Dirty Faces- Book 1

Chapter 14: Fightin' Words

Chapter 14: Fightin' Words

Ginny hadn't seemed quite herself Sunday morning, didn't show much interest in the swing, just sat on the bank, staring out at the water. She didn't seem to be be plotting, just lost in thought, and it made Kody more uncomfortable than if she had been her usual, menacing self. He'd offered to fashion her a fishing pole with his extra line if she could find a good stick but she said she didn't much care for fishing. That was probably the most she said all day.

He got up and ready for work earlier than normal the next day, early enough to catch Ginny before she left the house. She still seemed off.

"You not gonna eat any breakfast?" he asked as he finished off a piece of buttered light bread.

"Not hungry."

"Alright, then. I'll give you a ride into town, if you want."

"OK."

A few minutes later they were backing out of the yard and onto the dirt road that led into town. Ginny was pensively staring out the window.

"You sure are thinking awful hard. Ain't still beating yourself up over that ball game, are you?"

"No...Maybe a little."

"You played well. There wasn't anything you coulda done to change the way things played out."

She was beginning to believe the inability to tell a convincing lie was an inherited trait.

"I just wish...if we wouldn'tve lost, maybe Tommy and Danny might've had a less horrible weekend."

"Meh. I think their weekend was doomed from the start. How are they, Tommy and Danny?"

"They don't say much about anything but I'm pretty sure they're worried about Andy and Freddy. They ain't heard anything from 'em or even about 'em."

" 'S understandable, but look, don't feel so bad for them. They're really better off now than they were. Doyle Montgomery is a mean, horrible, rough man- a hundred times worse than Ralph even. And you know what a bundle of fun he is."

"I know. But tell them that."

"Yeah, it's tough, but eventually they'll see it, too."

Ginny stared out the window and kept quiet until they arrived in town. "How come you're being so nice to me?" she asked accusingly, just as they were coming up on the store.

"Do I have to have a reason to be nice?"

"Usually."

Kody pulled off the street and parked the truck in front of the store. He stared straight ahead, biting his lip while she glared at him.

"I gave you a ride into town today because I wanted you to go to the Priest's house with me. Thought it might go smoother if you were there since you're their friend."

"Thought what might go smoother?"

"I'm not saying it was right or wrong, them leaving like they did or my role in it; it's just what happened and I think those boys have a right to know what little I can tell them." He related to her all about the sheriff tipping Andy off and his plan to get work elsewhere, and about providing them transportation to the bus depot. And before she could ask, he assured her he didn't know where they had gone or when, or even if, they would return.

"I don't think you should tell 'em," she said when he'd finished.

"You think you should? I didn't want them to hear it from somebody else but on second thought, I can see - "