by Hayes Farley
“Dude, you can’t dunk in a game of HORSE!” Patrick said. He turned to Alex. “I mean, seriously, have you ever heard of a guy dunking in HORSE?”
Alex shrugged.
“And besides, isn’t this supposed to be about TK?”
“So use TK,” Nate said. “How do you think Startsman dunks when he’s out here?”
“You know I can’t do that,” Patrick said.
“Well, then I guess that means that you’ve got an E,” Nate said. He took the ball from Patrick’s hands and offered it to Alex. “You want this, or are you gonna give up, too?”
“Jesus, Broccoli, you wake up on the wrong side of bed this morning?” Patrick said.
“Just trying to give Alex some competition.”
Alex smiled and grabbed the basketball. He knew he couldn’t boost himself up like Startsman, but he had an idea. He stood under the rim and let go of the ball so that it hovered at his chest. He started cracking his knuckles.
“I hope you’ve got something up your sleeve,” Patrick said, “cause those little strings dangling from your shorts don’t inspire a lot of confidence.”
The basketball floated toward the rim. When it passed his face, Alex raised his arms above his head and interlaced his fingers directly in its path. The basketball lifted him off his feet.
“You look like my dog holding on to his toy!” Patrick said.
Alex stopped his ascent when his chin crested the rim. He hung there briefly and then scissored his legs a few times, twisting himself into position. After a quick look over his shoulder, he let go of the ball and it dropped through the basket. He wanted to hang there like Nate and make a show of it, but the sudden lack of support caught him off guard and he tumbled out of the air and tripped over his feet and went sprawling face-first across the floor. The three of them started laughing.
“Lamest…dunk…ever!” Patrick said.
“But still a dunk!” Alex said.
Nate had to wipe his eyes. “That look on your face when you started floating up…you looked like Mary Poppins!”
Patrick started laughing again. “Poppins!” he said. “That’s gonna stick!”
Alex pushed himself to his feet. “Can’t you guys at least give me some props? I mean, come on, I flew!”
“Yeah, but that landing though,” Nate said, shaking his head. “You should get a letter just for looking so…” Nate paused.
“White,” Patrick said. “The word you’re looking for is white.”
“I was about to say clumsy, but yeah, that works, too.”
“So there you have it: no props for Poppins,” Patrick said.
Alex was no longer listening. He stared at his phone.
“Lachlan?” Nate said.
Alex nodded as he typed a response.
Patrick and Nate exchanged a look. They knew Alex and Lachlan had been meeting every day, prepping for the mission. “Well, what’s he want?” Patrick said.
“Nothing.” Alex slid the phone back in his pocket. “Just confirming that I’ll be ready to go tomorrow morning.”
“What the hell? Does he think you’re gonna forget?” Patrick said.
Alex laughed. “No, he’s just extremely…thorough.”
“More like anal,” Patrick said.
“That’s not a bad thing,” Nate said, handing Alex the ball. “Just means he cares. My dad’s the same way with his employees. He stays on them about everything.”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve definitely learned a few things.” Alex turned and stared at the goal on the opposite side of the court. Then he leaned back and looked at something on the ceiling. He turned to Nate. “Okay. From right here. Ball has to bounce off the far backboard and onto the front of the rim. And it’s gotta hang there to a count of three. After that, you have to make it fly straight up to the ceiling. Then, you’ve gotta make it roll all the way back until it reaches that seam right there,” he said, pointing. “Once it hits the seam, let it drop and guide it through the hoop so it hits nothing but net.”
“Good Lord,” Patrick said. “You lost me at okay.”
The ball whistled out of his hands and raced across the room. The shot was over in a matter of seconds.
“Geez, when are you guys gonna teach me to…”
Nate duplicated the shot before Patrick could finish his thought. He caught the ball as it fell through the net and smiled at Alex.
“You’re getting too good,” Alex said.
Patrick could only stand there and shake his head. “And it’s not just Broccoli; you’ve got Eva trained up just as much. I look like a turd compared to you guys.”
“What are you talking about, man? You’ve gotten way better.”
“Yeah, but I still suck. I’m gonna have to study my ass off to pass my Simtest.”
“You’ll do fine,” Alex said. He meant it, too. Patrick had improved a lot this semester.
“I hope you’re right. I need to ace it so I can stay in the same classes as you guys,” Patrick said. “Believe it or not, I actually like hanging out with yall.”
There was a brief silence and then Nate reached his lanky arm around Patrick’s shoulders. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Patrick tried to hide his smirk as he deadpanned: “Nate, I was talking about Alex and Eva.”
Nate didn’t say a word, just stood there with his arm around Patrick as he ripped a fart that went echoing off the walls.
Patrick caught a whiff of it and screwed up his face. “Ugh!” He tried to squirm away but Nate held tight. “God, I can taste the broccoli!” A few more seconds of torture and then he let go and Patrick bolted out of the gym. Nate and Alex chased after him. Only when they were clear of the stench did they start walking. The three friends laughed all the way to the dorm.
****
They sat on their favorite bench in their favorite spot on campus. Every so often, one of them would give the other’s hand a little extra squeeze.
“Something’s running loose on the farm,” Eva said.
Alex squinted at the red barn and saw a few animals. He couldn’t tell what they were at this distance. Maybe chickens. Or dogs. “Before I leave Pal Tech for good, I want to meet those people,” he said.
“I’m coming with you. I need to know if they have a pie cooling in the window; everything else is right on point.”
Alex smiled and put his arm around Eva’s shoulder and she leaned into him. Every now and then, a breeze would stir the air and a few strands of her blonde hair would tickle his nose.
“I can feel your jaw clenching,” Eva said. “You’re thinking about something.”
Alex didn’t answer right away. He watched a firefly light in the distance and wondered why it was out so early. “I guess—I guess I just don’t want to embarrass myself tomorrow. I’m the only one who hasn’t done anything like this.”
“Alex, they’re probably worried about embarrassing themselves in front of you.”
“Something like that.”
She pulled back and looked at Alex. “I mean it! They’re lucky to have you. I know Lachlan’s glad to have your help. Besides, none of this is going to be as difficult as your Simtest, and you aced that.”
There was a part of him that thought she might be right. Deep down, Alex knew he was the most gifted student on campus; everything came so easily to him. Still, he made a point to never show it. Or verbalize it. The thought of acting like that made his skin crawl. He figured it must have been all those times his dad blasted this person or that person on TV for being arrogant. Cocky athletes in particular got his dad’s blood boiling. Alex smiled. He’d see him tomorrow. After a while, his jaw stopped clenching. Eva nestled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He could feel her breaths. Slow. Steady. Soon they were breathing in sync. They sat like that for a long time.
“We should probably start heading back.”
Eva stirred at the sound
of his voice. “What time is it?”
“I’m not sure. I took my watch off when we played basketball.”
Eva gasped. “That’s what I wanted to tell you!”
“What?”
“To make sure to wear your watch tomorrow. Didn’t your dad tell you it was lucky?”
“Yeah, I guess. I don’t think it brought him any luck, though.”
“Well, I think you should wear it.”
Alex smiled. He stopped short of laughing when he saw the look on Eva’s face. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Please wear it.”
Alex went to scratch his shoulder but quickly withdrew his hand. He scrunched his face and tried to look at the fabric. “Did you—is this drool?”
“Yeah, sorry. Hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
“How long were you asleep?”
“I don’t know,” she said, feeling his shoulder. “Probably a while judging by how much I slobbered on you.” She saw the look on his face. “What? It’s your fault. You weren’t talking.”
If it was still daylight, she would have seen the playful look flash in his eyes. He grabbed her thigh and put his thumb right on her quad. She tried to push away his hand. “I ran today—don’t!”
Alex smiled and dug in, just enough to make her squirm on the bench. “Deep tissue massage. People pay a lot of money for this.”
“I…don’t…think…you’re…qualified!” Eva jerked sideways and the top of her head bumped into Alex’s temple and he fell off the bench. As he sat there rubbing his head, they both started laughing. It was the best kind of laughter, the kind that’s infectious, and they kept going until their eyes started to tear and their stomachs started to hurt, and just when the feeling began to wane, Eva snorted and their laughter began anew and each of them doubled over, Alex on the grass, Eva on the bench, neither of them stopping until they were both gasping for air. They locked eyes, staring at each other in such a way that there could be no doubt as to what each of them wanted. Alex started to get to his feet but Eva was faster. She slid off the bench and crawled into his arms and now both of them lay there on the grass under the stars, their breaths becoming heavy as each explored the other’s mouth.
Alex finally pulled away, unable to hide the grin on his face. “So what were you saying about the watch?”
Eva’s head was spinning. “I was saying,” she started, her voice sounding feeble in her ears, “that I want you to wear your lucky watch.”
“I will. I promise.”
Eva smiled and rested her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat.
****
Alex took one last look at the valley. The lighted window of the farmhouse stood like a beacon in the darkness. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the clearing. They weaved between the hedges and across the grass. Hope was in sight.
25
Almost There
Alex lifted the window shade. The mountains and foothills were gone, ironed away to form an endless checkerboard of yellows and greens, its neat lines ruined only by the mirrored surface of the occasional retention pond. He spotted the interstate and squinted, as if he could force himself to see cars from this altitude.
The cabin shuddered and his view went white. Alex pulled away from the window. He drew the shade just enough to cover the smudge from his forehead. He leaned back in his seat and turned to Lachlan. “I still can’t believe how quiet it is in this thing.”
Lachlan was staring at pictures of the shipyards on his tablet. He didn’t look up. “Makes it tough to go back to commercial.”
“No kidding. Now I know why the rich buy their own jets.” Alex pressed a button and his seat fully reclined. He pressed another and it started massaging his back. “I could get used to this. How many times have you been in this thing?”
Lachlan pursed his lips and thought about it. “This is my third.”
“It’s my fourth.” Kim’s head popped up from the seat in front of Alex. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.” She noticed the look on Lachlan’s face. “President Joyce sent me home in this thing last summer.”
“Just you?” Alex said.
Kim nodded. “Had the whole thing to myself.”
“BULLSHIT!”
She wrenched her neck and looked toward the center of the cabin.
“I believed you,” Alex said.
Kim turned and smiled at Alex.
“What are they doing?” Lachlan said. He took the tone of a parent whose child had been getting into trouble all day.
“Playing soccer,” she said. “Looks like Kesha just tied it up.”
“They’re getting loud,” Lachlan said.
Kim looked over her shoulder again. “I think it’s almost over.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Alex returned his seat to an upright position and unbuckled. He half-stood and pulled himself even with Kim. “What’s their deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do they like each other?”
“I think so,” Kim said. “Although I don’t know why. She’s cute and Brady’s kind of a douchebag.”
Alex didn’t say anything, just kept his eyes on the commotion. Brady and Kesha were gaming on the pull-down monitor. Brady sat on the edge of his chair, his face as close as possible to the screen. He had short, brown hair and a weirdly small mouth, forever set in a cocky smirk. “Oh, he’s all right,” Alex said. “He just seems to be really, really, really pleased with himself.”
Kim rolled her eyes. “That’s a nice way to put it.”
“Thanks.” Alex sat down in his seat and buckled up again. Kim stayed hanging over the back of hers. Alex noticed she was staring at Lachlan, almost willing him to look up. He didn’t.
“So, Lachlan, I’ve been thinking,” Kim said.
Lachlan mumbled something in the affirmative. He zoomed in on a shipping container.
“I’ve been thinking that you should let me drive on the way back,” Kim said.
This time there was no mumble.
“Come on. The work will be done. You guys can sleep. I promise, I won’t drive like an idiot.”
“When is the last time you’ve driven anything?” Lachlan said. He closed the cover of his tablet and looked at Kim.
“I’ve got a car!”
“And it’s full auto.”
“So?”
“So when is the last time you drove?”
Kim paused. She looked at Alex for help but didn’t find any. “I can do it!”
“Kim—”
“I can.”
Lachlan turned to his tablet.
“Well?”
“I’ll think about it.”
That was enough for Kim. She beamed at Alex and plopped back into her seat.
“SMOKIN THE DONKEY!”
Lachlan sighed and shook his head. “Alex, will you go up there and—”
“On it.” Alex was already edging into the aisle.
“Want me to go with you?” Kim said.
“No, he’d have a field day with that. Thanks, though.” Alex smiled and moved forward, his head almost touching the ceiling.
Brady saw him coming. “Golden Boy! You want a shot at the title?” Kesha’s controller flew out of her hands and drifted toward Alex. It hovered in front of his chest.
“No thanks. It looks better in her hands.” Alex sent the controller back to Kesha and watched her blush. Her bronzed skin seemed to glow no matter the lighting.
“So wassup? Did you come up here just to hang with us? Have a good old fashioned palaver?” He spoke the last word with an exaggerated accent, looking at Kesha for some kind of reaction.
“Nice Roland reference,” Alex said, “but I’m gonna have to pass on the palaver. I’m just here to ask you to keep it down.”
“What, am I bothering Lachlan?”
Alex shook his head.
“No, he just doesn’t want you to disturb Sonnier. He’s trying to read.” Alex motioned toward the front of the cabin where Sonnier lay stretched across a sofa. He looked to be about halfway through a paperback. He wore combat boots and cargo pants, a tactical holster snapped snugly around his right thigh. Alex could just make out the textured grip of his pistol.
Brady twisted in his seat and screwed up his face. “That old timer?! He can’t hear us. He’s like seventy!”
“I can still hear your smart mouth, boy.” Sonnier’s eyes never left his book. He flipped a page.
Brady’s smirk turned into a grin. “Sorry, sir. Just got a little excited about our game over here. You wanna play?”
Sonnier flipped down his paperback and stared at Brady as if he’d grown an extra head. He went right back to reading.
“Aww, come on. I think you’d like it.” Brady held out the controller. “It doesn’t have to be soccer. We can play a shooter if you want. I’ll even use a knife the whole time…leave all the guns to you.” He eyed Sonnier’s holster. “Come on, it’ll be as close as you’ll ever get to being on a level playing field with me.”
Sonnier just stared.
“Brady, stop,” Kesha said. She whispered it, but Alex was sure that Sonnier heard.
“What? He knows I’m joking; he’ll never be on a level playing field with me. With any of us.” Brady grinned like he was giving an old buddy a hard time. Like he wanted to put his arm around Sonnier and buy him a drink. But Brady had not yet mastered the art of being witty.
“You should stop talking.” Sonnier’s voice was calm, quiet.
“Oh, don’t be bitter just cause you’re not a telekin,” Brady said. He winked at Kesha. “We’ll keep you safe if anything goes down tonight.”
Sonnier shook his head. “You speak as if your powers somehow make you invincible.”
Brady smiled.
“Son, that couldn’t be further from the truth.” Sonnier paused. When he saw that Brady was about to speak again, he continued. “We all have limitations, and we all have weaknesses. One day, you will learn yours. I just hope that when it happens, it’s not too late.” He went back to his book.
Brady blew Sonnier off with a wave of his hand. “God, you’re such a downer.” He stood and opened the overhead compartment and fished a pair of sunglasses out of his bag. “I mean, let’s get real…would someone who’s not invincible be able to look this awesome?” he said, putting them on. “I feel like Neo at the end of The Matrix.”
