Struck Read online

  But by then I was already walking away. I was floating through the hallway toward my homeroom in a trance. I tried to snap together all the pieces of this puzzle that my life had suddenly become. My thoughts kept spinning back in time to that moment everything had veered in a totally new direction.

  And to that umbrella, now leaning in the corner by the front door at home.

  I aced the math quiz in first period. Every answer leaped into my mind. It was as though my hand couldn’t keep up with the speed of my brain. I finished before everyone else, and Mr. Sims sat there staring at me and shaking his head. I could almost read his thoughts. Poor girl. She’s given up already. Boy, was he in for a shock!

  “Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Seema said to me on the way to second period.

  She nudged me and laughed the way she always did, knowing how stunned I was with numbers.

  Sucking at math isn’t exactly a joke, but if I didn’t laugh about it, I’d cry. Once when Seema got eighty-five percent on a math quiz, she cracked up when I told her that I got the other fifteen percent. Sometimes she tried to tutor me, but she always grew so impatient when I just sat there shaking my head and shrugging. And if I ever offered an answer, she’d heave a huge sigh because it was always wrong.

  “How do you think you did this time, Claire?” Seema was still laughing when I swiveled my head in her direction.

  “You know what? I’m pretty sure I aced it this time, Seem.”

  “You’re hilarious.” She stopped in the hallway and shook her mane of raven hair. “You crack me up, Claire. Really.”

  “No. I’m serious. I’m pretty sure I passed this time.”

  Seema stared at me with surprise in her huge eyes.

  “You couldn’t have. You didn’t have a clue how to work out those formulas last week.” She frowned. “How’d you do it? Cheat notes? Let’s see your hands.”

  I held up both palms. “How could that possibly help me, Seema? I’m telling you, it just clicked when I was studying last night. For some reason I got it.”

  Seema grinned. “Cool. I told you that if you worked hard enough you’d get it eventually. I’m proud of you, Claire. I can’t wait to see your mark.”

  “Me neither,” I said.

  And I wasn’t sure why a little shiver ran through me right after I said it.

  chapter four

  All through drama class I couldn’t concentrate. It wasn’t because I was thinking about what had happened to Lucy though—or how her accident seemed linked to my umbrella episode. No, it was because of Eric, Lucy’s so-called boyfriend.

  His smoky eyes were locked on me through the entire period. I couldn’t help staring back. And I couldn’t help thinking that if Lucy wasn’t in the hospital in a coma, this wouldn’t be happening. I did my best to erase those scary thoughts from my brain.

  Toward the end of class the teacher asked us all to take a seat on the stage, and Eric scrambled to sit beside me. It was a move so obvious that everyone noticed. He sat close to me, his warm arm pressing against mine. My heart was beating so hard that I couldn’t pay attention. Then just before the bell, his lips were close to my ear.

  “I think I’ve suddenly been love struck,” he murmured.

  Huh? “What did you just say?” I whispered back. I hoped I hadn’t heard right.

  “Love struck.” He said it again. And my stomach did a flip.

  “Uh, I think you’re making a mistake, Eric,” I told him. “Pay attention to the teacher, okay?” But he didn’t. I could feel him staring at me the whole time.

  When the bell rang I jumped, and he squeezed my shoulder and laughed. For some strange reason, that squeeze made my stomach lurch.

  “What are you so nervous about today? And no, I’m not making a mistake. Have lunch with me, Claire. Okay?”

  When I hopped off the stage and started walking toward the auditorium doors behind everyone else, he was right beside me. I stopped in the aisle and stared at him.

  “But…but what about Lucy? I thought you two were an item.”

  “Oh yeah, did you hear about her?” he said. “It’s nasty, isn’t it? That fall she had. I feel so sorry for her family. They must be going crazy worrying about her.”

  “Yeah, they must be,” I told him.

  “But we’re not really an item. I mean, I like her and all that. But there’s just something about you, Claire. I’ve been noticing you more lately.”

  “You have?” I still wasn’t sure I was hearing right.

  “Yeah, I guess I really didn’t know you so well before. And I think you’re a good actor too. Pretty natural compared to some of the others.”

  “I am?” I was still trying to get the hang of this acting business. I was nervous in front of the rest of the class too, especially during improv sessions. “Well, thanks, Eric. That’s nice to know.” I smiled at him. I could feel myself starting to melt.

  “So can I meet you at your locker at lunchtime?” he asked.

  “I…guess so,” I said, shrugging. What harm could it do?

  “Cool.” He grinned at me. I couldn’t resist that grin of his. “See ya at eleven forty-five then. We can go across to the plaza and grab a slice of pizza. My treat.”

  “Excellent. I didn’t bring a lunch today,” I said “See ya then.”

  I stood in the hallway, watching him walk away. Then someone poked me hard from behind, and I spun around. Seema and Alice were standing there. Alice had a strange look on her face that made me squirm.

  “You sure don’t waste any time, do you?” Alice was frowning, and her blue eyes looked icy cold.

  “What? What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Moving in is what I mean.” Her narrowed eyes were shooting poison darts.

  I looked at Seema. Her dark eyes were wide. She shrugged and shook her head. I knew that Alice and Lucy were close friends, and I dreaded what I might hear next.

  “Did you wish this accident on her or what?” Alice’s voice was so cold now that a shiver ran right through me.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “What is she talking about, Seema?”

  Seema shrugged helplessly again.

  “But he’s the one who came over to me,” I said. “And besides, it doesn’t mean anything. I’m just having lunch with him, that’s all.” Why did I feel the need to explain this to Alice?

  “You’re having lunch with him? I can’t believe this!” said Alice. “Do you realize that Eric hasn’t even called Lucy’s house to find out how she is? And now you’re having lunch with him. What’s wrong with that guy? What’s wrong with both of you?”

  Alice spun around and walked away, and left me standing there with Seema.

  “What’s her problem?” I said. “It’s not like we’re going out or anything.”

  “I don’t know. I guess Alice just thinks it’s kind of insensitive.” Seema nibbled her thumb like she always did when she was nervous.

  “Do you think it is?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “It’s just so awful, what happened to Lucy. I can’t even think of anything else right now. Only about her lying there in that hospital bed in a coma. How does this happen to someone so randomly?”

  Random? Was it? Be careful what you wish for. An uneasiness twisted my gut, and I almost felt like barfing. How could I possibly have lunch with Eric when everyone thought that I was taking advantage of Lucy’s misfortune?

  The second bell rang, and I jumped again.

  “Got to get to my next class, Claire. See ya later, I guess.” Just before Seema made a dash down the hallway, she gave me a weird look. That look told me she didn’t think going out with Eric was a good idea either, because of Lucy’s bad luck or something.

  Bad luck. Hmmm. Bad luck for Lucy, but good luck for me? That flash of lightning did a rerun in my brain. Again I felt the sudden jolt. The coincidences were starting to scare me. That moment everything began to change in my life. But I still wasn’t sure if it was a change for the
better or a change for the worse.

  And that was when I made up my mind. I couldn’t go through with this. I couldn’t have lunch at the plaza with Eric. What would everyone think of me? They’d think I was a horrible person, that’s what. I never liked to make waves. I always tried my hardest to get people to like me, not hate me.

  And I didn’t dislike Lucy that much. Sometimes I just had the feeling that she didn’t like me. I couldn’t help it if I had a secret crush on Eric either. And that’s all it was, really. I’d never want anything bad to happen to her—it was all just a figment of my crazy imagination. Wasn’t it? It wasn’t possible to actually will something to happen, was it? And that umbrella! I was so confused I wanted to scream.

  The rest of the morning was a complete blur. But at least I had a plan. I was going to make a run for it as soon as the lunch bell rang. I had to get away for a while, to distance myself from the school and every strange thing that had happened that day.

  chapter five

  I did it. As soon as the bell rang, I raced to my locker before Eric showed up, grabbed my coat and bolted for home. Only to be faced with yet another shock.

  My dad’s car was in the driveway. What was he doing here at this time of day? What was he doing here period? These days Dad avoided our house as if Mom and I were under quarantine or something. I was almost afraid to step through the door. And for good reason, it turned out.

  My mom and dad were snuggled up on the sofa in the living room. They both had soft lovesick faces, and my dad’s hand was on her thigh.

  “What are you doing home in the middle of the day?” Mom said.

  I didn’t even respond. I just stood there staring at Dad. The old pain began welling up inside of me, the toxic memories of how he’d treated my mother not so long ago. It was like picking at a scab that was just starting to heal.

  “What are you doing here? And why are you two doing that?” I said. I didn’t try to hide the disgust in my voice.

  “I used to live here, remember, Claire?” Dad’s smile was sickly sweet.

  “Well not anymore,” I reminded him. “You chose to leave us for some blond bimbo, remember?”

  “That’s unfair, Claire. I met Jill after your mom and I split up. She wasn’t the cause of our separation at all.” He looked stung, like I’d just slapped him.

  Yeah right, like I believe that one! “Well, we don’t want you back.”

  “Speak for yourself, Claire,” Mom said, clinging to him.

  I wanted to shake her, to remind her about her new lease on life. Yesterday she was going to take the bull by the horns.

  “Ouch,” Dad said. “That hurts, Claire. And besides, I’ve had a change of heart. It struck me like a bolt out of the blue. All I’ve ever needed is right here in this house. So I’m back. Suck it up.”

  Not that bolt thing again! It was haunting me like a bad dream. My mom was wearing an expression like a contented cat. I could practically hear her purring.

  “But, Mom, what about all the plans you had? What about everything that you told me yesterday? ‘Enough sitting around here and moping’ is how you put it. When I left for school this morning, you were about to go job hunting.”

  “But then Dad showed up. Just as I was about to walk out the door. It’s going to be all better again, right, Rick?”

  “You betcha, baby.” Dad planted a wet mushy kiss on her lips. I wanted to barf.

  “But why aren’t you at work?” I asked him. I needed to know more. Why had he come back—what was the real story? “What happened this time, Dad?” But I knew exactly what I was about to hear.

  “Well, I kind of got let go from my job.”

  His eyes were downcast now. He couldn’t even look at me. I knew why. This had happened before, usually because of his slack attitude, his showing up late half the time. He was like a teen who had never grown up. He liked to play cards and drink with his buddies in the evening, go to bed late. Get up late. He was always one of “the boys,” playing hockey and touch football whenever he could, just “hangin’ out,” as he put it. So he just kept getting “let go” and collecting employment insurance until he found a new job.

  We’d always lived in a rented townhouse, and Mom’s dream of owning her own home had never come true. I was sick of us living on social assistance, and I knew she was too. But this morning I’d thought that maybe she was about to break the sad cycle.

  “Let go, huh? Did you get laid off or fired, Dad?” I said.

  “Don’t be mean, Claire,” Mom said. She wouldn’t look at me either. She knew I wasn’t happy about this turn of events.

  By then my mouth felt like sawdust. I couldn’t even swallow. He couldn’t come back. Not when Mom was still trying to recover from the trauma of losing him. She’d just gotten up from spending months sprawled on the sofa. There was no doubt that if she took him back, he’d just keep doing the same thing to her over and over again, the way he always had.

  I stumbled past them, my eyes a misty blur of tears as I headed upstairs to my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and flopped onto the bed, trying to figure out why this was all happening and how I could make it stop.

  I wasn’t able to return to school that day. It was as if I’d been overcome with a weariness that made me do nothing but sleep. And so I slept during my parents’ make-out session on the sofa and their dinner preparations. I awoke in the smudgy evening light to the sound of their gross love-laughter drifting up from the kitchen like a bad smell. There were murmurs and giggles and long pauses that had to be disgusting smooches. After sitting through a meatloaf dinner where they fed each other mashed potatoes from their forks, I felt like throwing up again. As soon as I was finished, I went to hide out in my bedroom. I looked up the word coincidence on the Internet.

  Coincidence: a sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.

  I couldn’t have described it any better myself, this bizarre twist that my life had taken since I had pulled that lousy umbrella out of the trash can. Ever since lightning struck, all my secret wishes, even the ones I knew were completely wrong, had actually started to come true. There was no denying it now.

  And I hadn’t a clue how I could possibly get my old life back. The dull one I’d been complaining about less than twenty-four hours ago. When my life seemed so complicated, it was really nothing more than normal.

  I was so confused about everything that had happened that day I decided to give Seema a call. It always helped to talk to her when something was bugging me. She knew my life story inside out. Best friends forever, that was Seema and me.

  “He’s back,” I said when I heard her voice on the phone.

  “Who’s back?” she said, laughing. “Give me a clue here, Claire.”

  “Take a wild guess, Seem.”

  I heard a gasp. “No! Not your dad? Why would he come back? I thought you and your mom were rid of him for good?”

  “Apparently not. He showed up today. And Mom’s actually happy about it!”

  “Oh god, I’m so sorry, Claire. That totally stinks.” Seema paused for a second. “You’re having a nasty day today, aren’t you? First Alice, and now your dad.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said. “I’m glad it’s nearly bedtime!”

  Seema laughed. Just talking to her made me feel a little better. There’s nothing like a good friend to dump on when your life is a tangled mess.

  chapter six

  Somehow, during all the confusion, I managed to piece together and memorize a dramatic monologue. I thought the monologue I created was quite clever. It wasn’t very long, just some of Ophelia’s crazy ramblings in act 4, scene 5, of Hamlet, one of my favorite scenes. And I learned it all in time for Thursday’s audition.

  A few weeks back, when I’d first heard that the drama club was producing Hamlet, I was desperate to try out for the part of Ophelia. But as the audition date got closer, I changed my mind. There was just way too much competition, especially from Lucy, th
e drama queen. So I had finally decided I should just settle on auditioning for the role of Queen Gertrude, or maybe one of the male roles.

  But now that Lucy was out of the picture, I figured I might actually stand a chance at snagging the Ophelia role. So that week before the audition, I chose the scene and learned my speech. Leaving out Laertes’s lines made a great monologue full of drama and madness. Sort of like my life right now.

  There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts…

  And speaking of thoughts, I couldn’t get thoughts of that moment out of my mind. I kept having flashbacks of the zap. I kept wondering if there really had been lightning, or if I’d just imagined it. Had the umbrella been struck at all? And if so, was that the trigger for all that was happening now? Was that actually possible? The more I thought about it, the more I believed it. The past couple of days proved it even more. Everything really was different since “it” happened. And not in a good way.

  Lucy wasn’t improving at all. There were rumors that she might not make it, and that if she did, she’d never be the same. Every time I heard the buzz about it—things like “life support” and “pulling the plug” and “organ donation”—my stomach twisted and heaved.

  Dad wouldn’t go away either. He was slowly sneaking back into our lives, bringing more of his junk to the house every time he showed up. His mess spread into every room except mine. He even spent the night a couple of times that week. The two of them were snuggled up together under the covers again just like old times.

  The peace I’d been getting used to was gone now. He always raised his voice for no reason. It reminded me how much better our lives had been without him messing everything up with his nasty attitude. I dreaded the breakup that was sure to come. And the pain my mom would have to relive.

  Be careful what you wish for, indeed…