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
“Help from what?”
This life. “Anything. Or just to talk. Whatever you want. Bear and me are here. Anytime.”
“You’ve never been here before.”
“I don’t think we knew how.”
She ignores this. “What’s the Green Monstrosity?”
“Our house.”
“Why is it called that?”
I pull out my own phone and flip through the pictures. There’s one of Bear and Otter standing in front of the house, their arms around each other’s waists. I show it to her.
Her nose wrinkles. “Your house looks like someone got sick and threw up on it.”
I laugh. “Isn’t it great?”
“And it’s at the ocean?”
“Close enough.”
“I’ve never seen the ocean,” she says.
“Maybe you can come see it one day,” I say, though we both seem to know that won’t happen for a long time. If at all.
Izzie holds the phone closer to her face. “Is that Bear?” she asks.
“Yeah. And Otter. He’s kind of like my dad. They both are, I guess.”
She touches Bear’s face. “They love each other, huh?”
“Very much.” And I miss them terribly. It’s only been days, but it feels like years.
“And they love you?”
“Yeah,” I say. “They do.”
Her finger slips and the phone scrolls to the next photo. “Who’s that?” she asks.
“That’s Dom,” I say. “Dominic.”
“Dude,” she breathes. “He could squash you with one hand!”
“Dude,” I agree. “Totally.”
“And he loves you too?”
I turn away as my eyes burn. “Yeah. He says so.” And while I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, I’ll figure it out. No more wasting time. I hope.
She hands me back my phone. “Seems like things are pretty good.”
And they are. It’s just taken me this long to realize it. I don’t need to be here. I didn’t need to come here. I’m glad I did, because Izzie is a force of nature, but I need to leave. It’s time for me to go home. It sucks to leave her behind, but I’ll only make things worse for her. I can’t have that. And I have people who need me. And who I need.
“Look, Izzie—”
The front door opens. “Izzie? I’m home. Do I have any more cigarettes here?”
“Well,” Izzie says, “this is probably going to be slightly awkward.”
25. Where Tyson Says Hello, Where Tyson Says Good-bye
I WALK down the hall, following my little sister. It’s the longest walk of my life.
And yet, even though I’m approaching approach the woman who hurt me so in the past, all I can think of is Dom and my future. Funny how that works.
It’s because you’re strong, Bear says.
It’s because you’re brave, Otter says.
It’s because you’re mine, Dom says.
So just keep on walking, it says. Keep on walking right out that door and never look back. Get Dom and head west, young man. Head west until you see the ocean and smell the salt and hear the cries of the birds above and the feel of the sand below. That is how you know you’re home.