Friday morning when Lolly first woke up, she thought, Pa is coming home today. Instant joy filled her, and then it was tempered. Pa coming home this week would put him in close proximity to Mrs. Dutchendorph. This, Munch hated. He had been in a state of depression all week. Communication between he and Lolly had been almost nonexistent. Regardless, he had sat with her every day in the morning and at lunch. He even went to the library with her, which was just plain weird. Munch was not a fan of the library. Usually, he got asked to leave after about five minutes of not being able to keep his voice down. But all week he had sat across from her and had silently done hand sewing. He carried the handwork around in a big canvas bag. People made fun of the bag, but he ignored them. In fact he seemed to be ignoring everyone except Max. On Wednesday Munch had gone to Max’s football game, even though Max was sidelined because of his broken collar bone. Several times that week they had talked on the phone. What they talked about Lolly had no idea because, Max always pulled the long cord of the phone receiver into the rummage room. Since Munch had not called her all week, this made Lolly a lot jealous. Was she losing her best friend? Though, they had spent time together at school, Lolly was felt like she was becoming Munch’s security blanket and not his friend.

Depressed herself, she got up and went to take her shower. Afterward, she met Max in the hall. She asked, “Is Munch okay?”

He shook his head. “Not really.”

“Is he still furious about Pa?”

“Yup.” He walked away from her and went into his room.

Later at the bus stop, she was not alone. Kevin had apparently decided she possessed a fine set of ears. He was telling her all about his new Albino Rat, Shivers. Lost in her current worries, she didn’t hear most of his story. When he paused, she saw his hurt expression, he knew she wasn’t paying attention to him. He was a nice kid and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. In an attempt to right her wrong, she took a stab at conversation. She said, "There's a rat named Templeton in Charlotte’s Web. Have you read it?"

“Yeah.” He lowered his voice. “The ending made made me cry.”

This surprised Lolly. Was Kevin a reader? She said, “It made me cry too. What kind of books do you like to read?”

He blushed a little and said, “I love books with animals. Have you read A Cricket in Time's Square?” He dropped his voice to a whisper and said, “I just love Chester Cricket and Tucker Mouse.”

For some reason, Lolly whispered back, “I love them too! Aren't Garth William's illustrations the best?"

Kevin’s eyes lit up. "They are. I want to draw like him.”

"So you're an artist." Turning a deep shade of red, he nodded. Lolly looked up at him and smiled. Was it possible she and Kevin were becoming friends?

The bus pulled up and they all filed in. Lolly took her seat. Her worries returned. Munch was sure to be in a really bad mood. If he was going to shun her all together, today, would be the day. She sighed and pressed her head against the cold window.

When the bus reached Trevor's stop, he did what he had done every morning, he gave her a quick grin and went to his seat. During the day, if he saw her in the hall, he always waved. That was the sum total of their relationship and Lolly felt a grim certainty that it was just how it was always going to be. At least he acknowledged her existence and at least she managed to smile back, but that was not at all how she wanted it to be. Once again she told herself she had to be realistic. She had Alopecia. Trevor was beautiful. He had hair everywhere it was supposed to be. He might be her acquaintance, but he would most likely never be her friend, and even if they did get to friend stage, it would not go beyond that.

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To her relief, when she got off the bus, Munch was waiting for her in the cafeteria. He glanced up at her when she sat down. Something was up and it was not good. He said, “So guess who’s going to get coffee this afternoon?”

Though she could guess the answer to this question, she did not dare say it. “Who?”

Munch glared at her, “Uhh, Girl don’t play dumb with me.” He had never looked at her with such venom.

She honestly did not know what to say.

Munch dropped his voice to a growl, “You best talk to your old man. This thing is never gonna work. He hurts my mama, IT IS OVER.”

Stunned, Lolly just sat there. Munch had never talked to her like this. Was he threatening to end their friendship? It sure sounded like it. All she wanted to do was get up and walk away fast and far. She could feel tears stinging her eyes. Since she didn’t have eyelashes crying was a messy thing.

“Oh, you gonna cry? Seems like you was fine with things last Saturday.”

Lolly ran the back of her hand across her cheek. Yup, she was crying. “I was not fine. I just think Pa is a good man and I love your mom,” her voice broke as she said, “and I love you.”

Her tears, her words didn’t not even move him. It felt like she had just slammed into a granite wall. Munch snatched up his canvas bag and said, “I’d rather go blind than to see Mama with your daddy.”

Lolly watched him stomp away. In a movie, in a book, someone would come up and talk to her and try to comfort her. In a really good book, Trevor Long would be that someone. But that didn’t happen. Beyond the window, she saw him outside tossing a football with his friends.

*

The day had been unbearably long. Munch had not eaten with her, had not gone to the library with her and had completely ignored her when he passed her in the hall. She never thought anything like this could happen to them. She felt lost and scared.

When she got home from school, Pa’s truck was in the drive. She took in a big breath and went up the steps into the trailer. Pa was in his chair, holding his book but not reading it. He was staring at nothing. Lolly said, “Hey.”

He stood and came to her. There was a different kind of light in his eyes. He must have had a good time with Mrs. Dutchendorph. He hugged her tight and asked, “How’s my Shortcake?”

Against his flannel shirt she mumbled, “Okay.”

He pulled her away from him and looked her in the eyes. “You don’t sound okay.”

“Its nothing.”

“Yes it is, tell me.”

Lolly looked up into her father’s eyes. Though she could see his concern for her, she could not help but notice that under the concern was a happiness, that was loud and deep. She asked, “Did you and Mrs. Dutchendorph have a nice visit?”

His eyebrows went into a V. “How do you know about that?”

“Munch told me.”

He seemed a bit stunned. He asked, “How did he know?”

“Well he either read it in the letter he stole that you wrote to his mother, or he was eavesdropping on the phone. Take your pick.”

Pa’s face went gray. “He read my letter? He's been listening to our phone conversations?”

“Yup. He's almost as good as Mitzi is at picking up the phone's reciever without making any noise."

Pa looked like he had just been punched. “He must have heard us early this morning. I called Estelle and we decided to meet between her classes. I just couldn't wait to see her." Gag! That explained why Munch was in such a mood this morning. Pa continued, "The plan was that we would talk to you kids together tomorrow night about our decision to date. Does any one else know?”

“Max knows about the letter but he hasn’t said anything to you know who.” She was referring to Grandma Toady.

Pa dropped his gaze to the floor. “I am sorry Lolly. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. I just don’t get why Estelle didn’t tell me about the letter. She seemed a little nervous to me this afternoon, but then she always seems little nervous.” He ran his hand through his hair. “What should we do?”

Sudden unexpected anger flashed through Lolly. “What should we do? Are you referring to you and me as we or you and Mrs. Dutchendorph? Because if we is you and me, then you need to do something because Munch has been a real turd to me all week. If we refers to you and Mrs. Dutchendorph, all I got to say is good luck. Right now Munch hates you, or at least he thinks he does.”

Again Pa said, “I’m sorry.”

“I know you are. I’m not really mad at you.” This was not exactly true. Right now at this moment she could not help thinking of all the women in the world, why do you have to be interested in my best friend’s mother? “I’m mad because its been a bad week and I don’t want to lose my best friend.”

“I don’t want you to lose your best friend either.”

“I know.”