the
sidewalk
in front
of our
house,
my bicycle
wheel
bumps over
something,
something
that makes
a faint
squeaking
sound.
I lean over.
It’s a
black rubber
crow,
with a grimy
yellow beak.
Polly’s
favorite
chew toy,
faded,
gnawed on,
well loved.
Don’t know
how it got
out here
on the front
sidewalk.
I stick it
in the
back pocket
of my shorts,
and it
squeaks,
softly.
I know
the streets
of this town
by heart,
from riding
my bike.
Holding the
handlebars
one-handed,
I flip open
my cell.
After
midnight.
But there’s
still time
to stop
Emma.
To warn
her.
It’s a
sultry night.
Leftover heat
from the day
rises up
from the
sidewalk,
but the
rushing air
on my face
feels good.
There’s a
movie
about a boy
in a small
Midwest town
who loves
to bike.
It’s my
all-time
favorite
movie.
He pretends
he’s Italian,
the way
I pretend
I’m just like
everyone else.
Here is
what I say
every day
when I get
on my bike:
Ciao, bellissimo Midwestern town of Wilmette.
I pretend
I’m off
to Italy,
or London,
or Seattle,
or California.
In just
four years,
I really will
be gone,
so fast
everyone
will choke
on the dust
from my
bicycle wheels
as I ride
out of town.
Off to new
wide-open
worlds
where a girl
can be
who she is
meant
to be.
But for now,
in this place
and this time,
I’m here.
And I can’t
let it all
crumble
beneath me.
WALTER
They’re out there. The bad guys. I can hear them.
Their voices, the sound of the car idling.
Through the trees I can see flickering lights
coming up the path toward our house.
A sheriff has to protect his town,
but he has to protect his home as well.
There is no one but me to do it.
I move toward the closet.
FELIX
we watch emma and chloe go slowly, very slowly, up the crumbling stone steps to the path leading to the house. max is freaked out. i want to tell her not to care so much. to just let things go.
Remember Joey Pigza?
I ask softly.
max looks at me, her eyes wild, scared.
Who?
Those books I read over and over,
I say.
In 5th grade.
Oh yeah,
she says after a moment.
brendan is still texting, intent on the keyboard cradled in his hand. i hear chloe’s giggles drifting back as max and i watch the light from the two cell phones bobbing slowly toward the house.
Joey Pigza was always doing stupid shit like this,
I say.
And he survived.
Joey Pigza,
Max murmurs.
He was the one with ADHD?
Yeah, like me. Hey, Max,
I say, with a big grin,
did I ever tell you how someday I’m going to do research and prove that weed is the best medicine for ADHD?
max smiles.
Good luck with that,
she says.
Actually,
comes Anil’s voice from the back,
it’s not a bad idea.
Really?
I say
i turn around to look at him, surprised.
Yeah, some doctors in California prescribe medical marijuana for ADHD, but there’s very little research to . . .
another set of chloe giggles. louder.
Be quiet, Chloe,
comes Emma’s voice, clear and annoyed. Loud. Too loud.
anil stops talking and max’s smile disappears. her hands are clenched tight on the armrests and i’m suddenly tired of this whole thing. what the hell are we doing here? i should get max home, out of this.
Hey, Brendan,
I say, leaning forward,
this is lame. Can you get your girlfriend back here so we can all go home.
brendan turns and glares at me. looking at his slack mouth and dilated, glittering eyes, i suddenly realize how out-of-his-mind blitzed he is.
Go back to your weed, dickhead. Emma wants her fun.
Oh, that’s right. I forgot,
I say.
You do whatever Emma wants, don’t you?
i lock eyes with him. max darts a scared glance at me. like
what the hell are you doing?
her face says. and she’s right. brendan looks like he’s ready to tear my eyeballs out. but i can’t help it. this i-own-the-planet, gun-toting asshole is seriously messing with EMFAX. god, did i just call us EMFAX again? that’s the third time tonight. i
sidewalk
in front
of our
house,
my bicycle
wheel
bumps over
something,
something
that makes
a faint
squeaking
sound.
I lean over.
It’s a
black rubber
crow,
with a grimy
yellow beak.
Polly’s
favorite
chew toy,
faded,
gnawed on,
well loved.
Don’t know
how it got
out here
on the front
sidewalk.
I stick it
in the
back pocket
of my shorts,
and it
squeaks,
softly.
I know
the streets
of this town
by heart,
from riding
my bike.
Holding the
handlebars
one-handed,
I flip open
my cell.
After
midnight.
But there’s
still time
to stop
Emma.
To warn
her.
It’s a
sultry night.
Leftover heat
from the day
rises up
from the
sidewalk,
but the
rushing air
on my face
feels good.
There’s a
movie
about a boy
in a small
Midwest town
who loves
to bike.
It’s my
all-time
favorite
movie.
He pretends
he’s Italian,
the way
I pretend
I’m just like
everyone else.
Here is
what I say
every day
when I get
on my bike:
Ciao, bellissimo Midwestern town of Wilmette.
I pretend
I’m off
to Italy,
or London,
or Seattle,
or California.
In just
four years,
I really will
be gone,
so fast
everyone
will choke
on the dust
from my
bicycle wheels
as I ride
out of town.
Off to new
wide-open
worlds
where a girl
can be
who she is
meant
to be.
But for now,
in this place
and this time,
I’m here.
And I can’t
let it all
crumble
beneath me.
WALTER
They’re out there. The bad guys. I can hear them.
Their voices, the sound of the car idling.
Through the trees I can see flickering lights
coming up the path toward our house.
A sheriff has to protect his town,
but he has to protect his home as well.
There is no one but me to do it.
I move toward the closet.
FELIX
we watch emma and chloe go slowly, very slowly, up the crumbling stone steps to the path leading to the house. max is freaked out. i want to tell her not to care so much. to just let things go.
Remember Joey Pigza?
I ask softly.
max looks at me, her eyes wild, scared.
Who?
Those books I read over and over,
I say.
In 5th grade.
Oh yeah,
she says after a moment.
brendan is still texting, intent on the keyboard cradled in his hand. i hear chloe’s giggles drifting back as max and i watch the light from the two cell phones bobbing slowly toward the house.
Joey Pigza was always doing stupid shit like this,
I say.
And he survived.
Joey Pigza,
Max murmurs.
He was the one with ADHD?
Yeah, like me. Hey, Max,
I say, with a big grin,
did I ever tell you how someday I’m going to do research and prove that weed is the best medicine for ADHD?
max smiles.
Good luck with that,
she says.
Actually,
comes Anil’s voice from the back,
it’s not a bad idea.
Really?
I say
i turn around to look at him, surprised.
Yeah, some doctors in California prescribe medical marijuana for ADHD, but there’s very little research to . . .
another set of chloe giggles. louder.
Be quiet, Chloe,
comes Emma’s voice, clear and annoyed. Loud. Too loud.
anil stops talking and max’s smile disappears. her hands are clenched tight on the armrests and i’m suddenly tired of this whole thing. what the hell are we doing here? i should get max home, out of this.
Hey, Brendan,
I say, leaning forward,
this is lame. Can you get your girlfriend back here so we can all go home.
brendan turns and glares at me. looking at his slack mouth and dilated, glittering eyes, i suddenly realize how out-of-his-mind blitzed he is.
Go back to your weed, dickhead. Emma wants her fun.
Oh, that’s right. I forgot,
I say.
You do whatever Emma wants, don’t you?
i lock eyes with him. max darts a scared glance at me. like
what the hell are you doing?
her face says. and she’s right. brendan looks like he’s ready to tear my eyeballs out. but i can’t help it. this i-own-the-planet, gun-toting asshole is seriously messing with EMFAX. god, did i just call us EMFAX again? that’s the third time tonight. i
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