Page 30 of The Same Flesh
“And Scipio and I are hungry.”
“We can grab something on the way.Pick you up in half an hour?”
“I thought you had therapy tonight.”
“There’s so much going on.I’ll reschedule.”
“You rescheduled last week.”
“Work got busy.”
Jem almost said, Seems like work gets busy every time you’re supposed to see Hudson.But he reeled himself in, made his voice light, and went for “Drive safe, babe.”
Then he disconnected.He stared at himself in the mirror for another second and thought, You are one dumb fuck.
8
Uintah High School was the same dusty brown as the rest of the basin.
The perimeter of the school grounds was clearly marked, as was so often the case in Utah, with the high steppe’s rocky soil, thistles, and scrub rolling up to an invisible line, after which there was a thick carpet of dormant grass.In the spring, the contrast would be even greater, with the vibrant green of a well-fertilized lawn juxtaposed with the basin’s natural browns and grays.The school itself consisted of a central two-story building, with single-story wings branching off.And, of course, there was a football field that bordered on professional.
Tean tried to consider the best course of action as Jem found a parking spot.They had decided, in the end, not to call ahead, in case that was how the wolves had learned about River’s investigation.It seemed like a small possibility, but still.On the other hand, they might have driven nearly three hours only to waste their time.
They had to press a button near the front door and wait for a secretary to say, “May I help you?”
Jem smiled into the camera.“Hi, Jem Berger.We’re supposed to be meeting with Ms.Winfield.”
Silence.And then “Sign in at the welcome center.”
Something buzzed, and Jem grabbed the door and ushered Tean ahead of him.
They found themselves in a large atrium open to the second story.Kids trickled past—a boy with AirPods in his ears who didn’t glance over, and then two girls with their heads together, whispering, and then a girl hitching up sweatpants that kept trying to slide off her hips.Double doors nearby were marked Welcome Center, and Tean started that way.
Behind the front desk sat a woman with a lot of highlights in her hair.She appeared to be in the middle of making some sort of craft that consisted of wooden hearts covered in glitter, and she smiled at them only long enough to nod at a clipboard.
As Tean signed himself in—first name, last name, time, and date—Jem said, “Wow, how much do you charge?”
The woman laughed.“These are for my girlfriends.I saw it on Pinterest.”
“You could sell those,” Jem said.“I’d buy one.A hundred bucks, right now.Tean, pay the lady.”
Instead, Tean slid the clipboard over to Jem, and Jem signed his name while the woman laughed again.
“Could you direct us to Ms.Winfield’s room?”Tean asked.
The woman leaned in her seat to point as she directed them to the theater.
“Do we need to do anything else?”Tean asked, with a look at the clipboard.
“Pay me my hundred dollars,” the woman said.
Jem shrugged.He gave her one of those surprisingly guilty smiles that were somehow even more endearing.“Left my wallet in my other pants.”
That only made the woman laugh again, and as they left, she called after them, “Come back when you find that wallet.”
Following the woman’s directions, they made their way through the school.The halls were still empty, but some of the classroom doors stood open.The rooms they passed had whiteboards and tablet-arm desks that were currently filled with students, most of whom seemed to be talking over one another.Then Tean and Jem were passing the cafeteria or the lunchroom or whatever it was supposed to be called, where the unmistakable smell of carbs under heat lamps hung thick in the air.A man in a Uintah High T-shirt and jeans was setting up a sign warning people around a wet patch on the linoleum.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Tean said.
