Spider Brains: A Love Story (Book One) (31 page)

But, as quickly as I noticed her pretty eyes, I was distracted from them.

It reverberated, the noise did. Mom giggled at my reaction.

"That's weird."

"Yes. Now, off with you." I sort of skipped off the steps into our snowy front yard. The snow blazed like a hundred thousand diamonds someone had dumped onto our property. "And, Susie?" She called, making me stop and turn around. "You have a remarkably wonderful day."

"K. Mom." I turned to leave and under my breath said, "What-ever."

The reverberation grew louder as I passed, and spit, in front of the cemetery.

It was completely, one-hundred percent, recognizable about a block away from school. The voice blasted through a bullhorn, calling students to gather.

It was Matt.

When I entered the Ronkonkoma High gates he was saying something about a formal apology.

"Mrs. Morlson, here, would like to speak now." Matt's voice thundered out. Mr. Haggerty stood back, closer to the concrete planter that lined the walkway to the school's doors.

A pack of no fewer than two hundred of my closest (literally) classmates formed a bank in a semicircle watching Matt. As I pushed my way through the crowd, she began to speak into the bullhorn.

"Um." Blaring reverberation oinked at the crowd and every single hand raised up to cover their ears. "Uh. Sorry." Then to Matt she said, "I can't do this." And tried to step away.

When I got to the front line Matt was grabbing her by the arm tugging her back. "Yes. You can. Or else." He said.

Matt and Morlson stood shoulder to shoulder and about the same height. In fact, he might've boasted an inch over her. He looked regal there. Somehow, without me noticing, Matt had grown into his lankiness.

A smile made my lips break over my shiny steel braces. I was staring at Matt in awe.

"Yes. Um. Well. Uh." Morlson was stalling. Matt nudged her with an elbow. Her eyes looked as if she might've stabbed roasted marshmallows into them. They were swollen and oozy. Like maybe she'd contracted conjunctivitis, or something.

"Yes. Um. Well." Her head waggled. "Per my agreement with Mr. Haggerty, Mrs. Willa Speider," I shot a look at Matt who was staring, well, really beaming at me, "and Matthew here, I
have
to," Matt flipped a look at her that meant business. Morlson cleared her throat, looked at her feet and said, "I mean I
want
to" [stall] [stall], "formally," [stall] [stall] "apologize," she looked at me once and then as if staring into the sun her eyes crunched, "to, um, Miss, um, Speider there." She pointed the bullhorn at me. "There. I did it." She said to Matt but he wanted more from her. He shook his head and restrained her from trying to get away. "Oh. Fine! To Susie Speider for calling her a cheat and a liar. There." She said the words as fast as she could then leapt off toward where Mr. Haggerty stood, passing him and darting toward the glass doors of the school.

But, she stopped before going inside. Morlson wasn't finished. She turned around and came back. She bellied up to Matt and snatched back the bullhorn.

"Oh and one other thing. I wish you people would quit calling me Queen Morlson. There. That's all. Good. Bye."

At first, there was a void as if the time warped then split and rolled in on itself,
backwards
.

Then, the crowd erupted.

I couldn't move my arms. People jiggled them but it was like they had no muscles anymore.

I couldn't speak. I could only stare at Matt who had come to my rescue, in, like the biggest way ever.

He walked over to me. The crowd was still going ballistic whooping and screaming and ooo-ooo-ooo-ing, chanting
Matthew Matthew Matthew
. Like he was their new hero. He was my hero.

And, when he pulled me into a hug, I knew he was mine.

But, all our happiness and joy ended when David and Joe came up to us. They yanked Matt's arm and he let go of me. Matt's face went slack. Mine too.

"Brother." I blew out in disgust.

The entire student body was there. Mr. Haggerty watched on and took one cautious step toward us.

Cinda and Melinda stood behind the boys. They glared at Matt and then turned their venomous gaze to me.

I glared back.

Then, David pushed his hand out, to shake Matt's. Matt looked at me, astonishment soaking his eyes.

Matt acted gentlemanly and grabbed David's hand, giving it one solid pump down.

Joe was next. He held out his hand too for Matt. Matt obliged him as well.

Then, Cinda and Melinda followed suit.

Tanya walked up next and stared at Matt with zero expression. "You're gonna do great on the
outside
." She said flicking her head toward the school's gates and referring to after graduation. Then, she looked at me.

"Hi Tanya." I blushed. Tanya is like a goddess to me.

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep thinking up words. We have big plans for you.
Big
plans." Then, she hugged me. "I'm gonna miss you, kid. You're, like, part of the reason I make it to school each day."

My jaw dropped. I was flabbergasted. I couldn't speak. Then, she added, looking back to Matt. "Nicely executed, Matthew. Nicely executed."

When she past us, I watched her walk away. My skin prickled. And, when I turned back, it was as if, suddenly, the entire school had formed a line to shake Matt's hand. The line curved to the right and then to the left around the main building and off to who knows where.

He started to giggle at first. Then, he got teary but kept laughing as people kept grabbing his hand, his arms, patting him on the back, telling him, "Good job, man." And, "Way to go, Matthew." "You're the main, dude, Matt!" Someone yelled a few bodies down the line of students.

Matt kept wiping at his eyes and grabbing hands, shaking so many hands that day. So many. And, all day long, when people would see Matt, they yelled, "Right on, Matt!"

They'd even say to things to me, like, "Hey Speider, your boyfriend there's got one set on him!"

Which, well, God. Gross, but, hey. It was cool, right? I mean. It made
me
smile.

I couldn't believe our day would've ever turned out so awesome. Mom knew. Mom was there with Matt, Mr. Haggerty and Morlson the night before.

And, Matt? Well, he was a star.

S
IXTY FOUR
- The Definition of the Word

The roasted nutty smell of coffee infused the kitchen. "This is the thing I've learned." Mom said as we sat sipping our coffees, me, with a load of agave nectar, like two full dripping teaspoons, goat's milk (to cream it up) and a chocolate spoon mom had been saving for a special occasion. I guess this was it. Mom's was creamy with half and half--ONLY, PLEASE!

Mom continued. "What I've learned is words can work for you and they can work against you. They can help and they can harm. When I learned I could control my words, could control just blurting out something,"

Then I interrupted. "You mean like having sex with Matt. That kind of control."

"That's different."

I huffed and let her go on. She and I were having a lovely moment and I didn't want to spoil it by saying the wrong thing. Again. But, I also had to believe that human nature is human nature and we make mistakes. The Bible says that we're not perfect. Boy. Oh. Boy. How true is that! And, human nature will be a thing we can either be proud of or embarrassed by. I'm shooting for proud. Not just for me to be proud of myself, but for my mom to be proud of me and, hopefully, my dad too as he watches over me like my own special guardian angel.

"That's different and you will learn why someday when you have children of your own."

OMG. Mom was using all of the parental cop-outs this morning. I giggled at her.

"You will have children, Miss Susie. And, when you do, they will be the light of your life. The thing you would die for. The thing you love more than anything else, even your husband. Dare I say it. But, it's
that
deep of a love." A thin glimmer of moistness trimmed her lower lid and I looked down into my nectar of a drink I'd made for myself.

I took another sip. "Mmm."

"Yes. Well. You shouldn't have more than one cup a day. Especially with your meds."

She got up to pour herself another cup, filled it with creamer and then came back to sit with me.

"Although," she said, "since the doc lowered your dosage again, one cup shouldn't hurt you but, Susie, promise me this sweetie," I shook my head even before the thing I would promise was out of her lips, "if you start believing you're a spider again, will you tell me?"

"Yes, mom. I will. Promise." I made a little X over my heart and kissed my fingers.

Mom smiled and sipped her coffee. She pulled back fast. "Ooo. Hot."

I took another gulp.

Mom then slurped hers like she was drinking soup out of a cup. Gross.

"Mother. Please." I rolled my eyes. "Manners."

"Sorry." She got up again. "That's another thing." She headed for the refrigerator. "Bacon and eggs?"

"Sure!"

She pulled out the fixings.

"What's the other thing, mom?"

"Oh. Yes. Sorry. I forgot." She turned and made a funny scrunched up face. "That's not good." Then blew out one big laugh. "Mom's losing it, Susie."

"Mom. Get on with it. The other thing?"

"Well. Those eyes of yours." She turned face front to me, placed one hand on one hip and leaned against the sink next to the bacon, the eggs, the sack of sliced whole grain bread, the butter, the peanut butter and the jam. "Those eyes are your give-away."

"My give-away."

"Mm hmm. You approve and your eyes light up but when you disapprove, you roll your eyes. Your facial expressions, like your words can undo a person, Susie." She turned back to the food and began opening the bacon first, because, as you know, you start food first that takes the longest to cook.

But, this morning was lecture morning so I just let mom go on. "I'm not saying that you shouldn't be expressive. No. Just watch when you're being judgmental with people--in your words and in your face? K?"

No. Duh. But, I didn't flinch. I didn't move. Not moving allowed me to hear her words. Hearing her words allowed to contemplate why she was lecturing, in her oh, so sweet-natured way mom has about her. And, it struck me that she probably had tons of info I could employ.

I mean, old people are like that. You know. Full of experience and info.

"K?" She prodded after getting lost in my thoughts.

"K. Mom." And, it was as if dad had grabbed my hand at that moment and led me to her 'cause I put my arms around her as she began preparing our breakfast. "I love you mom."

She giggled. "I love you too, my Susie. Miss Susie Speider."

"Can I help?"

"Sure! Crack the eggs in this bowl. Four. And, then beat them. Here. Here's the whisk."

A
nd morning went that way, without a glitch. We cooked breakfast together for the first time in a long time.