Part 27 (1/2)

”Do you like it?” I finally ask.

He looks up at me and says, ”It is perfect. Will you do a reading for me?”

”You serious?” I ask.

”I would very much like to hear you read this haiku.”

I take the piece of paper from him, and read.

”We cry together-on the couch for different-reasons, but it helps.”

”I will hang it on the wall now,” PJ says, taking the paper from me.

”But it's not about a dog.”

PJ smiles, tapes my haiku to the blank spot on the final living room wall, and then says, ”I like you, Amber Appleton, just as much as I like dogs. And I like dogs better than people.”

”And I like you, Private Jackson, just as much as I like dogs.”

”We are very lucky then,” he says, and we both sit there smiling and sipping green tea for a half hour.

BBB and Ms. Jenny come out of the bedroom all gla.s.sy-eyed and wobbly, but BBB seems to be smiling, so I laugh and say, ”You can't keep a good dog down, eh, BBB?”

I pick B3 up in my arms, kiss the furry spot between his ears, and then tell PJ I gotta go.

”I will wash the teacups,” he says.

Outside, I put BBB in Donna's bike basket, and he's asleep before I pedal one block.

CHAPTER 56.

For the next two weeks I work on my prom dress, which I am going to wear when I emcee The Save Bobby Big Boy Variety Show, so-in an effort to finish in time-I start going to the Life Skills room before and after school.

Franks and The Five hold auditions for the variety show.

Door Woman Lucy and the Hard-Working Brothers meet with Father Chee and The KDFCs.

Kids I don't even know sell tickets door-to-door.

Mrs. Baxter collects money.

Mr. Valerie sells advertis.e.m.e.nts and puts together the program.

And I take BBB to see Ms. Jenny every single day.

I drink tea with Private Jackson-and I fill that blank spot on the last wall of his living room.

Everything is moving toward something-but I'm sorta in a daze.

Sometimes I think I see my mother.

Whenever I see a school bus-my heart leaps.

When I see a bleach-blonde in a crowd.

When I close my eyes at night.

When Donna kisses me, sometimes I pretend, and I get to feeling really badly about my wis.h.i.+ng Donna was my mom-back when Mom was actually alive.

I wonder if Mom's death was G.o.d answering that wish.

I wonder.

I feel guilty a lot.

I sweat through the nights.

I s.h.i.+ver through the days.

The only thing I really like doing-believe it or not-is drinking green tea with Private Jackson. Sipping in complete silence, surrounded by my haikus.

CHAPTER 57.

On the day of The Save Bobby Big Boy Variety Show-before school-I finish my prom dress. It is a silver sleeveless with an empire waist and a scoop neck that shows off what little cleavage I got. When I try it on, my Life Skills teacher, Mrs. Tyler, says, ”It's the best prom dress ever made in this cla.s.sroom. A-plus.”

I smile at her and begin to look forward to wearing it later.

All day, students smile at me dramatically and say, ”See you tonight, Amber,” way too much.

I mean, I'm all about a good variety show, but it seems like people are really going nuts for The Save Bobby Big Boy Variety Show.

Too nuts.

I skip lunch, and go right to The Franks Lair.

When I enter, thirty students stop speaking and turn to face me.

Total frickin' silence.

”What's going on?” I say.

”We're finalizing tonight's plan,” Franks says.