Coming Apart (9780545356152) (16 page)

“Sure.” Jacob had the look of someone who was on his way to a torture chamber.

Olivia and Jacob walked along Main Street, Olivia waving at shopkeepers and at Jackie and Donna in the post office, and then stopping in Sincerely Yours to tell her father where she and Jacob were going to be for the next hour. At College Pizza they slid into the booth against the back wall. And stared at each other.

“So?” said Jacob. He transferred his gaze to the slice of pizza in front of him, cheese drooping off the edges of the paper plate. His hands remained folded in his lap.

“Well, okay.” Olivia had absolutely no idea where to start and finally decided that maybe she was thinking about things too much. “Okay,” she said again. “The thing is …”

“The thing is, you're breaking up with me, right?”

Olivia's eyes jumped to Jacob's, startled. “Um, yes. But,” she continued hastily, “not because I don't like you.”

“You're breaking up with me because you like me?”

Olivia could see a smile on his lips, and she smiled back. “You know what I mean. Yes, I like you. I
really
like you. You're one of my best friends. But being your girlfriend … doesn't feel right.”

“I had a feeling that's what was wrong.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you. Especially since I
do
like you so much. That makes it harder. I don't want to hurt your feelings and I hope we can always be friends.”

“But just friends.” Jacob took a sip of his soda. Olivia attempted a bite of pizza. “Why?” asked Jacob after a few moments.

“Why what?”

“Why does being my girlfriend feel wrong?”

Olivia shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe it's not so much that it feels wrong as that it doesn't feel right.”

“That doesn't help.”

“This is the part I don't understand myself. It's like when two people have the opposite reaction to the same thing. How do you explain it? They both see the same story on the news and one person says, ‘Oh, how interesting!' and the other person says, ‘That's horrible! How could something like that happen?' You know?”

“I guess.”

“Jacob, I don't know if now is the right time to ask this question, but
do
you think we can stay friends? It's so —” Olivia tried to control her voice, which she realized was wobbling dangerously, “so important to me. If you weren't my friend, I don't know what I'd do.” She fumbled for her napkin and dabbed at her eyes. Any moment now, her nose would start to run.

“Of course I want to be your friend,” Jacob replied. “I guess I was just hoping I could be more than your friend, too. But if I have to settle for just friends, well … I can't imagine
not
being your friend.”

Olivia managed a smile. “That's how I feel. At least we agree on that. So, we can still do our homework together? And sit together at book club meetings?”

“And eat lunch together?” asked Jacob.

“Yes. But maybe every now and then Flora and Nikki and I will sit by ourselves. We haven't seen much of each other lately.”

Jacob nodded. He glanced down at his half-eaten slice of pizza and then across the table at Olivia's nearly untouched slice. Olivia thought he was going to ask if he could have her piece. Instead he said, “Do you want to go?”

It took Olivia a moment to realize that Jacob, whom Nikki thought of as a human Dustbuster, had lost his appetite and was willing to leave behind a good quantity of uneaten food.

“Yeah.” Olivia slid out of the booth and struggled into her parka and scarf and hat and gloves while Jacob, who was wearing only a jacket, watched her. The prospect of walking home alone and worrying about how long it would take for Melody or Tanya to get wind of what had happened left Olivia feeling helpless. So she was pleased when Jacob said, “Want to go for a walk?”

“Sure!”

Weighed down by their backpacks and their thoughts, Olivia and Jacob walked slowly along Main Street.

“This is nice,” said Jacob eventually.

“What is?”

“This. Just walking along together.”

“We can still do it. Whenever we want.”

“Yup.”

Olivia felt something loosen in her chest. “Want me to call you tonight?”

“About Mr. Barnes's assignment? Definitely.”

Olivia flashed him a genuine smile as she turned and left for Aiken Avenue.

 

“Flora?”

“Hi, Olivia.”

“What are you doing?”

“Right now? My homework. Why?”

“I just wondered.” Olivia lay on her bed, her feet propped on the wall, her head hanging over the side. She was halfway through her own homework and in ten minutes would call Jacob. Before that, she wanted to talk to Flora. “Are you in the middle of something? Can you take a break?”

“I can talk. What's the matter?”

“Well … I broke up with Jacob this afternoon.”

Olivia wasn't sure what kind of reaction she had expected from Flora — maybe a shriek or a gasp or an exclamation of “Oh, that's awful! Are you all right?” Instead, after a little pause, Flora said, “I kind of thought that might happen. I mean, not necessarily today, but soon.”

“You're kidding! You did?”

“Yeah. I knew you weren't happy and I figured it had something to do with Jacob. I'm really sorry, Olivia. But I guess this is what you want, right?”

“I think so. Flora? Why didn't you say anything to me?”

“About Jacob? I don't know. We haven't seen each other much lately, and anyway, I didn't want to seem nosy. I figured you'd let me know if you wanted to talk.”

“I wasn't purposely
not
talking to you. It's just that everything was so mixed up, I didn't know what to say. I didn't talk to anyone about it. Well, except Mom, but that was because she forced me.”

“It's okay.”

“One of the reasons — one of the many reasons — we broke up was because I felt like I didn't get to spend enough time with you and Nikki anymore.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I missed you, Olivia!”

“I missed you, too.”

“So you feel better about everything?”

“Definitely. Well, except for one thing.”

“Which is?”

“That I won't know what to do if Jacob decides to go out with Tanya or Melody now.”

“With Tanya or Melody?! Are you out of your mind?”

“I —”

“Olivia, do you really think Jacob wants to spend time with either one of them? He can't stand them.”

“Oh. Yeah. You're right.”

“You should have talked to me sooner.”

Olivia laughed.

And when she went to bed that night, she felt very grateful for her friends. For Flora, for Nikki, for Ruby and Willow. And for Jacob.

“He's here,” Nikki whispered to Tobias.

Her brother got up from his chair in the living room and peered through the front window. Driving slowly along the lane to the Shermans' house was a truck with a U-Haul van attached to it. “All right,” said Tobias under his breath.

In an hour or so, thought Nikki, her father would be gone, traveling back to South Carolina with his boxes and his clothes, the pieces of his life that had cluttered Nikki's house for months and made her feel attached to a presence that she wanted gone.

“Is it Daddy?” asked Mae, who was sitting before the dollhouse. She jumped to her feet.

Nikki knew her sister was wondering if perhaps one more gift would be forthcoming — not because Mae was greedy, but because Mr. Sherman's last few visits had become, one by one, quieter and shorter and angrier, and Mae's enthusiasm about her father had turned to uncertainty.

“Yes. He's here,” Nikki said. “And you know what's going to happen today, don't you, Mae?” Behind her, Nikki heard her mother open the front door.

“It's time for Daddy to leave?”

“Yes. And he's going to take his things with him, all the things he's been packing up. We probably won't see him for a long time. Remember, Mommy talked to you about that.”

“I know.” Mae frowned. She looked at her mother posed hesitantly at the partly open front door and at Tobias standing behind her with his arms folded severely and then at Nikki, who was gripping Mae's hand a bit too tightly. “Why is everyone so mad?” she asked. She pulled her hand away, adding, “Ow, you're hurting me.”

“Sorry,” said Nikki, and at that moment Mr. Sherman stepped into the house.

After a brief silence, Mae said in a small voice, “Hi, Daddy.”

Mr. Sherman glanced at the overstuffed boxes and garbage bags piled by the door. “I see you got everything ready for me.”

“Nothing to do but load up the van,” said Tobias. “Just trying to be helpful. We thought you'd like to get on your way early.”

Mr. Sherman snorted. “Very thoughtful.”

Nikki felt a pain take hold in her stomach. The arrangements had been finalized, hadn't they? Divorce, custody, everything was in place and couldn't be changed, could it? She put her hand over the blossoming pain. She knew she would feel better if she could be sure that when the van turned onto the county road she would never have to see her father again, unless it was her decision. But now was not the time to ask her mother about this.

Tobias hefted a box and started outside.

“Not wasting a minute, are you?” asked Mr. Sherman.

Tobias ignored him.

“Do you want to come inside and see the dollhouse?” Mae asked her father. “I made little teeny tiny books for the family to read.”

“That's great, Mae. But I think your mother and brother are pretty eager to see the back end of me.”

Mae laughed. “The back end!” But when she realized no one else was laughing, she said, “What does that mean?”

“It means they can't wait to get rid of me. Come on, Mae. See if you can lift any of these boxes. Help hurry me on my way.”

“I don't want to hurry you….” Mae's voice trailed off. She looked at the boxes, then at her father. “What do you really want me to do?”

Tobias returned to the house and, grunting, lifted another carton. “Am I the only one who's going to load the van?” he said over his shoulder as he struggled down the porch steps.

“Daddy?” Mae asked.

“I really couldn't care less what you do, Mae.” Mr. Sherman grabbed the nearest garbage bag, this one filled with clothes he hadn't been able to fit into his suitcases.

Nikki reached for Mae, but Mae slapped her sister's hand away and ran upstairs.

“Let her go,” said Mrs. Sherman. “Let's just get this over with.”

Nikki, Tobias, and their parents worked wordlessly until all the boxes and bags had been loaded into the van.

“Good,” said Tobias grimly.

Mr. Sherman started for the house again.

“Where are you going?” asked Nikki's mother.

“There are a few more things in there that are mine.”

For several terrifying moments, Nikki thought that one of those things might be Mae. When her father returned from the house carrying the table that had sat in front of the couch, Nikki sagged with relief.

“Hey!” exclaimed Tobias. “What are you doing?”

Mr. Sherman hoisted the table into the van and then turned to stare at Tobias. “What does it look like?” He began to speak loudly and slowly. “I … AM … PUTTING … THIS …
TABLE
… IN … THE …
TRUCK
.” He shoved several boxes aside to clear space.

“You can't take the furniture!” exclaimed Tobias.

His father waved his hand toward the table, like a game show host presenting a prize. “I think I just did.”

“That isn't part of the agreement,” Mrs. Sherman spoke up. “The furniture stays here.”

“The furniture I bought and paid for?” Mr. Sherman walked heavily into the house again, this time emerging with a throw rug. “Nikki? Make yourself useful and get the lamp out of your mother's bedroom. And the chair by the front door.”

“This is not part of the agreement,” said Mrs. Sherman again. “You're violating the agreement.”

“I have a right to these things and a lot more, agreement or not.”

Nikki watched her brother take a step closer to her father. She watched her mother take a step backward, toward the house and Mae. She felt the pain in her stomach increase a notch, as if someone had turned a wrench.

“Tobias,” called Mrs. Sherman. “Forget it. Let him have the things.”

Nikki realized that there wasn't room for much more in the van anyway.

“No!” said Tobias. “He's not getting away with this.” He climbed into the van and began tossing things onto the driveway.

In an instant, in one beat of a hummingbird's wing, Mr. Sherman leaped into the van and shoved Tobias out. Tobias landed on the table, which splintered under his weight.