Part 34 (1/2)
”No it doesn't,” said Danny.
It obviously bothered Lieder that Danny was not flattered to be offered a place on the team. ”How much of this do you think I'm going to take from you?”
”Track is voluntary, sir,” said Danny. ”And I don't race.”
”You don't race race?” asked Lieder.
”I like running with with people. When you race, one of you is supposed to leave the other behind. What's the point of running people. When you race, one of you is supposed to leave the other behind. What's the point of running with with somebody, if you end up by yourself?” somebody, if you end up by yourself?”
Lieder was going to have a stroke. ”To win!” he said.
”To win what?” asked Danny.
”The. Race.”
”I don't race.” Danny started walking back to the gym.
”Run that again and let me time you this time!” demanded Lieder.
Danny just kept walking. ”I've already run it twice. It's going to be ninety-five today. I'm going inside.”
After gym he had biology and then drama. In biology he sat there silently, judging how current the teacher's information was. In drama, he made a huge splash just by being male in a cla.s.s with eleven girls and only two other guys.
By the end of the first day, Danny was legendary in exactly the way he wanted. Everybody knew his name. He had defied a teacher. He had shown that he could really, really run. Yet he didn't care about winning. And Sin-Cynthia Arnelle, the Goth who was allergic to her piercings-was convinced that he had done something magical to heal her. ”He even erased the holes,” she was telling people.
”They just grew over,” Laurette told them adamantly. ”He didn't heal anything.” didn't heal anything.”
Danny was leaving school right then, jogging past. ”Hey, you!” Sin shouted. Danny jogged over to her. ”You erased my piercings, you a.s.shole.”
Danny looked her over closely. ”You have piercings?” he asked.
”Not now, now,” she said. ”Thanks to you.”
”When did I do this?” asked Danny, showing a puzzled expression.
”When you got up from the table at lunch. You jostled me, and now my piercings have completely healed over.”
Danny looked from Sin to Laurette and the other girls. ”Wow,” he said. ”For a girl named Sin, she's doing pretty well with faith-healing.”
Sour Girl's complexion was now clear, and if she smiled she'd probably be pretty. Danny reached out to stroke her cheek. She slapped his hand away, a.s.suming, no doubt, that he was mocking her. She didn't like to be touched on a cheek covered with zits.
But now that Danny had almost touched her, Laurette and Sin were staring at Pat's smooth skin, probably for the first time, since as friends they had trained themselves not to notice her complexion.
Now my work here is done, Danny said silently. He jogged off down the hill.
This was going to be a great year.
IN THE FIRST two weeks of school, Danny never ran fast except when Lieder wasn't timing him. It was a running joke and got him called to the princ.i.p.al's office. two weeks of school, Danny never ran fast except when Lieder wasn't timing him. It was a running joke and got him called to the princ.i.p.al's office.
”He can time me whenever he wants,” said Danny. ”He times me a lot.”
”But you never run fast when he's timing you,” said Princ.i.p.al Ma.s.sey.
”I don't like being timed.”
”That's like saying you don't like being graded.”
”I don't,” said Danny. ”Takes all the fun out of it.”
”But your teachers tell me you're doing excellent work, and they they all grade you.” all grade you.”
”So far I was interested in all the a.s.signments.”
”Listen, Danny Stone, I know you were home-schooled, but you need to understand that in public school, you fulfill your a.s.signments, you obey your teachers.”
”I fulfill my a.s.signments, sir. I obey my teachers.”
”Listen, Danny, I'm telling you: Obey Coach Lieder. Let him time you at your best!”
”I can't help it if he drops the watch,” said Danny. ”Or falls down. I run my fastest a lot, but the only runs he ever manages to time happen to be the slower ones.”
”You have an att.i.tude,” said Princ.i.p.al Ma.s.sey.
”How can I not not have an att.i.tude?” said Danny. ”Everybody have an att.i.tude?” said Danny. ”Everybody always always has an att.i.tude, even if it's only apathy.” has an att.i.tude, even if it's only apathy.”
”See? It's smart remarks like that...”
”How is that a smart remark? It's just... true.”
”Get out of here,” sighed Princ.i.p.al Ma.s.sey.
Thursday of the second week, a few girls discovered the healing properties of the Tripping Place in the lunchroom and word of it quickly spread, even among those who regarded it as an urban legend. Those who tested it were freaked out when it worked, but more and more girls were arranging to pa.s.s through the spot.
As far as Danny could tell, though, only one person connected him with the Tripping Place. ”You did this,” said Pat, touching her cheek.
”Did what?” asked Danny.
”I had the worst acne in the school,” said Pat. ”Now it's gone.”
”So you grew out of it. What does that have to do with me?”
”You did it,” she said. ”The Tripping Place in the lunchroom-I was the first person to trip there. You did it, and it healed me.”
”Just like that?” asked Danny. ”Wow, I must be, like, really magic.”
”You show up at Parry McCluer and strange things start happening.”
”So I'm in control of, like, the s.p.a.cetime continuum.”