Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

I asked him where Echo was and he told me she

was upstairs in her room working on some

assignments he had given her.

"I'll be waiting for you outside." he told me. He

tried to keep his emotions under a tight, firm face, but

his rage swirled about in the dark pools of his eyes. I went into the bathroom and began to remove

the wax using hot water and a toothpick very

carefully. I didn't get it all out. but I knew Tyler was

waiting impatiently for me on the front porch. "Let's take a walk," he said sharply the moment

I appeared. He charged dawn the steps.

Trevor was continuing his harvesting of his

grapes and watched us walk off toward the pond. We

went quite a way before Tyler spoke and when he did,

he nearly shouted. blurting. "I knew you were going

to create more problems and make things more

difficult for me, as if it wasn't hard enough for me as

it is. I just knew it!"

"What's that supposed to mean?What

problems?"

He kept walking, paused, changed direction,

and continued like someone caught in a great state of

confusion.

"Can you please stand still and tell me what this

is all about? What problems have I caused you?" Finally, he stopped and turned to me. "You wanted to help her with her schoolwork," he said, shaking her head. "You wanted to learn how to communicate with her quickly. You put on this whole show about simulating a deaf person's condition so you'd be forced to learn like she does. You did some job on Mrs. Westington when you told her your sad, sad store. Poor April Taylor, an orphan dumped on their doorstep,'" he said, mimicking someone who felt

terrible for inc.

"What did I do to get you so upset?" I

screamed.

"What did you do? I'll tell you what you did.

First chance you get, what do you talk about with

Echo? Her math problems? No. English homework?