Page 119 of Possibly Texas

I looked up at Jack and smiled shyly. He reached out and nudged me in the arm.

“Well, yeah,” I swatted his hand away. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think I messed that all up.”

Jack examined me for a few moments, and his gaze made me so uncomfortable that I had to fill the silence with something. The truth was as good as anything.

“Auggie,” I said. “I…wouldn’t mind getting coffee. With him.”

He didn’t react; he was jotting in his notepad quickly before holding it out to me.

Auggie is a really nice kid.

When I looked up from the pad, Jack was smiling at me. And it was genuine.

“He is,” I said. “I guess I’m not always a great kid, though.”

I slumped as my brow furrowed, conveying my frustration with myself. Jack reached out and gripped my bicep. Gave it a squeeze. When I looked up at him, he was smiling at me. He didn’t sign or say anything. What was there to say when someone was throwing a pity party?

“I know,” I said. “Suck it up.”

Jack made his laughing expression again.

“I’m going to go see his art installation tonight, though,” I said. “So…we’re friends still.”

Jack nodded.

“Anyway,” I said with a shake of my head to clear my thoughts, “I’ll get out of your hair. I know you want to work and stuff.”

Chewing at the corner of his lip, Jack examined me for a few moments, then he was jotting in his notepad again. Finally, he held it up for me to read.

I think I’ll give myself a break today. Do you want to help me start a new table tomorrow?

The grin on my face was immediate and felt like it would split my face in two.

“Seriously?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, man,” I said. “I’d love to help.”

Jack gave me a grin and a wink and moved to grab his tarp to cover up the bits and pieces he had been examining when I’d found him in the yard. Suddenly, he stopped, and waggled a hand at me to make sure he had my attention. When it was clear I wasn’t going to rush away, he started jotting in his notepad again. It was a quick note, so he was holding his notepad out to me within seconds.

You’re a nice kid, too.

“Thanks, man,” I said, looking anywhere but at Jack.

My cheeks were growing warm as Jack returned the notepad to his shirt pocket and signed to me once again.

I mean it.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s…let’s move on?”

Jack smiled, but relented with a nod. When he made no indication that he had anything else to say, I turned, intending to head back into the house. Leaving Jack to cover up his project for the day so that I could go have breakfast was my goal. However, at the sound of the plastic tarp being dragged over the wood and other supplies in the yard, I turned back to Jack. I hadn’t intended to discuss so many serious topics with him when I’d first set out to tease him about Sofia that morning, but I’d learned one thing for certain while staying with Jack. When he feels like talking…talk as much as you can.

“Jack?”

He looked up at me.

“Do you think I’m like everyone else in town?” I asked, chewing at my lip. “Can I be an artist? I mean…will I ever find what art I’m good at?”