Contents ( 42)
- The Art of Breathing
- Part One: How We Became Who We Are
- Prologue: Or, Where the Kid Hears the Word of the Day
- 1. Where Tyson Learns to Breathe
- 2. Where Tyson Makes a Phone Call
- 3. Where Tyson Graduates and Bear Freaks Out
- 4. Where Tyson Says Good-Bye
- 5. Where Tyson Gets the Mail
- Part Two: Coming Home
- 6. Where Tyson Comes Home
- 7. Where Tyson Gives a History Lesson
- 8. Where Tyson Attends the Most Awkward Party Ever
- 9. Where Tyson Plans Attends a Protest
- 10. Where Tyson Gets Arrested
- 11. Where Tyson Gets His Ass Handed to Him
- 12. Where Tyson Writes Bad Poetry and Gawks at Frat Boys
- 13. Where Tyson Decides to Man the Fuck Up
- 14. Where Tyson Asks Some Questions
- 15. Where Tyson Remembers Theresa Jean Paquinn
- 16. Where Tyson Learns the Benefit of Therapy
- 17. Where Tyson Meets the Man Who Becomes Helena Handbasket
- 18. Where Tyson Gets Screwed at His Own Birthday Party (And Not in a Good Way)
- Part Three: Just Breathe
- 19. Where Tyson Goes to Helena Handbasket’s Sex Dungeon
- 20. Where Tyson Beholds the Awesome Wonder That Is Paul Auster
- 21. Where Tyson Receives Advice from the Six Sages
- 22. Where Tyson Makes a Phone Call
- 23. Where Tyson Hears the Inevitable
- 24. Where Tyson Meets His Match
- 25. Where Tyson Says Hello, Where Tyson Says Good-bye
- 26. Where Tyson Touches upon the Inevitable
- 27. Where Tyson Faces the Music
- 28. Where Tyson Breathes
- 29. Tyson And Dominic
- 30. The Art Of Breathing
- Epilogue: Or, Bear’s Perspective, As It Were (Yeah, He’s Gonna Freak)
- Author’s Note
- Excerpt
- Prologue: Or, Where Bear Answers the Door
- More from TJ Klune
- Readers love the Bear, Otter, and the Kid Chronicles by TJ Klune
- By TJ Klune
Dominic takes Ben from Bear and puts him in the car seat. He murmurs something to his son, and I hear Ben grunt. I almost open my mouth to inform everyone that he’s putting his son in the back of a cop car, but that doesn’t seem to be the best thing to talk about right now.
Bear looks at me, a question in his eyes. You okay?
I look away.
Dominic closes the rear door. “Thanks, Bear,” he says.
He stops before he gets into the car. He glances back at me. There’s no real discernible expression on his face. “It was good to see you again. Stay out of trouble this summer.” Like he’s talking to a child. An acquaintance. He says nothing else as he climbs inside the cruiser pulls away. Soon it disappears from sight.
“You didn’t tell me,” I say to Bear. This no longer feels like a dream.
“I did what I thought was best,” Bear says plaintively. “What I thought was right. I will do whatever I can to keep you safe. To keep you from hurting.”
“No more,” I say without looking at him. “You don’t decide for me anymore.”
I leave Bear out on the sidewalk.
LATER THAT night, I’m wide awake and staring at the ceiling, filled with all thoughts of him. Kori lies curled up against me, breathing deeply. I try to push Dominic away, but he won’t leave.
And it hits me. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed it at the time.
His hands. Cuffing me. Opening the door. Hands on the steering wheel. Touching my wrist. Picking up his son.
There was no wedding ring.
12. Where Tyson Writes Bad Poetry and Gawks at Frat Boys
THE DOORBELL rings in the Green Monstrosity, and I open my eyes. I’m alone in the bed. I don’t know where Kori went, but it looks like she’s been gone a long time. I am starting to drift to sleep when the doorbell rings again.
I groan and sit up, sliding my feet over to the edge of the bed. For a moment, they don’t quite reach the floor and it’s like I’m nine years old again, and I think I’m in the shitty apartment and I’ll look over and Bear will be sleeping on the bed next to mine and nothing will have changed. I’m upset with him, probably more than I’ve ever been in my life, but I don’t want things to go back the way they were. Not for me. But especially not for him.
But I’m not at our old apartment. I must be still half-asleep. I’m in my room at the Green Monstrosity. I’m where I was when I fell asleep.
The doorbell rings again.
“Bear?” I call out as I walk down the stairs.
There’s no answer.
“Otter?”
Nothing.
Someone knocks on the door. My hands are sweating, because I immediately go to the worse thought ever, that it’s going to be Dominic, he’s going to be in uniform, and he’s going to say, “I’m sorry, Kid. I’m sorry, but there’s been an accident.”