stomach hurt, and she wished she was sitting anywhere else. But Sunny and Venus didn’t seem to feel any of the same fears.
“How come you’re vaping, Chris?” Venus asked. “Nervous about the assembly?”
“No.” Chris sneered back at them, and Kaitlyn wondered why she’d ever thought he was cute or would make a good boyfriend.
“Feeling guilty?” Sunny asked. “Done any cyberbullying lately?”
Chris shifted in his seat. “Shut up! Why are you even talking to us?”
“Dude! She’s still hot for you!” Tyler guffawed loud enough for a bunch of kids nearby to turn around and look at him.
He seemed to notice the attention, and he smiled even bigger and spoke even louder. “Maybe next time you can do a real photography session.”
Kaitlyn’s gut clenched.
Sunny nudged her. “He knows,” she whispered. “Maybe he put the pictures in your dad’s door.”
Several teachers headed in their direction, probably drawn by the sound of Tyler’s big mouth, just as Chris took another hit on his Juul.
One of the really old teachers sniffed the air. “Is that marijuana I smell?”
“What did you just put back in your pocket?” the other teacher asked Chris.
Chris opened his mouth and put on an innocent expression. Then, after looking at the teachers’ stern faces, he stood and pulled out the pipe. “It’s a vape pipe! It’s not drugs!”
“I’ll take that,” one of the teachers said, neatly lifting the Juul out of Chris’s hand. “And since it’s against the rules to vape on school property, I’ll take you down to the office.” She frowned at Tyler. “Are you involved in this?”
Tyler lifted his hands, palms up. “Not me. I don’t believe in vaping.”
From the other side of him, Kyle, so scrawny that he hadn’t even been visible before, let out a laugh.
Chris glared at them both as he was led away.
After the assembly, Kaitlyn, Sunny and Venus eased out of their seats and hurried to the back of the auditorium. There was no security guard at the main doors of the school, so they took a chance, sneaked outside and high-fived each other. “We got to Chris, and we got him in trouble.”
“He totally looked guilty.”
“He definitely was involved in the video, not an innocent victim. Now he’ll be afraid of us.”
But Kaitlyn wasn’t so sure. They’d gotten Chris in trouble for vaping, and they’d gotten a hint that he felt uncomfortable about cyberbullying. But knowing he’d likely been involved in the video, not just a dupe like she was, didn’t make anything better. Now she knew he was the jerk she’d suspected he was, but she also knew he’d be really angry about getting in trouble.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, Drew walked down toward the docks with his father beside him.
It was an unexpected visit. When Dad had called last night, he’d sounded like something was wrong. For his father to display any emotion at all was rare, so Drew had agreed to the visit even though he had an interview to conduct that afternoon.
Dad hadn’t wanted to talk the minute he’d walked in the door, and Drew knew from experience that there was no point in rushing him. So after making him a sandwich, Drew had invited him along for the interview. Everyone had been okay with Kaitlyn coming along for the interviews, and bringing his father shouldn’t be much different.
Actually, bringing Kait along on his interviews hadn’t happened as often as Drew would have liked. Then again, that was because she was making friends and doing things with kids her own age, which was all for the good.
Thinking about Kait, and worrying about Dad judging him, made Drew less sure of his route, so he stopped on the next street corner, getting his bearings. “Is this Main?” he asked.
“How would I know?”
Drew consciously relaxed his jaw. “Look at the street sign.”
“Main Street...yeah.” Dad’s voice was tight. “Thought you said you knew the way.”
Of course. Dad hated not knowing the way and always refused to ask for help. “I do know the way. It just takes a little time. We’ll go to the right.” He nudged his father, felt the sidewalk before him and walked on.
“If this vision thing doesn’t get better,” Dad said, “what are you going to do for work? Can you work?”
A familiar tension settled into Drew’s shoulders. His dad’s demanding, never-satisfied voice was something he and his brothers had grown up with. It had caused Drew, as the oldest, to strive constantly to follow in his father’s police footsteps and to be the best cadet at the academy, the best cop on the beat.
Unfortunately, Dad had also pitted him and his brothers against each other, or tried to, and although they all lived in the Baltimore area, they weren’t close.
Striving to please his father had gotten Drew exactly nowhere. Now that a police career was closed to him, there was no way he could please Dad.
Unfortunately, when you’d tried to impress someone for your entire life, you couldn’t drop the desire all that easily. Drew focused hard on the route and managed to get to the interview site without asking any more questions and without taking Dad’s arm, which would have been uncomfortable for both of them.
An hour later, they emerged from the seafood company’s headquarters, where crabbers and oystermen came to sell their day’s catch. They’d arranged to meet a longtime marine police officer there, and he’d shared a lot of stories—of enforcing catch limits, of course, but also of nabbing poachers and apprehending boaters who were under the influence. He hadn’t minded Dad’s presence at all, once he’d learned Dad was a former cop, and Drew felt like his dad had enjoyed being here and meeting the officer, as well.
“Nice guy,” Drew said as they headed back to the road.
“Uh-huh,” Dad said gruffly. “Is that all you do, interview people?”
His father’s words hammered at him, taking away the pleasure he got from his new job. He sighed and didn’t answer. “Want to get a beer before you drive home? Or a couple, and you can spend the night at my place.” He didn’t expect his dad to say yes, but on the other hand, Dad hadn’t yet brought up whatever was bothering him.
“Sure. Need to talk to you.”
Here it was. “There’s a little dive bar down at the end of the pier road, I think. You’ll have to help me find it. Place called Tiny’s.”
It was a mark of his father’s upset state that he asked a passerby where Tiny’s was, and they quickly made their way to the bar. Inside, the smell of cigarette smoke and beer made it clear that news of the statewide smoking ban hadn’t reached this far down the peninsula. Voices echoed, indicating that at least a few tables were occupied, all men, from the sounds of it.
They sat at the bar and ordered drafts. “So, what’s up?” Drew asked.
“Your brothers, that’s what.” Dad sounded disgusted enough that, when the bartender brought their beers, Drew started a tab. This wasn’t going to be a one-beer afternoon.
“What did Mike do now?” Mike, Drew’s middle brother, never kept a job or a relationship longer than a few months.
Dad gave a snort. “He’s broke again. Begging your mother for money.”
“No big surprise.”
Another frustrated noise. “I keep telling her to cut him off, but I caught her taking her stash out of the cookie jar right before he was coming over.”
Drew couldn’t help smiling, thinking of the old apple-shaped cookie jar. “Mom’s always been a soft touch.”
“Yeah, well, that’s why I’ve always kept an eye on her cookie-jar money.”
Mom enjoyed earning a little extra by doing odd jobs—helping neighbors with their taxes, babysitting, pitching in as a cook at big catered events. In a marriage where Dad was the breadwinner and the boss, it represented a little independence. “She’s earned that money, and she ought to spend it however she wants.”
“Giving money to your brother is like throwing it in the garbage,” Dad grumbled. “Ready for another?”
Drew had barely sipped his beer, so he shook his head and waited while the bartender refilled Dad’s glass. Looked like Dad was definitely staying over tonight.
“How’s Steve doing?” Drew asked.
Dad was quiet for a minute, taking a long draw, and then he thumped his glass down on the bar. Drew tensed. What bad news was Dad stalling about?
Dad leaned close to Drew. “He’s...” Dad paused, straightened and took another big chug of beer.
Dread washed over Drew. He hadn’t seen his youngest brother, Stevie, in months. If he was sick or had been in an accident... “Just tell me.”
Dad leaned close and lowered his voice. “Turns out he’s...he’s gay.”
Relief made Drew’s breath whoosh out in relief. Stevie was okay. Then he processed what Dad had said and his eyebrows lifted. “Really?”
“So he says.” Dad’s voice was glum.
Drew thought of his six-foot-three youngest brother, now a nurse. The idea of him being gay had never occurred to Drew, probably because Stevie had excelled in sports and hadn’t hesitated to fight, especially to defend some younger or smaller kid.
Just because Stevie didn’t fit the stereotype, Drew had assumed he was straight. Not too smart. Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard of Stevie bringing home any girls lately, and Mom would definitely have told him; she wanted more grandchildren and had given up on getting them through Mike and Drew.
“Why didn’t he say anything before now?” he asked his father as his perceptions about his brother did a turnaround.
“Who knows why he never spoke up.” Dad’s mug banged down again. “Guess he was too chicken.”
“Get you another?” the bartender asked, and Dad grunted in the affirmative.
Drew waited until the man had brought the drink and, from the sound of clanking glasses, moved down the bar. “What did you say when Stevie told you?”
“He didn’t tell me. He told your mother, and she told me. I haven’t spoken to him.” He paused. “That’s why I came. Could you talk to him, maybe? Straighten him out?”
Drew blew out a breath that was half laughing, half not. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“How would you know?” Dad asked. “You’re not... That’s not why you left Ria, is it?”
“No!” Drew propped his forehead on his hand for a few seconds. “No, I’m straight. But I can’t make Stevie be that way. It’s probably... Being gay is probably just part of who he is.” Sadness came over him, thinking of the younger brother he rarely saw, who’d kept a vital part of his identity secret from the family for all these years.
Dad pounded a fist on the bar. “Where did I go wrong, raising a son who’s a...a pansy?” He was silent for a minute, then growled in a near whisper, “Mom says he has a boyfriend.”
Any idea that Stevie was just looking for attention bit the dust. “Wow.”
“I just... I just don’t know what to do.”
It was the sort of admission his father had never made before. He’d always been in control, always the gruff, stern cop dad.
Drew wasn’t all that enlightened about LGBTQ issues, but it looked like he was elected to nudge Dad in the right direction. “For one thing, you don’t call him a pansy,” he said. “And...if you want to be a good father to him, you invite him and his partner over for dinner.”
“I’m not doing that!” Dad’s voice was louder now, and Drew signaled the bartender and held up a couple of bills. “If this gets out down at Julio’s...”
Julio’s was where all the retired cops went to drink their morning coffee and talk over what they’d heard on the police scanner the night before.
“I’m sure there are people at Julio’s who have gay family members. Maybe even are gay themselves.”
“Not a chance,” Dad said. “Not a chance.” But there was the tiniest bit of doubt in his voice. “At least you’re more like me, or you will be if you get your family back and head it up right.”
“And get my sight back, and get back into police work?” Drew shook his head. “Not gonna happen.”
“You’re not keeping up this...this interviewing stuff, are you?”
“It’s a temporary, part-time job, so no. But I like it.”
Dad made another one of his famous disgusted sounds.
It stung, but Drew ignored the feeling. “I have to figure out what to do about my career. The department has a social worker who can help.”
“A social worker.” There was a sneer in Dad’s voice. “What are my sons coming to? I was always so proud.”
“There’s nothing wrong with... Wait. You were proud?” It was news to Drew. Dad had always been the one to yell at them, maintain discipline. Words of love and pride had come from Mom.
“Thought I was bringing up three boys who’d grow up to be like me.” Dad was slurring now, very rare for him, as were these disclosures. “That’s all I wanted. For my boys to grow up and follow in my footsteps.”
It wasn’t the moment to say it, but all of a sudden, Drew didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, not as badly, not anymore.
Now that he was blind, he’d started to see things a whole lot differently.