entered the kitchen, his mother shook her head. “Honestly, Alex, I don’t know what’s gotten into you. You must have tried on ten shirts.”
“Eight,” Alex muttered as he collected his folding chair from the hall closet.
“Just who are you trying to impress?”
“Alex has a date with the Hammond girl,” said Alan as he passed through the room holding a picnic basket, a folded blanket, and a case of beer. “Can you open the door for me, Janny?”
Janice did her best impression of the Cheshire Cat. “ Crystal Hammond?”
“Mom.” Alex felt his ears suddenly growing very hot. “It’s no big deal. We’re just watching the fireworks together.”
“Honey,” said Alan. “The door, please.”
Janice adjusted Alex’s cap. “Well, I think you two would make a cute couple.”
“Earth to Janice!”
“Mom,” Alex whined.
“This door isn’t going to open itself.” Alan tapped it with his toe.
Alex whirled toward the door. “ I’ll get it!”
With a soft click, the door slowly swung open on its own. Alex’s eyes widened.
“Huh,” said Alan. “Never mind.”
Alex shook his head. Surely he hadn’t just opened the door just by thinking about it, had he? No, that was crazy. He followed his father outside, hands clamped over his ears to block out his mother’s constant ribbing about Crystal.
“It’s not a date!”
*****
The Bonaparte city park sat on the northern bank of the Des Moines River. Every year, hundreds of people crammed themselves onto the grass, playground equipment, and even the bridge crossing to the south bank to watch the fireworks. There had been no display the year before due to the incessant rains, and this unfortunate fact bolstered this year’s attendance.
The ground was already covered with blankets and folding chairs when the Walkers arrived. As his parents waded through the sea of people, Alex craned his neck and stood on tiptoe, searching for any sign of Crystal’s family. He was about to give up and join his parents when he felt a light tap on his left shoulder. He looked but saw no one there. When he heard the soft feminine giggle, he turned to his right and saw Crystal smiling at him.
“Hi!”
“H-hi,” Alex stammered.
“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back of the park. “I saved us a spot by the big tree.”
“Oooohhh,” said a scathing voice behind them. “How womantic !”
The teens turned to see the local bully Baxter Franklin, the only eighth grader in the state of Iowa with a driver’s license, and three of his high school cronies sitting on a wooden fence. Baxter hopped down from his perch and made sloppy kissing noises at them.
::Grow up, jerkoff.::
“Yeah,” said Alex. “Grow up.”
Baxter blinked, confused by the outburst.
Crystal glowered at the bully. “Let’s go, Alex.”
Crystal led him to a red blanket spread out underneath an old oak tree.
Alex looked around nervously. “So, where are your parents sitting?”
“On the other side of the park.” Crystal winked.
“Oh.” Alex propped his chair against the tree and sat on the blanket next to Crystal.
Alex’s eyes darted back and forth from Crystal to the blanket, trying to find the right words, but he knew everything he thought of would make him sound like a gibbering idiot. Finally, to his relief, Crystal broke the ice. “I still can’t get over what happened yesterday.”
“Yeah, that was pretty bizarre.”
Crystal hugged her knees. “I had nightmares about it all night. I was afraid to go back to sleep.”
“Funny,” said Alex. “It really didn’t bother me at all. It just — I don’t know — happened.”
Crystal laid a hand on top of his. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Alex felt his ears getting warm again. “Yeah.”
The whistle of an ascending rocket saved Alex from having to come up with something clever to say, and they looked up just in time to see the brilliant red and green explosion of the evening’s
“Eight,” Alex muttered as he collected his folding chair from the hall closet.
“Just who are you trying to impress?”
“Alex has a date with the Hammond girl,” said Alan as he passed through the room holding a picnic basket, a folded blanket, and a case of beer. “Can you open the door for me, Janny?”
Janice did her best impression of the Cheshire Cat. “ Crystal Hammond?”
“Mom.” Alex felt his ears suddenly growing very hot. “It’s no big deal. We’re just watching the fireworks together.”
“Honey,” said Alan. “The door, please.”
Janice adjusted Alex’s cap. “Well, I think you two would make a cute couple.”
“Earth to Janice!”
“Mom,” Alex whined.
“This door isn’t going to open itself.” Alan tapped it with his toe.
Alex whirled toward the door. “ I’ll get it!”
With a soft click, the door slowly swung open on its own. Alex’s eyes widened.
“Huh,” said Alan. “Never mind.”
Alex shook his head. Surely he hadn’t just opened the door just by thinking about it, had he? No, that was crazy. He followed his father outside, hands clamped over his ears to block out his mother’s constant ribbing about Crystal.
“It’s not a date!”
*****
The Bonaparte city park sat on the northern bank of the Des Moines River. Every year, hundreds of people crammed themselves onto the grass, playground equipment, and even the bridge crossing to the south bank to watch the fireworks. There had been no display the year before due to the incessant rains, and this unfortunate fact bolstered this year’s attendance.
The ground was already covered with blankets and folding chairs when the Walkers arrived. As his parents waded through the sea of people, Alex craned his neck and stood on tiptoe, searching for any sign of Crystal’s family. He was about to give up and join his parents when he felt a light tap on his left shoulder. He looked but saw no one there. When he heard the soft feminine giggle, he turned to his right and saw Crystal smiling at him.
“Hi!”
“H-hi,” Alex stammered.
“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back of the park. “I saved us a spot by the big tree.”
“Oooohhh,” said a scathing voice behind them. “How womantic !”
The teens turned to see the local bully Baxter Franklin, the only eighth grader in the state of Iowa with a driver’s license, and three of his high school cronies sitting on a wooden fence. Baxter hopped down from his perch and made sloppy kissing noises at them.
::Grow up, jerkoff.::
“Yeah,” said Alex. “Grow up.”
Baxter blinked, confused by the outburst.
Crystal glowered at the bully. “Let’s go, Alex.”
Crystal led him to a red blanket spread out underneath an old oak tree.
Alex looked around nervously. “So, where are your parents sitting?”
“On the other side of the park.” Crystal winked.
“Oh.” Alex propped his chair against the tree and sat on the blanket next to Crystal.
Alex’s eyes darted back and forth from Crystal to the blanket, trying to find the right words, but he knew everything he thought of would make him sound like a gibbering idiot. Finally, to his relief, Crystal broke the ice. “I still can’t get over what happened yesterday.”
“Yeah, that was pretty bizarre.”
Crystal hugged her knees. “I had nightmares about it all night. I was afraid to go back to sleep.”
“Funny,” said Alex. “It really didn’t bother me at all. It just — I don’t know — happened.”
Crystal laid a hand on top of his. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Alex felt his ears getting warm again. “Yeah.”
The whistle of an ascending rocket saved Alex from having to come up with something clever to say, and they looked up just in time to see the brilliant red and green explosion of the evening’s
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