He grins. “Playin’ jailbreak this one time.”
I glance away from him, embarrassed. Hearing the word “jailbreak” come from his lips instantly transports me back to last summer and me fallin’ in that damn mud puddle.
If he’s also rememberin’ that moment, he doesn’t act like it. “I got the door open easy so I thought it’d be the perfect hidin’ place. Then I figured out what it really was. I gave myself up so I wouldn’t have to share my discovery with anyone. My team was pissed,” he finishes.
“I don’t blame ’em,” I laugh.
“You like it?”
“Uh-huh.” I kiss his lips like I’m tryna inhale ’em. He backs me up against one of the bookcases, and a humungous cloud a dust kicks up, and we cough like crazy. Then we laugh so hard it hurts, which defuses the moment, but we don’t mind.
“Clayton?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for sharin’ this with me.” He traces the length of my face with his index finger, and I wanna bite it off.
And then the strangest thing happens.
“Do you feel that?” Clay asks.
“Feel what?” I barely get the words out before I feel it too. Moisture. Like a rainy mist, but inside the building. Clay looks up at the ceiling for a leak, which wouldn’t make a bit of sense, cuz you don’t get mist from a leak, and it ain’t even rainin’. That’s when my eyes put the pieces together.
“Clay. Look.”
He looks where I’m lookin’, and he sees it too. The colors. We’re not in a mist. We’re in a rainbow. Clay’s mouth falls open. This defies the laws of nature. There’s no rain or sun. And yet here we are. Surrounded, embraced by water, color, and light. Instead of going out, the candle flames shine brighter. I feel tears of joy slide down my cheeks. We are not only seeing a rainbow up close in real life, we’re feeling it. We are in a goddamn rainbow!
The thought crosses my mind, but it couldn’t be, could it? Then again, what else could it be?
I grab Clay’s hand. I don’t want to close my eyes to this sight, but I have to know if this is me. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and I look again.
And it’s gone.
“What— How— What was that?” Clay asks me.
“I don’t know,” I say, almost to myself. I can’t believe my own senses. If Clay hadn’t just witnessed this, I’d seriously think I had bats in my belfry. But I’m not crazy. I am powerful in ways I never imagined I’d be. Ways I never imagined I could be. It’s as thrilling as it is frightening.
“A natural wonder is my guess,” I say, trying to explain it away. “These things can happen. I’ve read about bizarre weather events happenin’ in different parts of the world, but I never thought I’d see it myself.”
Clay smiles a new smile: a shy, youthful smile.
“Feels like the world is much more magical when you’re around,” he says.
I try to smile back, but it’s hard. I’m not ready for him to know the truth about me. I don’t wanna scare him. I want him to think I’m normal for as long as possible. But how long can I keep it hidden? I made up all that poppycock about weather. I’m jubin’ on a whole new level, and it’s too much for me.
7
Chivalry
CLAYTON AND I TAKE TURNS reading to each other from Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in the dim light. We’re sittin’ all cozy on a miniature version of the tea party table from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and we’re both wearing what we can only guess were birthday party hats kids wore back in the teens or twenties or thereabouts.
“Where we goin’ next?” he says.
“Mmm. I gotta be gettin’ home soon,” I say, wishin’ it weren’t true.
Clay nuzzles my neck with his nose and then playfully nibbles on it. “Okay,” he says, though he’s clearly not happy about it, “but we must do one more thing. Then I’ll take you home.” I plant a silly mwah kiss on his forehead. He raises an eyebrow at me.
“This has been perfect. You don’t need to take me nowhere else,” I tell him.
“Yeah, I do,” he says, and he hops off the table. We put the books and the party hats away, and I help Clay douse most of the candles. Once we’re outside, he blows the last one out and leaves it inside near the door.
“I didn’t mean we had to rush,” I say.
“I don’t wanna get you in trouble. Don’t worry. We’ll come back here sometime. Come on.” He takes my hand, walks me to the car, and opens my door. I get inside and wonder where we could possibly be going now. Wherever it is, it may be nice, but there’s no way it’s gonna be as special as the colored children’s library. Maybe if it’s safe enough, I can take the twins there for their birthday. If they behave.
He gets in and turns the key in the ignition.
“How long you been drivin’?” I ask.
“Psh,” he scoffs, looking over his shoulder before pulling out. “I could drive since I’s twelve. Legally? Only for two years.”
We ride along and talk about school and stuff. Clay just graduated, and he’s pretty happy about it. I’m not ready to think about what that means for the future—our future—so I tell him the guys on the baseball team will sure miss him. He agrees, but it don’t seem like he’ll miss them. He only played cuz his dad pressured him to take up a sport. Somehow he was good at it, even though he was always bein’ careful with his hands. His fingers are meant for trumpet valves, not catchin’ ground balls.
Eventually, he turns off on a windy road going upward. My ears start poppin’ cuz a the elevation shift. Now I know exactly where he’s takin’ me. It’s the lookout. Some folks call it “lovers’ lane.” It’s my favorite place in town because
