Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy

Author:Katie Kennedy [Kennedy, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781619639102
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

HOPING IT WAS MURDER

“So here’s the thing,” Dovie said, guiding the steering wheel with her inner wrist. “My parents want to get a picture of us, which is totally lame, but they wanted us to stop by the house after the dance. If you have time.”

“Sure, but that guy took picture at school.”

“I don’t know if I can get that, since we got kicked out.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

Dovie accelerated through a yellow light.

“Hey, Yuri?”

“Yes?”

“If the asteroid hits Earth, will it be bad? I mean, really bad?”

“Yeah. It’ll devastate California.”

She turned to stare at him. He glanced from her bulging eyes to the road ahead.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Oh my God.” She was silent for a moment. “What do you think it will be like?”

“Um … I don’t think human vertebrae can withstand concussion, so I think it will be whole lot like being dead.”

Dovie’s eyes glistened.

“Will it knock the planet apart?”

“No, that’s impossible …”

“I wonder if water will flow from the ocean, right off the edge of the world.”

“The atmospheric …”

“Shut up, Science Boy. And pirate gold will spill out, doubloons clinking, and T. rex bones will tumble into space and float there. Oh! They may get caught by the gravity of some planet. That could happen, right?”

“Well, yes, but …”

“And there would be skeletal T. rexes marching around a planet, deathless sentries from a dead world. And some day it’ll freak out aliens flying by. They’ll press their little green faces to the windshield and say, ‘What the hell, Zork! Look at that!’”

“You know, you don’t have to try so hard to be different. You are different.”

“Um, thank you?”

He grimaced slightly. He’d always assumed he would be smooth with women. Experimentation was proving that hypothesis wrong.

“I mean, you’re artist. Life is your canvas.”

“Wow. That’s actually very nice.”

She turned onto her street.

“I’m very nice guy. But don’t worry about planet breaking apart, okay? Wouldn’t happen with biggest asteroid you could find.” He didn’t add, It wouldn’t have to break apart for us to die.

Dovie parked with three wheels on the driveway, and they walked to the front stoop with hooked pinkie fingers. The door was unlocked and as Dovie opened it, warmth and light and the smell of burnt cinnamon spilled out.

“Hey, it’s the Spockovskii!” Lennon called, splitting his fingers in a Vulcan salute. He’d taken the wings off his chair, but had left the bat-signal flashlight underneath it.

Yuri nodded to Dovie’s parents, who were washing dishes together. “‘Skii’ is ending for adjectives,” he said. “I’m noun.”

“Knowing that is proof you’re the Spockovskii.”

Mr. Collum dried his hands and tossed the dish towel over his shoulder. He grabbed a camera from the kitchen table and motioned Dovie and Yuri in closer together. Yuri put his hand lightly on her back, awkward now—her house, her father. Mr. Collum clicked the picture, then turned the camera on end, his elbow jutting out as he shot again.

“Got it!” He put the camera down. “You’re home early.”

“Mrs. Cronick kicked us out,” Dovie said.

“Did you visibly enjoy yourself or something?” Lennon asked, without looking up from the television.

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