by Jenny Lee
She disappeared for a second to look around the lunchroom and then popped down again. “Yep. All clear.”
I believed her. There was no way anyone would throw anything with Taisy around. She’d just catch it and throw it right back, but with better aim. Alexander and I crawled out from under the table and looked around. The cafeteria was almost empty. Taisy grabbed some napkins and wiped Elvis down.
“Oh, my poor baby Elvis, did you get milky-wilky all over you?”
There she went with that baby talk again. Alexander looked surprised too. I just rolled my eyes and shrugged. Elvis had already forgotten all about Alexander and me. He was basking in the glory of Taisy again.
“Hey, Benji, I need to talk to you about something,” Alexander said, but before he could continue, Mr. D, the art teacher, walked over to us.
“Hey, you kids okay?” he asked.
We all nodded. We were actually all okay.
“Maybe everyone should go down to the principal’s office and talk about what happened here.”
Oh brother, that’s the last thing we thought we should do. Alexander looked down at the ground. Taisy wasn’t sure what to say, mainly because she wasn’t really involved. Just the mention of the principal’s office made her bottom lip quiver. It was up to me to say something.
“Mr. D, I think since nobody was injured, we should just let it go. We’re okay, and it’s not like we even know what happened. I mean, we do, but it’s not like any of us saw who threw those milk cartons at us. Do we have to bother Principal Kriesky with this?”
I could tell he wasn’t sure what to do. Mr. D was the most liberal teacher in school, being an artist and all. Word around the hallways was that he went to some fancy art school in New York, maybe had a nervous breakdown, and now has his own studio in some barn out in the countryside. So Mr. D wasn’t a guy who played by the rules. He had cool tattoos and pierced ears. He sometimes even brought in his Bluetooth speakers and played music during art class, which I’m pretty sure is forbidden in our school.
“Yeah, Mr. D, we’re good now,” Taisy said. “And you know how Principal Kriesky gets after lunch.”
On more than one occasion, we’d heard rumors that Principal Kriesky had a fussy stomach. If you were unlucky enough to see him when his stomach hurt, it never worked out in your favor.
“Also, it’s a biological fact that people get sleepier after lunch, as their body is working hard at digesting their food properly. Why put more on his plate, especially since he’s already just cleaned one,” Alexander said, chuckling nervously at his own bad joke. “Get it? He just cleaned his plate, and now—”
“We get it, Alexander. Thanks,” I said. “Mr. D, do you really want to be the guy who brings Principal Kriesky more bad news?”
“You know what they say, the messenger always gets killed,” Taisy added.
Mr. D didn’t need further convincing. I guess you never grow out of not wanting to go to the principal’s office. So he said he’d walk us to our next class. Elvis and I were already going to art class with Mr. D; Taisy and Alexander had band. Alexander thought it would be best if we all met up after school to debrief. I’m not sure what that meant exactly, but it sounded cool so I agreed. Taisy said she was game to huddle up then too. We agreed to meet on the front steps after the last bell.
We headed down the hallway together, but Taisy and Alexander headed left to the band room while Mr. D, Elvis, and I went to the right. Art is in the next building over, because we are sharing the art room with the junior high kids for a month while some of our classrooms are getting new windows. Mr. D asked if Elvis and I were okay, and I said we were but I needed to give Elvis a quick run outside. Mr. D. nodded and then held out his fist to me. I guess he wanted me to fist-bump him, and even though I felt silly doing it, I knocked my fist into his.
“Thanks, Mr. D. I’ll be back in class in a sec.”
And that was that. Elvis and I walked outside. He sniffed around and peed on a few plants, but neither of us said anything. Clearly neither of us wanted to be the one to speak first. My mom says I can be stubborn when I want, but obviously so could Elvis. After everything that had just happened in the cafeteria, neither one of us wanted to admit we were sorry about our fight.
We slipped into art class only a few minutes late. As soon as I took my seat and started working on my log cabin, Elvis fell asleep. I wasn’t sure how he’d be able to sense if anything was about to happen in my brain when he was snoring and drooling all over the classroom floor, but I didn’t care.
I worked on the roof of my cabin, gluing Popsicle sticks together. I thought about lunch, and what Alexander Chang-Cohen had said about me being brave. No one in the history of my entire life had ever called me brave. Okay, that’s not true. They had. People said it to me all the time in the hospital, but they only said it because everyone thinks hospitals are such scary places. They assumed I was scared there, and therefore I was brave. But that wasn’t really the case. I’m comfortable at the hospital. Everyone knows me, I know everyone, and it’s a world that’s far more familiar to me than school. Let’s put it this way: no one throws milk cartons at you while you’re in the hospital. And I’m in the hospital because I have no choice.
But I did have the choice to ask Alexander to sit with us at lunch. Even if it was technically Elvis’s idea to do it, it was my action that made everything happen. I had never really put myself out there like that before. In fact, usually it was people who put themselves out there for me. It felt good that I could finally pay it forward. I also thought about my titanium lug nut. If Billy had it, like Alexander said, I would never get it back from him. It was a little weird how Alexander’s brain was like a video recorder, and I realized I could finally figure out what had happened to me that day. It was scary not knowing what was wrong with me, but I wondered whether the truth was even scarier.
But right now, above all else, my biggest problem was Elvis. I knew he was still mad at me about our fight. I was still angry about it too. But I really regretted calling him a liar. Sometimes when I get mad, I lose control and say things I don’t mean. My emotions go into overdrive, and I can’t control my mouth anymore. I knew I sounded like a baby saying he’d started the fight, but it was true. He totally started it. Why was Elvis so pushy about me asking Alexander to sit with us at lunch? If I hadn’t waved him over for lunch, all that milk carton bombing would never have happened. But then again, when I thought about it, I was happy I’d met Alexander. He seemed pretty cool. I wondered what it was he needed to talk to me about before Mr. D interrupted. Seeing that I had never really made a friend like him so quickly, I wondered whether it was something you discussed, like “Hey, do you want to be friends, or what?” Or whether it just sort of happened on its own.
Maybe Elvis had a point about this whole pack thing. It’s not like I hadn’t noticed that I didn’t have many friends. My life is just so busy between the hospital, my mom, trying to avoid getting noogies by the twins, and looking at sock catalogs for new and interesting socks, I never noticed before. I’ve always thought of myself as more of a loner. Maybe that was changing, I thought. And of course, it was way more fun sitting under the table with Alexander than being by myself. And it was so nice of Taisy to come over and check on us afterward. Maybe she would be part of my pack too? I even had to admit, when I really thought about it, that it had been nice talking to Elvis. He could be really great company. Then again, like he said, he’s not even my real dog.
11
I was more than ready to go home once the school day was finally over. When it’s cold or raining I usually take the school bus, but I don’t live that far from school, and mostly I like to walk. After school my mom is busy taking the twins to one of their many sports practices, and I like to get all my homework done right away. The bus isn’t that bad, mainly because I sit up front by the bus driver, but that has its own perils. Our bus driver is a million years old, and he wears glasses that are as thick as Coke bottles. I’m not sur
e he’s the best guy to drive a bunch of kids to and from school.
Anyway, I told Elvis that we were going to walk home, and then he reminded me we had promised to meet Alexander and Taisy after school. These were the first words he had spoken to me since our big fight at lunch.
“That’s right,” I said. “Thanks for reminding me. I can’t believe I forgot. It’s been a long day.”
“For you and and me both,” he said coldly.
Clearly he was still upset with me. I guessed dogs held grudges. We walked around to the front of the school to look for Alexander, but when we got out to the steps, they were almost empty. I didn’t see Alexander anywhere.
“Maybe he forgot,” I said.
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“Oh right, I guess a kid with total recall doesn’t forget anything! Let’s wait then.”
During art class, Mr. D had explained more to me about Alexander and his total recall brain. He told me Alexander can look at a painting and then do a perfect reproduction of it with crayons. He said it was supercool to watch.
“I’m thirsty. Do you think you can hold the water fountain button for me?” asked Elvis.
“Sure.” I immediately felt terrible. It’s pretty bad when your own dog has to ask you for water.
We went into the school and found the nearest water fountain. I held the button while Elvis drank. It was a tiny stream of water for such a big dog, so we were there for a while. When we finally got back outside, Alexander and Taisy were waiting for me.
“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late. Elvis needed a drink of water.”
“What time do you have to be home from school?” Taisy asked in a serious tone.
“What? Why?”
“Benj, just answer the question.”
“No particular time, I guess. My mom spends most of her afternoons driving the twins around to sports practice. Hey, don’t you have practice after school too?”
“Normally I would, but my dad wants me to rest my arm, so I have a few days off. I’m supposed to run the track, but I’m going to skip today.”
“Cool. Are you going to walk home with me and Alexander?” I asked.
“Nope, and neither are you. You know why? Because we’re going to go get your good luck thingie back.”
Alexander piped up, “Benji, I’ve been trying to reason with her, but she won’t listen. And I told her that I don’t even know for sure that Billy has it and that what I actually said was that I saw it in the hallway and I thought it was Billy’s and—”
I shook my head. “No way, nohow, not gonna happen, never, and no thank you.”
“See, Benji also understands this is not a good idea,” Alexander said. He looked relieved. “Especially since we don’t even know for sure he has it. Honestly, a tiny thing like that could be anywhere by now. . . .”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We have no choice but to go for it,” said Taisy.
“Taisy, do you even know what you’re saying?” I said. “I have a birthday coming up in seven months, and I’d like to live to eleven. I don’t think you get it. I spend most of my days avoiding Billy, so if you think I’d go over to his house of my own free will, you’re totally wrong. So where you say we have no choice, I say we do. And Alexander and I are choosing no.”
“Benj, c’mon. Billy’s not that bad, and it’s not like we’re saying you have to go over there alone. We’re all going together, as a team, like the Avengers. C’mon, Alexander, don’t you want to go on an adventure? Why shouldn’t we just go see if he even has it?”
“Alexander, don’t listen to her. Tell Taisy this is a bad idea,” I said.
It was clear Alexander was stuck in the middle of us. “I honestly don’t know what the right thing to do is. I don’t think I deserve a vote. Also, I’d like a little more information about what it is we’re talking about. When I saw it, it really didn’t look all that special, no offense, and so maybe Billy didn’t even take it. Maybe someone else picked it up and didn’t realize its value and it got accidentally thrown away somehow?”
“It’s a titanium lug nut that my dad gave to me when I was five. It’s from an actual rocket that went to the moon. My dad’s a rocket scientist.”
“You know, if my dad gave me something like that, I’d want it back no matter what. My dad said he’s going to give me one of his Super Bowl rings someday, and there’s no way I’d let anyone take that.” Taisy put both hands on her hips. Her mind was clearly made up.
“This isn’t a Super Bowl ring. This is a dumb piece of metal that . . .” I trailed off.
I knew I was lying. It wasn’t just a dumb piece of metal. I had carried that piece of metal with me every day for the past five years. The truth was, it meant a lot to me, and I wanted it back.
“Fine, it’s not a dumb piece of metal. I do want it back,” I admitted. “But what are we going to do? Go over there and say, ‘Hey, Billy, Alexander has total recall, so he remembers seeing you take it after my medical emergency’?”
“I never said Billy took it. I said—”
Taisy shook her head. “Less talking, more doing! C’mon, this is crazy. Maybe he has it. Maybe he doesn’t. But if he has it, we’ll get it back. And if he doesn’t have it, we’ll keep looking. But at least we can say we tried. Life is about trying!”
Man, Taisy sure was good at the locker room speeches. She was starting to convince me, and I was the one who had the most to lose, mainly my face because Billy would surely punch it when I showed up at his house.
“So you really think we should do this?” I looked at Alexander again.
“I’ll do whatever you two want to do. And Taisy did promise me if there’s an altercation, I won’t be expected to fight. My mom always tells me to use my words and not my fists. And if that fails, then I should use my feet instead of my fists, meaning I should run and hide. Taisy also reminded me you do have a two-hundred-pound dog on your side.”
Speaking of a two-hundred-pound dog, I was so caught up with Taisy’s crazy idea, I’d forgotten about Elvis. I saw him lying in the sun.
“We have to hurry,” Taisy said, looking at her watch. “Alexander and I have to be back at school in ninety minutes before our parents pick us up. My dad is picking me up today, and he’s never ever late.”
“What do your parents think you’re doing?” I asked Alexander.
“I usually stay after school and practice music, so they think I’ll be doing that. Sometimes I walk home early if I don’t feel like staying. My parents know how responsible I am, so they’re weirdly relaxed about what I do as long as I’m improving myself in one way or another.”
Great, I thought. If I said no, I’d be the chicken of the bunch, but going to Billy’s house seemed bat-poop crazy to me. One good thing about not having friends was that I’d never had to deal with peer pressure before.
“Okay, I’m in,” I agreed. “Let me go talk to Elvis about what we’re doing.”
“Did you just say you were going to go talk to your dog?” Alexander looked at me funny.
Uh-oh, busted. Before I could make up an excuse, Taisy stepped in and saved me. “I guess you don’t have a dog, Alexander, because I talk to my dog all the time.”
“Nope, and I’ll never get one. My mom is against anything she thinks will be a distraction from my schoolwork, and that definitely includes dogs.”
“I begged my dad for two years before he let me get Princess Daisy, but I finally wore him down.”
I walked over to Elvis. “So Taisy thinks we should go over to Billy Thompson’s house to see if he has my titanium lug nut.”
Elvis didn’t respond. In fact, his eyes remained closed.
“Do you think it’s crazy? Because I think it’s kind of crazy. Maybe I shouldn’t go. Maybe I should tell them you’re tired and need to go home for a nap.”
“I don’t need to nap. I’m fine.” Wow, he was still definitely mad at me.
“So you think we should go?”
“Why are you aski
ng my opinion? How would you know whether to believe me? You know, with my big furry butt on fire?”
I was about to reply when Taisy said we had to get going right away.
“Hey, guys, wait up!” I followed Taisy and Alexander to the sidewalk. After a moment, Elvis got up and followed us too.
“So how is it you know where Billy lives?” I asked.
“Alexander saw his address on his backpack once.”
Alexander nodded. “He tripped me in the hallway the other day, and when I hit the floor, I landed right next to his backpack. It was written on the side with a black Sharpie.”
“And you remember it?”
“That’s how total recall works. I remember everything I see. It’s 2312 Hamlin Drive.”
“Where’s that?”
“I don’t know.” Taisy shrugged. “But Alexander is a human GPS, so I’m following him.”
I looked at Alexander. “What’s a human GPS?”
Alexander explained that when he found out his family was moving from Philadelphia to the suburbs, he studied a map of the surrounding area. And after Alexander looks at a map once, he has it memorized.
“The fastest route to Billy’s would be to take a right on Anderson Lane, left on Piedmont, and then right on Bedford Street, but I’m only allowed to cross the street if there’s an actual stoplight and a crosswalk signal, so I came up with a secondary route where we take a right on Anderson Lane, cross at the light, and go through Brookhaven Park, which will take us to Montgomery Street, where we turn right onto Hamlin Drive. Billy’s house is on the south side of the street, so we won’t have to cross that street either. It’s probably going to add five minutes to our trip, but it will be safer.”
Taisy and I looked at each other and started laughing.
“What? What’s so funny? Are you laughing at me?”
“We’re not laughing at you,” I reassured Alexander. “We’re laughing because you have one amazing brain. You are a human GPS!”
As we walked through the park together, I thought about how if anyone saw us, we’d look totally normal, just three kids on a sunny day after school walking together in the park, because that’s what kids do. Okay, maybe we didn’t look totally normal, because the girl was super tall, and the two boys she was with were really short, and maybe from far away people would think she was our babysitter. And Alexander was still dragging his geeky laptop case on wheels (which is not so easy to do on grass, by the way) and oh yeah, we had the biggest dog you’ve probably ever seen walking right behind us. Okay, thinking about that got my mind off the task at hand for, like, maybe ten seconds. Now I was back to being nervous again.
