names of the others, I stroll to the next couple. “Boy number two,” I say as I stop in front of the dreadlocked boy, who’s somehow stolen the flyswatter from Eloise. Remembering the boxy letters on the sign outside his door, I say, “Abe.” He nods, which bounces the intricate dreadlocks that are piled up in a ponytail on the top of his head.
Abe opens his mouth into the widest of grins. “Pleased to meet you,” he says, extending a hand.
His cooperation already makes me like him. “Nice to meet you, too.” I point at the flyswatter. “Planning to use that?”
Abe glances down, eyes widening like he had no idea the flyswatter was in his hands. “What? This?” he asks sweetly. Then, before anyone can stop him, he crosses the divide between the men and women and swats Eloise on the butt.
She squeals, but it’s a happy sound, and when they start tickling each other there’s a collective groan. Bee, beside me, makes a comment about how this is the last way she needs to waste yet another afternoon, and the boy on the end with the plaid shirt and a thick Southern twang shouts something about the couple getting a room. But it’s hard to tell exactly what, because the acronym-shouting blonde mutters something with too many letters to make sense, and the pink-and-green-haired Doublemint twin sprints for the counter like he needs another snack. I’m losing them; I need to work, and fast.
I feel someone’s eyes on me. Abe’s looking at me, so I turn to face him.
“You’re working to earn the vaccine?” Abe asks, eyes wide and friendly.
I try to smile because maybe he actually cares. No one else has asked why I’m doing this, but I’m sure they know. I expect Abe to say something else, but he looks toward the ground and shifts his feet. “Doesn’t matter if I get it. Nobody left in the world.” His smile disappears from his face.
“Aww.” Eloise shifts her massive skirts before latching herself onto Abe and wrapping an arm around his neck. She puts her lips together to say a word, but stops herself and opens her mouth to try something else. It takes me a minute to realize she’s struggling with her English. Pinching her lips together, she says in a soft accent, “Don’t say that. The world is full of poss—”
“—ibilities,” Abe finishes, laughing. “I get that.” He kisses her on the cheek.
I don’t want to intrude, but I turn to the girl because the weight of my task is pressing. “So, you’re Eloise,” I state.
She waggles her eyebrows and black skirts, her lips spreading into a smile on her face.
“Well, it’s good to meet you both.” And not wanting the first boy, the Middle Eastern-looking one, Ramus, to feel left out, I smile at him, too. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I can’t wait to get to know you more.”
The next boys in line—the Doublemint twins—have some breaded things in their hands. I need to move along if their cooperation lasts only as long as their snacks.
I take another step toward them, beginning with the pink-and-green-haired Doublemint boy, when Marcus yells, “And that is the conclusion to our night.”
What ? Why’s he stopping me? First he didn’t tell me about the snake, and now this? There’s something seriously wrong with him. “But I’ve only learned a few of the names!” I find myself covering the five or six steps between us to reach him in the center of the room. I’m this close to popping him in the face.
Cleo snakes an arm around Marcus. “You heard him, chica. Time to scat.” I’ve never been much of the violent type, but it takes everything I have not to smack her in the face.
But Marcus folds his arms, and it’s a domino effect. Both of the blond-haired boys fold their arms, along with the plaid-shirted boy with the Southern twang. He actually looks familiar—I think he’s one of Marcus’s friends from the math meets—but right now I don’t want anyone siding with Marc. We’re all supposed to be working
Abe opens his mouth into the widest of grins. “Pleased to meet you,” he says, extending a hand.
His cooperation already makes me like him. “Nice to meet you, too.” I point at the flyswatter. “Planning to use that?”
Abe glances down, eyes widening like he had no idea the flyswatter was in his hands. “What? This?” he asks sweetly. Then, before anyone can stop him, he crosses the divide between the men and women and swats Eloise on the butt.
She squeals, but it’s a happy sound, and when they start tickling each other there’s a collective groan. Bee, beside me, makes a comment about how this is the last way she needs to waste yet another afternoon, and the boy on the end with the plaid shirt and a thick Southern twang shouts something about the couple getting a room. But it’s hard to tell exactly what, because the acronym-shouting blonde mutters something with too many letters to make sense, and the pink-and-green-haired Doublemint twin sprints for the counter like he needs another snack. I’m losing them; I need to work, and fast.
I feel someone’s eyes on me. Abe’s looking at me, so I turn to face him.
“You’re working to earn the vaccine?” Abe asks, eyes wide and friendly.
I try to smile because maybe he actually cares. No one else has asked why I’m doing this, but I’m sure they know. I expect Abe to say something else, but he looks toward the ground and shifts his feet. “Doesn’t matter if I get it. Nobody left in the world.” His smile disappears from his face.
“Aww.” Eloise shifts her massive skirts before latching herself onto Abe and wrapping an arm around his neck. She puts her lips together to say a word, but stops herself and opens her mouth to try something else. It takes me a minute to realize she’s struggling with her English. Pinching her lips together, she says in a soft accent, “Don’t say that. The world is full of poss—”
“—ibilities,” Abe finishes, laughing. “I get that.” He kisses her on the cheek.
I don’t want to intrude, but I turn to the girl because the weight of my task is pressing. “So, you’re Eloise,” I state.
She waggles her eyebrows and black skirts, her lips spreading into a smile on her face.
“Well, it’s good to meet you both.” And not wanting the first boy, the Middle Eastern-looking one, Ramus, to feel left out, I smile at him, too. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I can’t wait to get to know you more.”
The next boys in line—the Doublemint twins—have some breaded things in their hands. I need to move along if their cooperation lasts only as long as their snacks.
I take another step toward them, beginning with the pink-and-green-haired Doublemint boy, when Marcus yells, “And that is the conclusion to our night.”
What ? Why’s he stopping me? First he didn’t tell me about the snake, and now this? There’s something seriously wrong with him. “But I’ve only learned a few of the names!” I find myself covering the five or six steps between us to reach him in the center of the room. I’m this close to popping him in the face.
Cleo snakes an arm around Marcus. “You heard him, chica. Time to scat.” I’ve never been much of the violent type, but it takes everything I have not to smack her in the face.
But Marcus folds his arms, and it’s a domino effect. Both of the blond-haired boys fold their arms, along with the plaid-shirted boy with the Southern twang. He actually looks familiar—I think he’s one of Marcus’s friends from the math meets—but right now I don’t want anyone siding with Marc. We’re all supposed to be working
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