Small Steps (Holes 2)

Ginny shook her head,

“She didn’t tell me,” Kaira said. She winked at Ginny. Ginny shut, then opened both eyes.

There was a knock at the door.

“Go away!” Kaira shouted.

The door opened anyway and a bald-headed black man entered. Armpit recognized the drummer.

“Oh, I didn’t know it was you,” Kaira said apologetically. “These are my friends, Ginny and Theodore. This is Cotton, our drummer.”

“Well, not anymore,” said Cotton. “Your dad just fired me. I just wanted to stop in and say good-bye.”

“He can’t do that!”

“He can, and he did.”

“But I’m the one who wanted to sing that song!” Kaira said.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m cool with it. This really isn’t the kind of music I should be making at this time in my life. I need to do something real.”

“He’s not my dad,” Kaira said. “Just because he married my— As soon as I turn eighteen I’m firing his ass! Then I’ll call you.”

“You do that,” Cotton said. “Nice to meet you,” he said to Ginny and Armpit without looking at them, then left the dressing room.

“That sucks,” Kaira said.

“Sorry,” said Ginny.

“Yeah, me too,” Kaira said. She sat in silence for a moment.

“Maybe we should go,” Armpit said to Ginny.

“You know what I do all day?” Kaira asked. “I watch TV and play video games. All day.”

That didn’t sound too bad to him.

“I have no friends. But then finally, finally I find someone I can talk to. Someone I like. And so of course El Genius has to fire him. I swear that’s the reason he was fired. Not because we did that song. Because he was someone I could talk to.”

Armpit could only follow about half of what she was saying. “We really ought to get going,” he said. “Ginny’s mom will worry.”

Kaira turned to Ginny. “You like your mom?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You’re lucky,” Kaira said. “How about you?” she asked Armpit.

“Yeah, I like Ginny’s mom,” said Armpit.

Kaira laughed. “You’re funny. Man, you guys are so cool. It’s so great you can be such good friends, when, you know, you’re so different. I mean, different ages.”

“Different colors, too,” said Ginny.

Kaira went nose to nose with Ginny and said, “Well, duh!”

“Duh!” Ginny repeated, right back at her.

There was another knock on the door, and this time it was David with their shirts, washed, dried, and neatly folded.