Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks by 'Nathan Burgoine

Author:'Nathan Burgoine [Burgoine, 'Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635550993
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2018-12-10T18:30:00+00:00

* * *

“Okay,” Candice said, coming over to wipe the table. “Dish.”

Malik had left. I’d waffled over asking him if he wanted company on the walk home and hadn’t offered, which I now regretted. He’d done this thing where he’d patted my shoulder as he left and now I was wondering if I was a complete idiot, or just shy of all the pieces.

“Sorry?” I said, snapping back.

“Boy is cute. Boy is sitting with you for two hours, and sneaking looks at you when you’re not looking at him. Dish.”

“What?” My voice did this squeaky thing. “No. He’s…I mean. Really? Are you sure?”

“Aw, honey.” Candice laughed at me.

“It’s just…He’s really cool,” I said, trying to explain. “He’s, like, one of the best athletes at school.” I couldn’t express this clearly enough. “When he throws balls, they go where he wants them to. I think schools are willing to give him money because he does it so well.”

“Wow,” Candice said. Her lips were kind of wiggling. I didn’t think she was treating this information with the correct level of respect. “I guess that makes him royalty, then?”

“He’s a friend,” I said. “Trust me.” But I could feel my skin getting hot. Who was I trying to convince here?

“Cole,” Candice said. “I couldn’t hear everything he was saying, but I heard some of it. Do me a favor. Ask yourself if you think he has those conversations with his other friends. Or if he’d hang out with them for a couple of hours in my shop. Doing homework.”

Then she patted my arm and was gone.

Yeah. So that just happened.

I packed up, paid up, and paused at the door long enough to wave. I had to concentrate hard on not going anywhere but outside. It worked, and I started the walk home.

This door thing was not getting better. This time it felt like little popping fireworks were on the other side of Meeples’s door. God only knew what that meant, and I so didn’t want to find out. Also, had Candice really just suggested that Malik—?

A full-body shudder hit me so hard it made me stop walking. It wasn’t someone walking over my grave so much as it was someone leading a parade there. My heart jacked up to a hummingbird pace. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

I slid my hand into my pocket and grabbed my phone. As casually as I could, I pretended I’d just gotten a text or something, then pulled up the camera. I counted to five, skin still crawling, then turned around, lifted the phone, and took a bunch of pictures.

To his credit, the guy with the beard didn’t run away or anything. He just stood in front of Meeples, watching me take his photo.

When I finally lowered my phone, he turned and walked away in the other direction.

“Okay,” I said. “Officially freaking out.”

I looked at my phone. None of the shots were great, but if I zoomed in enough, at least I could tell he was the same man from at school.

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