Mark was finished
with section one of the test. He sat back in his chair and rubbed
the heels of his hands across his forehead before looking around. A
few students had gotten up for a break, but Chenoa, Jamal and Nick
were still scribbling away. He stretched, leaned toward Jamal and
whispered, “I’m taking a breather,” and pointed to an empty
booth.
Jamal didn’t look up. “I’m on number
ninety-eight. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
Nick and Chenoa glanced up, nodded and went
right back to work.
Jeremy walked up just after Mark sat down in
the booth and sat a cold glass of tea on the table. “You want to
order now or wait for your friends?”
Mark said, “I’m going to wait. Thanks for
the tea.”
“You’re welcome. How’re you doing on the
test?”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to talk to us
about the test.”
“I just can’t give any advice or
suggestions, and that’s not just for the test either. That’s for
everything. I can’t even recommend food. I can ask you questions
though.” Jeremy tilted his head just a bit and smiled. “How’re you
doing?”
Jeremy’s goatee, the roundness of his head
and his muscles made Mark think of a cartoon genie he’d once seen
on television. “I’m not quite brain-dead yet. Who invented that
test?” He rubbed his forehead again.
Jeremy cocked his head and raised his
eyebrows while frowning at Mark. “You know I can’t answer that, and
you already know the answer to that anyway. You don’t have to ask
me.” Jeremy looked up and saw Nick get up. “I’ll be right
back.”
Nick slid into the booth. “Man...That has to
be the worst test I’ve ever taken. If a light bulb’s burnt out, you
just replace it. What’s to think about?”
Mark was still rubbing his forehead. “You
could always replace it with a different kind. What are you doing
making me think about that again? That part of the test is over,
and besides, I’ve already got a headache. I don’t need another
one.”
“The test wasn’t that bad; I mean it wasn’t
bad enough to cause a headache.”
Jeremy returned and sat a glass of milk in
front of Nick before setting down two cups of coffee. “Do you want
to order now, Nick, or would you like to wait?”
“Do you have any aspirin? Mark has a
headache.”
Jeremy studied Mark for just a moment.
“Mark, what are you feeling?”
“I’ve got a headache; what do you think I’m
feeling?”
Mark was guarding his thoughts, but it
didn’t take receiving what he was thinking to know something beyond
the headache was troubling him. “No need to get snippy. I can’t
give you advice, but you know where to go.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude.” He
took a long drink of the tea, slid out of the booth just as Jamal
and Chenoa were coming up and said, “I’ll be back.”
Mark didn’t stop when Chenoa asked,
“Where’re you going?” He went toward the main entrance of The Oasis
and almost bumped into LeOmi Jones on her way out. LeOmi seemed in
as much of a hurry as he was.
LeOmi had changed dramatically from the
first time he had seen her last year. Her hair was no longer short
and spiked, but it was now long enough to have been styled if she
had chosen to do that. Mark instantly did a mental comparison
between LeOmi’s hair and Chenoa’s. In Mark’s mind, Chenoa won hands
down.
There was something else different about
LeOmi this year too. Although Mark could only see her face and
hands, what he could see of her didn’t look as pasty white as she
had been last year.
Mark said, “Excuse me.”
LeOmi held the door for Mark. “Don’t tell me
you have a headache.” Her tone seemed a little sarcastic.
“Yeah, I was just going to get something for
it.” Mark walked through the door.
“They don’t make aspirin for what I’ve got.
There’s only one thing I can do.”
“What are you talking about?”
LeOmi stepped out, bent her head down and
turned in a slow circle. She started walking
with section one of the test. He sat back in his chair and rubbed
the heels of his hands across his forehead before looking around. A
few students had gotten up for a break, but Chenoa, Jamal and Nick
were still scribbling away. He stretched, leaned toward Jamal and
whispered, “I’m taking a breather,” and pointed to an empty
booth.
Jamal didn’t look up. “I’m on number
ninety-eight. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
Nick and Chenoa glanced up, nodded and went
right back to work.
Jeremy walked up just after Mark sat down in
the booth and sat a cold glass of tea on the table. “You want to
order now or wait for your friends?”
Mark said, “I’m going to wait. Thanks for
the tea.”
“You’re welcome. How’re you doing on the
test?”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to talk to us
about the test.”
“I just can’t give any advice or
suggestions, and that’s not just for the test either. That’s for
everything. I can’t even recommend food. I can ask you questions
though.” Jeremy tilted his head just a bit and smiled. “How’re you
doing?”
Jeremy’s goatee, the roundness of his head
and his muscles made Mark think of a cartoon genie he’d once seen
on television. “I’m not quite brain-dead yet. Who invented that
test?” He rubbed his forehead again.
Jeremy cocked his head and raised his
eyebrows while frowning at Mark. “You know I can’t answer that, and
you already know the answer to that anyway. You don’t have to ask
me.” Jeremy looked up and saw Nick get up. “I’ll be right
back.”
Nick slid into the booth. “Man...That has to
be the worst test I’ve ever taken. If a light bulb’s burnt out, you
just replace it. What’s to think about?”
Mark was still rubbing his forehead. “You
could always replace it with a different kind. What are you doing
making me think about that again? That part of the test is over,
and besides, I’ve already got a headache. I don’t need another
one.”
“The test wasn’t that bad; I mean it wasn’t
bad enough to cause a headache.”
Jeremy returned and sat a glass of milk in
front of Nick before setting down two cups of coffee. “Do you want
to order now, Nick, or would you like to wait?”
“Do you have any aspirin? Mark has a
headache.”
Jeremy studied Mark for just a moment.
“Mark, what are you feeling?”
“I’ve got a headache; what do you think I’m
feeling?”
Mark was guarding his thoughts, but it
didn’t take receiving what he was thinking to know something beyond
the headache was troubling him. “No need to get snippy. I can’t
give you advice, but you know where to go.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude.” He
took a long drink of the tea, slid out of the booth just as Jamal
and Chenoa were coming up and said, “I’ll be back.”
Mark didn’t stop when Chenoa asked,
“Where’re you going?” He went toward the main entrance of The Oasis
and almost bumped into LeOmi Jones on her way out. LeOmi seemed in
as much of a hurry as he was.
LeOmi had changed dramatically from the
first time he had seen her last year. Her hair was no longer short
and spiked, but it was now long enough to have been styled if she
had chosen to do that. Mark instantly did a mental comparison
between LeOmi’s hair and Chenoa’s. In Mark’s mind, Chenoa won hands
down.
There was something else different about
LeOmi this year too. Although Mark could only see her face and
hands, what he could see of her didn’t look as pasty white as she
had been last year.
Mark said, “Excuse me.”
LeOmi held the door for Mark. “Don’t tell me
you have a headache.” Her tone seemed a little sarcastic.
“Yeah, I was just going to get something for
it.” Mark walked through the door.
“They don’t make aspirin for what I’ve got.
There’s only one thing I can do.”
“What are you talking about?”
LeOmi stepped out, bent her head down and
turned in a slow circle. She started walking
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