Free Flickering Hope by Naomi Kinsman Page B

with us today,” Ruth said to Georgia and Nick, our other two group mates. Georgia and Nick were both Jasper’s age, fifth graders, pretty much willing to do whatever we asked. Georgia had long white-blond hair and was almost painfully shy. Nick was constantly fidgeting, doodling with one hand while constantly changing position. “Andrew wants to help with the project.”
    “Ruth, Sadie, and I will break the glass, and we’ll look for someone with a rock tumbler. We have to tumble the glass to make the edges smooth,” Andrew said. His hands outlined the glass bottle and the tumbler in the air in front of him, the way he did when he got excited about something.
    “Sadie will ask Vivian Harris if we can all come to her studio to shape the ornaments and put them into the kiln. I suppose we should try to make … how many ornaments do you think?”
    “One hundred?” Ruth glanced at the tree group. “Knowing Penny, it will be a big tree.”
    “It doesn’t look like the ornament making process is all that hard,” Andrew said. “We have to keep each bottle separate because glass melts at different temperatures, and we have no way to determine the melting point of used glass.So we’ll tumble one bottle at a time. I’d bet we could get ten ornaments from one bottle.”
    Nick looked up from his notebook. “My cousin has a rock tumbler. Want me to get it?”
    “Yes!” Andrew actually grabbed both of Nick’s hands and shook them up and down.
    Why was he so excited about the project? And the conversation sped by so fast, I only barely registered the part about me inviting us all over to Vivian’s house. Complication after complication. Still, I hadn’t seen Andrew looking so excited for what felt like forever. After the weirdness between us, his smile untied a knot inside me, one I hadn’t known was there. Maybe Andrew and I could be friends, and things could be okay. If I went to see Vivian.
    Doug knelt down by Andrew. “Well, sir? What do you think of our group?”
    “We’ve got a good plan for the ornaments,” Andrew said.
    Doug listened carefully as Andrew explained, and then said, “Sounds a little complex, but definitely possible. You’re up for the challenge?” He looked around at the group. Everyone else nodded, while I sighed inwardly. “You too, Sadie?” Doug asked.
    I caught Andrew’s eye. What else could I say? “Yes.”
    “We found a family, Doug,” Ruth said, catching me totally off-guard.
    Both Andrew and I lunged for Ruth, but I grabbed her elbow first.
    I forced a smile for Doug’s sake. “We can tell you about it later. Anyway, doesn’t the research group have some ideas?”
    “They do, but I’d love to hear your idea, girls. Can you stay after tonight?”
    “No. Sorry. It’s just that Mom is picking us up tonight and …” I’d never been so happy to use Mom as an excuse.
    “Well, maybe you can give me a call this week, or come out one afternoon after school. It’s probably best that we discuss particulars on our own, instead of in front of the group.”
    “Sure,” Ruth said.
    I released my grip.
    “What are you doing, Ruth?” Andrew asked, looking from me to Ruth to me again.
    “Don’t you think that if we bring them a tree and presents, they will have to listen to us? We’ll just explain to them about Jim and …”
    Anger flashed across Andrew’s face, but I held out my arm to stop him from yelling, realizing I was standing between the two of them, blocking them from one another.
    “Promise you won’t tell Doug or anyone else until we all agree,” I said. “Please, Ruth.”
    She looked into my eyes and then over my shoulder at Andrew. “I can’t. I can’t ignore them. There’s a baby living in a shack in the forest. They need help.”
    I watched her walk out the door, felt Andrew’s muscles tense, felt the space between all of us widen. Once, Ruth had made me a promise she couldn’t keep and then broken it,almost breaking our friendship in the process.