The Great Jeff, by Tony Abbott
Stand-Alone Companion to Firegirl
When Jeff Hick’s father stopped paying the tuition for St. Catherine’s, Jeff was forced to attend public school for eighth grade. He hates it, but he soon learns that this is the least of his problems.
When his mom loses her job, any hope of returning to the parochial school disappears. Jeff and his mom fight for normalcy as they sell most of their possessions to keep going. They tell lies to keep people from suspecting that anything is wrong, but before Mrs. Hicks finds a new job, their landlord evicts them for past rent and a broken furnace.
Jeff and his mom move into a ratty motel room. Mrs. Hicks is paranoid that someone will find out so on the days she can’t pick Jeff up from school, he rides the bus to his old house and waits in the backyard. One day, he walks to St. Catherine’s, goes into Mrs. Tracy’s classroom, and sits in his old desk. On the way out, he meets Tom Bender. Jeff remembers everything that happened between them, and he runs away.
As Mrs. Hicks begins drinking heavily, life become very difficult for Jeff. Then, Mrs. Hicks falls and breaks her ankle. To avoid going into foster care, Jeff runs away to his old house where he gets help from a very unexpected source.
