Page 24 of Lucky 14

But all day, all I can think about is that poor fox out in the sun. When Mrs. Amy comes to pick me up, I hesitate. I know if I leave that fox, Mr. Bates will shoot it when he comes home. The fox didn’t do anything. It’s not fair.

Reluctantly, I climb into the car, and we pull out of the driveway. I feel like I’m doing something wrong the whole time.

We drive away.

This is wrong. I can’t do this.

“Stop!” I yell.

Mrs. Amy looks back.

“Stop, I forgot something.”

Mrs. Amy makes an annoyed sound, but turns the car around. I hope desperately that Jeremy has gone back inside. This is something I need to do alone.

As soon as we get back to the driveway and I notice Jeremy isn’t in sight, I dart out of the car, sprinting to the end of the yard. It’s not a short distance, and by the time I get there, I’m panting. The fox is still there, curled up in a ball.

The fox is alone with no family. No one to help it. And for some reason, that thought makes tears well up in my eyes. With shaking hands, I look at the trap to figure out how to open it. Prying my fingers under the metal piece that’s closing the trap, I lift.

For a second, the fox just watches me.

“Go!” I hiss, still panting for breath. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone’s watching me.

When I look away, I hear scrambling, then the fox darts out of the cage. It moves past me so quickly that I startle, dropping the door. Then, the fox is gone, fleeing into the woodline.

Suddenly, it feels like I can take a breath again.

A car horn honks, and I get up, jogging back to Mrs. Amy. It’s then that I notice someone on the back porch, watching me. It’s Jeremy.

I want to duck my head and hide, but there’s nowhere to hide. I just keep running till I get to the car and slide in.

Jeremy can be mad all he wants. It’s not fair to hate something for no reason. That fox deserved to go back to its family.

The next day, I wait for Jeremy to call me at lunch like he usually does. But lunchtime passes, and he doesn’t call.

He’s mad at me. I know he is. He’s my only friend. I knew I would mess it up. I always do.

My stomach twists, and I look at the clock above the stove. He didn’t say he was mad, though. He didn’t frown or yell when he saw me. He’ll call.

I wait for two hours and ten minutes, and still no call.

Mrs. Amy has a notepad by the phone where I write down the times I want to use it. She usually talks to her friends when I’m not on the phone, since she says I hog it on my game. I need to go to the bathroom, but he still hasn’t called.

I underline my Jeremy, 12PM note, then run to the bathroom. While there, I decide he’s definitely mad at me, and now I’m convinced I need to apologize. So when I’m back, with shaking hands, I pick up the phone.

Jeremy picks up on the second ring. “Oh, hey!” He sounds cheerful.

“Hey,” I say, feeling unsure. He doesn't sound mad. “What are you doing?”

“Playing.” I can hear the sounds of shooting in the background. “Why haven’t you hopped on?”

“Oh.” Quickly, I get myself to the TV. So maybe he isn’t mad, and he got distracted? I boot up the game, and it takes forever to power up, but Jeremy just yells something at the game. “Get in here, man, these people are cheating.”

Slowly, I settle into the game. My pits are still sweating, but as time goes on and Jeremy acts normal, I realize things will be fine. I was just overreacting. Everything is fine. It’s going to be okay.

Jeremy forgets to call more and more often. His name is up on the notepad with more and more crossed-out times.

I start to call him when he’s an hour late, then just thirty minutes, then finally on the hour. I don’t like the waiting, wondering where he is or what he is doing. It’s lonely in the house. Mrs. Amy goes into her office and closes the door for most of the afternoon. There’s a very strict rule not to bother her while she works.