When he got back to Theo’s little brick house, sweat was pouring off him, running down his ribs, dampening the cotton boxers at the small of his back. Auggie carried the bike around the side of the house, spotted the freestanding garage built at the end of the driveway, and headed for it. The roll-up door was closed, but he spotted a door on the side that might get him inside.
Before he could get inside the garage, the sound of tired springs drew his attention; Theo stood on the back deck, propping open a screen door with his elbow.
“Just leave it there.”
Auggie nestled the bike against the roll-up, where the slight overhang of roof would offer a little protection from the elements, and jogged over to the deck. He tossed the keys as he came up the steps; Theo snagged them out of the air.
“Thanks,” Theo said. “You really didn’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Auggie, Christ.”
Auggie shot a glance back at the bike. “What?”
“Your shirt.”
The chain and gears had left greasy smears along the polo.
“It’s fine,” Auggie said.
“It’s a really nice shirt. Hold on. I’ll give you some money to buy a new one.”
“I’ll just wash it.”
“Good luck,” Theo said. “Hold on. I’ll get some cash.”
“I don’t care about the shirt.”
“This is why I didn’t want you to get the bike.”
The sun was pounding down on them now, radiating back from the brick, making Auggie feel like he was caught in an updraft. Something moved in the tree line, and a branch popped. The mildly cooler air from inside the house smelled like peanut butter and toast.
“Fine,” Auggie said.
“No, I’m sorry.”
“No, you asked me not to do it. I should have listened.”
“Auggie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m . . . not being very kind. Thank you for getting the bike. Thank you. That was really nice of you.”
“Yeah,” Auggie said, suddenly not sure how to stand, restless and frozen in place at the same time, a smile trying to break free. “Yeah, you’re welcome. So, um, can I come inside?”
“I thought we agreed this wasn’t a good idea.”
“But we haven’t even talked about Robert.”
“I’m handling Robert. You just take care of yourself until I figure this out.”
“I just want, you know, an update. That’s it. Then I’ll take off.”
The next moment was long; then, sighing, Theo elbowed the door open wider and moved back, letting Auggie into the house. As Auggie passed him, he smelled Theo’s hair, like cedar, and clean sweat, and he felt something compress inside him, a kind of wild, potential energy just waiting for release.
The kitchen was small, like the rest of the house, and like the rest of the house it looked like it needed some serious attention. Empty pots and pans were stacked on the electric range; more rested next to the sink. A single plate sat in a drying rack. The refrigerator had a lot of magnets on it. Magnets, but nothing else. Auggie remembered the toys piled in one corner of the front room. He wondered where all the drawings and craft projects had gone. He had a mental image of Theo taking them down one by one, Theo stuffing them into a trash bag, Theo doing all of it alone.
“The bad news,” Theo said, shutting the door and leaning against it, “is that it’s not going to be as easy as I thought. Robert gave me a fake name when he tried to enroll in my class. That name isn’t showing up anywhere in the area: nobody with utility bills in that name, no driver’s license, and nobody registered at the college.”
“Wait a minute,” Auggie said. “He was going to add your class? Which one?”
Theo brushed his beard and looked away.
“No fucking way,” Auggie said.
“We don’t know if it was a coincidence—”
“It was not a coincidence,” Auggie said. “Think about it. He shows up to add your class, but he gives you a fake name. Why didn’t you tell me this when I was in your office?”
“Before or after I gave myself a concussion keeping you safe?”
Auggie’s face heated. “I just mean, this is really weird. He shows up to your class, asks to add, gives you a fake name. He’s got to realize you’ll figure out the name’s fake when you can’t add him, right? Wouldn’t you get some sort of notice?”
“All I do is sign the card. He takes it to the registrar after that. Of course, he wouldn’t have done that because he’s not really a student, and so he never showed up on my roster.”
“So why do it at all?”
“I thought about that,” Theo said. “I think he wanted a window. An opening. He could come to class for the first week—honestly, the first three weeks, through the whole add/drop period—and if he didn’t show up on my roster, I wouldn’t think twice about it. I’d just wait for add/drop to close, and then I’d print a new roster.”
Auggie shrugged. “Yeah, but, why?”
“He made up a fake name to add the same class you’re enrolled in,” Theo said. “He approached you at a party and buddied up to you.”
“You think this is about me?”
“What else is it about?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s just . . . it’s just a weird misunderstanding. I mean, why would he be interested in me?”
“I can think of a few reasons,” Theo muttered. He must have seen something on Auggie’s face, though, because he said, “I mean, I already mentioned drugs.”
“That’s not my scene, ok? I told you that.”
“Or this could be
