Page 33 of So Long, Honey
“See, there’s the thing, she’s not at school. I searched everywhere for her, and you and I both know that Rae would never skip,” I said, my fingers pressing into the expensive wood as Mrs. Field’s eyes raked over them angrily.
“It’s none of your business where my daughter is, Mr. Cody. I see she didn’t inform you that you weren’t allowed back on our property,” She sneered, the harsh lines around her mouth deepening.
“She couldn’t, because she wasn’t at school and I probably wouldn’t have listened even if she had,” I said honestly, “you see I have this condition called persistent shithead, my Mom screams that fact at me regularly, so you’re going to have to do a lot better than ‘you’re not allowed on our property’ to keep me from Rae.”
“Her name is Lorraine.” She corrected me with a snarl. “And if you don’t leave my porch Mr. Cody, I’ll call the cops, and your mother can scream it at the sheriff in town.”
“Tomato, tomatoe.” I shrugged. “Usually, I’d fight you on it and my mom yells atmy Uncleat least three times a week. Combined with how politely you asked me, I’ll go. But can you tell Rae I came to see her? Just because you hate me doesn’t mean she does and I don’t want her to think I abandoned her.”
Mrs. Field’s eyes narrowed on me at the last confession, her features softening just for a moment before returning to the usual hardened expression as she shut the door in my face.
“That was easy,” I said with a chuckle and walked toward the edge of the porch. I walked down the driveway over to Landry’s, popped the latch on the fence, and wandered into the backyard. There were three loose boards connecting their yards, and with Mrs. Field thinking that she had won our little interaction, I was free to slip into their yard, and she’d be none the wiser.
“Cody?” Landry was chucking balls at the back wall of his two-story house and cocked his eyebrow at me. “Why aren’t you at school?”
“Why aren’t you?” I asked him back.
“Touche,” he sighed and chucked the ball again. Are you going to see Lon—” he stopped himself and looked over his shoulder at me. “Lorraine?”
“Yes, I’ve been banished from their step.”
“That’s never stopped you before,” Landry said.
“Exactly.” I kicked the board loose, and he laughed.
“Hey, there’s a party at the beach for Coop. You should get her out of her room.” Landry suggested unexpectedly, and it caused me to pause halfway through the small break in the fence.
“Why?” I asked, cautious about his sudden change in tone.
“Listen, man, just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean I don’t see it. You like her. You have since you wandered into my house asking about her. I’ve lived next to them my entire life and have never spoken more than a sentence to Lorraine. She deserves some fun, and I mean, I guess she’s kinda pretty when she’s not squirreled away up there with her nose in a book.”
“I’m going to forget you said the last part.” I smiled at him, “But thanks, man.”
He turned his back to me and left me to my business as the rhythmic thump of the baseball hitting the back of the house returned. I crept along the yard, keeping to the tree line close to the side of the house, scooping a handful of white rocks from their perfect garden bed. It took me a few seconds to pause andwatch the kitchen window, but I managed to get to Lorraine’s window without being noticed.
I chucked one rock at a time to the window pane above me, knowing full well that she was in her room. There was not a single other place she would be. She didn’t answer after the first rock, so I threw another and waited.
“Come on, Rae,” I swore under my breath and chucked another.
As I arched my arm back to throw another, the window latch clicked, and the pane slid up with the shove of two perfect hands.
“There you are,” I whispered up at her, “took you long enough.”
“What are you doing?” Lorraine hissed. She was wearing one of her wigs, and now that I knew what they were, they bothered me more than before.
“Counting the hours I spent loving you,” I smiled when she scowled at my cheesy behavior. I loved how her nose scrunched up and her soft lips were pursed together. “I’ve come to break you out of your tower.”
“You know, when I imagined this moment, I expected a lot more Shakespere…” her brows scrunched together.
“I could sing you the lyrics toChange the World? But after we revisit that part about imagining this…” I teased her, and she just shook her head.
“I can’t sneak out, Ryan,” she said quietly.
“You can’t, or you won’t?” I asked her, and her fingers flexed around the window, giving away her answer. “Rae…we both know they won’t even notice.” I didn’t want to be mean about it. Being a trophy on a shelf in her own home had to be exhausting. It wasn’t a joke or a punchline. It was heartbreaking.
“I’ll get in so much trouble…” Lorraine sighed.
“You’re already locked in your room. What’s the worst that could happen?” I asked her.