I finally realized that Kristen may have had good intentions, but what she had done to Lynette was not the same as what I had ever done to June.
Chapter 28—Getting Even
My mother was delighted to see me when Patty dropped me off on her way to work. “Hi, Jim! What’s the occasion?”
“I’ve been neglecting my family too long,” I said, giving my mother a warm kiss on her cheek.
“Jim!” Merry said, running down the stairs to find out what the commotion was about.
“Hi, Merry!” I said, genuinely glad to see my sister.
“I had tryouts the other day!”
“I heard. How did you do?” I asked, not telling her that I already knew that she made the squad.
“It wasn’t easy. June and Lynette tried to help me, and Sherry even tried to help as well, but I still can’t do the flips like Sherry does.”
I nodded. “Sherry is a bit exceptional at that.”
“They said you needed to be special to get in as a sophomore. Sherry and Camille both made it. I think maybe Lynette did, too, but she never talks about things like that. I’m not as good as they are.”
“They are all older than you are, but if my vote counts, you are indeed something special.”
“They all speak about you, Jim,” Merry said. “The cheerleaders, I mean.”
I laughed. “I know they do. Just don’t repeat their stories to me.”
Merry laughed back at me. “June and Lynette already told me that,” she explained.
“Is my bicycle still in the shed?” I asked.
“Are you leaving already?” Merry asked, her voice full of disappointment.
“I was thinking of taking a ride to the mall. I thought I might want to hang out with my somebody special.”
“Kristen? Why wouldn’t she pick you up?”
“I was talking about you, Merry. Want to bike to the mall?”
“Shit yes!” Merry shouted, and then she put her hand over her mouth.
I looked into the kitchen where my mother was sitting. I saw by her amused expression that she heard Merry but she didn’t say anything. I think Merry’s occasional colorful outbursts amused her as much as they amused me.
“You’ll need to ask Mom, Miss Potty Mouth.”
Merry stuck her tongue out at me, giggled, and then ran into the kitchen to ask for permission to ride to the mall. She was given permission.
“Jim, will you be taking Merry to lunch as well?” my mother asked.
“Vaughn’s is nearby. I have some cash.”
Giving me her most motherly look, Mom said, “Be careful, you two.”
I kissed my mother and assured her, “I always try.”
At the mall, we just walked around. Merry and I talked about everything and at the same time, we talked about nothing. She told me how excited she was to be entering high school and even possibly becoming a cheerleader, although she was feeling quite sure that she hadn’t made it.
“So, where’s Kristen?” Merry asked.
“Back at the apartment. I figured that I don’t visit home enough.”
“You’re not home right now,” Merry pointed out.
“I’m with my sister, which is home for me.”
Merry looked at me sharply. “Sister?”
Once again, I was surprised that Merry caught that word, just as Lynette did. Luckily, I did have some time to think about it since Lynette and I had that discussion.
“Merry, you know why I don’t call your father ‘Dad.’ That word is associated with a lot of bad memories for me, just like “father” and anything like it. With you, however, there is no reason to call you anything other than my sister. I think when we first met, I was… how old was I? Eight or nine? Anyway, I guess I felt a need to differentiate my stuff from your stuff—you know, my toys, my instruments, my room. I think calling you my step-sister was a way of reminding myself that you weren’t really my sister.”
“I never understood why you always called me that,” Merry said softly. “I just sort of got used to it. Then you started calling me ‘Shortcake,’ which bothered me at first, because you and Jack used to call me ‘runt,’ but I noticed that you never called me ‘Shortcake’ except when it was the two of us, and you never said it nasty. After a while, I realized I liked that name. Patty told me that you call me that because you like me.”
“Patty said that?” I asked. “When?”
“One of the times we talked while you were in the bathroom back when she visited you in the morning. She said you really like me and that name was your way of making me special… you don’t call anybody else that name.”
Hmm. I hadn’t known that Patty and Merry had talked about me back then. I wonder what else they talked about that I didn’t know. I didn’t want to get off the track, though. I said, “In the past few weeks, I’ve seen you at the apartment a lot, and I’m realizing that you are growing up,” I said, smiling at my sister. “I never had any complaints about you—we were always best friends.”
“I know,” Merry said. She found a bench and sat down, nudging me to sit next to her. “I felt the same about you.”
“So,” I said, smiling at Merry, “unless you prefer me to call you something else, I think I’m going to think of you as my sister.”
Merry’s reaction was to pull me down and hug me. “I love you, bro!”
“I love you, sis! I think we shouldn’t get Mom nervous, though. Can I keep calling you Shortcake at home?”
“I told you, I love that name now, Jim!” Merry giggled.
We continued looking around the mall. The closeness that the two of us shared was something that I had been missing in the months since I’d been living with Kristen. June had been right, after all.
Jackie “accidentally” bumped into us at eleven o’clock near the food court.
“Hey, Oogie… Merry! Fancy meeting you here.”
The two of us said hello back.
“Merry, can I talk to you in private?” Jackie asked.
“I have no secrets from my bro,” Merry answered.
Jackie smiled. “You’ll need to give your sizes to Mrs. D. You’ll need to get a uniform.”
“You mean…?” Merry said, her excitement building.
“Welcome to the squad, Merry!” Jackie said.
Merry hugged Jackie very hard. “I got in?”
“You’re the only sophomore so far this year!” Jackie smiled. “Even I had to wait until mid-season as a junior to make it in. Congratulations!”
“Jim! I got on the squad!” Merry squealed.
“That’s great, sis!” I said, hugging my sister.
Jackie turned to me. “Can you give me a few minutes with Merry? Squad talk.”
“No problem,” I said. “I’m going to the candy store over there to get something for Kris.”
Jackie nodded and then added, “I’ll need to talk with you privately also, so just give us five minutes.”