luckiest guy on this entire planet. The entire solar system. The entire universe of solar systems.”
“Exaggerate much, Tyler?”
“I’ll pay you. Ten dollars. Think of the Star Wars collectibles you can buy with that.” I’m talking to Evie but staring at Shay.
“No.”
I watch her approach, my neck craned, my face frozen. She’s smiling. She has big white teeth, straight as a model orthodontia patient’s.
I wave to her, a small acknowledging bobble of my hand. Not in a show-offy way. I hope not, anyway. “Please, Evie. I’d be forever grateful to you. Ten bucks if you’ll pretend to be Shay’s mother.”
She sighs. “Twenty.”
“Great! I owe you.”
Evie puts out her hand to shake.
“Not now,” I whisper. “Shay will see us.”
Shay stands right beside me, so close I can smell her. She’s got a nasty cigarette odor on her.
“Where have you been?” I ask.
“Killing time.”
“Hi,” Evie says.
“This is Shay,” I say as if Evie doesn’t already know all about her. “And this is Evie.” I jerk my head in her direction, but keep watching Shay and her smile.
“Nice to meet you, Shay. I’m Evie Justus, Tyler’s best and oldest friend. Well, not oldest, but most long lasting.”
“So how do I get back?” Shay wobbles forward, then sets her hand on my shoulder to break her fall.
Oh, no. She’s drunk again. I can smell the alcohol on her breath.
“Or, like, forward? Twenty-eight years or whatever.”
She leans her body into mine. “I need help getting to 2006.”
“She’s doing a report,” I lie. “For school. What if someone visited from the future and wanted to go home again? How would she do it?”
“Now I get it. She just wants the geeks to do her home-work,” Evie says.
Shay plops down next to me on the bench. “That’s, like, not it at all.”
“Time travel isn’t covered in AP Physics. I can’t help you,” Evie says.
“You promised, Tyler.” Shay’s midnight eyes plead with mine. “At’s the whole reason I’m at school today. You told me your friend was smart.”
“You promised her I’d help her with her report?” Evie asks. “You just assumed I’d do it?”
I’d like to respond, but can’t because Shay’s knee is now touching my thigh and freezing my brain.
To make matters worse, or better, actually, she puts her hand on my thigh. “Please, please, peas. I mean please ,” she says. “Someone, like, just get me out of here.”
Cool as Antarctica, Evie says, “Just go over to that table where you belong and you’ll be fine.” She points to the popular table. Rick The Dick is pinching Loose Lori’s ass, and a trio of skinny blondes are sharing a brownie.
Man, I wish I were sitting there. “Evie, she just wants to know about time travel.”
“She’s bad news. I think she may have been drinking, possibly. Ten seconds after we help with her report, she’ll ditch us for the popular kids and laugh when they trip us in the hall.”
“What’s wrong with popular people?” Shay asks.
“Nothing. And we’re plenty popular, anyway,” I lie. To impress Shay, I wave in the direction of the popular kids. They’ll never notice me, anyway.
Oops. Mr. Popular himself, Rick The Dick, glares at me. He stands up and swaggers toward us.
Is waving at someone out of your popularity league grounds for getting beat up? I look around for a weapon, or better yet, a lunch monitor.
The Dick stops at our table. He smiles.
Maybe Shay’s my ticket to popularity. Being seen with a beautiful girl like her has to raise a guy’s social standing. I return The Dick’s smile.
He leans his face right into Shay’s. “You, foxy lady, must be new. Because if I ever saw you before, I’d totally remember.”
She gives him a smile approximately seventy-five percent bigger than the one she gave us.
“Let me show you around.” He puts his oafish hand on her arm.
She doesn’t move his hand away. She does move her hand off my thigh.
“Tell me, are
“Exaggerate much, Tyler?”
“I’ll pay you. Ten dollars. Think of the Star Wars collectibles you can buy with that.” I’m talking to Evie but staring at Shay.
“No.”
I watch her approach, my neck craned, my face frozen. She’s smiling. She has big white teeth, straight as a model orthodontia patient’s.
I wave to her, a small acknowledging bobble of my hand. Not in a show-offy way. I hope not, anyway. “Please, Evie. I’d be forever grateful to you. Ten bucks if you’ll pretend to be Shay’s mother.”
She sighs. “Twenty.”
“Great! I owe you.”
Evie puts out her hand to shake.
“Not now,” I whisper. “Shay will see us.”
Shay stands right beside me, so close I can smell her. She’s got a nasty cigarette odor on her.
“Where have you been?” I ask.
“Killing time.”
“Hi,” Evie says.
“This is Shay,” I say as if Evie doesn’t already know all about her. “And this is Evie.” I jerk my head in her direction, but keep watching Shay and her smile.
“Nice to meet you, Shay. I’m Evie Justus, Tyler’s best and oldest friend. Well, not oldest, but most long lasting.”
“So how do I get back?” Shay wobbles forward, then sets her hand on my shoulder to break her fall.
Oh, no. She’s drunk again. I can smell the alcohol on her breath.
“Or, like, forward? Twenty-eight years or whatever.”
She leans her body into mine. “I need help getting to 2006.”
“She’s doing a report,” I lie. “For school. What if someone visited from the future and wanted to go home again? How would she do it?”
“Now I get it. She just wants the geeks to do her home-work,” Evie says.
Shay plops down next to me on the bench. “That’s, like, not it at all.”
“Time travel isn’t covered in AP Physics. I can’t help you,” Evie says.
“You promised, Tyler.” Shay’s midnight eyes plead with mine. “At’s the whole reason I’m at school today. You told me your friend was smart.”
“You promised her I’d help her with her report?” Evie asks. “You just assumed I’d do it?”
I’d like to respond, but can’t because Shay’s knee is now touching my thigh and freezing my brain.
To make matters worse, or better, actually, she puts her hand on my thigh. “Please, please, peas. I mean please ,” she says. “Someone, like, just get me out of here.”
Cool as Antarctica, Evie says, “Just go over to that table where you belong and you’ll be fine.” She points to the popular table. Rick The Dick is pinching Loose Lori’s ass, and a trio of skinny blondes are sharing a brownie.
Man, I wish I were sitting there. “Evie, she just wants to know about time travel.”
“She’s bad news. I think she may have been drinking, possibly. Ten seconds after we help with her report, she’ll ditch us for the popular kids and laugh when they trip us in the hall.”
“What’s wrong with popular people?” Shay asks.
“Nothing. And we’re plenty popular, anyway,” I lie. To impress Shay, I wave in the direction of the popular kids. They’ll never notice me, anyway.
Oops. Mr. Popular himself, Rick The Dick, glares at me. He stands up and swaggers toward us.
Is waving at someone out of your popularity league grounds for getting beat up? I look around for a weapon, or better yet, a lunch monitor.
The Dick stops at our table. He smiles.
Maybe Shay’s my ticket to popularity. Being seen with a beautiful girl like her has to raise a guy’s social standing. I return The Dick’s smile.
He leans his face right into Shay’s. “You, foxy lady, must be new. Because if I ever saw you before, I’d totally remember.”
She gives him a smile approximately seventy-five percent bigger than the one she gave us.
“Let me show you around.” He puts his oafish hand on her arm.
She doesn’t move his hand away. She does move her hand off my thigh.
“Tell me, are
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