Stacie called out from the sofa behind them. “Lane, the girl on TV looks like Lacey! She has pretty hair.” She then pointed to Maps. “And he has stupid hair.”
Maps thought Benji was about to bust a gut laughing, the way he was rolling on the floor holding his stomach.
“Oh, this kid is great,” Benji choked out while cackling like a hyena.
“But Mappy says she’s stupid!” Stacie wailed.
“What?” Lane said.
Maps just held his hands up defensively, but said nothing. Lane sighed.
“Sorry, Stacie’s been weird all day. First, I get home to find all my pillows and sheets in the garden below my window, then she pitches a fit until I take her for ice cream, and now this. I have no idea what’s gotten into her lately.”
“Yeah,” Maps agreed, “strange kid.”
“Hey, listen,” Lane said quietly as he leaned in close. Maps really wished Lane wouldn’t lean so close.
Really.
It was entirely too distracting. Maps could see each and every freckle that peppered Lane’s nose and could see the razor thin shards of brown embedded in Lane’s pale green eyes. Lane’s eyelashes were long and blond, just like his hair, and Maps knew for a fact that sometimes they stuck together went it was cold outside.
“Do you want to come to my next baseball game? It’s here in town. We’re going to be playing over at the diamond near Parker Avenue and Fourth Street.”
Before the thought really even entered his mind, Maps knew whatever it was Lane was asking him to do, he’d agree. “Yes.”
“Really?” Lane perked up. “That’s great! I knew I’d make a baseball fan out of you.”
“More like a Lane fan.”
Oh, no.
Lane blinked.
Maps blinked. Would the ground just open up and swallow him whole?
“Maps—” Lane began, but was cut off.
“I miss Lacey!” Stacie squawked. “Is she still coming over tomorrow, Lane?”
“Uh.” Lane turned awkwardly in his chair to face his little sister. “Yeah, Stacie, but we’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“Okay!” She went back to watching the TV.
“Lacey is your girlfriend, isn’t she?” Maps couldn’t manage to hide the sliver of hurt in his voice, even if he tried.
“Well, kind of, but—”
“What did you get for answer six?”
“What?”
“Answer six, Lane. What did you get?” Maps avoided eye contact, staring down at the paper on the table in front of him and the chewed-up pencil in his hand.
“Maps—”
“I got seven and a quarter.”
Lane reluctantly looked down at his own sheet of paper. “Yeah, me too.”
“Great,” Maps said, quickly snapping his math textbook closed. “Then we’re all set. You should do great on the test tomorrow.”
“Can we talk?” There was a line between Lane’s eyebrows, and he kept nervously rubbing his arm.
“Why? Everything is great.” Maps stood up, walked over the living room, and flopped down on the couch next to his best friend.
Maps could see Benji frowning at him out of the corner of his eye.
“Want to watch Ace Ventura?” Benji asked Maps. He threw his right arm over Maps’ shoulders for a sideways hug.
“No.” Maps’ stomach hurt and his heart felt like it was covered in a layer of tar.
Benji stood up, walked over to the TV stand, took out the DVD case for Ace Ventura, and popped it in the player. “Yeah, you do.”
Maps couldn’t help it—he smiled. “Yeah, I do.”
It was his favorite movie—one of the first he and Benji ever watched together as kids. Collectively, they must’ve seen it over a hundred times, but it never got any less funny to either of them. They knew almost every line in the movie, and all the famous quotes, even with the correct inflections.
“Come on Stacie, we should go,” Lane said, standing next to the sofa.
“I don’t want to go! I want to watch the movie!”
Lane signed. “Another night. Say goodbye to Maps and Benji.”
“Bye Maps. Bye Benji.” Stacie hopped off the sofa at the same time Maps did. He walked them both to
Maps thought Benji was about to bust a gut laughing, the way he was rolling on the floor holding his stomach.
“Oh, this kid is great,” Benji choked out while cackling like a hyena.
“But Mappy says she’s stupid!” Stacie wailed.
“What?” Lane said.
Maps just held his hands up defensively, but said nothing. Lane sighed.
“Sorry, Stacie’s been weird all day. First, I get home to find all my pillows and sheets in the garden below my window, then she pitches a fit until I take her for ice cream, and now this. I have no idea what’s gotten into her lately.”
“Yeah,” Maps agreed, “strange kid.”
“Hey, listen,” Lane said quietly as he leaned in close. Maps really wished Lane wouldn’t lean so close.
Really.
It was entirely too distracting. Maps could see each and every freckle that peppered Lane’s nose and could see the razor thin shards of brown embedded in Lane’s pale green eyes. Lane’s eyelashes were long and blond, just like his hair, and Maps knew for a fact that sometimes they stuck together went it was cold outside.
“Do you want to come to my next baseball game? It’s here in town. We’re going to be playing over at the diamond near Parker Avenue and Fourth Street.”
Before the thought really even entered his mind, Maps knew whatever it was Lane was asking him to do, he’d agree. “Yes.”
“Really?” Lane perked up. “That’s great! I knew I’d make a baseball fan out of you.”
“More like a Lane fan.”
Oh, no.
Lane blinked.
Maps blinked. Would the ground just open up and swallow him whole?
“Maps—” Lane began, but was cut off.
“I miss Lacey!” Stacie squawked. “Is she still coming over tomorrow, Lane?”
“Uh.” Lane turned awkwardly in his chair to face his little sister. “Yeah, Stacie, but we’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“Okay!” She went back to watching the TV.
“Lacey is your girlfriend, isn’t she?” Maps couldn’t manage to hide the sliver of hurt in his voice, even if he tried.
“Well, kind of, but—”
“What did you get for answer six?”
“What?”
“Answer six, Lane. What did you get?” Maps avoided eye contact, staring down at the paper on the table in front of him and the chewed-up pencil in his hand.
“Maps—”
“I got seven and a quarter.”
Lane reluctantly looked down at his own sheet of paper. “Yeah, me too.”
“Great,” Maps said, quickly snapping his math textbook closed. “Then we’re all set. You should do great on the test tomorrow.”
“Can we talk?” There was a line between Lane’s eyebrows, and he kept nervously rubbing his arm.
“Why? Everything is great.” Maps stood up, walked over the living room, and flopped down on the couch next to his best friend.
Maps could see Benji frowning at him out of the corner of his eye.
“Want to watch Ace Ventura?” Benji asked Maps. He threw his right arm over Maps’ shoulders for a sideways hug.
“No.” Maps’ stomach hurt and his heart felt like it was covered in a layer of tar.
Benji stood up, walked over to the TV stand, took out the DVD case for Ace Ventura, and popped it in the player. “Yeah, you do.”
Maps couldn’t help it—he smiled. “Yeah, I do.”
It was his favorite movie—one of the first he and Benji ever watched together as kids. Collectively, they must’ve seen it over a hundred times, but it never got any less funny to either of them. They knew almost every line in the movie, and all the famous quotes, even with the correct inflections.
“Come on Stacie, we should go,” Lane said, standing next to the sofa.
“I don’t want to go! I want to watch the movie!”
Lane signed. “Another night. Say goodbye to Maps and Benji.”
“Bye Maps. Bye Benji.” Stacie hopped off the sofa at the same time Maps did. He walked them both to
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