Living Rough
Living Rough
Cristy Watson
ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS
Copyright © 2011 Cristy Watson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Watson, Cristy, 1964-
Living rough [electronic resource] / Cristy Watson.
(Orca currents)
Type of computer file: Electronic monograph in PDF format.
Issued also in print format.
ISBN 978-1-55469-889-9
I. Title. II. Series: Orca currents (Online)
PS8645.A8625L59 2011AÂ Â Â Â JC813'.6Â Â Â Â C2011-903418-2
First published in the United States, 2011
Library of Congress Control Number:
2011929386
Summary:
Poe, a homeless young teen, struggles to keep his living situation a secret.
Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed this book on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council
®.
Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
Cover photography by
iStockphoto.com
Author photo by Lynne Woodley
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Printed and bound in Canada.
14   13   12   11   â¢Â   4   3   2   1
This book is dedicated to all the students with whom I've worked. Your resilience and constant hope inspire my characters.
This book is also dedicated to a fabulous man we miss and love, Uncle George (1950â2011).
Contents
I didn't need a weatherman to tell me what to expect when I woke up. It was painfully clear. Well, the skies weren't clear. What
was
clear was that it was going to be another crappy day. How can it rain for twenty days straight?
I'd scrubbed last night, so I pulled my pants and shirt on. My clothes smelled musty and felt damp. I figured some fresh air would help, and I wanted to break my record for speed-walking to school. My best time was eighteen minutes. Rain is a good motivator for speed. So I grabbed my felt hat and headed out into the cool wet morning.
I wolfed down a granola bar as I started up the hill. I'd grabbed it from the breakfast program at school. No one wanted to call it what it was, a meal program for loser poor kids. I always arrived early so I could raid the food and clear out before the halls got busy.
But the risk of going
that
early was that I was usually the only kid in the joint, and the staff would try to have a heart-to-heart with me. Every day. Like my life changed between Monday and Tuesday. I'm only fifteen, after all.
I wasn't in the mood for conversation, so I was happy to find the room was empty. I figured it was safe to slip in and grab an apple from the food table. Sour juice ran down my chin as I bit into the green fruit. I'd just pocketed a peanut-butter granola bar when I heard voices. That was my cue to clear out of there.
I met one of the ladies that supervise the room on her way in. “Hi, Edgar,” she said. “I thought you might like this raincoat.” She held out a fluorescent blue jacket.
I shook my head and bolted down the hall. Couldn't she see I was a trench-coat kind of guy? As I rounded the corner by the library, I bumped into our principal.
“Mr. Reed,” he said. He had a habit of calling students by their last name. I had often thought of calling him Pete to be funny, but I never quite got the courage.
“Hi, Mr. Johnson.”
“Listen, I'm glad I ran into you,” he continued. “I was wondering if you could do the school a favor.”
I don't know why he talked about the school like it was a person.
“Could you show a new student around before the first bell? She arrived yesterday from the Ukraine and doesn't speak much English.”
“I guess.” I tried to sound noncommittal. Maybe he'd come to his senses and find a keener, like someone from student council. But he didn't notice my lack of enthusiasm. He gestured for me to follow him toward the office.
As I walked behind Mr. Johnson, I counted the tiles on the floor. There were forty-one linoleum squares from the breakfast room to the office. Counting helped my nerves to chill.
“Inna, please meet Mr. Reed,” said Mr. Johnson as he reached the foyer.
I couldn't believe he'd used her first name. Her last name must be a beast to pronounce. I kept my gaze toward the floor while I thought about how I could get out of this.
A hand came into my view. The nails were spattered with green polish and were bitten to the quick. This girl was a chewer. Maybe she'd be all right. I risked looking up at her.
“Hallo. I'm Inna,” she said. Her accent was as thick as the mascara she'd darkened her lashes with. Eyeliner brightened her hazel eyes. Her lower lip quivered. She was obviously scared to death.
I'd be traumatized, too, if I didn't know the language. “I'm Edgar,” I said as I shook her hand. I knew how to be polite. She smiled with what looked like relief. She didn't want to take the tour any more than I wanted to give it. Mr. Johnson was already retreating down the hall.
“Thank you, Mr. Reed. Welcome, Inna. Enjoy your day at Crescent High,” he called over his shoulder.
“You'reâ¦welcome,” she answered.
I smiled.
“Well, this is the office. Come here when you need to use the phone.” I gestured making a phone call, and she smiled again. We headed in the direction Mr. Johnson had disappeared. The hall started to fill with students. As usual, most of them seemed intent on staring. I was used to the looks. I'm not sure how Inna was handling their glares.
Two girls from grade nine whispered and giggled as they looked our way. I moved toward them, giving them a dirty look. Before I said anything, they clammed up and took off.
“Tsank you,” said Inna.
“Hey, no problem,” I replied as I stopped by the orange doors at the end of the hall. “This is the gym. Place for exercise.” I did two jumping jacks. Inna seemed to understand. Next stop would be the cafeteria, and then I'd need to help her find her class.
“Poe. Whaz up?” My only friend sauntered toward us. A book spilled from the pile in his arms onto the floor. Inna picked it up and passed it back to him. He gave her a goofy grin.
I looked Inna over again. She
was
kind of pretty. As she turned my way, I felt my cheeks get warm. I looked back at my buddy and sputtered, “Ben, meet Inna. Inna, Ben.”
“I like your name,” Ben said. “It's cool. How come I haven't seen you around before? Whose classes are you in? Are you in our grade?”
Ben was stringing the sentences together too fast for her to keep up. He probably lost her at
I like
â¦
“Whoa! Slow down,” I said. Ben looked at me then back at her.
Inna scrunched up her eyebrows and seemed to be trying to piece together a response. “Grade? Ahâ¦gradeâ¦ten,” she finally answered. Maybe she knew more English than I realized.
As we headed toward the cafeteria, Ben followed a few paces behind, checking out her skirt. He gave me a thumbs-up out of Inna's range of vision.
“This is the cafeteria, but the food is bad.” I plugged my nose.
“You giving a tour?” Ben asked.
“Yeah. Johnson cornered me. What could I do?”
“Told ya you should come to my place before school. You get here too early. I'd say, âThat'll teach you,' but this time you lucked out.” Ben chuckled as he headed to his locker.
It was nearly time for the bell. “Can I see your schedule?” I asked Inna. She looked confused. I pointed at the paper in her hand. She passed it to me, and I scanned the sheet.
Her first block was English in room 203. My class was across the hall, so that made it easy. I could meet her at the bell to escort her to her second block. That's when she had science in the lab downstairs.
Poor girl. She'll never know what hit her
. Science is okay, but Mr. Rich has no idea how to teach teens. Frogs he getsâstudents make no sense to him.
Before lunch, Inna's class would be gym. It seemed straightforward enough. I could handle helping her get to her classes.
As the bell rang, a look of terror came over Inna's face. She bolted toward the office.
In seconds she was lost in a sea of students.
“Inna!” I shouted over the bustle of people slamming lockers and hustling through the corridor. Usually I was in class by now. I hate halls. I hate crowds. And the crowds hate me.
“Hey, loser,” said Theo, a grade twelve I always avoided. “Who let you out? Cave dweller.”
I wanted to tell him he wasn't very original, but I was too busy trying to spot Inna. I kept walking.
“I'm talking to you, loser. Didn't you hear me?” he said, pushing me against a locker. I guess that was for effect. By now his buddies had shown up. I didn't stand a chance against that many of them.
Theo pushed my left shoulder, and I fell back into the locker again. I tried eye contact. He grabbed my chin and shoved me back so hard, I think my head left a dent in the metal door.
“Get him, dude,” said one of his groupies.
Like he didn't already have me.
“What's going on here, gentlemen?” Mr. Johnson arrived on the scene. I would have chosen a different word than gentlemen.
“Ah, nothing, Mr. J. We were just asking Mr. Reed here to move away from our lockers. Don't want to be late for class, you know?”
“Well, get your things and move on.” Mr. Johnson winked at me. He knew what was really going on. If he gave them heck, they would retaliate later. This way, I saved face and no one got hurt. I squeezed by one of the other kids and took off down the hall.