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Authors: Neal Shusterman
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make a perfect match with Kevin's face.
With the glasses firmly stuck on Kevin's face, Josh was quick to catch on.
"Hold it!" said Josh. "Hold it a second. You're not planning to . . . you know . . . use the glasses on Nicole, are you, Kevin?"
Kevin's all-outdoor smile seemed to wrap itself halfway around his head. "Do you dare me to?"
"No!" said Josh, "I definitely do not dare you to!"
Kevin shrugged. "Okay, then, I dare myself."
Josh shook his head. "I liked you better when you were a gutless wonder who got beaten up all the time."
"Aw, c'mon, Josh, if you were me you'd be doing the same thing!"
"No. If I were you," said Josh as he got up to leave, "I'd be scared. Real scared."
Nicole Patterson was part of an eternal trio that also included Iris Beecham and Alexa Macolini. They might as well have been born attached at the hip.
The three of them, like all the other girls in school, were in love with Dash Kaminsky. Kevin imagined that he was all they talked about when they sat down at lunchtime.
Kevin approached and cleared his throat. "Hey, ya wanna see a magic trick?" The three girls turned to him as he approached.
"Not really," said Iris.
"It's a good one . . . "
"Does it involve pulling your finger?" asked Alexa.
"No, nothing like that," said Kevin. "I hold in my hand an ordinary . . ." He looked down, then '
bent to pull up some sod. "An ordinary lump of dirt—but watch closely."
Kevin closed his fist on the dirt. The girls watched, but only because there was nothing better to do.
"I say the magic words," said Kevin. "Abracadabra—"
"Is this lame, or what?" sneered Iris.
"Shut up. This trick needs total concentration."
"Kevin," said Nicole, "I don't know if anyone has told you this, but you are truly weird."
"Abracadabra, hocus pocus, alakazam," said Kevin. "And presto, this clump of dirt is now a diamond."
Kevin opened his palm to reveal a small blue diamond that sparkled coolly in the sun.
The girls stared. "How'd you do that?" asked Alexa.
"I know how he did it," said Nicole. "He tricked us by making us look somewhere else while he switched the dirt for the diamond. It's called misdirection."
"Yeah," said Kevin, closing his fist. "But now the diamond is at the bottom of Iris's Coke. How did it get there?"
Kevin opened his palm and the diamond was gone. Iris shook her Coke and something was, indeed, down there. She guzzled it all the way down until she came up with a diamond between her front teeth. She spit it into her palm and studied it. It was the same diamond.
"Yeah, Nicole, how did it get there?" asked Alexa.
And then, Nicole Patterson uttered a phrase Kevin never believed he'd ever hear her say:
"I don't know."
Kevin smiled and reached behind her ear.
"Another diamond," he said, pulling it out from the strands of her auburn hair. "For you."
He held it out to Nicole with such unashamed sincerity that Iris and Alexa had to break out in wicked laughter. Nicole, now poised on the jagged edge of sheer embarrassment, pushed Kevin's hand away.
"I don't want your dumb diamond," said Nicole. "I just want to know how the other one got into Iris's Coke."
"Yeah," said Alexa, "how did it get there?"
"A magician never tells," said Kevin smugly.
"Hey," said Iris, "he's a magic midget!" The others giggled.
Kevin stiffened and bit his lip, but he refused to be humiliated. Not when he had come this far.
The school bell rang, echoing off the handball court across the field. Kevin was running out of time. If he was going to do something, he'd have to do it soon.
Iris pocketed her diamond. "It's probably plastic, anyhow." And the matter was closed. The girls shoved their sandwich wrappers into their lunch bags and prepared to go inside.
"Wait," said Kevin. "I need to talk to you, Nicole."
"About what?" asked Iris.
"Uh . . . It's private."
Iris and Alexa looked at each other and began to snicker.
"Oh!" said Iris. "That kind of talk."
"Will you two shut up?" said Nicole.
"No," said Iris.
With the glasses firmly stuck on Kevin's face, Josh was quick to catch on.
"Hold it!" said Josh. "Hold it a second. You're not planning to . . . you know . . . use the glasses on Nicole, are you, Kevin?"
Kevin's all-outdoor smile seemed to wrap itself halfway around his head. "Do you dare me to?"
"No!" said Josh, "I definitely do not dare you to!"
Kevin shrugged. "Okay, then, I dare myself."
Josh shook his head. "I liked you better when you were a gutless wonder who got beaten up all the time."
"Aw, c'mon, Josh, if you were me you'd be doing the same thing!"
"No. If I were you," said Josh as he got up to leave, "I'd be scared. Real scared."
Nicole Patterson was part of an eternal trio that also included Iris Beecham and Alexa Macolini. They might as well have been born attached at the hip.
The three of them, like all the other girls in school, were in love with Dash Kaminsky. Kevin imagined that he was all they talked about when they sat down at lunchtime.
Kevin approached and cleared his throat. "Hey, ya wanna see a magic trick?" The three girls turned to him as he approached.
"Not really," said Iris.
"It's a good one . . . "
"Does it involve pulling your finger?" asked Alexa.
"No, nothing like that," said Kevin. "I hold in my hand an ordinary . . ." He looked down, then '
bent to pull up some sod. "An ordinary lump of dirt—but watch closely."
Kevin closed his fist on the dirt. The girls watched, but only because there was nothing better to do.
"I say the magic words," said Kevin. "Abracadabra—"
"Is this lame, or what?" sneered Iris.
"Shut up. This trick needs total concentration."
"Kevin," said Nicole, "I don't know if anyone has told you this, but you are truly weird."
"Abracadabra, hocus pocus, alakazam," said Kevin. "And presto, this clump of dirt is now a diamond."
Kevin opened his palm to reveal a small blue diamond that sparkled coolly in the sun.
The girls stared. "How'd you do that?" asked Alexa.
"I know how he did it," said Nicole. "He tricked us by making us look somewhere else while he switched the dirt for the diamond. It's called misdirection."
"Yeah," said Kevin, closing his fist. "But now the diamond is at the bottom of Iris's Coke. How did it get there?"
Kevin opened his palm and the diamond was gone. Iris shook her Coke and something was, indeed, down there. She guzzled it all the way down until she came up with a diamond between her front teeth. She spit it into her palm and studied it. It was the same diamond.
"Yeah, Nicole, how did it get there?" asked Alexa.
And then, Nicole Patterson uttered a phrase Kevin never believed he'd ever hear her say:
"I don't know."
Kevin smiled and reached behind her ear.
"Another diamond," he said, pulling it out from the strands of her auburn hair. "For you."
He held it out to Nicole with such unashamed sincerity that Iris and Alexa had to break out in wicked laughter. Nicole, now poised on the jagged edge of sheer embarrassment, pushed Kevin's hand away.
"I don't want your dumb diamond," said Nicole. "I just want to know how the other one got into Iris's Coke."
"Yeah," said Alexa, "how did it get there?"
"A magician never tells," said Kevin smugly.
"Hey," said Iris, "he's a magic midget!" The others giggled.
Kevin stiffened and bit his lip, but he refused to be humiliated. Not when he had come this far.
The school bell rang, echoing off the handball court across the field. Kevin was running out of time. If he was going to do something, he'd have to do it soon.
Iris pocketed her diamond. "It's probably plastic, anyhow." And the matter was closed. The girls shoved their sandwich wrappers into their lunch bags and prepared to go inside.
"Wait," said Kevin. "I need to talk to you, Nicole."
"About what?" asked Iris.
"Uh . . . It's private."
Iris and Alexa looked at each other and began to snicker.
"Oh!" said Iris. "That kind of talk."
"Will you two shut up?" said Nicole.
"No," said Iris.
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