Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Love Comes in All Shapes and Sizes cliché (n) an overused expression that lacks power because it is so familiar; for example: "as bright as a penny" or "love comes in all shapes and sizes" or "one smart cookie" After school, the guys wouldn't stop teasing Evan about being in love with Megan. "I am not in love with Megan Moriarty!" he shouted at them as he pedaled his bike away from the playground, furious and embarrassed. Suddenly he felt that there were so many things he was ashamed of. He was ashamed that he liked Megan. He was ashamed that he liked poetry. And he was ashamed that he was the only one in the class who got store-bought candy hearts

when everyone else got special messages written just for them. When it had happened the first time on Monday, he hadn't thought much about it. Candy was candy. Who cared if his hearts just said FOR YOU? But now it seemed as if whoever was giving out the candy was purposely pointing out that he was not very special. It made him feel the way he did when his grandmother forgot him but remembered everybody else. On the way home, he rode right by Megan, and he didn't even say hello. He rode fast, as if he didn't see her right there on the sidewalk looking at him, one hand raised and smiling. And why didn't Jessie know whether Megan had drawn the heart in the girls' bathroom? How hard was it to find that out? "Just ask her, for Pete's sake," he'd said to Jessie in the hallway after recess. But Jessie had waved the taped-up survey box in his face and said, "I'm a little busy, you know!"

He decided to loop the long way home so that he could pedal out some of his frustration. More than anything else, he wished he had basketball practice that afternoon. But it was Thursday, so no practice. By the time he got home, Jessie was already there. They walked through the front door together and found Mrs. Treski in the kitchen, pouring hot water from the kettle into a mug. "Grab the mail, will you?" she said, so Evan doubled back and pulled a stack of letters and catalogs out of the mailbox by the front door. "I've got stuff to do," said Jessie, heading straight for the stairs. "No interruptions!" "Yeah, right," said Evan, dropping the letters on the kitchen counter. "What's that about?" asked Mrs. Treski, flipping through the mail. "Just some extra credit project she's doing," said Evan glumly. "Hmm. That's Jessie. Hey, look. Here's

something for you." She held up a small square envelope with red lettering on it. Evan's heart did a 360 backflip. Had Megan sent him a valentine? Should he open it in front of his mother? Did he even want it? His mom held up another envelope that looked exactly the same. "And here's one for Jessie." She looked puzzled. "I wonder why..." Evan tore open the envelope, not sure what he hoped to find inside. It was a card with a picture of Snoopy hugging Woodstock, and the message inside read, "Love comes in all shapes and sizes." "It's from Grandma," he said. "I know. I could tell from the handwriting." "Look what she wrote," said Evan, holding out the card. "Dear Evan, I love you and miss you and think of you every day. Hope you have a great Valentine's Day. See you soon! Love, Grandma." Evan looked at his mom, and they both started to laugh. It was hard not to, living with

Grandma. Her brain worked in crazy ways these days. Sometimes she thought she was twenty years old. Sometimes she forgot she lived in the same house with the Treskis. Sometimes she didn't even remember who they were. And sometimes she was just fine. Evan went to the cupboard and got down everything he needed to make hot chocolate: a mug, a spoon, hot chocolate mix, and mini- marshmallows. As he scooped the mix into his cup, his thoughts returned to the gloom that hung over him on the bike ride home. And that made him think of other things, too, and so he asked his mother, "Did you get a valentine?" Mrs. Treski laughed. "Now, who would send me a valentine?" "I don't know," said Evan, stirring the hot water and chocolate mix in his cup. "Maybe... Dad?" His mom took a sip of her tea and looked at him closely. "No. No valentine from Dad. Were

you hoping I'd get one from him?" Evan shrugged, watching the billows of steam rising from his stirring spoon. "Well, you were married, right?" "Yep," said Mrs. Treski. "We were." "So..." Evan dropped a fistful of minimarshmallows into his cup. His mother opened her mouth as if she was going to say something about that, but then she closed it again. "How does that work?" asked Evan. "How can you be in love and then not in love anymore?" "You know, I'm not sure about that myself." "Maybe it was never love? Maybe you just made a mistake." "No, it was definitely love. Believe me. For both of us. But—it didn't last. Sometimes love doesn't." Evan shook his head. "All the poems make it sound like love is forever. It's bigger than anything and the most important thing in the