else. Maybe for the next little while I’d celebrate holidays away from both my parents. Twenty years or so should do it.
I probably sounded more bitter than I meant to, because Rowan said, “Well, if you want something out of the ordinary, you should let me show you around town.”
“Um . . . yeah, sure.”
“You want to sit down?”
“I think I’ll just stand for a while.”
He gave me a once-over, almost like the reason I didn’t want to sit with him would be written somewhere on my body. “Where did you say we met again?”
“At a football game. I go to Lincoln High.”
“Ohh. That’s right. Duke’s girlfriend.”
“No.” I said the word with some hostility, then sealed my lips to keep from adding more.
“Well, that’s good. I was going to say that I was surprised Trevor invited you here. He’s not a fan of Duke’s.”
“He’s not?”
“At the last football game he found out Duke and some of his lackeys have been playing dirty. Purposely injuring the competition. Trevor was one of the victims. Ruined his career.”
“Purposely?” How much did they know? Was it possible they knew about abilities? Was that why Trevor seemed so suspicious when he saw me save his brother?
“Cheating. Hitting after the whistle. Just dirty plays. And Trevor had a lot of respect for Duke, so when he found this out, it really bothered him.”
I took a relieved breath. Those were all things any Norm could do. “So he doesn’t like Duke.” Maybe the suspicion I’d sensed in Trevor was really just his feelings about Duke. Maybe seeing me reminded him of Duke.
“That’s an understatement. No worries, though, he’s a good Southern boy, so he’ll be polite to you.”
I started to respond that he had been nice to me when Irealized what Rowan was saying—that it was an act. Was Trevor forcing himself to be kind to me? He probably really wished I hadn’t been invited to the party.
The television went blue and the movie started. With a wave, Rowan took his place back on the beanbag.
I settled into a chair along the back wall, crossed my arms, and tried to watch the movie. Every time Trevor laughed, a wave of frustration washed through me. He was going to judge me because of Duke? I finished my water and had an overwhelming desire to throw the empty bottle at the back of Trevor’s head. Why was I having such a strong reaction to him? I didn’t care what he thought of me. I resisted releasing the bottle in the air, by twisting it around and around in my hands. Soon, the paper around the bottle had turned to a shredded mess.
After the movie, Stephanie craned her head around. She pointed to the now empty cushion on the couch next to her like she wondered why I hadn’t sat there. I was new at this friend-making thing. I walked over and sat down.
“I wondered where you disappeared to,” she said.
“I sat back there.”
She introduced me to her friends, and then they picked up whatever conversation they had been having before I sat down . . . something about comics?
“Graphic novels are cool,” I said. When all three of them stopped and looked at me, I realized they must’ve been on the other side of that opinion, so I added, “What did you think of the movie?”
That did the trick, and they started talking again. A couple of empty soda cans sat on the coffee table in front of us, and I wondered if Stephanie would get the hint I was ready to leave if I started to clean.
I gathered some cans and then headed to the garage, where I saw a large recycle bin. When I came back in, Trevor and Stephanie were talking. I observed her body language for a minute, the way she leaned toward him, how she twirled a section of her dark hair around her finger and laughed too loudly at whatever he said. She was not over him. But it was more than obvious he was over her. He looked at anything but her, his arms were crossed over his chest, and for every small step she took toward him, he took a step back. If they
I probably sounded more bitter than I meant to, because Rowan said, “Well, if you want something out of the ordinary, you should let me show you around town.”
“Um . . . yeah, sure.”
“You want to sit down?”
“I think I’ll just stand for a while.”
He gave me a once-over, almost like the reason I didn’t want to sit with him would be written somewhere on my body. “Where did you say we met again?”
“At a football game. I go to Lincoln High.”
“Ohh. That’s right. Duke’s girlfriend.”
“No.” I said the word with some hostility, then sealed my lips to keep from adding more.
“Well, that’s good. I was going to say that I was surprised Trevor invited you here. He’s not a fan of Duke’s.”
“He’s not?”
“At the last football game he found out Duke and some of his lackeys have been playing dirty. Purposely injuring the competition. Trevor was one of the victims. Ruined his career.”
“Purposely?” How much did they know? Was it possible they knew about abilities? Was that why Trevor seemed so suspicious when he saw me save his brother?
“Cheating. Hitting after the whistle. Just dirty plays. And Trevor had a lot of respect for Duke, so when he found this out, it really bothered him.”
I took a relieved breath. Those were all things any Norm could do. “So he doesn’t like Duke.” Maybe the suspicion I’d sensed in Trevor was really just his feelings about Duke. Maybe seeing me reminded him of Duke.
“That’s an understatement. No worries, though, he’s a good Southern boy, so he’ll be polite to you.”
I started to respond that he had been nice to me when Irealized what Rowan was saying—that it was an act. Was Trevor forcing himself to be kind to me? He probably really wished I hadn’t been invited to the party.
The television went blue and the movie started. With a wave, Rowan took his place back on the beanbag.
I settled into a chair along the back wall, crossed my arms, and tried to watch the movie. Every time Trevor laughed, a wave of frustration washed through me. He was going to judge me because of Duke? I finished my water and had an overwhelming desire to throw the empty bottle at the back of Trevor’s head. Why was I having such a strong reaction to him? I didn’t care what he thought of me. I resisted releasing the bottle in the air, by twisting it around and around in my hands. Soon, the paper around the bottle had turned to a shredded mess.
After the movie, Stephanie craned her head around. She pointed to the now empty cushion on the couch next to her like she wondered why I hadn’t sat there. I was new at this friend-making thing. I walked over and sat down.
“I wondered where you disappeared to,” she said.
“I sat back there.”
She introduced me to her friends, and then they picked up whatever conversation they had been having before I sat down . . . something about comics?
“Graphic novels are cool,” I said. When all three of them stopped and looked at me, I realized they must’ve been on the other side of that opinion, so I added, “What did you think of the movie?”
That did the trick, and they started talking again. A couple of empty soda cans sat on the coffee table in front of us, and I wondered if Stephanie would get the hint I was ready to leave if I started to clean.
I gathered some cans and then headed to the garage, where I saw a large recycle bin. When I came back in, Trevor and Stephanie were talking. I observed her body language for a minute, the way she leaned toward him, how she twirled a section of her dark hair around her finger and laughed too loudly at whatever he said. She was not over him. But it was more than obvious he was over her. He looked at anything but her, his arms were crossed over his chest, and for every small step she took toward him, he took a step back. If they
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