Big Winner

Big Winner — page 5 — messing up our holiday and destroying my first semester of high school She had gotten a job as a nurse at one of Kentville’s old folks homes It was the same place she had volunteered at when she was in high school Isn’t that great she had said It’s like it’s meant to be It’s like coming back home I didn’t know about that To me it felt like going backward instead of moving forward She said I should find a place to volunteer at but I didn’t have time I was too busy feeling sorry for myself I knew that’s what I was doing but I didn’t care I had no interest in changing things I’d been through enough change already Coming east meant I’d had to leave my friends I’d had to leave my best hang-out spots I’d had to leave a steady babysitting job for the world’s sweetest two-year-old Worst of all my brother Cade hadn’t come with us in the move He was in his first year of a cooking program that was really 4

Big Winner — page 6 — hard to get into He didn’t want to give that up Or his part-time job Or his Thursday-night hockey games He didn’t want to come to Kentville I got that I didn’t want to either But I was only fourteen so I didn’t get to choose On the day we left Cade messed up my hair I hated when he did that Going to miss me Nerd Girl he asked Not one bit I said punching him on the arm But it wasn’t true Not one bit It’ll be okay Skye Mom said after we’d hugged Cade one more time and pulled away for the long drive east You’ll see I know you’ll miss your brother but he’s just getting started on his own life And we’ve got an adventure ahead We’ll chat with Cade whenever we can It won’t be the same I’d grumbled as I stared out the window like it Just give it a chance Mom had said You’ll 5

Big Winner — page 7 — So far it wasn’t that great never mind what spin Mom tried to put on it She loved the little house we’d bought in Kentville Isn’t it cute she said Isn’t it cozy It has so much more character than the one we had in Calgary By character I guess she meant this one was about a thousand years older It had tiny closets and creaky floors What she was forgetting was character or not that house in Calgary was my home And I wanted it back But I didn’t tell her how I felt I showed her I went out to the mall on the last few days of Christmas break I had my hair dyed black with blue tips I bought myself a whole new wardrobe all black I thought my mom would be angry about it when I got back but she didn’t say a thing She just asked me if I had finished unpacking the boxes in my room and what we should have for dinner What Mom did say more than once over the next few weeks were things like Honestly Skye 6

Big Winner — page 8 — Of all the things to forget to bring from Calgary You forgot to pack your smile And it was such a nice one too She would make faces at me from the tiny kitchen table where she sat drinking tea in the mornings trying to make me laugh She always wore pink scrubs Or tops with daisies or bright yellow happy faces all over them She was trying hard and I loved her for it But I wasn’t ready to forgive her So I just tugged my black knit hat down a little farther put on my boots and left for school School was school I muddled through the end of the first semester and then started the second Math English Science Geography The teachers were okay Since they didn’t seem to expect much of a kid who looked like me I didn’t give them much in return Students had already formed their friend groups and the special status I’d had being the new kid wore off in about three days There was one girl Lainey who tried harder than the rest She didn’t seem to mind when I didn’t answer her 7

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