continued, “I’m sorry about what happened on Saturday.”
“Sorry about walking off with Kimberly or how you treated Clarence?” I asked, pulling out my Math book.
He regarded me curiously. “What do you mean? Because of what happened with Kimberly, of course.”
I pulled my bag onto my shoulders and peered into his face. “You were about to clobber Clarence. You’re not sorry about that?”
Thad looked incredulous. “No! Twerps like him need to be put in their places from time to time! And then he wouldn’t have bothered us again.”
I closed my locker with a slam. “I don’t date bullies,” I said coldly. “Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you can beat on others who aren’t.” He just stared at me, a look of stupefaction and wonder contorting his face.
“I have to go to class now.” I spun around and walked away, barely able to hide an inexplicable smile suddenly spreading across my face. It was as if I had finally gotten back at him for doing something terrible.
To me
. It made no sense.
And then Keil flashed before my eyes, and the smile vanished.
I didn’t see Thad for the rest of the day. But as Art ended, Kimberly finally made herself known, catching up to me as I headed toward Biology.
“Stay away from him,” she said threateningly, poking me just above the right bosom with a finger. Her nails were long, red, and sharp.
I looked at her like an innocent fawn. “Why, Kimberly, do you dislike me so much?”
She regarded me coolly. “I wasn’t sure what to make of you at first,” she replied, her perfect teeth and rosy lips twisted into a stunning snarl. “But now I see you’re going to be trouble. If you know what’s best, stay out of my way.”
Her bluntness stung me with an unexplainable sense of nostalgia, my heart withering like a flower. But I stood undeterred, peering into those lovely, baby-blue eyes of hers.
“Kimberly, you’re the most lovely girl I’ve ever seen. So I wish, I wish…you were better than this. Because you should be.”
She seemed to stumble back slightly as she processed my words, looking like a confused baby whose ball had just rolled under the couch. Her reaction was actually pretty cute, her cheeks even reddening as she struggled for an appropriate response. But time was ticking away; I needed to get to class.
“Just don’t forget what I said,” she said indignantly as I walked away. But her voice seemed uneven now, even shaken.
I entered Biology and sighed, flummoxed by the images of Thad and Kimberly flickering in my head. A moment later, Clarence sat down next to me. We slowly turned to look at each other; neither of us really knew what to say.
“I’m sorry about Saturday,” he finally murmured.
“You should be,” I said, but my voice was gentle. “You don’t have any right making my decisions for me, and I did want to go with Thad.”
“Do you
still
want to?” he asked.
“Never mind that,” I said pensively. I then smiled at him and lowered my voice. “Now quick, before class starts. What did you find out about time travel?”
Back at home, I stared at my computer screen, pondering what Clarence had explained during class. He had spoken with some acquaintances—self-proclaimed experts in time travel, dimensional rifts, astral projection, and other off-topics that left me both rattled and confused. He basically had three ideas to offer.
The first, assuming again I wasn’t simply a nutcase, was that I was somehow psychically connected to an ancestor or descendent. A family member may have somehow tapped into my psyche—my mind or soul—and was sending me information. But the process was unreliable, which possibly explained the scattered, even nonsensical visions I had already received. And if true, did that make Keil a long-lost brother? Or a cousin? A grandson?
Somewhat similarly, the next scenario involved being contacted by a specter from a different plane of existence. Apparently, my experiences resembled
“Sorry about walking off with Kimberly or how you treated Clarence?” I asked, pulling out my Math book.
He regarded me curiously. “What do you mean? Because of what happened with Kimberly, of course.”
I pulled my bag onto my shoulders and peered into his face. “You were about to clobber Clarence. You’re not sorry about that?”
Thad looked incredulous. “No! Twerps like him need to be put in their places from time to time! And then he wouldn’t have bothered us again.”
I closed my locker with a slam. “I don’t date bullies,” I said coldly. “Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you can beat on others who aren’t.” He just stared at me, a look of stupefaction and wonder contorting his face.
“I have to go to class now.” I spun around and walked away, barely able to hide an inexplicable smile suddenly spreading across my face. It was as if I had finally gotten back at him for doing something terrible.
To me
. It made no sense.
And then Keil flashed before my eyes, and the smile vanished.
I didn’t see Thad for the rest of the day. But as Art ended, Kimberly finally made herself known, catching up to me as I headed toward Biology.
“Stay away from him,” she said threateningly, poking me just above the right bosom with a finger. Her nails were long, red, and sharp.
I looked at her like an innocent fawn. “Why, Kimberly, do you dislike me so much?”
She regarded me coolly. “I wasn’t sure what to make of you at first,” she replied, her perfect teeth and rosy lips twisted into a stunning snarl. “But now I see you’re going to be trouble. If you know what’s best, stay out of my way.”
Her bluntness stung me with an unexplainable sense of nostalgia, my heart withering like a flower. But I stood undeterred, peering into those lovely, baby-blue eyes of hers.
“Kimberly, you’re the most lovely girl I’ve ever seen. So I wish, I wish…you were better than this. Because you should be.”
She seemed to stumble back slightly as she processed my words, looking like a confused baby whose ball had just rolled under the couch. Her reaction was actually pretty cute, her cheeks even reddening as she struggled for an appropriate response. But time was ticking away; I needed to get to class.
“Just don’t forget what I said,” she said indignantly as I walked away. But her voice seemed uneven now, even shaken.
I entered Biology and sighed, flummoxed by the images of Thad and Kimberly flickering in my head. A moment later, Clarence sat down next to me. We slowly turned to look at each other; neither of us really knew what to say.
“I’m sorry about Saturday,” he finally murmured.
“You should be,” I said, but my voice was gentle. “You don’t have any right making my decisions for me, and I did want to go with Thad.”
“Do you
still
want to?” he asked.
“Never mind that,” I said pensively. I then smiled at him and lowered my voice. “Now quick, before class starts. What did you find out about time travel?”
Back at home, I stared at my computer screen, pondering what Clarence had explained during class. He had spoken with some acquaintances—self-proclaimed experts in time travel, dimensional rifts, astral projection, and other off-topics that left me both rattled and confused. He basically had three ideas to offer.
The first, assuming again I wasn’t simply a nutcase, was that I was somehow psychically connected to an ancestor or descendent. A family member may have somehow tapped into my psyche—my mind or soul—and was sending me information. But the process was unreliable, which possibly explained the scattered, even nonsensical visions I had already received. And if true, did that make Keil a long-lost brother? Or a cousin? A grandson?
Somewhat similarly, the next scenario involved being contacted by a specter from a different plane of existence. Apparently, my experiences resembled
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