Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One - A Helping Hand
There was a bright dinging noise - bicycle bells! Nate stopped with his foot in mid air, gaping in surprise as he looked fearfully down the road. I looked behind and saw Kiana riding as fast as she could on her green mountain bike. “Nate!” She hollered.
Nate winced and took off running without saying another word. At the same time, Nick and James gave Alex and Charlie a shove sending them tumbling to the ground as well. Running after Nate, their apples were abandoned in a basket by the bridge. Kianna stopped in front of Zach, letting her bike crash to the ground. “Zachary!” She exclaimed and knelt down beside him.
The five of us were all on the ground from the incident. Zach was still on his knees with one hand covering his nose and mouth and the other propping himself up. Kiana took some tissues out of her pocket and handed them to him, the white fabric turning a bright red as he patted his nose. “Thanks.” He said, quivering, clearly on the verge of tears. “Are Laurie and Coop okay?” He asked.
“We're okay.” I told him in a shaky voice. Laurie didn’t say anything, just fumbling to his feet and rushing to his brother’s side, falling to the ground again and pressing his face into Zach’s shirt. His big brother pulled him into his chest and held him tightly - like he was holding his favorite stuffed animal.
Kianna was accompanied by three older scouts - all boys - as well as Brad. They had all caught up on their own bikes, huddling around the group to form a rather sizable crowd around us. I looked down at my hands, wincing to see that they had been scratched and had a bunch of little red scrapes all down one palm.
Brad didn’t ask my permission before putting a strong arm around my shoulder, practically picking me up as he hoisted me to my feet. “You okay Coop?” He asked me, taking my hands in his larger ones for examination. “These scrapes look pretty bad,” he commiserated. “But you’re a tough kid though, aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh…” I agreed in a tiny broken voice. I was much too shaken to care about Brad’s mawkish tone, wrapping my hands around his torso and giving him a self-soothing hug - trying to slow my haggard panicked breathing. He gave my hair a ruffle, showing me a sweet smile. I frowned back, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. Brad was a full year younger than me! Why was I letting him comfort me like I was his blubbering little brother? I pulled away a little, though I kept holding his hand.
“Is everyone okay?” Kianna announced as she looked around at each of us, taking charge. “What happened?”
“Nate was picking on Laurie and Cooper.” Alex reported dutifully.
“And then he hit Zach!” Charlie butted in.
The two other Kindies looked entirely unfazed by their brief scuffle with Nick and James, holding up their hands to the attentive scouts by their side to show that they were fine. I was relieved, if unsurprised. The kids weren’t exactly prized fighters, they were only seven and eight, but the way the two of them liked to wrestle with each other I sometimes thought they were made of rubber!
Alex did give a disapproving tug at her Beaver vest, it had always looked a little disheveled but clearly the tumble to the ground had caused a fresh tear in the fabric.
Zach was still cuddling Laurie, cupping his golden curls, rubbing his back, and rocking him like a mother bear licking clean the wounds of her injured cub. The contrast between his body language and the look on his face could not have been more different, however. His face was all red, partly just from rage but partly stained with the blood from his nose; his features were all scrunched up; and his teeth were bared like that same mother bear might growl in rage at an intruder in her den. “He’s dead.” he seethed furiously, scowling in the direction the bullying sixer had run. “Next time I see him, he’s dead.”
He went to get up, shifting Laurie in his lap, but he had barely moved an inch before he let out a pained yowl, clutching his tummy.
“You’re being silly.” Kianna scolded him, putting a calming hand on his lap. He softened at once, looking up at the older girl’s kindly face as if she were a resplendent guardian angel. “Come on.” she instructed in a gentle voice, holding out a hand for him to hold. “Let me take you home.”
Zach shook his head defiantly from side to side, wearing a pained martyred expression. “No, I’m fine.” he protested, though his voice was barely more than an agonized series of grunts. “I’ve gotta hand the money in, and take the Kindies home…”
“Don’t worry about that.” Kianna dismissed, indicating the posse of older scouts accompanying her. “George can take the money to the Beaver lodge, and Mike and Paul can take Alex and Charlie.” She turned to Bradley, my younger neighbor still squeezing reassuringly on to my hand as if I were a distressed kindergärtner. “You live next door to Coopy, don’t you Bradley?”
Bradley went to shake his head in the affirmative, but Laurie finally spoke up – burrowing out from Zach’s shirt to reveal a ruined mess of snot tears on his face. “No!” he objected in a stroppy toddler-esque shout. “Cooper’s meant to sleep over tonight.”
Kianna frowned, unsure. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” she said hesitantly, turning to me with a concerned look on her face. “Do you wanna go home Coopy?”
“NO!” Laurie said even louder, gesturing needly for me to come over with one of his small pudgy hands. I could see that it had a few painful looking scratches, just like my own. “He’s sleeping over!”
“It’s okay.” I said at once, unclasping myself from Bradley’s grip and shuffling over to Zach and Laurie, kneeling down and letting the brown tail boy grab tightly onto my injured hand. The scratches stung painfully. “It doesn’t really hurt.” I lied.
“Well… alright then.” Kianna relented. “But we should call your Mommy.” She got to her feet and pulled out her smartphone. “Do you know her number?”
I slowly shook my head, realizing that I didn't. It wasn’t like I had a phone of my own, so I’d never bothered to learn it.
“It’s okay.” Zach announced, finally managing to stagger up to an uneasy standing position. He was holding one hand to his nose and had the other wrapped around Laurie’s tummy, heaving him up to his feet along with him. I stood up too, still holding Laurie’s hand. “My mom showed me his mom’s number in the phonebook. We can call her when we get back.”
Kianna didn’t look exactly thrilled. “You’re mom’s not home again?” she asked disapprovingly.
“She’s working.” Zach dismissed.
“I’ll walk you there.” Kianna repeated, picking up her bike and starting to wheel it purposefully down the road. I waved a hasty goodbye to Alex, Charlie and Brad - who it seemed would be going with the other scouts, George, Mike and Paul. Still holding Laurie’s hand, and Laurie still cuddled up against Zach, I had no choice but to shuffle along with the Love brothers as Zach followed behind Kianna like a scolded wolf pup. She showed him an admonishing frown. “I’ll stay until your Mom gets home.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Zach objected weakly.
“Yeah.” Kianna rebutted in a serious tone. “I do.”
A little while later, the four of us stepped up the steps of the Love’s house. It hadn’t taken us very long to get there, and an awkward silence seemed to fill the air louder than any conversation I could have thought of. Laurie finally let go of my hand at the door, and we exchanged two tiny nervous smiles while we waited for Zach to let us in. He seemed pretty shaken as he tried to put the key in the lock, taking a few tries to get it right. I looked down at the scrape of my hand, picking at it painfully. I was pretty sure a tiny pebble from the sidewalk was stuck in there somewhere.
Zach huffed and finally shoved the door open, letting it collide with the door stop. “Zach.” Kianna stated chidingly as she watched him march through the hallway. He didn’t even bother to take off his sneakers, leaving dusty footprints in his wake. The older girl quickly followed suit, letting out a frustrated tut as she pursued him down the hall. Laurie and I took off our own shoes as we sat on the bottom step of the stairs - alone.
“Zach’s upset.” Laurie told me sadly - a heartbreaking confused frown on his face. He gently placed his shoes on the ground, as if taking extra care of the little velcro sneakers would somehow make the situation less tense.
I nodded in agreement. “Him and Nate are friends?” I asked him, still a little confused about everything that had happened. I took off my sneakers and tossed them on the mat. “Or they were? Before camp?”
Laurie flipped over his little hands and inspected his own scrape. It wasn’t too bad, there were no real cuts, but the fall had left a painful-looking red rash. “Zach said he was his best friend…” Laurie told me thoughtfully, though he seemed really unsure. “He said Nate was his best friend, but that he just wasn’t Nate’s…” He seemed to be struggling with the idea. “Is that possible Cooper? To not be each other’s best friends?”
I felt a pang of awkwardness, knowing that Laurie thought of me as his best friend. I reflected on our own relationship, trying to determine if I felt the same. Though I still felt a vague sense of embarrassment at the idea, I could hardly deny the obvious truth. We ate lunch together, we played together - I was even sleeping over. We really were each other’s best friends. I wasn’t as close to Alex or Charlie, or anyone very much in grade five - except maybe Zach and Brad. Zach didn’t seem to be all that friendly with anyone. If I wasn’t around, he would usually just mope around on his own at school. “It’s possible.” I told him. “But I don’t think Nate was ever even Zach’s regular friend.” I picked at the scrape again and winced as I accidentally opened up the cut - causing a bright red line to appear on my palm.
Laurie took my other hand and started to pull me towards the kitchen. Zach was furiously hunched over a small black phone book looking for a number. Kianna gave me a smile as she saw me padding into the room. “We’re just gonna call your Mommy, and then you can go home.” She told me sweetly.
“Why?” I asked Kianna defiantly, sounding just like the petulant preteen I was - and not the sweet little boy she so obviously thought I was. I backed down a little, seeing the mild look of surprise on her face. “I mean… Mom knows where I am.”
“Coopy, you can’t stay overnight without a parent here.” Kianna stated the obvious. Even I had to admit that the total lack of adult supervision was getting a little strange.
“When will your Mom or Dad get home Zach?” I asked him outright. Zach just looked down at the little book on the table, pretending he didn’t hear me. I looked at Laurie for an answer, but he just stared down at his Paw Patrol socks - seeming vaguely anxious. “What’s going on?”
Laurie shuffled over to Zach and tugged at his shirt. “Does Cooper need to go home? Is the sleepover canceled?” He asked his older brother, showing a pair of big sad puppy dog eyes.
I looked at the brothers again, and then at Kianna. They all had a sour look on their faces, like they were hiding something from me. Clearly, Laurie didn’t want to cancel his Apple Day party - and Zach didn’t seem too keen on the idea either. I wasn’t sure why, it wasn’t her house after all, but Kianna seemed to have put herself in charge. I turned to her, looking rather grumpy. “Should I call my Mom?” I asked directly. “Or can I stay?”
Kianna frowned at me, and then at the brothers. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times - clearly at a loss - before she finally let out a defeated breath. “I’ll stay here and supervise until your Mom gets home.” she decided, speaking definitively and authoritatively. “That way Cooper and Laurie can still have their sleepover.”
Zach looked at her in disbelief. “You're not my baby sitter.” He growled at her. “Not anymore.”
I raised a thoughtful eyebrow. I had never really seen Zach listen to any other kid other than Kianna, and now it made sense. She was Zach’s old baby sitter!
“I know.” She told him and placed a hand on his shoulder, allowing herself a tiny playful smirk. “But it wasn’t so long ago. It’ll be just like old times.”
Laurie gave a hoot of joy, throwing his hands up into the air. “Yay! Kianna’s babysitting!” he celebrated. He turned to me, giving me a sage look “Kianna’s the best at bedtime stories.” he told me.
The older girl chuckled, looking down at the phone book again and starting to punch some numbers into the buttons. “You two still have a little while before bed.” She ushered me over with a wave of her hand, holding out the phone. “Come here, Coopy. We’ve still gotta call your mommy.”
“Huh?” I said dumbly, stumbling awkwardly forward to stand beside her. “I thought I was staying…?”
“That’s right.” Kianna told me. “But I think she should know what's going on. Don’t you want to talk to her?”
I didn’t. Even though I knew it wasn’t my fault, I felt a little guilty about what had happened. I’d been in a fight! I’d never been in a fight before. Would mom be angry? I didn’t get a chance to answer her question before Kianna held the receiver awkwardly against my ear. I could hear it ringing ominously, making me feel strangely nervous. Finally, there was a loud click - signaling that someone had picked up.
“Hello?” I heard mom’s voice, but didn’t say anything - blinking up bashfully at Kianna. She gave me a broad smile, nodding her head encouragingly. “Hello?” Mom’s voice repeated, sounding rather impatient.
“Hi!” I suddenly squeaked, not at all used to speaking on the phone. “Um…hi Mom…um…mommy, it’s me. Cooper.”
Mom’s tone brightened at once, though there was a hint of concern in her voice. “Oh! Hi there sweetie. How are you? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine..” I said instinctively, falling silent for a moment as I searched for the words. “But...um…not really. I was in a fight.”
“A fight?” Mom repeated, sounding very worried indeed.
“I’m okay!” I butted in quickly. “I just hurt my hand…and I’m back home at Zach and Laurie’s house now…” I trailed off again, not really knowing what else to say. I listened to the sound of Mom’s breathing, trying to work out if she was angry with me or not.
“Is Mrs Love there?” she finally asked. “Can you put her on the phone?”
I was stumped, looking desperately up at Kianna - feeling thoroughly like a scolded little boy. “I…um…she’s not here.” I answered. “But I’m not by myself! There’s a girl…from scouts.”
“A girl?” Mom demanded. “What girl?”
Blessedly, at that moment Kianna intervened, pulling the receiver away from my ear and quickly rescuing my botched explanation. She spoke with an accomplished air of practiced, polite maturity.
“Hello Mrs Young?” I heard her begin. “Yes..Mrs Love is working. I’m the boys' babysitter. Yes…” She looked down at me, giving me a big thumbs up for reassurance. I smiled back weakly, still feeling like I was somehow in trouble. “No, no it wasn’t a fight.” she continued. “Some bigger boys pushed him over. It’s just a little cut on his hand…yes, he’s being a real trooper.” She gave me another indulgent wink. I blushed. “No, you don’t have to worry…alright…alright.”
She put the receiver against her shoulder, giving me a quizzical look as if to ask me if I wanted to talk again. I shook my head definitely to the contrary. She smiled understandingly, putting the phone to her ear.
“I think he just wants to get back to playing.” she explained. There was a long pause, Mom talking for a long time - though I couldn’t hear what she was saying. When she was finished, Kianna just gave a loud musical laugh. I felt my cheeks go red, wondering what on earth Mom could have told her to make her laugh like that. “Alright then. Okay. I'll call you if anything comes up. Bye bye!”
Finally she put down the phone.
“This is so dumb.” Zach complained at once, poutily crossing his arms. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I can look after my brother just fine by myself.”
Kianna rolled her eyes at his attitude. “How about we team up?” She suggested diplomatically. “You watch your brother and I’ll watch Coopy.” She came over to me and looked at the cut on my hand. “How about we start with this?” She said sweetly, taking my roughed up hand in her soft larger hand.
I pulled weakly away. “It’s alright.” I told her. “It doesn’t hurt...”
“Don’t be silly.” Kianna interrupted. “This needs proper dressing. Come on, I’ll find the first aid kid.” She put an instructive pair of hands on my shoulders, ushering me gently forward towards a full night of being babysat.