You're Not in This Alone

I wasn’t patient while waiting for Ebony to return with Grace. I was restless and twitchy. I didn’t want to be this far away from Ebony when I should’ve been spending every second with her. It was excruciatingly irritating, but I knew Ebony felt like she had a responsibility to Grace. I wished she would remember she had a responsibility to me, too.

No, it was wrong for me to be so selfish. Before all this happened, we hadn’t spent every waking minute together. We’d lived normal lives, gone to school, and had only seen each other in a few classes, in the hall, after school, and sometimes when I snuck into her room at any hour of the night to tell her about my dreams.

Now I was with her more than ever, but it still didn’t feel like enough. She had other people to take care of; Sarah and Grace were practically her little sisters now. Maybe the way she talked to them and watched out for them was even more like motherhood.

It had been almost half an hour since Ebony had left. I heaved an exaggerated sigh. Jason, who’d been basking in the sun next to me, opened his eyes and turned the volume on his portable CD player down so that we could hear each other more easily. We were far enough away from everyone that only Sarah was within earshot, and she was laughing and playing in the water with Skyler, Nadia, Ethan, and suspicious dolphin and turtle who were probably Leo and Shelby.

“Miss her?” Jason inquired.

I knew who he was talking about. “Of course,” I replied, “but it’s probably good for both Grace and Ebony to talk.”

He nodded. “I hope Ebony can help Grace get happy again.” He sighed, too.

“Do you miss her?” I asked curiously, trying not to smile.

He grinned. “Yeah, I do. But I bet you miss Ebony more. You two are always together.”

“So are you and Grace,” I pointed out.

He shrugged. “She needs me, so I help her. I like it. She’s more interesting than any other girl I’ve ever met.”

“Tell me your story,” I suggested. “How did you meet?”

Jason closed his eyes, and his smile faded. “I was young when my mom died, and no one knew who my dad was. I had no other family. So I lived with a foster family. They’re the first people I remember. I don’t even know what my mom looked like.”

“I’m sorry,” I said apologetically.

He shook his head. “It’s not so bad. Grace ended up in the same foster home when we were four. I don’t remember those first few years that well. The other girl in the family was scared of Grace and her black eyes, and so were the kids at school. I liked her, though. She told good stories.”

“When we were seven, Grace said something that scared our foster parents. They told child services they needed to find another place for her. The day she packed her bags, I threw a fit. I told them Grace wasn’t going anywhere if I wasn’t She quietly let them take her away, but after a few days in which neither of us spoke or ate, they gave in and let me stay with her.”

“We’ve been together ever since. She tries to explain to me what her way of seeing is like. She says it’s less seeing and more knowing. She says she’s really blind.”

I was surprised. She walked around as if she could see where she was going.

“But I don’t really get it,” Jason finished in defeat.

I looked at him sympathetically.

“Hey, guys,” Lance cut in, “we’re going to eat lunch now. Want some?”

Jason and I sat up at the same time. “Sure,” I replied for both of us, and we got up.

“Where are Grace and Ebony?” Faith asked as we all gathered around the coolers we’d brought with us.

“Down the beach,” Jason answered.

“That way,” Sarah and Skyler said in unison. They both pointed to the same direction.

“Do you want me to go get them?” Ethan asked, looking unsure of himself.

I opened my mouth, but Jason said the same thing I’d intended to say before I could say it. “No, let them be. They’ll come back when they’re ready.”

The subject dropped off, but Sarah and Skyler were exchanging glances, trying to be secretive. I wondered if they were spying. “Let them be, Sarah,” I muttered under my breath for only her to hear. She glanced at me, looking guilty.

I smiled wryly at her, raising my eyebrows. If Ebony was like a mother to her, maybe I was more like a father figure to her.

She and Skyler were both on their best behavior from then on. While we ate sub sandwiches and cooked hamburgers on the grill we’d brought, we all started to talk.

“What’s the date?” Miranda asked curiously.

“It’s June 29th,” Nadia said. “It’s been eight days.”

June 29th, I thought. It’s almost July. Then I remembered that July 2nd was a very important day. “Ebony’s birthday is in three days,” I realized out loud.

“We should have a party for her!” Faith exclaimed.

“A big party,” Nadia added.

“We could all wear pretty dresses and do our hair,” Sarah suggested, her eyes glazing over.

“We could have a dance! A formal dance, just in honor of Ebony’s eighteenth birthday,” Shelby put in.

“We could bake a cake, and have music and games and a limo,” Miranda added.

The guys and I seemed to be off to the side, not involved in the planning too much. However, I managed to crack a smile. “I think it’s a great idea,” I admitted. “We’ll talk to Ebony about it when she gets back. There’s no way to keep a secret from her!” I felt my smile fade, and I wished my last statement had been true.