[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Yeah, I said her. After Landon and I broke up I started looking around, you know? Because I like
having somebody to be with, and not just for the sex... Wait; if you're a parent-type person or teacher or
something, put your fingers in your ears for a moment, 'kay?
For the non-uptight peeps, yes, we had sex. Me and Landon. Come on. We'd been two sixteen-year-
old guys who'd long ago figured out what that body part was for. You think we wouldn't try out all the
ways it can be put to good use? That had been one of the best parts about discovering I was gay.
Because another guy wants a lot more sex than a girl does, at least in my limited experience.
That turned out to be the bad side too, because Landon liked sex a whole ton, even more than I did.
And he decided he liked it with other guys too. I'm not a prude, but I kind of prefer to be doing one
person at a time, even if there weren't diseases and AIDS and shit out there. So we broke up.
After that, I started looking at other people again, and when my eye found someone who made me
heat up and take notice, it turned out to be Danielle. A girl. A very pretty girl.
So when Danielle came in the door to Geography class, my dick did the same sit-up-and-beg
routine as when I saw Landon. Maybe even more. Because it's an equal opportunity joystick.
Danielle's just gorgeous. And hot. Long legs, tight little bod, shiny black curls to her waist, and a
way of smiling that makes her cheeks round and her eyes bright. Danielle's too smart for me, really, but
when I'd asked if she wanted to go to a movie and maybe get a burger tonight, she said yes, she'd love
to. And she meant it. I was sure. Just like I was sure that Landon meant it when he said, Sneer at the
rednecks.
Because I wasn't just the biggest guy in the class, and apparently bisexual, when I'd just got used to
thinking I was gay. I was also, as far as I knew, the only Truth Reader in the school. Truth Reader
like, I can tell when someone's lying, if I concentrate enough or the lie is big enough to register. It
comes from being a quarter Wanderer, and that's a whole other story. It's a bit relevant here, but not a
ton, so just think stranded-aliens-back-in-my-pedigree, and that'll be enough to get you by.
Aliens. Don't freak out. You think NASA would spend all that money hunting for intelligent life in
space, if they weren't pretty sure we're out there? And maybe they'll find my ancestors' home planet one
day, and send a message or something. But we're all mixed in with humans now I doubt any of my
generation would really want to go back. For us it just means a skill or two that would let us star in
Twilight. You don't believe me? That's good, because it's best for all of us if you don't.
Anyway, I've never told anyone who wasn't family. There's a few of us Wanderers around, and we
pretty much all have different Traits, but even my people don't like to think you're reading their mind.
Which this isn't, exactly more of a nasty slithery feeling I get on the back of my neck, if someone
doesn't truthfully believe the words coming out of their mouth. My Trait's not super unusual, but none
of the other kids in the community have it, as far as I know.
To most humans, it would be a freak skill, like some kind of mega-ESP, so I'm even less likely to
tell them; sometimes I get caught up in being human and it seems freaky even to me. And it's not as
useful as you might think. Still, knowing it can be done means I usually tell the truth, myself.
So I said to Landon, I'm not interested in going anywhere with you. Now or ever.
He gave me a little sneer, and stuck his hand in Chris's back pocket, while watching me to see if I
noticed. I didn't even bother to look away. After a minute Mrs. Gerber came in and the guys went off to
their seats. Which were far away from me, praise Jesus and all his reindeer, while Danielle's was up
front but closer.
I sat through Geography, and snuck a lot of looks at Danielle, and a few at Landon, and didn't learn
much from the lecture. I guess it might be good one day for me to know where Yemen is, or what its
capital is. But the odds are if I ever go there, it will only be as an Army draftee, if we screw up the
Middle East worse than we already have.
Hopefully that won't happen. And unless I get drafted, well, my people don't tend to leave their
community, so I knew chances were I'd live in the good ol' U S of A, probably right here in Angelwood,
for the rest of my life. It didn't inspire me to pay attention.
I began planning my date with Danielle. First date. It'd been a while since I'd done that with a girl,
and I'd learned a thing or two since then. And not just what you're thinking.
For a bunch of years I didn't use my Truth Reading skills much around my friends. I didn't always
want to know if they were messing with me, ignorance sometimes being bliss and all. But I'd wanted to
do right by Landon, as my first serious crush. I'd paid attention, and learned to use my talent now and
then to tell how much truth was in his voice, so I could treat him the way he needed. So I'd know the
difference between when he said, That's fun, and meant it, and when he said, That's fine, and
didn't. Tonight was going to be all about making Danielle happy and paying the right kind of attention.
Even if she was too good for me in the long run, I was determined to make a hell of a first impression.
****
I picked Danielle up at her house at six. We were gonna eat and then catch the movie. I'd washed
the car, and even cleaned all the crap out of the backseat. Girls care about that kind of thing. Well,
Landon had cared too he's kind of a picky bastard but after we split, I'd taken to tossing all sorts of
stuff back there, just because I could, maybe. For Danielle, I'd made it all nice again.
She looked great, in a cream-colored sweater that showed off some of her assets, and a short denim
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]