So later, I could let Jade know all about it.
***
Scuffing my boot on the concrete beneath the bench, I tried not to look at my nerdy Harry Potter watch with the Gryffindor lion on the face. I didn’t wear it at school because of what Jade said to me one time, but out here I felt it was safe and it gave me some comfort. Mom bought it for me when I entered middle school. She’d read the books to Oliver and I as we were growing up, and I fell in love with the idea of that world.
Now I guessed I was getting to live in a crazy world all of my own, but instead of wands, there was a time machine controlled by my brother.
Unable to stop myself, I checked my watch again. Quarter past eleven. Zac was late. I looked around the park, watching kids play on the swing-set not too far away, people walking their dogs and drinking hot chocolate from a nearby street vendor. But no Zac.
“I knew it,” I whispered to myself as the first tears burned in my eyes.
I leaned back, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jacket, and waiting for the world to come crashing down around me. It was a setup. Zac was working with Jade after all, and tomorrow morning, they would point their fingers and laugh at the silly girl who thought—
“Holly! Hey!”
My head whipped around so fast, I gave myself whiplash, but there was Zac, running towards the bench. My bench. His hair was damp, and when he skidded to a stop beside me, he bent over double, panting for breath.
“Zac? You alright?” I asked, using the opportunity to wipe at my eyes.
“Yeah, sorry. I forgot to plug my phone in last night, and my alarm didn’t go off,” he gasped, lifting his head to offer an apologetic grin. “Then I panicked, and instead of texting you, which I couldn’t cause my phone was dead, I just took off after my shower.”
He certainly looked like he’d dressed in a hurry, and my panic subsided as my nerves kicked in. I shrugged as if I wasn’t bothered that he was late. “It’s alright. It’s not a problem.”
Lies, so many lies. Mentally, I was jumping up and down for joy as he walked around the bench and plopped down beside me. “Do you always sleep in so late?”
“Ha, no, but my sister got a new game on the Switch, and we stayed up all night trying to beat it.” He tucked his hands in his pockets, mirroring me, and we sat shoulder to shoulder.
“Did you?”
“Did I what?” He frowned then shook his head with a laugh. “Oh yeah, at three in the morning. Our dad came down and finally told us to stop hooting like crazy owls and go to bed.”
“Hooting, huh?”
He smirked and started to hoot like an owl. I couldn’t help it, I laughed loudly, and he kept doing it, those blue eyes shining brightly until he was laughing too.
He rubbed his hands together and nodded towards the vendor. “Want some? I didn’t grab a jacket, and it’s kinda chillier today than I thought it’d be.”
“Sure.”
He stood before me and smiled. His smile was contagious, and my heart backflipped in my chest. With a shy smile in return, I stood and walked alongside him as we headed for the hot chocolate vendor. Zac bought me a cup and handed it over.
“Don’t burn your tongue,” he added a moment later, grimacing after he’d taken a sip too fast.
I already had the lid off and was blowing on mine. “Aren’t you the smartest guy in our science class?” I asked with a grin.
“Apparently only during the week.” He laughed, indicating that he’d burnt his tongue.
We smiled as we drank our hot chocolate, meandering along the trail. The chilly air was crisp as I breathed it in, smelling the first hints that spring was attempting to arrive and push winter away. There was a stream that flowed through the park, and we walked alongside it, the water sparkling in the midday sun. And with each step, my nerves lessened.
Being with Zac outside of school was very different. There was no pressure here in the park, no worrying about who might see us, or caring what I looked like. He even seemed more relaxed than normal, and I wondered how much pressure he put on himself to keep up with his friends, the other cool kids at school. Talking to him now about random things that popped into my head, he seemed like a totally different boy.
“Did you find out anything more about your grandpa? The time dude?” he asked after we found a low wall to sit on in the middle of the park. The fountain was across from us, but it was too cold to be running yet.
“I found some more, yeah, but not exactly what I was expecting.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?” he asked eagerly.
I bit my bottom lip knowing I couldn’t tell him about the device, but I could at least go over the theories we’d found, written down in Grandpa’s notes. “Let’s just say he was on the verge of trying to invent a time machine. We found all his old notes and sketches. Pretty crazy stuff.”
Zac stared at me blankly before his face broke out into a huge, nerdy grin. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously. It’s crazy. I think Grandpa was really onto something.”
“I wish he were still alive; I would love to pick his brain about his work.” Zac smiled.
“You and my brother both,” I mused, then stared intently at the ground. “We found out something else as well. My grandpa had a partner, or at least we think he did.”
“Yeah? Do you know who he was? Maybe that person could help you with the notes,” he suggested. “Then you guys could build your own time machine. How crazy would that be!”
I shook my head, remembering what else we’d discovered in those notes. The partner had been trying to take the machine away from Grandpa. “All we know is one initial: T. That was it.”
Too bad I couldn’t tell him about the note and the key. There was so much I’d love to share with him if I could. But that just wasn’t possible. Oliver would freak out if he knew I told anyone else about our discovery. Even though I felt I could trust Zac, it wasn’t the right thing to do.
Regardless though, the thought of our grandpa seeing us at some point in time because of that machine, sent a chill down my spine. Not a bad one, just one that told me there was a chance he could be in this time zone watching me right now, even though he was dead. My head gave a sudden throb, and I decided to stop trying to figure out all this time stuff and leave it to Oliver.
“T,” Zac was whispering, rattling off a bunch of T names. “Guess you’ll have to find more clues.”
“We found out lots of stuff about my grandpa, and…we also found something out…about my dad.”
His face softened as he looked at me. “Your dad?”
I took a shaky breath and smiled. “My dad left us when Oliver and I were really young. We don’t know anything about him. Mom won’t talk about him. But I found all these pictures of us together, hidden in a box in the attic. It’s weird.” I pulled out the one I still had tucked in my pocket, not willing to let it go. Zac carefully took it. He smiled at the image, then up at me.
“Man, your brother looks just like him.”
“I said the same thing,” I agreed. “I just wish I knew what happened to him, you know?”
“I always thought your dad had died,” Zac said as he handed the picture back. “I knew he wasn’t around and you never talked about him.”
“I guess he could be dead, but I’m hoping he isn’t; though I’m not sure what’s worse. Having your dad walk out on you when you’re a baby and still being alive out there somewhere, just not wanting you. Or, him being dead.” I puffed out my cheeks, staring across the park as if my dad would suddenly materialize and give me the answers. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to kill our happy conversation with my sappy story.”
“What’s sappy about it? You’re trying to find your dad. That’s inspiring.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. Zac was still the cutest boy in our grade, and the coolest as far as I was concerned, but sitting with him now, I realized there was a lot more to him. He was sweet and understanding, and at that moment, I think we both understood what g
ood friends we could be.
I wondered if it could ever become more than that. If I told Mom I had a boyfriend, she’d faint.
I glanced at my watch and slouched in annoyance. “I have to get home.”
“Already?” he asked, disappointed. “Sorry I was late today. Think we can do this again sometime? Maybe next time for a bit longer?”
I nodded eagerly. “But my brother might be forced to come along. It’s just that my mom doesn’t like me hanging out on my own without him.”
“Oh, that’s ok. I like Oliver. He seems cool. Maybe I could even help you guys with your grandpa’s notes if you want.”
“I’ll ask.” I wanted just to say yes, but this wasn’t only my thing. Oliver was involved, too.
Zac walked with me until we reached the edge of the park where we would have to head in different directions. We stood there, both shifting nervously on our feet, each waiting for the other to say goodbye.
“I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
He let out one more hoot, and I giggled as he walked away, tucking his hands in his jeans pockets. I watched him go for a moment, before turning around and heading home. It had all gone way better than I’d hoped and I couldn’t wait to get home so I could call Kate and tell her all about it. With each step towards my house, I recalled every moment of the past two hours, and when I reached my front door, the smile was still wide on my face.
When I stomped inside the house, Oliver looked up from the kitchen table.
“Good, you’re on time,” he said, then looked back down.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I joined him. Several pictures were spread out over the table. “You do realize Mom could be home any minute and you have these photos out for her to see! She’ll know we’ve been in the attic.”
“Correction, you’ve been in the attic. And these aren’t those photos.”
I looked over them again and sat down. “Oh, wow…different photos. Where did you find them?”
“In a box downstairs labeled photos.”
I rolled my eyes and sifted through a stack close to my arm. “What are you looking for?”
“Photos of Grandpa and maybe him with this mysterious partner of his.”
I wanted to grab the photos I’d left in Oliver’s room, to have another look through those as well, but Oliver was sliding an image towards me.
“This is one of the attic ones.”
I took it and held it up. “A polar bear.” No wonder Mom was so emotional over that figurine she found.
Standing in the picture was Mom and Dad, holding a stuffed polar bear which appeared to be a toy they’d won from some game booth behind them. They looked young, maybe high school age. Dad had his arm around Mom’s shoulders and rested his cheek on her head. She hugged the polar bear tightly to her chest.
“It was probably the first present he ever gave her,” Oliver told me. “Hey, do you recognize this man?” He picked up a photo from the table and held it up so we both could see.
There was Grandpa in his lab coat, looking like he was in a classroom of sorts. He used to teach before he retired, but it was the man standing beside him who Oliver was pointing at. The man had white hair pulled back in a ponytail and a weird smile on his face. I blinked a few times then gasped, smacking Oliver on the arm.
“Ow, what!” he exclaimed, rubbing his arm, annoyed.
“You don’t remember him?”
“No. You do?”
“Yeah, he was that weird substitute teacher we had for science class when Mrs. Green had her baby last year! He would’ve taught you, too. Remember? He had this strange accent and always wore his hair in that ponytail.”
Oliver’s eyes narrowed then widened in recognition. “Wow! That is him. What was his name?”
I wracked my brain, trying to remember, but nothing popped into my head. Frustrated, I paced around the room, running through all the names of my teachers from last year. He was only there for a month and I never really liked science class, so I didn’t pay attention…
“Mr. Thaddeus Banes,” Oliver whispered, staring at me with an incredulous expression. “T.”
“You think he’s the T guy?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” he said as the front door opened.
I quickly passed the photo of Mom and Dad back to Oliver, and he stuffed it in his pocket just as Mom entered the kitchen. She frowned at the pile of photos spread across the table.
“What are you two up to?”
“Just looking at some old pictures,” Oliver said. “Of Grandpa.”
Mom’s face softened as she stared down at the images of her dad. “He would’ve loved you both. I wish he’d been able to hold on just a few more years.
“Hey, Mom,” Oliver said and held out the picture we’d just been looking at. “Who’s this?”
She looked at the photo, setting her purse down on a chair, and grinned. “A very old friend of your grandpa’s. They worked together before Dad retired from research and went into teaching. His friend was amazed he gave up on his work so easily.” Her smile faded, and she sighed. “They had a falling out I think. Dad stopped talking about him one day, and I never heard anything more about him.”
“What was his name?” I asked, trying not to sound overly excited.
“Thaddeus Banes,” Mom replied, and my gut dropped. “He was a strange man, but extremely smart, just like your grandpa. They did some amazing work together. I’m surprised you didn’t find out anything about him when you were researching your grandad?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Would it be weird if he was our substitute teacher last year?” Oliver asked.
Mom was taken aback at his question. “Well, yeah…yeah, I would say so. You have to be mistaken.”
“Why?” I asked, wondering why she was giving us such an odd look.
“Because Thaddeus Banes died a few months after your grandad,” Mom replied. “He’s dead, kids. Your substitute teacher had to be someone else.” She returned the picture to the table and asked us to clean up the pile before disappearing again.
Oliver and I exchanged glances. We were both sure that the man in the photo was the same man who had taught our science class. Maybe Mom was mistaken? Or maybe…maybe something weirder was going on. But whatever it was, it would have to wait until we could do some research away from Mom who had just reappeared in the kitchen, a curious expression on her face.
“Holly, I forgot to ask you…how was your date?”
I looked at her with surprise before moving towards the fridge in the hope that Oliver hadn’t eaten all the leftovers. I could feel my face turning pink at her question. “It wasn’t really a date, Mom. We were just hanging out. We got some hot chocolate and went for a walk and stuff. It was fun.”
Mom nodded and grinned. She didn’t push the matter, but by the way that she raised her eyebrows, I could tell she knew I was crushing over Zac. I sat back down and concentrated on the food on my plate, hoping she wouldn’t ask me any more questions. I also avoided Oliver’s stare and was glad that he hadn’t decided to interrogate me as well.
I scoffed down my slice of left-over pie, quickly rinsed my plate and stacked it in the dishwasher. Excusing myself from the kitchen, I headed up to my room so I could call Kate and fill her in on my day. She was the one person who I was keen to share all the details with.
She answered on the first ring and immediately asked how it all went.
“He’s so different when he’s not at school,” I said after running through every moment with Zac, answering every question Kate threw at me. “I think he might start hanging out with us more.”
“You mean you,” Kate said through her excited laughter. “This is awesome, Holly! See, what did I tell you? He likes you, I knew it! You don’t have to worry about Jade.”
Thinking of Jade’s smug expression and the confident way she behaved around Zac, I couldn’t help but worry about
her. “What if tomorrow Zac acts like we didn’t hang out? What if he goes back to acting like I don’t exist! Kate, do you think he’d do that?”
“No, of course, he won’t” she replied, but not sounding very convincing. “At least, I hope he doesn’t.”
“Me too.” I laid on my bed, head hanging off the edge as I stared across at the photos of my friends and me on my picture board. “What about you and Oliver?” I asked with a grin, no longer wanting to focus on the Zac and Jade scenario.
Kate huffed and mumbled something I couldn’t make out. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Yeah ok, whatever,” I teased.
“I don’t like your brother.”
“You know you’re a terrible liar.”
She burst out laughing. “Just don’t say anything to Oliver, alright? That’d be weird, and I don’t want to make it weird.”
“Promise I won’t tell him you’re crushing on him big-time.”
Mom called upstairs, telling me it was time for dinner and I sat up so I could see the clock. I hadn’t realized I’d been talking to Kate for over two hours.
“Hey I gotta go, dinner time,” I told her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” She replied and hung up.
Just as I was about to put my phone down, a text tone sounded, and I looked at the screen to find a message from Zac. I scanned it quickly as the excitement bubbled inside me.
I had fun today. Can’t wait to hang out again!
Smiling widely, I quickly typed a reply.
I had fun too. Maybe we can hang out next weekend?
After I sent the message, I froze. Was that a ridiculous thing to do? Had I asked him too quickly? We’d hung out one time, and here I was already asking to hang out again. He was going to think I was the pushiest girl in school. My cell chirped in my hand, and I squinted open one eye to see his reply.
Are you doing anything next Saturday?
I squealed loudly in response, as I read the rest of his text.
There’s a movie coming out at the theater in town. It’s a superhero movie.
Time Traveler - Books 1, 2, 3 & 4: Books for Girls aged 9-12 Page 10
