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
“Sure,” I say. “That’d be great.”
He lets go of my hand and sits in his chair at the table. “What’s your favorite animal?”
“A bear,” I say. “Or maybe an otter.”
Ben frowns again, and that line forms in the middle of his forehead. His eye twitches as he stares at me. For a moment, it’s like he has forgotten who I am.
“You have to pick one,” Dominic says from behind me. “You can’t give him a choice.”
“A bear,” I say.
Ben turns and grabs a crayon.
Oh, Ben. Oh, Dom. This isn’t fair. This shouldn’t have happened to either of you. I’m sorry. I’m so—
“Autism,” Dominic says before I can ask. He says it in a quiet voice, one with an air of acceptance and challenge, as if he expects me to say something to the contrary. “High-functioning. Diagnosed a few months ago. Explained a lot when we finally heard what it was.”
I wonder who “we” is, but don’t ask. Not yet. “I thought as much,” I say.
“Oh?”
“They thought I had it too. When I was three or four.”
“You never told me that.” I can hear the surprise in his voice.
I shrug, but still don’t look at him. “Didn’t seem important.”
“Julie?” he asks.
“She thought something was wrong with me,” I say, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “I talked about strange stuff. I could list off dozens of constellations.” I remember something Dominic said before I knew who Ben was. “I had to have my routines.”
“It wasn’t, though?”
“No. There was no real explanation for my weirdness.”
“Ben’s not weird,” Dominic says coolly.
I turn to look at him and see the anger on his face. I instantly feel like shit. “That’s not what I meant. I was just saying that about me.”
He watches me for a moment before he nods and looks away. “Sorry,” he mumbles. “It’s been tough.”
“He has his routines, too, huh?”
“Yeah. Everything has a specific place. Everything has a specific time. Everything has to be done in a specific way.”
I look back down at Ben. The bear he’s drawing is better than anything I could hope to draw, down to the tiniest details: the fur, the claws on its feet that are the same color as the nose.
“Ursidae,” I hear Ben mutter.
I look back up at Dom, a question in my eyes.
“Scientific name for bears,” he says. “You had constellations, he has his animals. He can name quite a few. He learned Bear first, though. Because of your brother. And Otter.”
“Mustelidae,” Ben mutters.
“I didn’t know,” I say to Dominic. It almost sounds like an apology. I don’t know what else to say.
“About?”
“This. Ben. Everything.”
“I know. I made sure.”
“Why?”
“You left.”
“I was always going to leave.” Such a bullshit response.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah.”
“Would it have mattered?” he asks. He crosses his arms over his chest and cocks his head at me, giving me a look that I’ve known forever. That look says he’s calling me out.