Lucky Break #6 by Cindy Jefferies

otherwise.”
    Marmalade picked his book up and turned it over in his hands. “I don’t know,” he said slowly.
    â€œJust talk to him,” Danny said impatiently. “If nothing else, you can help him feel a little better, can’t you?” He waited a moment, but Marmalade didn’t reply. “I’ll see you later,” Danny added angrily. He turned on his heel and left Marmalade alone.
    For a while, Marmalade lay on his bed, deep in thought. He didn’t want to make Jack feel better. He still felt like blaming him for his own misfortune. But Danny had forced him to face up to things. And he owed Danny an apology, too. He’d treated his best friend really badly this semester, ignoring him while he was spending all his time with Jack, and then being really grouchy since he’d hurt his knee. Meanwhile Danny had remained a loyal friend, in spite of Marmalade’s behavior.
    So Marmalade decided to try to be more positive. He swung his legs gingerly off the bed and made a grab for his crutches. He should go and find Jack and talk to him. It would be a start.
    He made for the door and balanced on his good leg as he pulled the door open with one of his crutches. Slowly, he made his way down the hallway toward Jack’s room. If he was lucky, Jack might be there, and he wouldn’t have to struggle downstairs. When he reached Jack’s door, Marmalade balanced again on his good leg while he reached for the handle. As he tried to grasp it, the door swung inward. Someone was opening it from inside. Marmalade wobbled on his good leg, trying to regain his balance.
    â€œSorry!” said Jack as he saw Marmalade. He reached out to steady the injured dancer, but Marmalade grabbed the doorframe to save himself.
    â€œYou nearly made me fall again!” he snapped, shrugging off Jack’s help.

10. An Apology
    â€œI’m sorry,” Jack apologized again. “I didn’t know you were there.”
    â€œOh.” Now Marmalade was annoyed with himself. He’d set out meaning to make up with Jack, but he’d gotten off to a bad start. It wasn’t Jack’s fault that Marmalade had gone to his door just then. He let go of the doorframe and headed carefully toward Jack’s bed. He needed to sit down after the shock of almost falling again.
    â€œCan I sit here?” he asked. Jack nodded, and Marmalade settled himself down. He lifted his leg carefully onto the bed and allowed Jack to prop the crutches against the night table. Then Marmalade leaned back against the headboard and sighed.
    For a few seconds there was silence, and then they both started speaking at the same time.
    â€œI’m sorry . . .” started Marmalade.
    â€œWhat did . . .” began Jack.
    Marmalade smiled wryly. “Look,” he said to Jack. “I’m sorry. I came to apologize for shutting you out since my fall, but now I’ve just been horrible again! I can’t get anything right at the moment. I think people are getting really fed up because we’re both so miserable,” he added. “And it’s my fault.”
    Jack looked awkward. “Well, I wanted to come and tell you how sorry I was, but you weren’t speaking to me ...” He glanced at Marmalade’s leg and then looked away again.
    â€œI know.” Marmalade moved himself carefully into a more comfortable position. “All this,” he said reluctantly, waving his hand at his knee. “It wasn’t really your fault. I was being stupid. I know that now.”
    â€œBut I shouldn’t have gone along with it,” said Jack. “If I’d refused to explain until we were in the dance studio, it wouldn’t have happened.”
    â€œNot just then, maybe,” Marmalade admitted. “But sooner or later I’d probably have messed up. I didn’t stop to think about the floor being wet. How stupid was that? People are always spilling drinks in the dining