his half smile and the thoughtful twist of his lips that he was already mentally downloading ideas.
A short while later I was following him into his “Headquarters”—a bedroom without a bed, where power cords lurked like snakes, slithering on the floor beneath tables and desks covered with computer equipment. He got to work right away, tapping keys on a central computer.
“What are you typing?” I asked, leaning on the back of his russet-brown leather chair.
He shushed me, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
Coding terminology meant nothing to me, so I didn’t pay much attention until the name of my high school popped up with an official page demanding a password. Dustin stood up so abruptly I had to jump back so he didn’t knock me over. He shifted to a different computer, typed on the keyboard, murmured to himself, then returned to the main computer. The Halsey High site opened up to lists of names and financial data—which I was fairly sure were off-limits to students.
“Eureka! Now I just need to hit … ” His words trailed off as squares of colorful photos flooded the screen.
“What are those?” I asked.
“Yearbook pictures.”
Bending to look closely, I saw names and squared photographs. “These are really current! But the yearbook isn’t even finished yet.”
“That doesn’t mean the information isn’t available … if you know how to sneak through the back door.” Dustin grinned. “So we’ll match Alyce’s information with senior guys and find out if anyone is twisted enough for her.”
I smacked his shoulder. “Don’t talk about her like that. Just get to work.”
“I am. But I’ll need some data from you about Alyce.”
I looked at him, waiting for him to laugh at his lame attempt at a joke. But he didn’t even crack a smile. “You’re kidding, right?”
“About what?” He blinked.
“Asking me for info on Alyce when we’re all best friends and you know all about her.”
He swiveled his chair slightly, glancing away from me. Then he cleared his throat. “Actually … no.”
I gripped the edge of a scanning machine. “What do you mean, no ?”
“I’m not as close to Alyce as you seem to think. I hang out with you and Alyce hangs out with you, so we’re together a lot. But only because of you—you’re the nucleus of our friendship. When you were in the hospital, Alyce and I barely talked even when we were in the same room. We just don’t have much in common … except you.”
I could not believe what I was hearing.
“That’s how it’s always been,” Dustin went on. “You’re so sure everything is how you see it that sometimes you don’t see what’s really going on. I’m not saying I don’t like Alyce, because I do. I respect her individuality and she’s an amazing artist. Whenever I see one of her baskets, I’m like WOW! And you got to respect anyone with the guts to wear a monkey backpack to school.”
He laughed, but I didn’t. I’d had no idea he and Alyce weren’t tight. If I’d been wrong about my best friends, what else was I wrong about?
“So why aren’t you and Alyce best friends?”
“I’m not really sure. We just never have anything to say to each other. Alyce puts out a vibe, like barbed wire on a fence, warning everyone to back off and not get close.”
“No she doesn’t.”
“Not with you. But if you think about it, when the three of us are together, who’s the one usually doing the talking?”
Answering would be self-incriminating, so I pursed my lips and glared.
“I’m just saying … ” He shrugged.
“Saying that my best friend isn’t who I think she is.”
“Is anyone?” he asked philosophically. “Alyce is a cool person and I have her back if she needs anything, but I can’t joke around with her like I can with you. For a long time now I’ve suspected there’s something secretive going on with her. Maybe this is a chance to find out what it is.”
“Maybe,” I said thoughtfully, then gestured
A short while later I was following him into his “Headquarters”—a bedroom without a bed, where power cords lurked like snakes, slithering on the floor beneath tables and desks covered with computer equipment. He got to work right away, tapping keys on a central computer.
“What are you typing?” I asked, leaning on the back of his russet-brown leather chair.
He shushed me, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
Coding terminology meant nothing to me, so I didn’t pay much attention until the name of my high school popped up with an official page demanding a password. Dustin stood up so abruptly I had to jump back so he didn’t knock me over. He shifted to a different computer, typed on the keyboard, murmured to himself, then returned to the main computer. The Halsey High site opened up to lists of names and financial data—which I was fairly sure were off-limits to students.
“Eureka! Now I just need to hit … ” His words trailed off as squares of colorful photos flooded the screen.
“What are those?” I asked.
“Yearbook pictures.”
Bending to look closely, I saw names and squared photographs. “These are really current! But the yearbook isn’t even finished yet.”
“That doesn’t mean the information isn’t available … if you know how to sneak through the back door.” Dustin grinned. “So we’ll match Alyce’s information with senior guys and find out if anyone is twisted enough for her.”
I smacked his shoulder. “Don’t talk about her like that. Just get to work.”
“I am. But I’ll need some data from you about Alyce.”
I looked at him, waiting for him to laugh at his lame attempt at a joke. But he didn’t even crack a smile. “You’re kidding, right?”
“About what?” He blinked.
“Asking me for info on Alyce when we’re all best friends and you know all about her.”
He swiveled his chair slightly, glancing away from me. Then he cleared his throat. “Actually … no.”
I gripped the edge of a scanning machine. “What do you mean, no ?”
“I’m not as close to Alyce as you seem to think. I hang out with you and Alyce hangs out with you, so we’re together a lot. But only because of you—you’re the nucleus of our friendship. When you were in the hospital, Alyce and I barely talked even when we were in the same room. We just don’t have much in common … except you.”
I could not believe what I was hearing.
“That’s how it’s always been,” Dustin went on. “You’re so sure everything is how you see it that sometimes you don’t see what’s really going on. I’m not saying I don’t like Alyce, because I do. I respect her individuality and she’s an amazing artist. Whenever I see one of her baskets, I’m like WOW! And you got to respect anyone with the guts to wear a monkey backpack to school.”
He laughed, but I didn’t. I’d had no idea he and Alyce weren’t tight. If I’d been wrong about my best friends, what else was I wrong about?
“So why aren’t you and Alyce best friends?”
“I’m not really sure. We just never have anything to say to each other. Alyce puts out a vibe, like barbed wire on a fence, warning everyone to back off and not get close.”
“No she doesn’t.”
“Not with you. But if you think about it, when the three of us are together, who’s the one usually doing the talking?”
Answering would be self-incriminating, so I pursed my lips and glared.
“I’m just saying … ” He shrugged.
“Saying that my best friend isn’t who I think she is.”
“Is anyone?” he asked philosophically. “Alyce is a cool person and I have her back if she needs anything, but I can’t joke around with her like I can with you. For a long time now I’ve suspected there’s something secretive going on with her. Maybe this is a chance to find out what it is.”
“Maybe,” I said thoughtfully, then gestured
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