Read Online 13 by Jason Robert Brown - Free Book Online Page B

look! This is not a catastrophe—this is an opportunity!”
    It had been a ridiculously long day.
    â€œCome on,” Archie went on. “I’ll walk you to the gym. That way nobody will give you trouble.”
    All right, score one for the kid with the disease. “Okay,” I said. “I’m listening. Why is this such an opportunity?”
    Archie handed me his book bag and smiled as he took my arm. “Because you get to solve two problems at the same time!”
    â€œI don’t understand.”
    â€œIt’s perfect,” Archie continued. “You get to be a big hero by getting all the kids into the movie. And I get to come and sit next to Kendra!”
    I stopped short. “Wait a second! You’re coming to the movie too?”
    Archie kept right on moving, even faster than before. I had to hurry to catch up. “Of course I’m coming to the movie!” he said. “That’s how I’m going to steal Kendra away from Brett!”
    â€œBut wait—”
    â€œIt’ll be easy!” he said. “She’ll end up giving me the tongue. Not the dumb jock.”
    At this point I just gave up fighting. Okay, I thought, if Archie wants to live in Fantasyland, then let him. He can come to the movie and make an ass of himself and all I have to do is let it happen. At least then I can say that I did my part to get him near Kendra, and he won’t crash my bar mitzvah.
    â€œYou’re right, Archie,” I said. “If I can make this work, it’ll be awesome. But help me out here. How am I supposed to get my mom to buy six tickets to a horror movie on Friday night?”
    â€œYou could tell her your life depends on it?” Archie said.
    That’s when Patrice walked by. You could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to avoid me just as much as I wanted to avoid her. But with everyone in class, the halls were pretty much empty. And I’d like to say that we patched things up right on the spot. I’d like to say that I apologized, sincerely and completely, and Patrice graciously acknowledged that she had been responsible as well. Instead, things got worse.
    â€œHey, Patrice!” Archie said. “You’ll never guess! Evan’s going to get me a date with Kendra!”
    Patrice looked like she had just taken a bite out of a piece of roadkill.
    â€œHe what?” she said to Archie. I guess she was so stunned, she actually talked to me. “You what?”
    â€œI said I’d try , Archie! That’s all.”
    But Archie wasn’t listening. He was on a roll. “We’re all going to The Bloodmaster Friday night.”
    To my surprise, Patrice laughed. “This I gotta see.”
    Was she really going to be such an annoying nag? Didn’t she understand the pressure I was under?
    â€œGood luck,” I said. “ The Bloodmaster ’s rated R. You won’t get in.”
    Patrice’s face hardened. She wasn’t nearly as cute when she was mad at me. “Oh, don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll get in.”
    â€œFine!” I said.
    She said it back. More like yelled it. “Fine!”
    With that, she stomped down the hall away from me, the second time in one day.
    â€œDon’t worry, Evan,” Archie said. “She wants you.”
    I resisted the urge to punch him. “What I’m worried about is getting my mother to buy these tickets.”
    Archie laughed. “Piece of cake.”
    â€œFor one thing, we have no money. For another, she’d rather poke out her eyeballs with a fork than sit through The Bloodmaster . And on top of everything, I haven’t even spoken to her in two weeks!”
    Archie smiled broadly, cheerfully. He giggled. He snorted.
    â€œWhat? What’s so funny?”
    â€œDon’t you have some sort of magic Jewish powerto make people do something they don’t want to do?”
    And like a flash, it hit me. I DO have a