Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Even though the sun was hanging lower in the sky than it had been during the sweltering batting practice, it was still hot, and Beth thought the asphalt beneath her sneakers might melt with each step. Still, Ryan was so thrilled to be out of the house, she walked along beside him without complaining, watching him kick a rock he’d retrieved from the pull in parking that lined the street in front of their house. He gave it a swift blow with the side of his foot and it skittered across the street. He immediately began to look around for another.

He continued ambling that way for a few minutes, and they hadn’t made it far from their houses, which were still in eyesight if she glanced over her shoulder. “Where should we go?”

“I don’t know. We could walk over to your grandma’s place. I haven’t seen her in ages.”

Beth calculated how long it usually took her to walk to her Grandma Iris’s house, which was on the outskirts of town. Not that that was saying much since one could walk across the whole town in less than an hour. She lived on two acres with an orchard and a creek, and in a few weeks when the weather began to cool off a little bit, Beth would spend her evenings picking blackberries and harvesting the apples that still grew despite the fact her grandpa had died five years earlier, and no one really did anything to maintain the fruit trees and bushes.

“Do you think we have time?” Ryan asked, reading her mind.

“I don’t think so,” Beth finally said. “I mean, if we hurried, we could get there, say hi, and practically run back, but I think your mom would be upset if she saw you running. It would sort of defeat the purpose of only staying out for twenty minutes, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Maybe when I get a few more minutes of leave accumulated. Your grandma’s so nice. You’re so lucky she lives so close by.”

Beth hadn’t really thought about it before. It had been a few weeks since she even stopped by to see her grandma. She decided she needed to remedy that. Ryan’s grandparents lived a few towns over, all of them, and she supposed he must not get to see them much since he’d made the comment. “I guess we’ll just stick around here, then. For now.” Beth smiled over at him, and he let out a sigh, like he’d been longing to actually go somewhere with his freedom, but his leash wasn’t quite long enough to reach the fence.

“How was batting practice?” He had his hands shoved deep down in the pockets of his jean shorts—not cut-off but actual hemmed jean shorts, which reached just above his knees--and for once his T-shirt didn’t look like it was falling off of him.

“It was… stupid,” she managed as they turned a corner. There was no way they could possibly get lost, but she was trying to keep track of how far they’d gone. The last thing she needed was for Mrs. Wilson to get upset and ban him from leaving again, at least with her.

“Why do you say that?” A car came by, and Beth crowded over onto the shoulder with him to let it pass. The houses here were a mixture of large Victorian’s like their own and mid-century ranch with a handful of shotgun and other smaller homes sprinkled in. Like most of the town, it was eclectic. Since most of the town had burned during the Civil War, a grand Victorian home that had somehow escaped the fire could be standing next to something built right after World War II.

“It just was.” Beth shrugged, wondering if she should dig into it or not. He had a curious expression on his face, so she decided to give him a little more. “Some of the guys liked the shirt you picked out for me.” She pulled the hem out, surveying the top and then letting it drop, shaking her head.

“Now, that’s not surprising.”

She looked at him questioningly, but he was looking at the houses, like he had momentarily forgotten she was there—or couldn’t meet her eyes. “Tom said he didn’t realize little piggies had such nice tits. So there was that.”

Ryan’s head spun around. “You’re kidding? Did your dad hear?”

“Hell, no. He wasn’t over there. Tom wouldn’t say anything to give my dad the impression he is anything but the perfect gentleman. He might lose his spot in the lineup.”

“What an ass,” Ryan muttered. “Sorry—I didn’t think anyone would say something like that.”

“Just think it?” Beth folded her arms and looked up at him as a wave of pink covered his face.

Ryan changed the subject. “So… how was prince charming? Hung over from his adventures with the new girl last night?”

“Ugh,” Beth spewed. “Yeah, I think so. His dad was all over him the whole time, and he couldn’t hit the ball for shit. So… I don’t know. Maybe he’s learned his lesson.”

“You think? I doubt it. I mean, there’s a reason the same people get wasted every weekend, Beth. It’s hard to learn that lesson, especially with someone like Sammy who so desperately wants to look cool and isn’t. If he thinks he can hang out with that girl so he can be with your brother and his friends, he’ll do whatever it takes.”

Beth was about to ask him to further explain his thinking when a familiar sound registered behind her. Despite the fact that it wasn’t even dusk yet, she jumped and reached for Ryan’s arm as the squeaking of a bicycle closed in on them. She turned her head, holding her breath, and saw Craig approaching.

“Hey, it’s just Craig. He’s harmless.” Ryan put his hand on top of hers, and Beth realized she was holding on to him pretty tightly. Embarrassed, she let go. His amused expression flickered with something else for a moment before he turned to address the middle-aged man with the baseball cap meandering their direction. “How’s it going, Craig?”

“Hi!” he shouted, slowing his bike down and then putting his feet onto the ground to stop it when he was even with them. He was wearing a yellow and blue checkered shirt and dirty white shorts, his tube socks pulled up almost to his knees. Beth had never been this close to him before, but from here she could see there was no glass in the thick black frames he wore over his gray eyes. His reddish-brown beard was long and curly, and he looked like he could use a haircut, but he was grinning from ear to ear as Ryan stepped over.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, buddy. Sounds like your bike needs some oil.”

“Yeah, it does.” Craig continued to smile widely, and Beth noticed a chipped tooth as well. In a way, he reminded her of an overgrown child with facial hair. In another way, he reminded her of an ax murderer. She was no longer holding on to her friend, but she was standing behind him.

“I heard you out the other night. Phoebe change your curfew?” Ryan was standing with his hands on his hips, as if he were just chatting with a friend.

“Yeah.” Craig’s head swiveled around for a moment, as if that was all he was going to say, but then he continued, “She doesn’t feel good. Mary left. Door’s not locked.”

Beth felt her heart leap up into her throat. What did he mean the doors weren’t locked? They could just roam around at will?

“Really?” Ryan asked. “Mary was the night nurse, right? Where did she go?”

“I not know,” he said with a head shake. He looked around again, like he needed to get going. “No night nurse now. Pretty girl nice, though. I need go.”

Having never met Mary, Beth had no idea if he was saying she was pretty or if that offhand comment was unrelated to the rest of what he was saying. She continued to lurk behind Ryan, glad Craig was ready to take off.

“Okay, well, if you want me to oil your bike, come on over later and I will, okay? Do you remember where I live?”

“Ryan!” Beth said, tugging on his arm again. She had no idea he was friends with Craig. The idea that he could mistake her house for Ryan’s and show up in the middle of the night was terrifying.

Before Craig could answer, Ryan was pointing, “The white one—over there, on Tenth. Remember, we used to chat sometimes when you’d ride by on your way to the donut shop?

“Oh, yeah. I remember.” Craig’s smile widened somehow. “By pretty gray house.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Ryan assured him as a lump formed in Beth’s stomach. That was her house. “I’ll see you later, okay, buddy?”

“Okay. Bye, bye!”

Craig took off again, his bike squeaking as he powered down the street, and Beth looked around. They were about three blocks from Phoebe’s place here, and she was ready to turn and go the other direction. Her arms were folded, and she stood glued in place, even as Ryan began to walk slowly in the same direction where Craig was disappearing down the road. “What?” he asked, turning back when he realized she wasn’t walking.

“How can you…?”

“Be nice to someone? I don’t know. It’s pretty easy when I spend most of my summer’s talking to whoever wanders down the street, and to you of course.” He was walking backward now, and she had no choice but to follow.

“When, though? I didn’t know your mom even let you out on the porch?”

“She did when I was younger. I told you, Craig’s harmless.”

“He’s a Phoebe.” Her voice was a harsh whisper, like she was saying a forbidden word, and he cocked his head to the side to look at her. Beth felt her cheeks redden. She didn’t usually call them that either, like most of the other kids, but under the circumstances, it seemed fitting.

“He lives at Phoebe’s facility, Beth. He isn’t an anything. He’s just a regular guy. Maybe he’s a little challenged, mentally, but he’s not dangerous.”

She was walking beside him now, and he turned around. Off in the distance, Beth could see the meandering three-story Victorian that took up most of the block. It wasn’t in the best shape, even though she was pretty sure Phoebe must get a hefty amount of money from the state to take care of the people she housed. “I’ve heard—you know—some of them are dangerous.”

“None of them are dangerous,” Ryan assured her. With a sigh, he acquiesced and turned the other direction so they wouldn’t actually walk past the home. “If they were dangerous, they’d be at the state hospital. They’re just—a little lost. Or sad. Maybe a little slow, like Craig. But not dangerous.”

Beth drew in a deep breath through her nose. “That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“Well, people like to say things that aren’t true, you know?”

She did. His pointed glance told her he was talking about her, too. She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the street they were walking on. In a few minutes, they’d have to turn back toward their houses, or Ryan would be late.