Chapter Eight - Dawn
I suppose it's worth noting here that the characters are pretty much all from California Diaries. So having read those might help ya. But hey, not that big an issue. I attempted to explain the characters necessary by integrating them fluidly into the text.
You know. How they do in the books.
*pause for laughs*
2051 words.
Chapter Eight - Dawn
Dear Mary Anne,
How are you? How's sunny Connecticut? Catch any rays recently? (Just kidding!)
That new Short Takes class you guys have sounds kind of cool. We don't have Short Takes here. I really think everyone needs some kind of training, like the egg babies? That was really important. I shudder to think of some of the kids here who could get pregnant without ever knowing how much work it is. I mean, some of them don't even baby-sit. But the new one... I don't know how much necessity there really is for it at Vista. I mean, people are really accepting here. Like, Amalia is Latina. But no one even seems to notice that. She's not Amalia Who's Latina; she's just Amalia. It's different from in Stoneybrook, where Jessi and Claud were so alone by being a different ethnicity. I wish they could see what it's like at Vista.
Things are actually pretty boring here in good old CA lately, but I love it. Sunny's been spending a lot of time over here. We're close again. I really missed that.
And of course our other friends: Maggie, Amalia, and Ducky. I always miss the BSC, of course, but there's something nice about having just a close, tight-knit group. After everything that's happened lately, I think it's especially important to Sunny to have people she can count on. I'm glad to be one of them.
Sunny said to tell you, Mom, and Richard that she seriously appreciated the flowers. I mean, she and her dad already wrote the thank-you notes, but she said to mention it to you specifically. It meant a lot to her that you guys thought of her, all the way in Connecticut. She says that her mom would have been really happy. So thanks. From Sunny, and from me. Anything that makes Sunny happy right now makes me happy too.
I'm sure you've seen the news about Maggie's new boyfriend, right? Tyler Kendall? The famous actor? Some people - like my old friend Jill, if you remember her - are absolutely OBSESSED with him. It's driving Maggie NUTS. They can't go out to dinner together without someone seeing him and freaking out. The fans of the world do not understand that he's dating Maggie, or they think they'd be better for him, or something. As if anyone could be better than Maggie.
Amalia has the best family in the world. I think they're providing a great escape for Maggie, which is so, so important, given everything that's going on with her family. (I know you must have seen that one on the news. It's not every day that Hayden Blume's wife goes to the Betty Ford clinic.) And the band? Vanish brings new meaning to the term "awesome". Maggie sounds amazing, and Amalia's getting them a lot of attention. It's amazing, really.
And Ducky. God, Ducky. He's the best guy friend anyone could have. (Sorry, Mary Anne - I know you'd say Logan is, but he can't drive, and he's really more there for you than for the rest of us. Not Ducky. Ducky is Sunny's best friend, but if I needed him, I know he'd be here with me in a second.) I know a lot of sixteen-year-old boys would be really embarrassed to hang around with a bunch of thirteen-year-old girls, but Ducky just clicked with us. And he's wonderful.
Ducky is the kind of guy who will say anything for a laugh, and who will laugh at himself just as much as he'd laugh at anyone else. Which is why I don't mind all of his silly teasing. And when he talks, he's fun. There's no one who can make me forget my problems so much as Duc
The doorbell rang, and I dropped my pencil.
I had just been hitting my stride in my letter to Mary Anne when the doorbell rang. Dad and Carol had gone out to a nice dinner, and Jeff was spending the night at a friend's house. That meant it was just me, my baby sister Gracie, and a long letter to my favorite stepsister.
I picked Gracie up and adjusted her to a spot a little higher on my hip as I walked to the door. "Who is it?" I called. A good baby-sitter never just opens the door, even when she's in her own house.
"Dawn, it's Ducky and Sunny. Let us in.Please."
There was an urgency in Sunny's voice, almost a panic. I threw open the door and gasped. I didn't mean to; I just couldn't help it. I think I almost dropped Gracie. "Ducky!" I whispered.
My feet moved me away from the door, I think. I mean, I could feel myself being propelled to the side, but I wasn't really consciously walking myself, if you know what I mean. I'm almost always cool-headed in a crisis, but right now... no. Not like this. No way.
Sunny, luckily, had control. Even as she babbled hysterically, she was escorting Ducky to a couch. "Dawn, I found him like this, sitting in his car, we were supposed to meet, I drove him home, but I can't find my keys and Dad isn't home and, god, what should we do, should we call a doctor-"
"You drove him home?" I heard myself ask. "You don't have a license. You're thirteen."
Way to focus on important issues there, Schafer. "I couldn't leave him like this!" Sunny snapped, and I knew she was right.
"What happened?" I whispered.
"Some guys beat him up," Sunny said simply.
Suddenly the events clicked in my head. I needed to do something, so I sprang into action. I ran to the kitchen. When I was there, I put Gracie in her high chair with a bowl of dry cheerios in front of her. I shoved a Disney cassette into the boom box Carol has always insisted we keep in the kitchen, and I pressed play. Ariel, the Little Mermaid, started singing about life under the sea. That was good. The music and cheerios could entertain Gracie for hours. And as important as playing with my baby sister while baby-sitting was, what was going on with Ducky was more so.
I ran to the bathroom and wet a hand towel with lukewarm water. Then I ran that in to the living room, where Sunny was talking quietly to Ducky. I suddenly felt really awkward in my own home, like I was interrupting a private moment, so I cleared my throat twice to let them know I was here. Sunny turned to me gratefully. "Dawn! Oh, god, you're wonderful. Ducky, Dawn brought some washcloths. We're going to clean your face, okay?"
He just kind of grunted. Oh my god. Ducky.
He had a black eye. His nose was bloody. He looked like he'd gotten into a fight. He looked like he'd lost.
I'd never seen Ducky with so much as a bruise. I was terrified for him.
He looked up at me, and I guess he saw that on my face. "It's okay, Dawn," he said with a weak grin. "The other guy looks much worse."
I didn't say what I wanted to say. That was to scream at him, shake him. How could he think this was a joke? How could he just laugh about this? Someone had hurt him, so badly he couldn't drive, so badly that his left eye was almost swollen shut, so badly that I wanted to cry for him if he couldn't do it himself.
"Who was it?" Sunny asked. And then, a moment later, more urgently - "Who was it?"
I'll admit it. I kind of hoped he didn't remember. Because I was outraged, and I was ready to phone the police right then, but Sunny? I couldn't tell if Sunny would be willing to wait for the police, or if she'd just go in for some vigilante justice. And I wasn't angry enough to start a fight, but I was definitely angry enough to back Sunny up.
And we're both small eighth graders. These guys had to be at least tenth graders. Probably older. They could even be seniors.
Ducky kind of smiled again. "Sunny."
"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.
"Sunny, I don't want you to do anything."
"I'm not. I just want to know who it is."
Ducky rolled his eyes, and then winced. I couldn't even imagine how much pain he was in. And he wasn't even complaining. "Sunny, no."
"But-"
"Sunny," I said softly, "he said no. You need to listen."
She looked at me, and then slowly nodded. She didn't like it, but she'd do it for Ducky. "Okay."
"Thank you," Ducky said.
"So you aren't going to go to the police?" I asked. "Ducky, whoever it was really hurt you."
"It'll just make it worse, Dawn," Ducky said patiently.
"And ignoring it will just make it go away?" I demanded. "These guys attacked you out of nowhere. It could have been anyone!"
"No, it couldn't have," Ducky said. "It was me. And I'll be okay."
"Why would it be you?" Sunny asked.
Ducky looked for a second like he'd tell us everything he was thinking. Then he smiled sadly. "Just 'cause I'm me."
"It's because you're friends with us, isn't it?" I asked. "Because you're close to a bunch of thirteen year old girls."
"It's not your fault, Dawn."
Which meant that I was right. "Who was it?" I asked. "If we promise not to do anything, or say anything- who was it?"
"You promise?" Ducky asked.
"We promise," I said.
"We do," Sunny echoed. "Please?"
He can't turn down anything Sunny says. "Some guy," he said quietly. "Mad Moose, mostly."
For a second there was complete silence in the room. Just Ducky's labored breathing, and I could hear part of "Kiss the Girl" coming from the kitchen.
Then I answered, and my reply was not quiet. "Mad Moose, Ducky? Mad Moose Machover? You're lucky this is all that happened! Have you seen him on the football field? And that's when there are referees!"
I guess I was really loud, because Gracie started sobbing. I mean, really crying. Like, she was bawling. I instantly felt horrible. If it could make Gracie cry, imagine how Ducky must feel! "I'm sorry, Ducky," I murmured.
"Don't be," he told me. "It's going to be okay."
I stared at him for a long time. "Do you really believe that, Ducky?" I asked him.
He didn't answer me. That was okay. I know how to translate his silence.
I went in and found my baby sister. "Hey, Gracie," I whispered. "Hey, Gracie. Shh. It's okay. I'm sorry, Gracie. I'm sorry."
She gurgled a little at me, and I turned off the Disney music. "It's going to be okay, Gracie. Ducky says so, and he knows what he's talking about. Some bad boys hurt him, but he's going to be okay."
Gracie tugged at one of my earrings, which I assumed meant "That's totally true, Dawn. Thank you for telling me it's going to be okay."
Gracie, Sunny, and I sat with Ducky for a long time. When Dad and Carol came home, they were surprised to see Ducky lying on our couch - especially given that he's a boy, and they weren't here - but when he told them what happened (omitting names, because despite a solid hour of Sunny's and my convincing, he refused to report it, and we knew Carol and Dad would make him) and reminded them that Ducky's parents are on another continent, they insisted he spend the night. I offered my bed, but he refused it. He said he was being chivalrous, but I think he just didn't want to take the stairs.
It was a long time before I finished my letter to Mary Anne. I just kept staring at the paper, and imagining how to change the tone. Actually, that wonderful friend, Ducky? The one who everyone likes so much, who's so funny and friendly? It turns out some guys beat him up for no good reason. Just because they know he's friends with lots of girls he's not dating. Turns out good ol' Palo City isn't quite as accepting as I thought.
Love,
Dawn
You know. How they do in the books.
*pause for laughs*
2051 words.
Chapter Eight - Dawn
Dear Mary Anne,
How are you? How's sunny Connecticut? Catch any rays recently? (Just kidding!)
That new Short Takes class you guys have sounds kind of cool. We don't have Short Takes here. I really think everyone needs some kind of training, like the egg babies? That was really important. I shudder to think of some of the kids here who could get pregnant without ever knowing how much work it is. I mean, some of them don't even baby-sit. But the new one... I don't know how much necessity there really is for it at Vista. I mean, people are really accepting here. Like, Amalia is Latina. But no one even seems to notice that. She's not Amalia Who's Latina; she's just Amalia. It's different from in Stoneybrook, where Jessi and Claud were so alone by being a different ethnicity. I wish they could see what it's like at Vista.
Things are actually pretty boring here in good old CA lately, but I love it. Sunny's been spending a lot of time over here. We're close again. I really missed that.
And of course our other friends: Maggie, Amalia, and Ducky. I always miss the BSC, of course, but there's something nice about having just a close, tight-knit group. After everything that's happened lately, I think it's especially important to Sunny to have people she can count on. I'm glad to be one of them.
Sunny said to tell you, Mom, and Richard that she seriously appreciated the flowers. I mean, she and her dad already wrote the thank-you notes, but she said to mention it to you specifically. It meant a lot to her that you guys thought of her, all the way in Connecticut. She says that her mom would have been really happy. So thanks. From Sunny, and from me. Anything that makes Sunny happy right now makes me happy too.
I'm sure you've seen the news about Maggie's new boyfriend, right? Tyler Kendall? The famous actor? Some people - like my old friend Jill, if you remember her - are absolutely OBSESSED with him. It's driving Maggie NUTS. They can't go out to dinner together without someone seeing him and freaking out. The fans of the world do not understand that he's dating Maggie, or they think they'd be better for him, or something. As if anyone could be better than Maggie.
Amalia has the best family in the world. I think they're providing a great escape for Maggie, which is so, so important, given everything that's going on with her family. (I know you must have seen that one on the news. It's not every day that Hayden Blume's wife goes to the Betty Ford clinic.) And the band? Vanish brings new meaning to the term "awesome". Maggie sounds amazing, and Amalia's getting them a lot of attention. It's amazing, really.
And Ducky. God, Ducky. He's the best guy friend anyone could have. (Sorry, Mary Anne - I know you'd say Logan is, but he can't drive, and he's really more there for you than for the rest of us. Not Ducky. Ducky is Sunny's best friend, but if I needed him, I know he'd be here with me in a second.) I know a lot of sixteen-year-old boys would be really embarrassed to hang around with a bunch of thirteen-year-old girls, but Ducky just clicked with us. And he's wonderful.
Ducky is the kind of guy who will say anything for a laugh, and who will laugh at himself just as much as he'd laugh at anyone else. Which is why I don't mind all of his silly teasing. And when he talks, he's fun. There's no one who can make me forget my problems so much as Duc
The doorbell rang, and I dropped my pencil.
I had just been hitting my stride in my letter to Mary Anne when the doorbell rang. Dad and Carol had gone out to a nice dinner, and Jeff was spending the night at a friend's house. That meant it was just me, my baby sister Gracie, and a long letter to my favorite stepsister.
I picked Gracie up and adjusted her to a spot a little higher on my hip as I walked to the door. "Who is it?" I called. A good baby-sitter never just opens the door, even when she's in her own house.
"Dawn, it's Ducky and Sunny. Let us in.Please."
There was an urgency in Sunny's voice, almost a panic. I threw open the door and gasped. I didn't mean to; I just couldn't help it. I think I almost dropped Gracie. "Ducky!" I whispered.
My feet moved me away from the door, I think. I mean, I could feel myself being propelled to the side, but I wasn't really consciously walking myself, if you know what I mean. I'm almost always cool-headed in a crisis, but right now... no. Not like this. No way.
Sunny, luckily, had control. Even as she babbled hysterically, she was escorting Ducky to a couch. "Dawn, I found him like this, sitting in his car, we were supposed to meet, I drove him home, but I can't find my keys and Dad isn't home and, god, what should we do, should we call a doctor-"
"You drove him home?" I heard myself ask. "You don't have a license. You're thirteen."
Way to focus on important issues there, Schafer. "I couldn't leave him like this!" Sunny snapped, and I knew she was right.
"What happened?" I whispered.
"Some guys beat him up," Sunny said simply.
Suddenly the events clicked in my head. I needed to do something, so I sprang into action. I ran to the kitchen. When I was there, I put Gracie in her high chair with a bowl of dry cheerios in front of her. I shoved a Disney cassette into the boom box Carol has always insisted we keep in the kitchen, and I pressed play. Ariel, the Little Mermaid, started singing about life under the sea. That was good. The music and cheerios could entertain Gracie for hours. And as important as playing with my baby sister while baby-sitting was, what was going on with Ducky was more so.
I ran to the bathroom and wet a hand towel with lukewarm water. Then I ran that in to the living room, where Sunny was talking quietly to Ducky. I suddenly felt really awkward in my own home, like I was interrupting a private moment, so I cleared my throat twice to let them know I was here. Sunny turned to me gratefully. "Dawn! Oh, god, you're wonderful. Ducky, Dawn brought some washcloths. We're going to clean your face, okay?"
He just kind of grunted. Oh my god. Ducky.
He had a black eye. His nose was bloody. He looked like he'd gotten into a fight. He looked like he'd lost.
I'd never seen Ducky with so much as a bruise. I was terrified for him.
He looked up at me, and I guess he saw that on my face. "It's okay, Dawn," he said with a weak grin. "The other guy looks much worse."
I didn't say what I wanted to say. That was to scream at him, shake him. How could he think this was a joke? How could he just laugh about this? Someone had hurt him, so badly he couldn't drive, so badly that his left eye was almost swollen shut, so badly that I wanted to cry for him if he couldn't do it himself.
"Who was it?" Sunny asked. And then, a moment later, more urgently - "Who was it?"
I'll admit it. I kind of hoped he didn't remember. Because I was outraged, and I was ready to phone the police right then, but Sunny? I couldn't tell if Sunny would be willing to wait for the police, or if she'd just go in for some vigilante justice. And I wasn't angry enough to start a fight, but I was definitely angry enough to back Sunny up.
And we're both small eighth graders. These guys had to be at least tenth graders. Probably older. They could even be seniors.
Ducky kind of smiled again. "Sunny."
"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.
"Sunny, I don't want you to do anything."
"I'm not. I just want to know who it is."
Ducky rolled his eyes, and then winced. I couldn't even imagine how much pain he was in. And he wasn't even complaining. "Sunny, no."
"But-"
"Sunny," I said softly, "he said no. You need to listen."
She looked at me, and then slowly nodded. She didn't like it, but she'd do it for Ducky. "Okay."
"Thank you," Ducky said.
"So you aren't going to go to the police?" I asked. "Ducky, whoever it was really hurt you."
"It'll just make it worse, Dawn," Ducky said patiently.
"And ignoring it will just make it go away?" I demanded. "These guys attacked you out of nowhere. It could have been anyone!"
"No, it couldn't have," Ducky said. "It was me. And I'll be okay."
"Why would it be you?" Sunny asked.
Ducky looked for a second like he'd tell us everything he was thinking. Then he smiled sadly. "Just 'cause I'm me."
"It's because you're friends with us, isn't it?" I asked. "Because you're close to a bunch of thirteen year old girls."
"It's not your fault, Dawn."
Which meant that I was right. "Who was it?" I asked. "If we promise not to do anything, or say anything- who was it?"
"You promise?" Ducky asked.
"We promise," I said.
"We do," Sunny echoed. "Please?"
He can't turn down anything Sunny says. "Some guy," he said quietly. "Mad Moose, mostly."
For a second there was complete silence in the room. Just Ducky's labored breathing, and I could hear part of "Kiss the Girl" coming from the kitchen.
Then I answered, and my reply was not quiet. "Mad Moose, Ducky? Mad Moose Machover? You're lucky this is all that happened! Have you seen him on the football field? And that's when there are referees!"
I guess I was really loud, because Gracie started sobbing. I mean, really crying. Like, she was bawling. I instantly felt horrible. If it could make Gracie cry, imagine how Ducky must feel! "I'm sorry, Ducky," I murmured.
"Don't be," he told me. "It's going to be okay."
I stared at him for a long time. "Do you really believe that, Ducky?" I asked him.
He didn't answer me. That was okay. I know how to translate his silence.
I went in and found my baby sister. "Hey, Gracie," I whispered. "Hey, Gracie. Shh. It's okay. I'm sorry, Gracie. I'm sorry."
She gurgled a little at me, and I turned off the Disney music. "It's going to be okay, Gracie. Ducky says so, and he knows what he's talking about. Some bad boys hurt him, but he's going to be okay."
Gracie tugged at one of my earrings, which I assumed meant "That's totally true, Dawn. Thank you for telling me it's going to be okay."
Gracie, Sunny, and I sat with Ducky for a long time. When Dad and Carol came home, they were surprised to see Ducky lying on our couch - especially given that he's a boy, and they weren't here - but when he told them what happened (omitting names, because despite a solid hour of Sunny's and my convincing, he refused to report it, and we knew Carol and Dad would make him) and reminded them that Ducky's parents are on another continent, they insisted he spend the night. I offered my bed, but he refused it. He said he was being chivalrous, but I think he just didn't want to take the stairs.
It was a long time before I finished my letter to Mary Anne. I just kept staring at the paper, and imagining how to change the tone. Actually, that wonderful friend, Ducky? The one who everyone likes so much, who's so funny and friendly? It turns out some guys beat him up for no good reason. Just because they know he's friends with lots of girls he's not dating. Turns out good ol' Palo City isn't quite as accepting as I thought.
Love,
Dawn