Oginali crawled out from under the chair. “Thanks a lot,” he said. “You’re good with her. It’s like you and Waya have a kind of thing going. Want to help me put her back in the truck?”
“Sure,” I said. I wrapped the leash around my hand once more.
“We have to put Waya in first,” Russell said as we crossed the dark parking lot. “If Oginali gets in first, Waya will attack her.”
“That is so weird.”
“Last year, there was this guy in seventh grade,” Russell said. “No one would sit with him at lunch or on the bus. Everyone said he stunk. People teased him. It’s that way with wolves. Males and females, they single out the omega. Maybe she’s small like Oginali, but for whatever reason, they just pick and pick.”
Waya and Oginali strained on their leashes, tense, half-crouching, as they padded along beside us. Each time one of us spoke, the wolves’s ears cocked backwards listening.
“Same at our school,” I said. “But it seems like every year, someone different gets harassed.” One someone had been me, I thought. I knew what it was like, all right. Mom and Dad’s divorce had been terrible in every way but one—and that was getting to move to a new school when Mom had to sell the house. “I got picked on in third grade, the year my folks split up.” I’d never talked to anyone about it, and here I was telling Russell. But I’d started and I had to finish. I hesitated. I hid the shaking of my hand by tucking my hairbehind my ear. I didn’t want to alienate him. “No one would sit with me, either,” I said quietly, envisioning our lunchroom. “Or they copied everything I said for the whole lunch period. They smashed my lunch. Stuck chewed gum on my chair. Poured milkshakes in my soccer bag.”
“I know what you mean,” Russell said softly, like he was talking to Oginali.
The way he said it, I just knew. It had happened to him, too.
“It happened to me in fifth grade. The year Mom died.”
“Your mom died?”
“Car wreck.”
“Oh! That’s terrible. I’m sorry.” I felt dizzy.
“Thanks.”
The silence stretched between us. Then I said, “Seems like they go after you when you’re down.”
“Yep.” Russell lowered the gate to the back of the truck. Inside were two large dog kennels, side by side. He unlocked both gates. Swung them open.
“Okay,” Russell said. “I’ll put her in now.”
I handed him Waya’s leash.
“Let’s go, girl,” he said. He tossed a dog treat into the back of the kennel. Waya jumped onto the truck bed and walked into the narrow crate. I heard hercrunching the dog biscuit. Russell slammed the door behind her. The kennel was just big enough for her to turn around and she did, keeping her eyes on Russell and me. Then he threw a treat for Oginali. She hesitated, looking fearfully up at Waya and then at Russell. Finally, she jumped up and slunk into her kennel. I didn’t hear her crunching the dog biscuit.
“She won’t eat until she’s sure Waya’s finished,” Russell explained. He slammed the gate of the truck. “Thanks. See ya later.”
“Wait … um, could I come visit Waya this week?”
Russell shook his head. “Not a good idea. Dad doesn’t like people seeing where he keeps them.”
I opened my mouth to tell Russell it was too late for that now, but quickly closed it again. He’d think I was a snoop. I didn’t let anything show on my face. Through the wire mesh of the kennel gate, I met Waya’s eyes. Again, in my mind, I saw her leaping to freedom. And I wondered, was it possible to exchange thoughts with an animal?
10
S TEPHANIE
A s darkness fell, the air cooled, and the sky turned deep purple. Nick went to a movie with his folks. He’d wanted to invite me, but his parents said no. It was family time. Daddy had stopped at the front desk to ask about white-water rafting, and Diana was helping Russell put the wolves back in their cages in the truck.
Diana acted all weird with those wolves, like she was
“Sure,” I said. I wrapped the leash around my hand once more.
“We have to put Waya in first,” Russell said as we crossed the dark parking lot. “If Oginali gets in first, Waya will attack her.”
“That is so weird.”
“Last year, there was this guy in seventh grade,” Russell said. “No one would sit with him at lunch or on the bus. Everyone said he stunk. People teased him. It’s that way with wolves. Males and females, they single out the omega. Maybe she’s small like Oginali, but for whatever reason, they just pick and pick.”
Waya and Oginali strained on their leashes, tense, half-crouching, as they padded along beside us. Each time one of us spoke, the wolves’s ears cocked backwards listening.
“Same at our school,” I said. “But it seems like every year, someone different gets harassed.” One someone had been me, I thought. I knew what it was like, all right. Mom and Dad’s divorce had been terrible in every way but one—and that was getting to move to a new school when Mom had to sell the house. “I got picked on in third grade, the year my folks split up.” I’d never talked to anyone about it, and here I was telling Russell. But I’d started and I had to finish. I hesitated. I hid the shaking of my hand by tucking my hairbehind my ear. I didn’t want to alienate him. “No one would sit with me, either,” I said quietly, envisioning our lunchroom. “Or they copied everything I said for the whole lunch period. They smashed my lunch. Stuck chewed gum on my chair. Poured milkshakes in my soccer bag.”
“I know what you mean,” Russell said softly, like he was talking to Oginali.
The way he said it, I just knew. It had happened to him, too.
“It happened to me in fifth grade. The year Mom died.”
“Your mom died?”
“Car wreck.”
“Oh! That’s terrible. I’m sorry.” I felt dizzy.
“Thanks.”
The silence stretched between us. Then I said, “Seems like they go after you when you’re down.”
“Yep.” Russell lowered the gate to the back of the truck. Inside were two large dog kennels, side by side. He unlocked both gates. Swung them open.
“Okay,” Russell said. “I’ll put her in now.”
I handed him Waya’s leash.
“Let’s go, girl,” he said. He tossed a dog treat into the back of the kennel. Waya jumped onto the truck bed and walked into the narrow crate. I heard hercrunching the dog biscuit. Russell slammed the door behind her. The kennel was just big enough for her to turn around and she did, keeping her eyes on Russell and me. Then he threw a treat for Oginali. She hesitated, looking fearfully up at Waya and then at Russell. Finally, she jumped up and slunk into her kennel. I didn’t hear her crunching the dog biscuit.
“She won’t eat until she’s sure Waya’s finished,” Russell explained. He slammed the gate of the truck. “Thanks. See ya later.”
“Wait … um, could I come visit Waya this week?”
Russell shook his head. “Not a good idea. Dad doesn’t like people seeing where he keeps them.”
I opened my mouth to tell Russell it was too late for that now, but quickly closed it again. He’d think I was a snoop. I didn’t let anything show on my face. Through the wire mesh of the kennel gate, I met Waya’s eyes. Again, in my mind, I saw her leaping to freedom. And I wondered, was it possible to exchange thoughts with an animal?
10
S TEPHANIE
A s darkness fell, the air cooled, and the sky turned deep purple. Nick went to a movie with his folks. He’d wanted to invite me, but his parents said no. It was family time. Daddy had stopped at the front desk to ask about white-water rafting, and Diana was helping Russell put the wolves back in their cages in the truck.
Diana acted all weird with those wolves, like she was
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