Music, Math, and Carter's Guitar

By Karen Schumacher

Carter, abandoned by her parents when she was a child and implicated in a crime by her friends, has been given one last chance by a judge to stay out of jail. Believing she has no choices left in her life, she agrees to stay with a family away from the city she has lived in all her life. In just a few weeks,conflicts with her classmates and her teachers increase when her guitar is taken away, and Carter’s life spins
out of control because of a secret she refuses to share with her foster family and her teachers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9781453550274

Book preview

Copyright © 2008 by Karen Schumacher.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

38710

This book is dedicated to Nora who was the first to read my stories and offered encouragement to me so many years ago, and Jayne and Jennifer who spent hours with me talking about my students’ writing as well as my own writing over the last two years and encouraged me to begin writing again.

I would also like to thank all my students who have shared their writing and enthusiasm for writing with me over the last 25 years.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Chapter 1

I don’t want to live in the country, Carter said as the state car continued on its seemingly endless journey to what was to be her home for the next four or five months. The interstate looks like a pair of suspenders that never ends. The sky and ground actually meet out here. Nothing interrupts the line.

They’re a lovely family, said Mrs. Clemmens, her social worker.

Why can’t they live in the city? Why don’t you just say it? They’re crazy for wanting a delinquent like me, snapped Carter.

Carter, not everybody in the world is out to get you. We want the best for you. We thought this placement would be beneficial for you.

All they want is a live-in babysitter for their three-year-old brat.

That’s not true. The Zengers have three children. Only two of them live at home. Jimmy’s a senior in high school. He’s the star of the basketball and football teams.

La dee da, Carter crooned. I don’t want to be here. I’m seventeen. Why can’t I get a place of my own?

We want you to have the chance to finish high school.

What business is it of yours?

It’s my business because it may end up to be one less person living on the street. You have a lot of talent, Carter. We don’t want to see it wasted.

I want to stay with my friends.

You know that’s not possible. The judge gave you a choice. You were right in choosing to come here. You liked the Zengers during their visits.

I guess I can add acting to my talents.

It’s a beautiful community.

Where? I don’t see anything but fields and a few barns and houses.

The blue state car turned from the interstate to a pothole-filled highway. This will give you a chance to get a clean start. The Zenger’s house is about three miles from the school and town.

Carter laughed, That doesn’t tell me where the town is.

Five towns feed into the school, so you’ll have the opportunity to meet people from all over the surrounding area.

I don’t give a damn about the surrounding area. I want to go back. I like buildings and buses. I don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere.

You might as well stop trying to fight it, but I could turn the car around and tell the judge that you prefer to be in a juvenile facility until you are twenty-one. Maybe you won’t be tempted to run with the wrong crowd.

I wasn’t tempted to run with the wrong crowd. I just wanted to stay alive.

You may learn something.

I like my friends.

Some friends. They let you take the rap for all of them. You’ll make new friends.

This is all out of my control.

It might seem like that now, but this is your chance to take the control back. It’s okay to be scared.

I ain’t scared.

Don’t worry. You’ll be just fine, said Mrs. Clemmens as they turned off the main street on a dirt road. Here we are, she announced as she pulled in front of a two-story light blue house.

Life in the fast lane, muttered Carter.

Carter sat on her bed with her guitar. A cassette player lay beside her. When she glanced at the clock, she clicked the tape off, removed the headphones, and put the guitar in its case. By the end of the week, she was sure that she would have the music on the tape memorized. Getting up from the bed, she opened the closet and pulled out her backpack. She dug through the papers in her backpack until she found her journal. She grabbed a pen from the desk and went over to the bay window that looked out over the backyard. She sat on the window seat and stared into the darkness. She could see the outline of the trees in the moonlight. She sighed as she began to write.

Carter’s Journal

January 20

It’s late at night. I’ve been in the middle of nowhere for three days. I don’t know much about living in the country. The main difference is that things seem so much slower than what I’m used to in the city.

I was only here for an hour before the Zengers had to take me on a tour of the town. They were so excited to show me around. I wish I felt their excitement for such simple things. You know, it took more time to get to the town than it did to see it. I was told this was the gathering spot for all the smaller neighboring towns. I can’t imagine any town that could be smaller. Anyway, they told me that was the reason why there was a full-sized grocery store and three restaurants. We stopped at the deli for sandwiches. I can’t complain about the sandwiches. The store also sold homemade ice cream and baked goods.

There’s also a department store, a post office, and an office complex. I wondered where the school was, but I didn’t want to seem too eager at seeing it. Oh, there was a main street with a couple of stores and a church. I guess if you don’t belong to that church, you go out of town. I wonder what people do around here.

You should see my room. It’s spectacular. It has these huge windows on three sides. It reminds me of lighthouses I’ve seen in books. Each set of windows has a window seat. It’s a perfect place to play my guitar. I’ve never seen a house like this before. That’s not exactly true. In the mall, there was a dollhouse shop that sold houses that looked similar. The barn looks like barns I’ve seen in books.

Sometimes, this family stuff is hard work. Yesterday, Tanna wanted me to read her a bedtime story. I didn’t really want to do it, but Jimmy came with me, so it wasn’t bad at all. I’m not used to being with little kids. It was different.

Chapter 2

Jimmy was out in the yard trying to finish his chores, but he was really watching Carter. She was sitting in one of the windows she had opened despite the chill in the air. Carter’s hair moved slightly in the breeze. The melodies from her guitar drifted out over the yard.

Carter, said Jimmy after lunch. Let me show you our land. We can saddle up the horses.

I don’t know, Carter said, hesitating. I’ve never been on a horse.

There’s nothing to be scared of. We’ll go slowly.

I ain’t scared of nothing.

Jimmy, we need you to look after Tanna, said his mother, coming into the room after overhearing their conversation. Your father and I have a meeting in town.

Then we can’t go out on the horses, Jimmy said.

Carter breathed a quick sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

Tanna can ride with you on Thunderbolt, said Mrs. Zenger.

Sometimes little sisters can be a pain, muttered Jimmy under his breath. Carter grinned.

Jimmy quickly did the dishes and led Carter down to the barn. Carter sat on the corral fence while he saddled up two horses. Carter wasn’t about to go into the barn with all those animals.

He’s so big, Carter said as Jimmy brought the horse over.

He’s a she. This is Silver Bells. Now you always mount a horse from the left side. Put your foot in the stirrup like this. Jimmy demonstrated how to get onto the horse.

Carter tried to get her foot into the stirrup, but Silver Bells stomped her feet and moved. Carter laughed nervously. I’m not sure I want to do this, Jimmy.

Try again. She won’t hurt you, said Jimmy.

When Carter finally managed to get on the horse, Jimmy walked her around the corral several times, giving her pointers on how to ride.

Think you’re ready to go out of the corral? asked Jimmy, coming up beside Carter on Thunderbolt.

No, but I probably won’t ever be, so let’s just go.

Jimmy laughed and Carter smiled back trying to hide her discomfort.

Jimmy kept the horses to a walk and finally stopped by a small creek.

I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, Carter said.

It’s just a little old creek.

It’s the prettiest creek I’ve ever seen. Look at how clear the water is. You haven’t been to the city. The water is muddy and has all sorts of garbage floating in it.

Jimmy sighed. We rarely go into the city. My parents don’t like all the noise and people.

That’s the best part.

I guess different people are uncomfortable in situations, said Jimmy, smiling at her.

I guess so, Carter said, managing a grin.

My brother says it’s different away from here. I can’t wait until next year when I can go away to college. Tell me what the city’s like.

I’m getting kind of cold. Can we ride back? Carter said, changing the subject.

Jimmy looked at his watch. You’re right. We better head back.

Jimmy handed Carter a brush after they returned to the barn.

What’s this for? she asked.

To brush the horse.

I’m not going to go in there with a horse, Carter said, peering into the stall.

There’s nothing to be frightened of in there.

Who says I’m scared of anything?

"I take it