by Hayes Farley
Patrick put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “You’ve got a lot of tricks to show us.”
“Not you, too. Jesus, I’m starting to feel like some kind of freak show.”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Patrick said. “You start coming up with new material, and I’ll start charging people an admission fee.” He held an imaginary microphone. “Step right up, step right up! Come see the Amazing Alex Armstrong perform tricks that are sure to mystify and stupefy even the most—”
“Cut it out,” Nate said, laughing. “Don’t pay attention to him, Alex. Everyone at this school’s a freak show, remember? Come on, let’s go get lunch. I’m starving.”
“Uh oh,” Patrick said. “His veggie tank’s running on empty. To the broccoli!” He hustled to the aisle, bumping a few students on the way.
“What a goof,” Eva said. “You guys go ahead. I need to use the restroom.”
“Alex’ll hang with you,” Nate said. “We’ll see you guys over there.” He turned and left Alex and Eva standing at their seats.
“I’ll only be a minute. It’s on the way.”
Alex nodded. He followed her up the aisle and down the hallway.
“Can you hold this?”
Alex shouldered her backpack and leaned against the wall. It was the first time he’d been alone with her since the dream. He had been dreading this moment, convinced it was going to be awkward. So far so good, though. Still, his heart beat faster than normal.
“That looks good on you,” Eva said. “I’ve always liked guys in pink.”
“Then you’d love me with my purse. It’s quite fabulous.”
“Oh really? You have shoes to match?”
“High heels. It’s a Saturday night thing.” Alex kept a straight face.
“You’re funny. Come on. Let’s go.” She took her backpack.
“You were doing better at the end there,” he said. He pushed open the door and she crouched under his arm.
“Thanks. I was struggling at the beginning, though.”
“You were? I didn’t notice.”
“No one did. Thank goodness for Patrick drawing all the attention.”
“Yeah, he’s got a knack for it.”
“But really, though. I couldn’t do it until you started helping us at the end. When he first started up with Patrick, my diamond was on the table, too.” She shrugged. “Maybe the Professor just likes me more.”
“Well, you’re definitely more likable than Patrick.” They neared the Dining Hall.
“Yeah I guess. But I was thinking…could you help me? Maybe take me with you the next time you go hiking?” Eva looked down and started kicking something with her shoe.
Alex’s chest tightened and his cheeks grew hot. He started picturing the backseat but one hard blink and he forced the image from his mind. He smiled and nodded as he answered, “Definitely. I’d like that.”
She looked up and found his blue eyes. “Good. It’s a date. When do we start?”
“How about Wednesday?” He paused at the front door of the DH.
Eva smiled. “Perfect. I’ll bring some snacks.” She leaned forward and gave him a short, tight hug. She turned and walked toward the dorms.
“Wait a minute. Aren’t you going to eat lunch?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Alex looked at the door and then back at Eva.
“I’ll be fine. Call me when yall are headed for dinner.” She waved and went on her way, a little bounce to her step.
Alex stood there, watching Eva’s hair flash gold in the sunlight. Part of him wondered if she would glance back. Another part wondered what it was he was feeling right now.
And then green met blue. He smiled. No more wondering.
13
Flight Training
Patrick craned his neck and huffed a cloud of vapor. “Kinda chilly this morning.”
“Kinda? It’s freezing. Can we please walk faster?”
Alex looked at Eva and grinned. She wore two jackets and a pair of neon green running gloves.
“I don’t know. Patrick, you still stuck on cruising speed?” Nate said.
“What do you mean?”
“You know, the dodgeball incident. Dude, don’t even act like you don’t remember. You were hobbling around for a couple days last week.”
“Oh, yeah,” Eva said. “Did you wear a cup today?” Alex and Nate laughed.
“Ha, ha. Very funny. But you guys underestimate my mental fortitude. I’ve moved on. Bigger and better things today. I’ve got the eye of the tiger.”
“Yeah, okay, tiger. You don’t even know what the lab’s gonna be,” Eva said.
“Well it’d be a good bet that it’s something involving balls and a target.”
“Like last week, when your balls were the target,” Alex said.
“Touché. You know what I meant, though. There was the basketball one…the ping pong lab…and then last week with the, well…you know. Anyway, today’s redemption day. From now on, the girls will no longer know me as that short kid that got hit in the balls. They’ll know me as—”
“That short kid,” Alex said. Nate and Eva laughed.
“I was gonna say ‘that stud that came up with my new favorite saying,’ but you might be right.”
“Eva, you hearing this?” Nate said. “My boy needs some lovin. Can’t you hook him up with one of those girls up there? Put a good word in?”
“Yeah, yeah. Tell em that even though I’m short that I’ve got huuuge shoes,” he said, spreading his hands.
“I am not saying that. Besides, I don’t talk with any of them. Yall are the only ones I hang out with.” She pursed her lips and thought about it. “I guess I’ve never really had many girl friends. Guys are just nicer. Girls are—well a lot of them are kinda mean.”
“So? Mean’s okay,” Patrick said.
Eva shook her head and sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“That’s what I’m talkin about! Don’t you worry. I’ll make your job easy. It’ll be a good showing today. Like I said—” Patrick stopped talking and squinted at the field near the Blue building. “Well that’s random. Looks like the yoga girls have been replaced by a couple dudes wearing motorcycle helmets. And it looks like they’re beating the crap outta each other with those sticks. What the hell…Oh!” He turned and slapped Alex on the shoulder. “I know what that is! It’s called Smash. It’s a game the Greyjeans play.”
“So those two are…”
“Greyjeans. Yup.”
“How do you know that?” Nate said.
“I read it. It’s like in chapter twenty-two or something.”
“I didn’t know you could read,” Eva said.
“Very funny.”
CLACK. CLACK. CLACK. Alex watched the two upperclassmen swinging away, their wooden swords colliding in a steady rhythm. A rubber ball floated between them. “Too bad lightsabers don’t exist.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Nate said.
“You guys are such nerds,” Patrick said.
“The Force is not strong with this one,” Alex said.
“Mmmm. Weak-minded, he is,” Nate said, using his best Yoda impression.
“Good Lord. Why do we hang out with them?” Patrick said.
Eva smiled.
“Well, you guys can have Star Wars. I wanna learn how to play that game. It’s got my name written all over it.”
“Dude, you wouldn’t be able to reach anybody with those little arms!”
“What? Oh, it’s on. I don’t know when it’ll be, but whenever it is that we have our own game of Smash, you’re goin down.”
Nate just smiled. The four of them stood there and watched. The one wearing the purple helmet dropped to his knees and took a hard swipe at the other’s ankles. When that guy jumped back, Purple Helmet sent the little rubber ball straight into the other’s stomach, drawing a loud “Oooofff!”
“Yikes.”
“Having second thoughts?”
“Pssh. Never. Step aside, Broccoli. Time for me to strut.” Patrick bumped Nate out of the way and pushed open Blue’s door.
“He’s on a mission,” Eva said.
“He’s on something,” Alex said. “Shall we?”
****
Alex could tell this lab was going to be different. The gleaming silver tables that they hadn’t seen since their pill-swallowing day were back, large plastic bins sitting atop each one. There wasn’t a ball in sight.
“Go ahead and find a workstation,” Professor Startsman said. He wore his usual short-sleeved button-up and khakis. “Lab’s a little different today. I’ll explain it once everyone’s here.”
Patrick quick-stepped to the first open table and slung his backpack against the wall. He stood on his tiptoes and peeked into the plastic bin.
“What is it?” Nate said.
“Legos!” Patrick was smiling.
“Legos? Man, I haven’t played with those things since I was a kid.”
“Same here,” Alex said. “Should be interesting.”
“Should be awesome,” Patrick said. “I’m like a Lego savant. I wonder how many bricks he’s got in this thing.” He leaned against the table and started to reach his hand inside the bin.
“Not so fast, Patrick!” Startsman’s voice stopped him mid-reach. He shrank away from the bin, his face red and his eyes down.
Professor Startsman stood at the front of the lab and tucked his shirt and tightened his belt and stuffed the remainder into his pants. He counted the students. “Okay, I think everybody’s here. Let’s get started.
“What lies before you is my personal Lego collection: a collection that’s taken me years to accumulate. As you can probably imagine, I am quite fond of it. One week a year, I bring them to school, away from the safety of my home.” Professor Startsman grabbed a few bricks from the nearest table and shook them in his hand as if they were dice. “Now, this is usually the part of my speech when I tell you to treat each and every Lego brick with respect; when I threaten you with bodily harm if anything goes missing.” His hard stare softened a bit. “But not this year.
“Since you represent my final freshman class, this Lego lab will be quite different. We will not be treating these pieces with any respect. In fact, I’m hoping to obliterate some of these bricks in spectacular fashion.
“I will keep the instructions brief. You are to use my Legos to build an aircraft, although I use that term loosely. What you deem an aircraft is entirely up to you. My only rule is that it must be at least four inches wide and six inches long. And of course you can’t use your hands.
“Any questions? No? Good. You will have one hour. After that, we’ll move next door for our contest. That’s where the real fun begins.”
****
“Why don’t you try to dress it up a little? You know, use something other than black,” Nate said.
“Probably not a bad idea,” Patrick said. “Unless you were going for the ‘retarded crow’ look. Cause if you were, then by all means leave it alone. You nailed it.”
Eva sighed. It did sort of look like a crow.
“It’s not that bad,” Alex said.
“No. It is. It’s really ugly,” she said.
“No it’s not,” Alex said. “Why don’t you just add some color?”
Eva nodded and placed her knees on the stool and lifted herself so that she was looking right into the bin. A few green bricks arced out of the container and settled onto the wingtips and nose of her plane.
“So, a retarded crow that’s suffering from gangrene. Well done,” Patrick said.
“Yours is ugly, too!” Eva said. “It’s just a big box.”
“Maybe to your untrained eye,” Patrick said as he considered his work. “This thing’s gonna be a showstopper, though. Just sit back and have some patience. Never rush a master at work.”
Alex shook his head and put the finishing touches on his own creation: a Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter, a design he had perfected as a kid. It had the four lasers, the proper colors, and even a little circular bit on top. He couldn’t help but grin. It made him think back to all the times he watched the original trilogy with his dad.
“And…done!” Patrick said. He stepped away from the table and folded his arms across his chest and admired his work.
“Well, it is definitely a showstopper,” Alex said. Patrick had created a monstrosity. It looked like a toaster with wings, mismatched Lego bricks jutting out at random intervals along its walls. There were little Lego heads lining its wings and a dozen pirates standing on deck, all brandishing either a sword or a gun.
“You aren’t serious with that thing, are you? It’s huge,” Eva said.
Patrick laughed. “That’s what she said. And hell yes, I’m serious. My pirates are gonna cruise to victory.”
“Riding atop their winged shoebox,” Nate said.
“Says the guy holding a green piece of poo. What do you call that thing? The broccoli express?”
“Nah, man. My astronaut’s a paddle boarder. Check it out.” A little oar floated up from the table and into the figurine’s hand. It started paddling air and as it did the board flew around their heads. Nate had it swinging the oar like a mad man when suddenly its arm popped off.
“Oh! Looks like my boy needs to hit the gym.” Nate narrowed his eyes and the arm leapt off the table and clicked back into its socket. “Good as new. See? He’s still happy.”
“He’s cute,” Eva said.
“Yeah, he’s gonna make for a good trophy,” Patrick said. “His head’ll go riiight here.”
The lights flickered off and on and Professor Startsman’s nasally voice filled the lab. “Time’s up! Let’s move next door!”
****
“Hurry up, Patrick. You’ve lost half your guys already!”
“Just pawns. Expendable,” Patrick called, not bothering to turn around and find the speaker. He stood with his hands braced on the side of the cylinder. “Look at the ship. Not even a scratch.”
“He’s delusional,” Nate said.
“Oh, he’s not as dumb as he looks,” Alex said. “I think he knows this isn’t going to end well.”
Patrick took a few steps back and readied his hand, his jaw clenching. When the moment was right, he swatted the air and his ship zipped forward and—CRACK! It sounded like a lawnmower blade striking a rock. Little pirates were flung overboard and the yellow heads lining the wings bounced up and down the cylinder. What remained of Patrick’s ship was still stuck in the cutout, its final moments marked by the high-pitched squeal of plastic-on-plastic as the disk continued to spin.
“Shiver me timbers!” a voice called from the back.
There were cheers and laughter. Professor Startsman leaned forward so that his nose almost touched the cylinder and inspected the wreckage. He then twirled his finger and the Lego pirates floated up and out of the tube and into Patrick’s hands. “Souvenirs,” the professor said.
Nate’s Lego man aimlessly paddled and summersaulted up and down the row. Patrick brushed it aside as he returned to his seat.
“Easy there, Patrick. My little dude’s still recovering from his accident.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t make it out of the first damn tube,” Patrick said.
“You and most everybody else,” Nate said.
“Yeah, what was up with that?” Eva said. “I thought you were supposed to be some kind of Lego genius.”
“It wasn’t my ship’s fault. The cutouts in those disks were too small.”
“Uh huh. The cutouts,” Eva said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Go on. Say it. Let’s get the smartass comments out of the way early.”
“Well, all I was going to say is if we ever have this lab again, I’m willing to help you make your ship. You know, since I did
make it further than you.” She smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Patrick rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. That was just cause your ship was so tiny. Plus I think Startsman felt sorry for you and made the disks spin slower when it was your turn.”
“I still beat you.”
“Yeah, well, at least I have a memento,” he said, holding up his pirates. “Yours was so fragile there was nothing left to take home. And besides, if I got to go hiking and practicing with Alex as much as you do I’da won the thing.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You jealous?” Nate said.
“Oh, please.”
“If you need more help, just ask me. That’s no problem,” Alex said.
“No, it’s not like that,” Patrick said. “I just—forget it. It’s nothing.”
“Mr. Armstrong!”
Alex looked away from Patrick. The professor smiled at him.
“Come on down,” Startsman said. “You’re everybody’s last hope.”
“Uh oh. The main event,” Nate said.
“Yeah, right,” Alex said. He got to his feet and straightened his shirt. “I just wanna get to the last cylinder like you.”
Eva brushed a piece of lint off Alex’s jeans and smiled as his face reddened. “You look nice,” she said. “Now go kick his butt.” They locked eyes.
“Oh, good Lord,” Patrick said. “Get your head in the game, man. Go!”
Alex nodded and made his way across the row and down the aisle, his X-Wing circling above like a bird of prey. The walls changed from the live stream to a view of outer space, complete with twinkling stars and the occasional comet. Alex didn’t notice. His mind was already on part one of this obstacle course: a fifteen-foot long plastic cylinder that was three feet in diameter and housed three spinning disks.
“Good morning,” Professor Startsman said.
“Morning, Professor.”
Startsman raised his palm and the cylinder lifted off the floor and hovered around chest-height. Its disks cranked into motion, the wedge-shaped cutouts no longer visible as they got to speed. Alex steered his ship down from the ceiling and edged its nose over the lip of the cylinder.
Startsman waited until the third disk was spinning like a buzz saw and turned to Alex. “Good luck. You can start whenever you’re rea—”