Fall in May

~40~ The Phone Tree

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." ~ The Buddha

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After all my damage is done in the lair of the Sleestak Queen, I take to the skate and slow slide down the hill towards the House of the Rising Raisins. I roll up onto my own little nightmare on Elm street, ghost down the drive and back to the tool shed, to stash my board. Silently skipping across the stepping stone path through the drought dead grass. I don't bother sliding out of my skate shoes before I hit the back kitchen door into hell.

As soon as I stomp into the empty old folks home, I do not bother to greet the denizens of death. Rather I head straight to my room, grab the cell off the charger and immediately call May's phone. Of course, I go straight to her voicemail, so I leave a message:

"Hey May, it's me. I heard you got sent home early and am seriously worried about you. Please call me back soon as you can." 

Then I await my fate...

...and I wait...

...and I wait...

...and I wait.

An excruciating half an hour later, the phone finally starts playing the ringtone I set especially for May's calls, my just a gigolo theme. I snap the answer button before the song can start crooning about everywhere I go. 

"May? Are you okay?" I snatch the phone up on the fly.

"Yep. It's me and...I'm fine." She sighs back over the open line. 

"That is seriously good to hear." I exhale out the last breath I've been holding since my fun with April's Fool.

"So before you ask my leg is not broken, the doctor said it's just a deep bone bruise. The only reason it took so long at the hospital was that they made me get X-rays just to be sure. Oh yeah, and I got fitted an awesome new blow-up brace thingy to wear when I walk. So that will be super fun to try sun around in." May snorts. "But no hard caste, which is the good news."

"Seriously good news." I wholeheartedly agree. "So how painful is it?"

"Bad enough for some really decent pain pills." May snortles along. "But not bad enough to stay at the hospital and miss school for."

"Maybe, you should take a couple of days off?" I proffer. "I can pick up your assignments up from your teachers? Maybe come to your house and help you through them. No worries, it can be just like our own private study buddies ...but without Cliffboard and Butchy."

"Well, as tempting as that sounds? I think I'm gonna have to take the pass on all that homeschool action." May snickers, which is a seriously awesome sound to hear under the circumstances.

"Let's just say based on the quality of care I get around the old homestead, I'm probably better off taking my chances at school? At least the food is somewhat palatable, and if it gets too bad I can always take a nap in Nurse's Office. So long as it doesn't go past two periods, they don't seem to mind the company."

"Okay May, whatever you think is best. Whatever you need from me just say the word and it's yours." I assure her.

"Thank you, Dare. So did my sister come and find you, and tell you what was going on?" May asks hesitantly hopeful.

Now I know without a doubt that I am now going to have to crush that hope. While hope in war is good, the truth is often better.  

"Oh yeah." I heave a sigh. "Just by the fact you have to ask that question, can I assume you haven't talked to April yet?"