Read Online Zipped by Laura McNeal - Free Book Online

fixed on hers, but he sensed Reece’s eyes were wandering.
    â€œYou go to Melville or Jemison?” she said.
    â€œSophomores at Jemison,” Mick said, but he was thinking, Melville? We look like middle schoolers?
    Myra sat back down, and Foolish lay down nearby, panting. To Pam she said, “So, what’d you find out about these individuals?”
    Pam shrugged. “Sophomores. Carless and clueless.”
    Myra said, “Oh, I don’t know. I adored sophomore year. And eighth grade was even better.”
    Pam flicked a glance at Mick. “For Myra, eighth grade was a twofer. She had a hot boyfriend and developed mammillation.”
    Mick made a mental note to look up mammillation.
    â€œWe walked everywhere,” Myra said. “When you walk, you talk. It was kind of nice.” She scanned her smile from Mick to Reece. “So what’re your names?”
    â€œMick Nichols.”
    Reece pried his eyes from Pam Crozier, who’d resumed reading. “Reece,” he said. “Winston Reece.”
    â€œWinston?” Myra said.
    â€œAfter that Churchill guy. My mother thinks Churchill was a big deal.”
    Pam looked up from her book and said, “Yeah, well, she’s right. When the BBC, the
London Times,
and Neville Chamberlain all said, ‘Appease Mr. Hitler,’ Churchill said, ‘Resist.’ ” She suddenly fixed her eyes on Reece. “You were named after the possibly greatest man of the twentieth century,” she said, “but that still doesn’t give you the right to keep staring at my mammary glands.”
    A laugh burst from Myra, then from Mick and finally Reece. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s just that—”
    â€œYou’re just a hungry boy at the smorgasbord?” Pam said quickly, which drew more laughs at Reece’s expense. As the laughter dimmed, a faint partial melody sounded.
    Reece’s cell phone was ringing, but it wasn’t a ring. It was the first few bars of “Strangers in the Night,” which, when he’d selected it, had seemed hilarious. Now it didn’t so much, and Reece was trying to pretend it didn’t exist. From one of his baggy front pant pockets the muted
dooby-dooby-do
notes kept sounding, again and again. Finally Pam said, “Is that your cell phone, or do you have a tiny orchestra where your penis should be?”
    Mick couldn’t help laughing. Reece’s cheeks flamed red for a moment, but then he was laughing, too, and reaching for the phone.
    â€œYeah,” he answered, and when he turned away from the group, Mick knew it was his mother checking up on him. “The park,” he said. “With Mick.” Long silences followed with Reece now and then murmuring, “Okay.” Just before hanging up, he said, “Oh-kay, I’ll tell him.”
    â€œTell who what?” Pam said, grinning.
    Reece looked sheepish. “Tell Mick he’s invited to dinner.”
    â€œA dinner invitation!” Pam said. She turned to Mick. “Winston wants to take you home to meet his mother! Do you accept?”
    Mick played along. “Depends. What are they serving?”
    Pam turned quickly to Reece. “What are they serving?”
    â€œPolish sausage and other stuff.”
    To Mick, Pam said, “Polish sausage and other stuff.”
    â€œSure,” Mick said. “Why not?”
    â€œGood! That’s settled. Now, what about us? Are Myra and I invited?”
    Reece gave her a brightening look of real surprise. “Sure. Do you want to come?”
    Pam grinned. “No. But it was polite of you to ask.”
    They laughed and then there was a lull, but it didn’t feel like an awkward lull. Clouds that had been massing to the east were now directly overhead, and when one of them passed in front of the sun, Mick shivered and wondered if he could put his jacket back on. Myra, evidently following his gaze, pointed to it. “So