“Ah, Mom, it’s yummy!”
“Yummy or not”—Sue laughed—“you need to scoot.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Fifteen minutes later, Gil and Danny began walking up Paradise Avenue on their way to Fairfield Middle School. Gil sniffed the tangy breeze and watched the autumn leaves dancing down from the trees.
As they got closer to school, she dropped the maple leaf she was twirling and said, “You need to point out which boy we want to use as our crash dummy.”
“There won’t be any question,” Danny grumbled. “He hassles me every day. His name’s Pete, but he’s so tall everyone calls him Slim. Except me. I call him the goon.”
“So where will we find this goonish fella?” Gil asked.
“Up ahead. He’s the kid in the green cap.”
“Stay here and pretend to tie your shoe,” Gil said. “I’m going in.”
Gil sprinted forward and planted herself in the middle of the sidewalk. When Slim turned around and saw Danny, he laughed and rushed toward him—hitting Gil in the process.
As Slim landed on his backside, Gil shouted gleefully, “Let’s make tracks, Danny! We just found out what we needed to know. Whoopee!”
As Danny crossed the street, several boys surrounded Slim and asked what happened.
“I don’t know,” Slim said, scrambling to his feet. “I just don’t know.”
Gil let out a war whoop as she and Danny turned the corner. “That was awesome!” she cried. “Look at me! I’m the invisible bionic woman! I’m a force to be reckoned with. I’m a—”
“—futuristic weapon!”
“You bet I am!” she exclaimed. “If Rick comes after you, I can karate chop him to bits and he’ll never see me coming.”
“But, Gil, when Slim ran into you, you fell back. That means you can be hurt. I don’t want you tangling with Rick.”
“That’s sweet, but don’t worry about me. I’m a certified white belt in karate.”
“A white belt? Never heard of it.”
“Oh, really? It’s an impressive belt—something to be feared.” Giving Danny a cheeky grin, she said in a British accent, “Tallyho! To the counselor’s office, old chap.”
“Right-O,” Danny replied in his own British accent. “You know, I’m actually looking forward to going to school.”
Gil grinned and started to whistle.
* * *
Walking down the second floor hallway of Hawking Hall, Marc paused outside William’s office and nervously cracked his knuckles. William usually kept his door open, but this morning it was firmly closed. Marc hesitated at the unfamiliar sight and tried to decide what to do. He didn’t want to disturb William, but neither did he want the TA position to slip through his fingers because he was too spooked to ask about it.
As Marc tried to make up his mind, Director Matthews came up behind him and asked, “Problems, Mr. Kerry?”
Marc jumped and shook his head. “I was wondering if Dr. Ableman was available.”
The director’s lips twitched. “You’ll never find out by standing in the hall.”
As Director Matthews opened the door to the main office and disappeared inside, Marc grimaced. He liked the director, but he always ended up looking like a fool around him. Turning back to William’s door, Marc took a deep breath and knocked.
“Come in,” William called.
He stepped inside. “Hi, Dr. Ableman. Can you talk?” Marc saw William sighing and looking down at the mountain of exams he was grading. “If this is a bad time…?”
“Not at all,” William said. “What can I do for you?”
Marc sat down and cleared his throat. “I was talking to Gil, and she suggested I apply for the TA position she’s leaving vacant.”
Marc fidgeted in his chair as he saw William’s eyes beginning to twinkle.
“Has something more than a desire for my company prompted this offer?” William asked.
“Well,” Marc nervously replied, “I was hoping you’d allow me into one of your closed classes next semester. Registration’s already full, and I’d rather take Timewave Dynamics from you than Dr. Moosly.”
“I think that could be arranged.” William spun a pen between his fingers. “But you don’t need to sacrifice your free time. I’ll let you into the class without attaching strings.”
“Being your TA wouldn’t be a sacrifice. I’d like a chance to work with you. Is the job still available?”
“In a manner of speaking. I offered the position to Crystal, but she told me yesterday she was turning it down.”
Marc blinked. “Why’d she do that?”
“It’s possible she heard you were interested in the position and decided to step aside.”
“I’m sure that’s not it. Cris and I hardly know each other.” He hesitated. “Would you consider me for the job?”
“Wade Kingston applied as well. He hopes to join our teaching staff when he graduates.”
Marc sighed and nodded. “Wade’s a good choice.”
William smiled. “I said Wade applied—not that I’d hired him. The TA position is yours.”
“Thank you!” Marc exclaimed. “I promise I’ll do a good job.”
“I know you will. If I didn’t think you would, I’d give the position to Wade.”
Marc stood and shook William’s hand. “By the way,” he asked, “how’s Gil doing?”
William looked down at his pile of test papers. “Just fine. First contact went well.”
“If anyone can nail the practicum exam, she can.”
William nodded, and as he did, Marc noticed that William’s hands were shaking.
“Now if there isn’t anything else,” William said, putting his hands in his pockets, “I need to grade these exams. You’d better be prepared—next semester, I’ll have you do it for me.”
“It’ll be a pleasure.”
William gave a grunting laugh. “No need to curry favor. You’ve already got the job.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gil and Danny emerged from the counselor’s office and stretched. With fantastic luck—which Gil called cosmic God-timing—the lady who oversaw dyslexia testing was at school that day. Danny had been tested and an academic plan was created to get him the attention he needed.
“Where to now?” Gil asked, ruffling Danny’s hair.
“History.” Danny looked at his hall pass and moaned. “I wish I didn’t have to go to class. My brain feels like mush.”
“I can believe it. We were in the counselor’s office so long that my backside’s numb. How’s anyone supposed to sit in those plastic chairs? I feel like a pretzel.”
“I guess you just get used to it. I nearly died when you tipped your chair against the wall. I was sure you were gonna get caught.”
“I know. I goofed. I forgot I was the invisible woman. But seriously, those chairs are killers. I’m gonna need to go on disability. How far away is your history class?”
“It’s through the cafeteria and past the gym. Why?”
“I’m hoping to walk out some of the kinks.”
As she began to lurch forward like a three-legged mule, Danny giggled. “Oh, Gil, you’re a real crack-up.”
“And you, my young genius, are an impressive fellow. I’m proud of all the work you did this morning. In fact—” Stopping short, Gil pointed to a poster on the wall. “Hey, look at that. They’re holding auditions for The Sound of Music after school. That’s better than perfect! You’d make a wonderful Frederich or Kurt.”
“A who or a who?”
“The Von Trapp boys in The Sound of Music. If you get a part, the rehearsals will give you a place to go after school. Have you ever been in a play?”
“I was a talking tooth in first grade, does that count?”
“You bet,” she said enthusiastically. “You’re already a pro! I’ll talk you through your audition, and even if you don’t get a part, it’ll be good experience. Sound like a plan?”
“If you say so. After all, who a
m I to argue with a super-bionic chick from the future?”
* * *
As Marc left the air-conditioned comfort of Hawking Hall and made his way into the bright sunshine, Ryan Adams swung in beside him and asked, “So, how’d it go?”
“Fantastic! You’re looking at Doc’s new TA.” Marc grinned. “He’s already threatening to bury me under a mountain of paperwork.”
“I don’t know whether to congratulate you or commiserate with you.”
“Both.” Marc chuckled. “Gil’s always complaining that Dr. Ableman’s a hard taskmaster. I guess I’m gonna find out for myself.”
“It’ll be worth it, though. Getting to work with the doc’s a chance of a lifetime.”
“It sure is.” Marc’s forehead puckered. “Hey, Ryan, what do you know about Crystal?”
“In what respect?” Ryan asked slowly.
“Doc offered her the TA position, but she turned it down. He seemed to think she might’ve refused the job to help me out. I don’t know her well…do you think it’s possible?”
“Why are you asking me? Why don’t you ask her?”
* * *
In Colorado, the morning was passing swiftly. By the time Danny went to math, Gil was dying to find a safe place to sit. Sighing a little, she heaved herself up and sat cross-legged on a low bookshelf.
Mrs. West, the math teacher, was having students do problems at the blackboard, and when it was Danny’s turn, Gil noticed that although he did the problem swiftly, he transposed two of the numbers, making his work incorrect. She shook her head. No wonder the poor kid is having trouble.
As the teacher called the next batch of students up to the board, Gil heard an ominous cracking sound. She sprang off the shelf just as it collapsed. As students jumped from their desks and chaos reigned, Gil slithered to one side, clutching the wall until she reached the front of the classroom. When she looked over at Danny, he was shaking his head and grinning from ear-to-ear.
After class, Mrs. West called Danny aside and asked him to do several math problems while she observed his work. Gil was pleased to see that the boy did them correctly. Later, Mrs. West gave Danny a list of makeup work and extra credit problems. She also gave him the first academic compliment he’d received all year. As he left the room, Gil watched his face glow with excitement.
“Did you hear what she said?” he exclaimed. “She said I had an excellent grasp of mathematics!”
Gil grinned. “I heard.”
“She said I was advanced for my age.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you.”
“I really am smart, ain’t I?”
“Of course you are,” Gil said with a smile. “But you’d be even smarter if you’d direct me to the cafeteria. I’m so hungry I could gnaw off a couple of my fingers.”
* * *
With a spring in his step, Marc strolled over to the hamburger stand in Student Union. As he glanced around the atrium, he noticed Crystal sitting at a table by herself. She was surrounded by a teetering pile of textbooks, and as she ate, she kept her eyes glued to a thick book on quantum physics. Marc stared at the book with raised eyebrows. He knew the heavy tome wasn’t required reading. That meant her taste in recreational reading was interesting to say the least.
As he watched, Crystal pushed at her glasses and attempted to take a sip of soda. The straw scraped up the side of her nose. Still keeping her eyes glued to the book, Crystal began seeking the straw with her lips. Marc chuckled. She looked like a frustrated goldfish. Eventually, her mouth found the straw and she took a long drink. With her eyes still on the book, she began groping blindly for her fork. Marc shook his head. Crystal was definitely...unique.
A puzzled frown wrinkled his brow as he watched her. Dr. Ableman seemed sure Crystal had stepped aside because of him. If that was true, it was an extremely nice thing for her to do. His frown increased. Maybe he was wrong in writing her off.
“Sir, may I take your order?”
Marc stared blankly at the cashier. After a moment, he said, “I need to talk to someone first.”
As the cashier murmured a vague reply, Marc walked over and sat beside Crystal. She was so engrossed in her book that she didn’t notice. As she brought a forkful of salad up to her lips and kept it hanging while she read, he felt a bubble of laughter expanding in his chest. He gently cleared his throat. She still didn’t look up. Obviously, whatever she was reading had her full attention. Marc’s brow puckered. He knew he was handsome—he’d have to be an idiot not to know it—and he wasn’t used to working for female attention.
“Crystal,” he said softly, putting his hand on her arm, “may I talk with—”
Crystal jumped wildly, knocking over her glass. A cold stream of diet cola flooded the table and cascaded in an icy wave onto Marc’s lap. As he leapt to his feet, he saw Crystal making a desperate grab for a stack of napkins. Her fumbling hands sent her salad plate spinning. Marc sprang back as the salad with its oily dressing bounced off his hip and landed upside down on his shoe.
Crystal gasped and stumbled to her feet. As she pushed the napkins toward him, her arm knocked over the ketchup bottle. It hit the floor with a bounce, squirting ketchup on his leg.
“I-I’m s-so sorry,” she stammered.
Marc looked down at his messy clothes and made a valiant attempt at a grin. “No problem. I needed to do laundry anyway.”
“Oh,” Crystal replied awkwardly. “G-good.” With a bright red face, she began rescuing her textbooks from the pool of soda and drying them with a handful of napkins. “Did you want to talk with me about something?”
Marc nodded and tried to wipe the ketchup from his pants. “I spoke to Dr. Ableman. He gave me the TA position.”
Crystal began mopping up the table. “That’s nice, but what’s that got to do with me?”
He peered over at her. “Did you turn the job down to help me out?”
She blinked at him and turned her head. Her long, blonde hair fell over her cheek and hid her face. “Why would I do something like that?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked...I just wondered—”
“Well, stop wondering,” Crystal said fiercely. “If you think I make decisions about my life based on you then you’re more conceited than I thought.”
Marc fell back a step.
Crystal turned away and threw a handful of soggy napkins onto her tray. “Was there anything else you wanted to ask?”
Marc shook his head.
“In that case, I have a lot of reading to do.”
Marc stared in open-mouthed disbelief as she sat down again and opened her book. He wasn’t used to being ignored, but it was obvious she deemed their conversation closed. He stared at her bent head, and after a long moment, he turned and walked away.
As he stalked past the hamburger stand, he glanced back at Crystal. Her face was covered with her hands, and she was shaking. He didn’t know if she was laughing or groaning. What’s more, he didn’t care.
* * *
After Danny got a lunch tray, Gil went with him to the schoolyard and they sat beneath a tree. “So, what do you think?” she asked as she unwrapped a TEMCO energy bar.
“I think it’s gonna to be a lot of work to catch up,” he groaned.
“You’re right about that, but at least you have great teachers to help. A good teacher makes all the difference. I should know, Dr. Ableman’s terrific.”
“You really like him, huh?”
“You bet. He’s the one who convinced me to become a time counselor.”
As she took a bite of her energy bar and made a face, Danny asked, “So, what does that stuff taste like?”
“Kinda like rubbery cardboard with a hint of almond.”
“That good, huh?”
“Hey, what do you expect? A big punch of nutrition and good flavor?”
“It might be nice.”
Gil laughed and wrinkled her nose. “You’ve got that right. This bar’s simply ghastly.”
; Danny smirked. “As ghastly as your first name?”
“Stop giving me problems,” she sputtered with a chuckle. “At least I could shorten Gillyflower down to Gil. Some names are so atrocious they can’t be used at all. Dr. Ableman goes by his middle name. I’ll bet his first name’s something horrible like Humperdinck.”
* * *
Marc stalked toward Hawking Hall with his wet pants clinging to his legs. As he passed the library, he saw Kyle walking toward him. He groaned. The last thing he wanted was to answer questions.
As he picked up his pace, Kyle called, “Hey, Marc, what’s the rush?”
Marc stopped and shrugged a shoulder. “I had a little accident.”
“I’ll say you did.” Kyle laughed. “What the dickens happened to your clothes?”
“Two words: Klutzy Crystal.”
“I told you she was a menace. There needs to be a warning label printed across her forehead: Approach with care.”
“Forget that,” Marc grumbled. “I’d rather not approach her at all.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After school, Gil rushed Danny to the auditorium where auditions for The Sound of Music were in full swing. At her instruction, Danny signed up to audition last, so he could become familiar with the music. When it was his turn to sing, Gil watched as his face turned pasty white. Seeing that he was about to freeze, she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and his back a firm shove.
Danny stumbled toward the piano, and the teacher said briskly, “I’ll play two measures and then you may begin.”
Danny nodded vaguely, but it was obvious to Gil that he had no idea what the teacher was talking about. Regardless, he began at just the right point. When Danny started to sing, a hush came over the auditorium. Bored students who’d been chatting idly fell silent. Even Gil blinked in astonishment at the rich voice that came from Danny’s slender body.
The music teacher, who’d been listening to a string of students butchering Edelweiss, smiled widely and said to the assembly, “It’s obvious that we’ve found our Captain Von Trapp. Fay Hennly will have the part of Fraulein Maria. All other parts will be announced Friday.”
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