me to the floor. Hating him, hating my life, I ignored the crushing weight in my chest, loosened the clamps, and readied the next cut board. The clock ticked. Time was running out.
****
Heat from the school furnaces had yet to reach the boys' bathroom when I snuck in before school the next morning. The janitor had placed a new cake of room deodorizer in the urinals and my eyes watered from the sharp, chemical smell. After five minutes, I almost gave up on getting any hot water from the faucet. Finally, lukewarm water trickled out and I splashed it on my chest and under my arms. The soap dispenser discharged cloud-like mounds of sage-colored foam. I slicked it on with my hands, starting with my face and neck, rinsed, then soaped my arms, pits, and chest. Water trickled onto the waistband of my jeans, meaning I'd be damp and cold all day. I clenched my teeth. Can't I catch a break? I patted myself down with several sheets of thin brown paper, then crumpled them. Three hook shots landed them all in the waste can.
"Good shot."
My body jerked. Caught. I swept up my shirt and stuffed my arms through the sleeves. " Hey."
"Hey." The kid was maybe a year younger than me with curly brown hair streaked with gold, and a slim build. He held a scarred skateboard against his hip. Tension eased out of my body as I noted his laidback energy and the welcoming cast to his eyes. He thrust out his hand. "Jordan Kent. You must be new here. Any hot water yet?"
"Aidan Cooper." I shook his hand, then pulled my rugby shirt over my head. "No to the hot water. Warm though."
"I'll take it." He peeled off his gym jersey and draped it over his backpack. "I came early to run laps. You?"
"Hot water heater broke last night. Flooded the garage."
"Wretched." He stuck his forearm under the running water.
"Yeah." I hoisted my messenger bag over one shoulder.
"Cool about the half-day today."
"Seriously?"
Jordan glanced at me in the heavily scratched mirror. "Teacher in-service day. Each class is, like, super short. We get out at noon."
And Papo won't expect me until three. My brain sprinted through the possibilities and settled on scoping out the New Age store and studying at the city library. My stomach rumbled, anticipating a lost opportunity to mooch lunch off someone. " Thanks for the intel. Guess I forgot to check the calendar. I'm still trying to get settled." I pulled a one-eighty and headed for the door.
"Wait a sec." Jordan dried his arms and armpits, then knelt and unzipped his backpack. The muted flannel shirt he extracted had been left half buttoned, and he pulled it over his head before fishing two protein bars from his pack. "Here." He tossed me a bar then tore open the wrapper encasing the other.
My mood brightened. "Thanks."
"No problem." He downed his bar in two bites, then slid into his jacket. "Some of us are going to the theater near the skate park after school. Hang with us if you'd like. It's the new Shay Stewart movie."
"The pirate sequel?"
"Yeah. My girlfriend Evie is nuts about him."
"I met an Evie at lunch yesterday. Salem's friend?"
"So you're the one she talked about."
My ears burned. "Nothing bad, I hope."
Jordan shouldered his backpack and picked up his skateboard. "No. More like they think you're mysterious." Jordan's gaze flicked over me. "Most of the kids are afraid Salem will hex them or something."
"I'm not like most kids. Though, I admit she has a wicked Drop Dead stare." Come on! Can't you see she's throwing a Scary Goth Girl glamour? " I can handle her."
"Tread carefully. Salem is going through a rough time. Hurt her, and you'll have her friends to answer to."
"Understood."
Jordan knuckle-bumped my shoulder as he squeezed past. "You can catch a ride with me if you'd like. We're meeting by the cyclone gate across from the field. Be there by twelve-fifteen."
"Maybe. Thanks." If only I had some money. I raked my fingers through my hair. I tried to remember the last time I had stayed anywhere long enough
****
Heat from the school furnaces had yet to reach the boys' bathroom when I snuck in before school the next morning. The janitor had placed a new cake of room deodorizer in the urinals and my eyes watered from the sharp, chemical smell. After five minutes, I almost gave up on getting any hot water from the faucet. Finally, lukewarm water trickled out and I splashed it on my chest and under my arms. The soap dispenser discharged cloud-like mounds of sage-colored foam. I slicked it on with my hands, starting with my face and neck, rinsed, then soaped my arms, pits, and chest. Water trickled onto the waistband of my jeans, meaning I'd be damp and cold all day. I clenched my teeth. Can't I catch a break? I patted myself down with several sheets of thin brown paper, then crumpled them. Three hook shots landed them all in the waste can.
"Good shot."
My body jerked. Caught. I swept up my shirt and stuffed my arms through the sleeves. " Hey."
"Hey." The kid was maybe a year younger than me with curly brown hair streaked with gold, and a slim build. He held a scarred skateboard against his hip. Tension eased out of my body as I noted his laidback energy and the welcoming cast to his eyes. He thrust out his hand. "Jordan Kent. You must be new here. Any hot water yet?"
"Aidan Cooper." I shook his hand, then pulled my rugby shirt over my head. "No to the hot water. Warm though."
"I'll take it." He peeled off his gym jersey and draped it over his backpack. "I came early to run laps. You?"
"Hot water heater broke last night. Flooded the garage."
"Wretched." He stuck his forearm under the running water.
"Yeah." I hoisted my messenger bag over one shoulder.
"Cool about the half-day today."
"Seriously?"
Jordan glanced at me in the heavily scratched mirror. "Teacher in-service day. Each class is, like, super short. We get out at noon."
And Papo won't expect me until three. My brain sprinted through the possibilities and settled on scoping out the New Age store and studying at the city library. My stomach rumbled, anticipating a lost opportunity to mooch lunch off someone. " Thanks for the intel. Guess I forgot to check the calendar. I'm still trying to get settled." I pulled a one-eighty and headed for the door.
"Wait a sec." Jordan dried his arms and armpits, then knelt and unzipped his backpack. The muted flannel shirt he extracted had been left half buttoned, and he pulled it over his head before fishing two protein bars from his pack. "Here." He tossed me a bar then tore open the wrapper encasing the other.
My mood brightened. "Thanks."
"No problem." He downed his bar in two bites, then slid into his jacket. "Some of us are going to the theater near the skate park after school. Hang with us if you'd like. It's the new Shay Stewart movie."
"The pirate sequel?"
"Yeah. My girlfriend Evie is nuts about him."
"I met an Evie at lunch yesterday. Salem's friend?"
"So you're the one she talked about."
My ears burned. "Nothing bad, I hope."
Jordan shouldered his backpack and picked up his skateboard. "No. More like they think you're mysterious." Jordan's gaze flicked over me. "Most of the kids are afraid Salem will hex them or something."
"I'm not like most kids. Though, I admit she has a wicked Drop Dead stare." Come on! Can't you see she's throwing a Scary Goth Girl glamour? " I can handle her."
"Tread carefully. Salem is going through a rough time. Hurt her, and you'll have her friends to answer to."
"Understood."
Jordan knuckle-bumped my shoulder as he squeezed past. "You can catch a ride with me if you'd like. We're meeting by the cyclone gate across from the field. Be there by twelve-fifteen."
"Maybe. Thanks." If only I had some money. I raked my fingers through my hair. I tried to remember the last time I had stayed anywhere long enough
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