Chapter 10 - The Pickup Line Went Quiet When They Saw Us
The pickup line smelled like hot asphalt and exhaust. I sat on the curb wall outside school with my backpack between my feet and tried not to look at anyone.
It was Tuesday. Six days since the cake hit the floor. Mom had washed my white dress twice but I wouldn't wear it again. I wore jeans and a gray T-shirt and kept pulling the sleeves down over my hands.
Jenna from my class walked past with her mom. She stared at me, then whispered something. Her mom shushed her too loud, which made everyone hear it.
"Is that her? The poison-cake girl?"
I looked down at my sneakers. My face burned. I could hear my own breathing, fast and shallow, and I tried to slow it down. Mrs. Keller, who'd been at our party in the living room, was two cars up. I recognized her sunglasses pushed up on her head. She leaned toward another mom and didn't even lower her voice.
"They said the little sister smashed it on purpose. Thank God nobody ate it."
The other mom glanced at me. "Do they know what was in it?"
Mrs. Keller shrugged. "Her brother's girlfriend, apparently. It's all over the neighborhood."
I wanted to stand up and say it wasn't like that. I wanted to say I'd saved him. But my throat locked up. I just squeezed my backpack straps until my knuckles went white.
The bell for late pickup rang. Tires crept forward. I kept my eyes on the crack in the sidewalk.
My brother's black car pulled up to the curb. He wasn't in his suit anymore, just a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He leaned over and pushed the passenger door open.
"Hey. Get in," he said.
I climbed in fast and buckled. He didn't pull away right away because the line was stopped. He tapped his fingers on the wheel.
Mrs. Keller walked up with Jenna. She stopped right by his window. She smiled, but it wasn't a real smile.
"Hi there," she said. "How are you all doing after... Saturday?"
My brother forced a smile back. "We're fine. Just a family misunderstanding."
"Oh, good." She glanced in at me. "Jenna's been worried about your sister. Kids are talking, you know, about the cake. I told them I'm sure it wasn't serious."
There was a pause. His fingers stopped tapping.
"It was serious enough," he said quietly. "We're handling it."
Mrs. Keller's eyebrows went up. "Well, if there's something dangerous... I mean, we all had kids in that room. People are asking if they should be concerned."
I stared at the glove box. I could feel him looking at me, then back at her.
"No one else touched it," he said. "Nobody got sick. It's private right now."
"Of course," she said, but she didn't move. "It's just, my husband said maybe you should call the sheriff, just to clear it up. So rumors don't get worse."
The car behind us honked. Mrs. Keller stepped back and waved Jenna on. My brother pulled forward slowly, his jaw tight.
We drove out of the school parking lot and turned onto the county road. Neither of us talked for a minute. The air conditioner blew loud.
"Did you tell Jenna anything?" he asked.
"No," I said. My voice sounded small. "I didn't tell anyone."
He nodded. He kept his eyes on the road.
"Were they mean to you?" he asked.
I shrugged. I didn't want to cry in the car. "They just stared. They called me poison-cake girl."
He exhaled hard through his nose. His hands gripped the wheel tighter.
"I'm sorry," he said.
We stopped at the light by the gas station. He looked over at me, really looked.
"That lady's right about one thing," he said, low. "I can't just sit on this. If the whole pickup line knows, I can't pretend it's just us in the living room anymore."
My stomach dropped. "Are you gonna call the sheriff?"
He shook his head right away. "Not yet. Not like that." He paused. "But I kept a piece of that cake. In the freezer, in a bag. I didn't throw it all out."
I turned to him. He hadn't told me that.
"And Dave from the pharmacy?" he went on. "He owes me from high school. He can tell me what to look for without making it official. No report. Just... see if it's something bad."
I swallowed. "You believe the video now?"
He didn't answer for a second. The light turned green. He drove.
"I believe I can't ignore it," he said. "That's enough for now."
When we pulled into our driveway, he put the car in park but didn't get out. He reached over and squeezed my shoulder once, quick.
May you like
"Stay in the car a sec," he said. He got out, went around to the trash bin by the garage, then came back. He wasn't carrying anything. He just needed air.
Then he opened my door. "Come on," he said. "We'll figure it out."
