Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (The Russel Middlebrook Series Book 3) by Brent Hartinger Page A
Authors: Brent Hartinger
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looking at his crotch! It's just that I'm observant, remember? His underwear was black, if you must know.)
"Um," I said. "You..." I nodded at his crotch but was careful not to stare.
"Huh?" he said. He looked down. "Oh. Thanks. Sorry."
He zipped up.
Seeing Declan McDonnell up close was strange. I'd never seen any face so perfect. It was nice, but it was also a little off-putting. It was like being in the presence of an angel (despite the previously unzipped fly).
"Don't you have your own bathrooms?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Yeah. Sometimes I just need to get away. But I should get back to the set."
"Right," I said. I nodded to the urinals. "And I should, well, pee. Hey, do you think you…?"
But when I turned back to look at him, he was gone, just like an angel having flown right back up to heaven.
* * *
I left that bathroom in a daze. It all seemed so unreal. I had actually talked to Declan McDonnell!
I spent the rest of the day avoiding Kevin and, yes, looking for Declan again. It was a disorienting experience, made even worse by the fact that I never did see Declan, but I kept spotting Kevin everywhere I turned.
We worked until six that night. It was a long day, but it's not like I particularly wanted to go home to parents who thought I was "disgusting." I wasn't even annoyed when Gunnar and Em wanted to stay late to watch the cinematographer clean the camera lens (or whatever).
I went out to wait for them in the parking lot. It was already dark, which meant I'd spent the whole day indoors, but it was somehow comforting too, like the whole world had pulled up the covers. The fresh air was nice, especially after so much time inside.
The hood of one of the cars in the parking lot was standing open. Somehow I knew exactly who I'd find under that hood.
Sure enough, Kevin poked his head out.
"Russel!" he said, smiling.
"Kevin," I said. It was too late now to pretend I hadn't seen him, so I walked closer.
"Dead battery," he said, nodding to his car. "Left my lights on this morning."
"That sucks. You have jumper cables?"
He nodded and held up two ends, one red and one black.
"You know how to hook them up?" I asked.
"Oh, sure," he said. This figured. Kevin was just that butch.
"Gunnar'll be out in a sec," I said. "I'm sure he'll give you a jump."
"Yeah, I was waiting for you guys." We stood there for a minute, not talking, sort of facing in different directions. Then Kevin said, "So I guess you heard about me, huh?"
Kevin meant about his coming out. And of course I'd heard. It was all anyone had been talking about all week.
"Yeah," I said. "That's really great. Congratulations."
"You didn't think I'd really do it, did you?" He sounded a little proud, which was okay, because he'd done something to be proud of.
"No," I admitted. "I guess not." But I didn't want to talk about this. After all, I'd told him before that the reason we couldn't be together was because I was out and he wasn't. Now that had changed.
"It's hard though," Kevin said. "People can sure be assholes. Thing like this shows you who your friends really are."
It was only then that I noticed that Kevin had a black eye. The skin under his eye was a purple wash even in the wan overhead light of that parking lot. At first I thought it might be makeup from the shoot, but it looked far too real.
Kevin had been in a fight with someone, no doubt over his coming out. I wondered who. One of the other jocks? His dad?
Suddenly I wanted to comfort him with a hug. He wasn't my boyfriend anymore, but he was still a friend. And didn't friends hug each other when one of them was in pain? I didn't want to be one of the friends that Kevin was talking about, the kind of person who abandoned someone when things got rough.
"Your eye," I said. "Are you okay?"
He looked up at me. "What? Oh, sure. It's nothing."
There was a smudge of oil on his cheek, just below the black eye. It was indescribably cute. Which made me realize that I didn't want
"Um," I said. "You..." I nodded at his crotch but was careful not to stare.
"Huh?" he said. He looked down. "Oh. Thanks. Sorry."
He zipped up.
Seeing Declan McDonnell up close was strange. I'd never seen any face so perfect. It was nice, but it was also a little off-putting. It was like being in the presence of an angel (despite the previously unzipped fly).
"Don't you have your own bathrooms?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Yeah. Sometimes I just need to get away. But I should get back to the set."
"Right," I said. I nodded to the urinals. "And I should, well, pee. Hey, do you think you…?"
But when I turned back to look at him, he was gone, just like an angel having flown right back up to heaven.
* * *
I left that bathroom in a daze. It all seemed so unreal. I had actually talked to Declan McDonnell!
I spent the rest of the day avoiding Kevin and, yes, looking for Declan again. It was a disorienting experience, made even worse by the fact that I never did see Declan, but I kept spotting Kevin everywhere I turned.
We worked until six that night. It was a long day, but it's not like I particularly wanted to go home to parents who thought I was "disgusting." I wasn't even annoyed when Gunnar and Em wanted to stay late to watch the cinematographer clean the camera lens (or whatever).
I went out to wait for them in the parking lot. It was already dark, which meant I'd spent the whole day indoors, but it was somehow comforting too, like the whole world had pulled up the covers. The fresh air was nice, especially after so much time inside.
The hood of one of the cars in the parking lot was standing open. Somehow I knew exactly who I'd find under that hood.
Sure enough, Kevin poked his head out.
"Russel!" he said, smiling.
"Kevin," I said. It was too late now to pretend I hadn't seen him, so I walked closer.
"Dead battery," he said, nodding to his car. "Left my lights on this morning."
"That sucks. You have jumper cables?"
He nodded and held up two ends, one red and one black.
"You know how to hook them up?" I asked.
"Oh, sure," he said. This figured. Kevin was just that butch.
"Gunnar'll be out in a sec," I said. "I'm sure he'll give you a jump."
"Yeah, I was waiting for you guys." We stood there for a minute, not talking, sort of facing in different directions. Then Kevin said, "So I guess you heard about me, huh?"
Kevin meant about his coming out. And of course I'd heard. It was all anyone had been talking about all week.
"Yeah," I said. "That's really great. Congratulations."
"You didn't think I'd really do it, did you?" He sounded a little proud, which was okay, because he'd done something to be proud of.
"No," I admitted. "I guess not." But I didn't want to talk about this. After all, I'd told him before that the reason we couldn't be together was because I was out and he wasn't. Now that had changed.
"It's hard though," Kevin said. "People can sure be assholes. Thing like this shows you who your friends really are."
It was only then that I noticed that Kevin had a black eye. The skin under his eye was a purple wash even in the wan overhead light of that parking lot. At first I thought it might be makeup from the shoot, but it looked far too real.
Kevin had been in a fight with someone, no doubt over his coming out. I wondered who. One of the other jocks? His dad?
Suddenly I wanted to comfort him with a hug. He wasn't my boyfriend anymore, but he was still a friend. And didn't friends hug each other when one of them was in pain? I didn't want to be one of the friends that Kevin was talking about, the kind of person who abandoned someone when things got rough.
"Your eye," I said. "Are you okay?"
He looked up at me. "What? Oh, sure. It's nothing."
There was a smudge of oil on his cheek, just below the black eye. It was indescribably cute. Which made me realize that I didn't want
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