“Sure. I’d love to hear al about it.” He put the car in gear and waved. “Later, Weezy.”
She waved, then stood with her jaw hanging open as she watched him go.
“Close your mouth before you start catching flies.”
She turned to him, mouth stil open. “Do you believe that? He spoke to me. He actual y stopped and spoke to
head back. “I can’t
“Am I missing something here?”
“Carson Toliver wants to get together with me!” She was talking to the air. Jack could have been miles away.
“So?”
Final y she came back to Earth—or at least into shal ow orbit—and looked at Jack as if he’d just told her he was from the Crab Nebula.
“‘So’? He’s a
“Too cool for words,” Jack said, letting the sarcasm drip. “Let’s ride.”
She didn’t seem to hear him. She was tugging on her ponytail. “Look at my hair! And how I’m dressed!
a total dweeb!”
“Wel , it’s not as if you can drive yet. You’re only fourteen.”
“I’l be fifteen next month!”
“Stil …”
“If I’d been walking he’d have given me a ride.”
Jack had about al he could take. He started riding back toward 206. If Weezy wanted to come that was up to her, but he wasn’t going to stand there
and listen to any more of her burbling babble.
He didn’t know why he was feeling ticked off. Okay, maybe he did. To see Weezy go al gaga just because some guy stopped and said hel o … it
shouldn’t bother him, but it did. That wasn’t his Weezy—or rather, not the Weezy Jack knew. His Weezy wasn’t like other girls. She was different. Special.
Carson Toliver should be gaga because she’d spoken to
“Hey, Jack!” he heard her cal behind him. “Wait up!”
He was tempted to say,
getting dropped like a hot potato.
She’d probably wanted to let Carson know they weren’t going out or anything like that. And … wel … they weren’t. So why had it bothered him?
He didn’t know.
He slowed to let her catch up.
“What’s the hurry?” she said.
“Got an errand to run.”
“Oh. Want me to come along?”
“That’s okay.”
No traffic in sight when they came to 206 so they buzzed straight across. “Is something wrong?” she said when they reached the other side. “No, why?”
“You’re acting weird.”
Yeah, he probably was. He needed a cover.
“My brother’s been hassling me. I want to teach him a lesson and I need a special ingredient for that.”
“And that’s the errand?”
He nodded.
She said, “Anything I can do to help?”
He glanced at her. “This is gonna be pretty much a one-man show, but if I need
a hand, I’l let you know.”
She smiled. “If you need me, I’m there.”
Jack didn’t know why, but suddenly he felt a change. Like a weight had lifted
from his shoulders.
Weird.
4
Mr. Vito Canel i lived on a corner up the street from Jack and was known for having the best lawn in town. An older, retired, white-haired widower, he
