Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Authors: Gary D. Schmidt
- Language: English
- Genre: Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Physical & Emotional Abuse
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 10 MB
- Pages:
- Price: Free
- Publish date: October 6, 2015
“BEFORE you agree to have Joseph come live with you,” Mrs. Stroud said,
“there are one or two things you ought to understand.” She took out a State
of Maine * Department of Health and Human Services folder and laid it on
the kitchen table.
My mother looked at me for a long time. Then she looked at my father.
He put his hand on my back. “Jack should know what we’re getting into,
same as us,” he said. He looked down at me. “Maybe you more than
anyone.”
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My mother nodded, and Mrs. Stroud opened the folder.
This is what she told us.
Two months ago, when Joseph was at Adams Lake Juvenile, a kid gave
him something bad in the boys’ bathroom. He went into a stall and
swallowed it.
After a long time, his teacher came looking for him.
When she found him, he screamed.
She said he’d better come out of that stall right now.
He screamed again.
She said he’d better come out of that stall right now unless he wanted
more trouble.
So he did.
Then he tried to kill her.
They sent Joseph to Stone Mountain, even though he did what he did
because the kid gave him something bad and he swallowed it. But that
didn’t matter. They sent him to Stone Mountain anyway.
He won’t talk about what happened to him there. But since he left Stone
Mountain, he won’t wear anything orange.
He won’t let anyone stand behind him.
He won’t let anyone touch him.
He won’t go into rooms that are too small.
And he won’t eat canned peaches.
“He’s not very big on meatloaf either,” said Mrs. Stroud, and she closed
the State of Maine * Department of Health and Human Services folder.
“He’ll eat my mother’s canned peaches,” I said.
Mrs. Stroud smiled. “We’ll see,” she said. Then she put her hand on
mine. “Jack, your parents know this, and you should too. There’s something
else about Joseph.”
“What?” I said.
“He has a daughter.”
I felt my father’s hand against my back.
“She’s almost three months old, but he’s never seen her. That’s one of the
biggest heartbreaks in this case.” Mrs. Stroud handed the folder to my
mother. “Mrs. Hurd, I’ll leave this with you. Read it, and then you can
decide. Call me in a few days if . . .”
“We’ve talked this over,” said my mother. “We already know.”
“Are you sure?”
My mother nodded.
“We’re sure,” my father said.
Mrs. Stroud looked at me. “How about you, Jack?”
My father’s hand still against my back.
“How soon can he come?” I said.
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