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THE PAST—SEVENTEEN years ago
Rochester Hills, Michigan
December 2003
“Penny Ramsay?”
Startled by her fifth-grade teacher’s voice, Penny grips her pencil, marring her schoolwork. She glances around. Everyone is staring at her. Her heart patters harder. She never gets called out in class.
Pushing her tortoiseshell frames up her nose, she swallows hard. “Y-yes?”
Old Mrs. Cummings stands next to the desk, sadness leaching from her droopy eyes. She pats Penny on the shoulder. “Get your things, dear. Your brother is waiting for you.”
Penny glances out the door and frowns. Her older brother, Colton, is standing in the hall with the vice-principal, Mr. Whaley. Colt’s arms are crossed, and his lips are pressed together in a firm line. And... are those tears?
Prickles coat Penny’s arms. That can’t be good. Has something happened to their mother? She hasn’t been well. Daddy often says so, at least. Mama goes out with her friends almost every night and comes home and pukes. Then, she and Daddy fight until morning.
Opening her desk, Penny replaces her pencil case and grabs her reading primer. She closes the lid quietly, praying Mrs. Cummings will return to the lesson. The legs of the too-small desk squeal as she attempts to maneuver out of her close-fitting seat. Snickers erupt around her, followed by a few nasty comments.
Glancing at her bare legs, she squeezes her knees together. A tightness gathers in her throat. She hates wearing skirts. Her mother made her dress up for school pictures today, and her classmates teased her about her chubby legs all morning.
“Penny? Come along.”
Her body trembles as she finally clears the edge of the desk. Tyson Parks, sitting in the seat behind hers, whisper-sings, “They call her tubby blubber the whale...”
The class erupts in laughter. Heat filters across her face and stings her cheeks.
“Mr. Parks!” The vice-principal sticks his head in the classroom as the rip of paper from a notepad follows Mrs. Cummings’ sharp retort. “You may go with Mr. Whaley. Everyone else has a ten-minute detention from recess.” Groans follow as she escorts Tyson from the room.
Colton steps over the threshold and glares at the class. Everyone goes silent, staring at him like he’s a god. In a way, he is. He’s a freshman and well-liked amongst the high school crowd.
“Pen, come on. We gotta go.”
The catch in her older brother’s voice sends fear through her heart. He is crying. Her bottom lip trembles as she pulls it between her teeth. With her books in hand, she ambles into the hall. “What’s wrong?”
Colton kneels beside her. Brushing his unruly curls from his forehead, he sniffles. His green eyes sparkle, and tears stream down his cheeks. “It’s, um... it’s Dad. He was on a case, and he got shot. He’s gone, Pen. Dad’s dead.” Choking out the rest of it, Colton pulls her against his chest and breaks down.
She goes stiff, numbness invading her from head to toe. No, not Daddy! It can’t be. They just had breakfast with him four hours ago. He’d made her chocolate-chip pancakes. He’d hugged her and said it’s supposed to snow this weekend.
He promised we’d make a snowman.
Standing, Colton drapes an arm across her shoulder. “We’re going home. Get your things.”
As if in a trance, she removes her coat and backpack from her locker. “W-where’s Mom?”
“Home,” Colt bites out. “Drunk off her ass, probably.”
Penny blinks the tears from her eyes. “No. Daddy can’t be gone!” She tries to pull out of her brother’s arms, but he won’t let go. Spots dot her vision. She shakes her head. “It’s not true. You’re lying!”
Pain circles her brother’s already red eyes as he rasps, “I’m not! I’m sorry, Pen.”
Daddy is dead?
The bell rings. The hallway erupts with noise as students leave their classrooms for lunch. As the crowd engulfs them, Colt takes her hand. She buries her face in his coat as he guides them through the noisy halls. She has no idea where she’s going. Everything spins around her. Her feet feel heavy, like she’s wading through mud.
Pulling her against his chest, Colt whispers, “I’ve got you, Pen. We need to stick together, alright? I swear I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
All of a sudden, laughter pours through the hallways. Released from her daze, she glances around. All the middle school students standing in the cafeteria lines that extend into the hall are staring. A few high schoolers monitoring the younger kids smirk, too.
Prickles cover Penny’s arms. What are they laughing at?
“Get out of the way, dickwad.”
Penny jumps as Colton’s best friend, Luke Donovan, shoves a sixth grader aside. Stepping in front of them, he drapes his jacket around Penny’s shoulders and mutters, “It’s chilly in here, man. This should keep her covered.”
A cold breeze fans across her butt cheeks. Shifting her weight, she glances at her legs. As her hand goes to her uncovered backside, she swallows the dread sitting in her throat. Her skirt is hiked up in the back, exposing her legs and bottom. Worse, she’s wearing bright pink panties that are a size too small because her mother hasn’t done the laundry this week.
More chuckles filter through the hall, and the name-calling follows.
All of a sudden, Colt whips around. Shielding her closer, he aims his anger at a kid snickering nearby. “You think that’s funny asswipe? Try losing your dad to some drug addict! See how it feels.”
He squeezes Penny harder. Shock parades through he, the cold engulfing her body. She feels nothing but ice as the world around her closes in.
The click of high heels echoes through the hall as Mrs. Donovan, the junior high science teacher rushes toward them. “Everyone hush! Colton, bring Penny here. You can wait with me until your mother arrives.”
Colt sniffles as he mutters, “Ma isn’t coming, Mrs. Donovan. I’m walking my sister home.”
Penny stiffens in her brother’s arms. It’s five miles to their house from the school. How can she walk home in the icy rain wearing a short skirt?
“Egad.” Mrs. Donovan sighs. “I’ll get my purse.” She turns to Luke. “Tell Mr. Whaley I’m driving the Ramsay kids home. If I’m not back by the time lunch is over, he can keep an eye on my students.”
“But Mom—”
“No buts, Lucas. This is important.”
Colton squeezes Penny’s shoulder as his voice breaks. “Thank you, Mrs. Donovan.”
As Luke pulls his mother aside, Penny stares at the woman, her heart melting. Luke Donovan is the luckiest boy in the world. How many times has she wished Mrs. Donovan were her mother?
The Donovans often come to their house for dinner. Her father and Luke’s are best friends. They’ve worked together for years. Even though her mother doesn’t seem to like Mrs. Donovan, the families still spend nearly every holiday together.
Concern spreads across Luke’s face, and Penny frowns. Lieutenant Donovan just became captain of the police force. Was he with Daddy when he died?
The halls are silent as Luke walks with them to the school parking lot. Pulling the jacket tighter around her shoulders, Penny studies her savior. His kind blue eyes drift to her, and his fingers graze the back of her neck. As he squeezes her shoulder, her heart pitter-patters. She leans against him, calmness seeping through her like a break in a thunderous storm.
Despite being a few years older, Luke has always made her feel special. He calls her Sunshine. When she was little, he used to play in the leaves with her and Colt. He gave her piggy-back rides and chased her around the yard.
Today, he saved her from her bullies.
A somber silence fills the hall as they walk toward the doors. He squeezes her shoulder, and she gives him a watery smile. Leaving Luke behind, she and Colt follow Mrs. Donovan to the parking lot. As they pile into the sedan, Penny grasps her brother’s hand, afraid to let go. Standing upon the steps of the school, Luke stares at them as they drive away, his sad gaze burning through her.
He gives her a little wave. Tingles erupt everywhere. She rubs her arms. She isn’t sure what these strange feelings are, but one thing is for certain.
Luke Donovan is her knight in shining armor.