by Geof Johnson
Rollie and Fred looked at each other. Fred said, “That was weird.”
“We really need to do something,” Rollie said. “But right now I gotta do homework.”
“I think I’ll stick around for a while.”
* * *
Jamie had terrible dreams. He couldn’t remember much about them except that they were distressing.
He did remember waking up with his head in Fred’s lap. She was stroking his head and smiling at him. She said, “Hey.”
He smiled weakly at her and said, “Hey,” and fell back asleep. He didn’t have any more bad dreams that afternoon.
* * *
While Fred was soothing Jamie, Lisa and Rachel drank coffee at the kitchen table.
“Fred knows not to kiss him, right?”
“Oh yes,” Lisa said. “We had a long talk about that. But she’s afraid he caught mono from kissing somebody else.”
“I doubt that. The doctor said he probably caught it from sharing a water bottle at cross country practice.” She took a sip of coffee and looked at their kids on the sofa. “She can be so sweet to him sometimes.”
“When she’s not mad enough to kill him,” Lisa said. “I think he brings out the best and the worst in her.”
“And vice versa.”
“But her worst is a lot harsher than most people’s,” Lisa said.
“But her best is amazing. Just look at her.”
Fred must’ve known they were talking about her, because she looked up and smiled at them, then turned her attention back to Jamie. Rachel unconsciously grabbed Lisa’s hand and squeezed it.
* * *
“So how was your first full day back at school?” Rollie asked as they got off the bus on the first Monday after Thanksgiving.
“Tiring,” Jamie said. “Glad to be home.”
“Who’s this guy Renn you were ranting about while you were sick?” Fred said.
“Renn? Oh, he’s the guy I’ve been having nightmares about since I was a little. He’s the guy who zapped the old man.”
“You said he’s coming to kill us all,” Rollie said. “You wouldn’t mind telling us what that’s all about, would you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know why he’d want to kill me, but he obviously doesn’t know where I am, or he would’ve done it already.” He stopped and looked gravely at his friends. “But if he ever shows up, you want to be as far away from me as possible. He’s a psycho. A bona fide, first class psycho.”
Chapter 44
High school varsity basketball games are loud, rowdy affairs. Junior varsity games aren’t.
Fred looked around the nearly empty gym. “I feel bad that there aren’t more people here.”
“I feel bad that Rollie isn’t playing,” Jamie said.
Rollie sat forlornly at the end of the bench, resting his chin on his hand, watching his teammates struggle.
“Rollie’s so good,” Fred said. “Why won’t the coach put him in?”
“He’s not tall enough, but he can shoot. Maybe he’ll still get to play.”
After a frustrating second half and the game clock showing less than five minutes to play, the coach called Rollie’s name and he stood up and went to midcourt.
“Hey, look.” Fred pointed. “He’s going in.”
Jamie cupped his hands to his mouth. “Hey Rollie!” When Rollie turned to look, Jamie stood, held his arms out and wiggled his fingers at him.
“What are you doing?” Fred said.
“Relax, it’s not magic. I’m just trying to fire him up.”
Rollie’s eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw, then turned and ran onto the court at the whistle.
The other team inbounded the ball from the sideline, but Rollie flashed to the lazy pass and picked it off, dribbling in for any easy layup.
“Hey, how ’bout that?” Jamie said. “Now they’re only down by 15 points. I should make him mad more often.”
The other team inbounded and brought the ball down court, but Rollie harassed the ball handler into making a bad pass, right to Rollie’s teammate, who raced the other way for another easy basket.
The next time down court, the other team managed to get off a shot, but missed. Rollie took the ball to the top of the key and drained a three pointer. Jamie and Fred raised their arms in celebration. After both teams missed shots, Rollie stepped up the pressure and forced a turnover when the other team’s guard dribbled off his foot.
Rollie’s energy was contagious. He was everywhere, pressuring every pass and anyone with the ball, and his teammates stepped up, too. The change in momentum was palpable; the other team seemed unable to score or even make two consecutive passes without a turnover. Rollie darted around the court like a possessed maniac, and when he sank the last three point shot to put the game into overtime, the meager crowd went crazy.
“Rol-lie, Rol-lie, Rol-lie,” Fred and Jamie chanted.
The five minute overtime was a wash. The other team was too bewildered, baffled, and befuddled to put up much of a fight. Rollie’s last jump shot finished them off and cemented the victory.
Jamie and Fred hugged with excitement. “Let’s go congratulate him,” Fred said.
“We gotta wait until he gets out of the locker room. Let’s wait outside by the door.”
Rollie looked furious when he finally walked out of the locker room. Jamie tried to congratulate him, but Rollie shoved him back against the wall. “I saw what you did, man,” Rollie growled.
“You mean this?” Jamie wiggled his fingers at Rollie again.
Rollie knocked Jamie’s hands aside. “That’s not cool.”
“He didn’t do anything,” Fred said.
“Yes he did,” Rollie leaned close to her. “He used magic. That’s so wrong…that’s —”
“He didn’t use any magic,” Fred said in a low voice.
Rollie looked at Jamie, who wiggled his fingers again, grinning.
“For real?” Rollie asked.
“Yeah,” Fred said, “Oh…hold on.”
Tanisha walked by with two friends. “Great game, Rollie.” She waved as she passed.
“Oh, thanks,” Rollie said, looking flustered. Rollie waited until she was out of earshot before saying, “Then why’d I play so good?”
“You did it all on your own, Dude,” Jamie said.
Rollie raised his eyebrows. “Wow.” As they turned to walk to the parking lot, he said, “Coach said he might pull me up for the last two varsity games. Can’t wait to tell my dad.”
“Bet you didn’t know you had it in you, did ya?” Jamie said. They walked to their parents’ cars, Jamie on Rollie’s right side and Fred on his left, arms on each other’s shoulders, still first best friends.
Chapter 45
Jamie’s cross country coach insisted that he run track, and they practiced every day. With that and heavy schoolwork, he barely noticed that the end of the year was approaching. Tenth grade had flown by, and before he knew it, school was out and he was back working at the vet and running summer workouts.
The one thing that seemed like it would never come was his birthday. His sixteenth birthday. The birthday where he could get his driver’s license.
Sweet sixteen.
Though Fred and Rollie had their licenses, too, Jamie had a car. That was sweetest of all.
“All right!” Rollie said, as he and Fred piled into Jamie’s Buick for the first time. “Let’s go, Baby!”
“Where we gonna go?” Fred asked.
“How ’bout Bryce’s house?”
“He’s at his girlfriend’s.”
“Let’s go to the coffee shop,” Jamie said.
“We don’t have any money,” Rollie said.
“We can’t go to the movie, then.”
“Fred, let’s go see one of your friends,” Jamie said.
“None of ’em are home.”
They sat in the driveway for a few minutes, trying to decide where to go, until they finally decided to just ride around.
But it was sweet.
* * *
Summer went by in a blur. To Jamie, it seemed like he blinked and it was over, he was back on the bus, starting his junior year. And it promised to be the busiest one yet.
Besides cross country practice, Jamie had the toughest teachers ever, who found sadistic pleasure in heavy homework assignments. Fred joined the school chorus and was still taking dance lessons. Rollie was going to football practice, and was so sore the first two weeks, he walked like an old man, groaning painfully when he climbed the steps to the bus.
The first day of cross country practice, Jamie and Bryce ran like they always did, hanging back with the slower runners, talking or daydreaming. When they finished the run, Jamie was chatting with his friends when a couple of seniors walked up. One of them was Manny Alvarez, the fastest guy on the team, and one of the fastest in the state. He liked to use nicknames.
Manny pointed at Jamie and Bryce and said, “Hey, you, Magic Man, and you, Richie Rich, you run with us tomorrow. You don’t run with these guys anymore.” And they walked away.
Jamie and Bryce looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
Manny was fast. He’d tied the state record in the 1,500 meter run the previous track season, and already had scholarship offers from some major colleges. When he ran road workouts, he ran hard, and when Jamie tried to keep up with him the next day, he found out just how hard Manny ran.
Jamie puked after practice. Manny patted him on the back. “Now you’re running. I puked all the time when I first started training hard.”
Oh, lovely, Jamie thought.
By Friday, he was so sore, he was groaning like Rollie when he climbed the bus steps.
“You, too?” Rollie asked.
Jamie nodded and grimaced.
* * *
The soreness subsided after a couple of weeks, and Jamie noticed a big improvement in his running. Bryce did, too. By the second meet, both of them were fast enough to score for their team. Not win, but score.
After a particularly hard run during the third meet, Jamie was standing past the finish line, bent over, hands on his knees, when Manny walked over.
“Good run, Magic Man. Now you see why I made you run with us big dogs.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Jamie said, standing upright, painfully. “Hey, uh, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.” Still breathing heavily, he said, “I’ve been looking at the back of your jersey for the longest time, when I’m close enough to see, that is, and I was wondering.” He pointed at Manny’s shirt. “How come you wear number 77? That’s a weird number.”
“I do it to honor my mother. That’s her birthday, 7/7, July seventh.”
“Hey, that’s my birthday, too.”
“Cool.” He nodded. “Anyway, she died a couple years ago, so I wear this.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Her angel flies with me when I run.” Manny crossed himself and pointed skyward. “That’s why I run so fast. She gives me strength from heaven when I’m tired.”
“So that’s your secret,” Jamie said lamely.
“Yeah, man. I’ll see you Monday.” And Manny left.
Jamie walked away from the crowd and pretended to stretch. He was afraid someone would see that his eyes were watering.
Probably the dust, he thought.
* * *
Renn was looking through one of the books he’d recently stolen when he stumbled on something interesting.
Doorways. That’s how the old man escaped.
The book detailed exactly how to make them, and he was so excited, he tried the spell immediately. His first attempt, however, was almost a disaster. The doorway opened on a planet with no atmosphere, and he was nearly sucked through to his death, barely managing to grab the edge and pull himself back before ending the spell.
Interesting, though, he thought, returning to the book. Doorways could be opened to many places, and he needed to be more careful. But one of them would lead him to the old sorcerer, and all he needed was patience and a plan.
* * *
A few weeks later, Jamie sat at the back of the bus with his friends, feeling tired.
“Dude, you look like you’ve been up all night,” Rollie said.
“Been having nightmares,” Jamie said.
“Same guy?” Rollie lowered his voice. “Psycho wizard?”
“Yeah, they’re getting worse. I’m pretty sure he’s looking for me. And I think I’m supposed to be looking for some kind of advantage over him. Don’t know what, though.”
“Don’t tell us,” Fred said. “We need to stay as far away from you as possible.”
“It’s no joke, Fred.”
“It’s not like we’ve been hanging out much anyway,” Rollie said. “I’m so busy I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
Fred put her hand on Jamie’s arm. “We hardly ever see each other anyway, except for football games and church and stuff.”
Jamie sighed. “Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.”
After cross country season was over, Jamie found excuses to avoid his friends. He worked at the vet a couple of hours every day after school, and went to see his grandmother as often as possible.
Fred caught him in the hall one day. “Hey stranger.” She hooked her arm through his and said quietly, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. You can’t avoid me and Rollie forever.”
“I don’t have to. Just ’till I figure out what to do about the psycho wizard.”
Or until he kills me, he thought.
Chapter 46
One morning in early January, Fred was walking to class when she heard a voice from behind.
“Fred, wait up.” It was Melanie McCaskill, the prettiest girl in school. She had long, honey-blonde hair, big brown eyes, and a perfect face. Most guys went slack jawed when she walked by. “Can I walk with you for a sec?” Fred couldn’t stand her.
Melanie was a cheerleader. Fred had no use for cheerleaders because she thought most of them were airheads. Melanie, however, was not. She was in all advanced classes and made good grades.
“Fred, you have the prettiest hair,” Melanie said. “I wish I had your hair. You’re probably the prettiest girl in school.”
And she was nice. Fred really hated that.
“Give me a break, Melanie. Every girl in school would die to have your hair.”
“My hair is boring.” She touched Fred’s curly red locks. “Yours has personality.”
Oh, please, Fred thought. What do you really want?
“Anyway, you’re friends with Jamie Sikes, right? Do you know if anybody’s asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance?”
Uh oh. “I thought you were dating Michael Tiller.”
“We broke up last week, so I thought Jamie would be lots of fun to go to the dance with. He’s so cute, with those big blue eyes and that curly blonde hair. Don’t you just want to rub your fingers through it and muss it up?”
Please stop, Fred groaned inwardly.
“And he’s smart and does those cool magic tricks, and he’s funny…when he and Rollie get together, they make me laugh so hard.” She giggled.
Kill me now.
“So I figured you’d know if he going to the dance with anybody.”
“I don’t know,” Fred said. “I’ll ask him later.”
Melanie waved goodbye and walked away. Fred felt a surge of panic that lasted the rest of the school day. She got on the bus that afternoon, saved the seat beside her and waited for Jamie. When he walked down the aisle, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the seat.
She didn’t waste time saying hello. “You’re going to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me, okay?”
Jamie looked surprised for a moment. “Are you asking me?”
“Yes.”
“Do it nicely.” He smiled and inspected his fingernails.
“Will you please go to the dance with me?”
“I might.” He still looked at his nails.
“Okay! I’ll go.” He rubbed his shoulder. “What’s this all about, anyway?”
“Nothing. I just thought you needed to get out and about more.”
Jamie looked the other way. Fred rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply.
* * *
The night of the dance, Fred’s mother opened the door. “Oh, come in, come in.” As Jamie stepped into the living room, she said, “You look so handsome in your suit. Fred will be down in a minute.”
Just then they heard Fred walking down the stairs. Jamie could only stare when she got to the bottom.
“What do you think?” Fred turned slowly. She wore a low cut emerald green cocktail dress with thin straps, the hemline above her knees, showing plenty of her shapely legs. Years of tap dancing had made their mark.
Fred gently patted her hair. “I got a makeover today.” Her hair was less curly and more of a carefully arranged bouquet of spirals, held up on one side with a silver clip. Her makeup — Jamie had never seen her like that — was something from a magazine cover.
“Wow, Fred, you like nice,” was all he could manage.
“Stand together by the fireplace and let me get a picture before you go,” Fred’s mother said, herding them to the other side of the room. They posed and she snapped the photo. “This is almost what it’ll be like for the prom, only you’ll have a tux on, Jamie.”
Prom? Jamie thought.
“Oh, you two look so…so beautiful!” she said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“Mom, stop.”
“Okay, okay.” She wiped her eyes and escorted them to the door.
* * *
The gym looked better than Jamie had ever seen it, with plenty of streamers, potted plants, and other decorations. The other details he forgot, except that Fred wanted to dance to practically every song. Couldn’t forget that.
“You’re such a wimp,” she said at one point, when he sagged in his chair, chugging punch. “I thought cross country runners were in shape.”
Then her favorite song came on and she dragged him out of his seat. It was a slow tune and the dance floor quickly filled with awkward teenagers. Jamie tentatively put one arm around Fred’s back and the other on her shoulder and pulled her close.