Between by Mary Ting Page A

attempt to be invisible, I hid behind Jackson, one of the biggest football players on our school team, who conveniently sat in front of me.
    “ Jackson,” Mr. Cain called. “What do you think?”
    Jackson was silent and his body stiffened. Maybe he was in shock that he got called on. Whatever the reason, he seemed fine after the initial shock and started rambling about how he thought Hamlet wouldn’t love Ophelia forever.
     
    After school, I pulled up to park in the driveway; Mom’s car was already there. It was unusual for her to be home this early on a Monday. I wondered if she was sick, because it was so unlike her to take a day off from work. I clicked on my car alarm and headed inside.
    “ Mom,” I called.
    “ Hi, honey,” she greeted me with a hug. She didn’t look or sound sick. “I need to talk to you.” She took my hand and led both of us to the sofa.
    “ What is it?” I asked.
    “ Do you remember my friend, Jacqueline? It’s been a while since you’ve seen her.”
    “ I recall you talking to her on the phone several times.”
    “ Jacqueline is like a sister to me. She’s really sick. She was diagnosed with breast cancer some time ago and unfortunately, it has spread to some of her other organs. Doctors are not very optimistic about her prognosis and cannot be certain as to how much time she has.” Her voice was shaky as her eyes began to tear.
    “ I’m so sorry, Mom,” I said, placing my hand on her arm.
    “ Honey, what I’m trying to say is that I’m going to be gone for a week. Do you think you’ll be okay, alone? I wouldn’t do this, but…”
    “ Go, Mom. Don’t worry. You know I can take care of myself. You can trust me. You need to be with your friend. I’ll be fine.”
    “ I know,” she said, running her hand down my face affectionately. “I just needed for you to tell me that it was okay. With Gamma gone, I didn’t think it was a good idea.”
    “ When will you be leaving?”
    “ I was thinking Thursday night, after work. I’ll have to fly to New York, but…I don’t have to go.”
    “ You need to go. Did you already forget what you always tell me, be good to those who are alive…”
    She finished my sentence. “What good is it when they are…” She paused. “But, I’ll miss Thanksgiving.”
    “ Thanksgiving is overrated. And anyway, I only pretended to like turkey for Gamma’s sake. I’ll be fine, but if it will make you feel better, I’ll call Patty’s mom if I need anything.”
    “ That sounds like a plan.”
    Even with our talk, I knew she would feel uncomfortable leaving me behind, especially because she would miss Thanksgiving, but what choice did she have? Her friend was sick.
    “ It will be alright, Mom. I have school and work on the weekend. I’ll be keeping myself busy. The week will fly by in a flash,” I reassured her.
    “ Okay, honey. You can invite your friends for a sleep over.”
    “ Sure. That’ll be fun.” I tried to sound cheerful.
    “ No boys allowed,” she said firmly.
    “ I know,” I said, planting a kiss on her cheek, and stood up. But she didn’t say no angels.
    She gently gripped my hand. “Thank you for understanding.”
    I smiled and headed to my room.

 
    Chapter Six
     
    I was all alone. Mom’s leaving the night before had left me with unsettling emotions, but thoughts of Patty’s birthday party were helping me escape the feeling. I looked inside my closet, trying to find something nice to wear. It was difficult for Patty and me to spend time together, especially since we didn’t go to the same school. Our time spent together socially was infrequent, but it made it more precious when it happened. Today was a special day and I could hardly wait to see my best friend.
    While I was searching, I became excited about the party favor; I couldn’t wait for Patty to see it. Coming up with a party favor was difficult, especially since I hadn’t made one before. But one thing was certain; it had to be perfect. After