Steve and Gar walked back in, their sweat mostly dried. Neither said anything as Gar went to the fridge and grabbed two Gatorades, handing one to Steve, who accepted it without looking at it.
They each took long drinks and stared at nothing. Their breathing slowed, and finally - finally! - Steve broke the silence.
"What are the odds?"
Gar snapped back, "What are the odds of us being tied? Or what are the odds of my shot to win the game interrupted by a group of kids on those stupid rollerskate shoes getting into a huge crash in front of the house? Or the odds that when we come back from checking on them, the ball has gone mostly-flat and my one desperation heave knocks down the backboard, which massively dents the roof of my car? Which one?"
Steve paused. "I guess all of them."
"What's the highest number you can think of?" Gar raged. "Now double THAT to one and you've got the odds against all those happening at once!"
"Sorry about your car, man."
Gar sighed, a long, watermelon ice-scented exhale. "It's not your fault, man. It just sucks. I'm just sorry I still have to listen to you whine about Jen."
"I guess I still don't know if she's my destiny, huh?"
"Looks that way, man."
Monday, July 9, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Chapter 39
Steve paused, stuffed basketball in hand.
"Am I a bad person?"
"That doesn't rhyme at all." Gar said, absently.
"Seriously, man. She's allowed to see whoever she wants, right? So why should it eat me apart inside?"
"Because you're mostly a woman?"
"It's going to be like that? I'm dying here, man."
"Yes, it's going to be like that," Gar considered what he had written, then erased a large part of his poem.
"I just don't want to be a jealous jerk."
"You're not jealous."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you're envious. For jealousy you have to possess something and then lose it. Envy is when you want something that someone else has. You're basically coveting."
"Shut up."
"You shut up, you envious jerk. There. The poem's done. Let's go shoot some hoops."
"All right."
"Hey," Gar turned back to face Steve, "if you beat me, you're fated to win her heart."
"By prom night?"
"By prom night."
"Sounds like it's up to fate, then."
"No no - when I win, I don't want to hear anything more about Jennipher Semmes. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Right."
"Am I a bad person?"
"That doesn't rhyme at all." Gar said, absently.
"Seriously, man. She's allowed to see whoever she wants, right? So why should it eat me apart inside?"
"Because you're mostly a woman?"
"It's going to be like that? I'm dying here, man."
"Yes, it's going to be like that," Gar considered what he had written, then erased a large part of his poem.
"I just don't want to be a jealous jerk."
"You're not jealous."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you're envious. For jealousy you have to possess something and then lose it. Envy is when you want something that someone else has. You're basically coveting."
"Shut up."
"You shut up, you envious jerk. There. The poem's done. Let's go shoot some hoops."
"All right."
"Hey," Gar turned back to face Steve, "if you beat me, you're fated to win her heart."
"By prom night?"
"By prom night."
"Sounds like it's up to fate, then."
"No no - when I win, I don't want to hear anything more about Jennipher Semmes. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Right."
Friday, July 6, 2007
Chapter 38
Steve was on the floor. He lay on his back, throwing a stuffed basketball (won at the Freedom Festival a few years ago) at the ceiling. Gar was in his office chair, ostensibly working on his physics homework.
"What rhymes with Gewrzyn?"
"What?"
"Do you think 'newer son' would work?"
"Are you writing a poem for your physics teacher?"
"Yeah. I can't figure out these last two problems, so I figured I'd blatantly suck up."
"Nice."
"What rhymes with Gewrzyn?"
"What?"
"Do you think 'newer son' would work?"
"Are you writing a poem for your physics teacher?"
"Yeah. I can't figure out these last two problems, so I figured I'd blatantly suck up."
"Nice."
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Chapter 37
Blake smiled as he watched his new vein of luthracite being carted to the surface. Everything was going smoothly, and he could almost forget he had been in Sharpin for two months. As he signalled Humbot to take him to the surface, he heard a brief sound. A groaning of the support pillars, the weight of the Earth settling above his head. Aware that this was normal yet still disquieted, Blake headed to the exit of the mine.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Chapter 36
"Um, dude?" Stoner went on, under his breath, "Are you going to get in a fight? Because maybe we should have kept our clubs. I mean, you did get beat down by Christian like two weeks ago."
"I'm not going to fight. I just want to see this guy."
"Okay, but if you fight...throw coffee in his face first."
They walked across the parking lot of the Arcaditorium to the Starbucks patio. Steve examined Jen and her date without seeming to. He didn't seem to be anything special - thoroughly average. Annoyance grew, as Steve and Stoner walked to the counter without Jen noticing. After ordering their drinks, Steve turned around and feigned surprise.
"Jen?"
"Steve! How are you?"
"Great. How's it going?"
"It's good. This is Kevin. Kevin, this is my friend, Steve. And back there is his friend, Stoner."
"How's it going, man?" Ugh. Steve hated everything about this "Kevin." Especially his stupid voice.
"It's going. Stoner and I were just over at the Arcaditorium."
"Really?" Kevin smirked. "Are you junior high kids on a date?"
Jen laughed and so did Steve - although a little louder than would have been appropriate.
"This guy's funny. Good thing, with a mug like that. No, his girl works there and he wanted to see her. Plus, you know. Free mini golf."
Jen sensed the dynamic and paused, unsure of how to continue. Kevin broke the silence.
"We'll see you, Steve."
"Yeah. It was good meeting you, Ken -"
"Kevin."
"Sorry. Good meeting you, Kevin, see you, Jen."
"Bye."
Steve walked away, seething. In his head, he knew that Jen wasn't his, but to see her with anyone else made his heart drop into his stomach and splash acid all over his insides.
"I'm not going to fight. I just want to see this guy."
"Okay, but if you fight...throw coffee in his face first."
They walked across the parking lot of the Arcaditorium to the Starbucks patio. Steve examined Jen and her date without seeming to. He didn't seem to be anything special - thoroughly average. Annoyance grew, as Steve and Stoner walked to the counter without Jen noticing. After ordering their drinks, Steve turned around and feigned surprise.
"Jen?"
"Steve! How are you?"
"Great. How's it going?"
"It's good. This is Kevin. Kevin, this is my friend, Steve. And back there is his friend, Stoner."
"How's it going, man?" Ugh. Steve hated everything about this "Kevin." Especially his stupid voice.
"It's going. Stoner and I were just over at the Arcaditorium."
"Really?" Kevin smirked. "Are you junior high kids on a date?"
Jen laughed and so did Steve - although a little louder than would have been appropriate.
"This guy's funny. Good thing, with a mug like that. No, his girl works there and he wanted to see her. Plus, you know. Free mini golf."
Jen sensed the dynamic and paused, unsure of how to continue. Kevin broke the silence.
"We'll see you, Steve."
"Yeah. It was good meeting you, Ken -"
"Kevin."
"Sorry. Good meeting you, Kevin, see you, Jen."
"Bye."
Steve walked away, seething. In his head, he knew that Jen wasn't his, but to see her with anyone else made his heart drop into his stomach and splash acid all over his insides.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Chapter 35
...the initial wave of nausea passed. Steve was not going to throw up - not now, at least.
"Let's finish the round," he gritted.
The rest of their round went quickly - Stoner didn't even spend time lining up his shots. They played through a group of eleven year-olds without asking - the kids didn't even protest, as they had caught the heat baking off Steve without trying. At the eighteenth hole - the chance to win a free game - Stoner took Steve aside.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Steve answered. "I feel like I need to go talk with her. I mean, she's allowed to talk with other guys, right? We're not together, and even if we were, it's her life, but...I think I'm most upset because...did she lie to me about prom?"
"Okay. Let's go over."
They returned their clubs to Stoner's girlfriend at the counter and headed over to pretend to be surprised by Jen and her date.
"Let's finish the round," he gritted.
The rest of their round went quickly - Stoner didn't even spend time lining up his shots. They played through a group of eleven year-olds without asking - the kids didn't even protest, as they had caught the heat baking off Steve without trying. At the eighteenth hole - the chance to win a free game - Stoner took Steve aside.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Steve answered. "I feel like I need to go talk with her. I mean, she's allowed to talk with other guys, right? We're not together, and even if we were, it's her life, but...I think I'm most upset because...did she lie to me about prom?"
"Okay. Let's go over."
They returned their clubs to Stoner's girlfriend at the counter and headed over to pretend to be surprised by Jen and her date.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Chapter 34
"Juads Priest, Stoner, will you hit the ball already?"
"Miniature golf is a game of precision, Steve. Precision and perfection. And you can't rush either." Stoner said. Then, after a brief pause, hit his putt. He and Steve both watched it roll, bounce off the corner board and ease its way down the ramp. There it struck one of the pylons and rolled gingerly toward the hole. It paused, then fell in for a hole-in-one.
"You can't rush it, man." Stoner smirked.
Steve rolled his eyes and set his ball down. Friday nights at The Wild West Mini-Golf-And-Go-Kart Arcaditorium were not the best place to hang out (unless you were a junior high kid on a group date, he notes, looking around), but Stoner's girlfriend always let them golf for free, so...here they were. Thinking about perfection and precision, Steve lined up his shot.
"Hey, isn't that Jennipher Semmes over there?"
Ha ha, Steve thought, I will not be swayed by Stoner's Jedi Mind Tricks.
"With some dude?"
Steve couldn't help it. He looked up as he swung, sending the ball careening nowhere near the hole. But yes, at the Starbucks next door, Jen and some dude were sitting outside, laughing together. Steve's stomach dropped and he felt bile rising in the back of his throat. Oh, throwing up would not make Stoner's girlfriend happy...
"Miniature golf is a game of precision, Steve. Precision and perfection. And you can't rush either." Stoner said. Then, after a brief pause, hit his putt. He and Steve both watched it roll, bounce off the corner board and ease its way down the ramp. There it struck one of the pylons and rolled gingerly toward the hole. It paused, then fell in for a hole-in-one.
"You can't rush it, man." Stoner smirked.
Steve rolled his eyes and set his ball down. Friday nights at The Wild West Mini-Golf-And-Go-Kart Arcaditorium were not the best place to hang out (unless you were a junior high kid on a group date, he notes, looking around), but Stoner's girlfriend always let them golf for free, so...here they were. Thinking about perfection and precision, Steve lined up his shot.
"Hey, isn't that Jennipher Semmes over there?"
Ha ha, Steve thought, I will not be swayed by Stoner's Jedi Mind Tricks.
"With some dude?"
Steve couldn't help it. He looked up as he swung, sending the ball careening nowhere near the hole. But yes, at the Starbucks next door, Jen and some dude were sitting outside, laughing together. Steve's stomach dropped and he felt bile rising in the back of his throat. Oh, throwing up would not make Stoner's girlfriend happy...
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