Part 43 (2/2)
”I don't understand these at all,” John said, staring at the diagram.
”We need an electrical engineer,” Grace said.
”Electrical engineering is not till junior year,” John said. ”We can't wait that long.”
”I'll buy the textbooks,” she said with a laugh. ”They'll be here next week.”
They finished another thread. While Grace drew it on their huge sheet of drafting paper, she said, ”Casey keeps asking about you.”
”What?”
”Casey, remember her? Tall, blond, broke your heart.”
”I remember.”
”She says you two broke up over a big secret,” Grace said. ”You wouldn't share.”
”Yeah.”
”Is it this same secret?”
John sighed. ”I guess so.”
”Well, the cat's out of the bag on that one,” Grace said.
”What do you mean?”
”You can tell her the truth, can't you?”
”Too many people know already!” John said. ”It could put you in danger.”
”What will happen to her if we build a device and leave?”
”Nothing.” John found the next thread within the device. Beside him the Geiger counter clicked a single beat. They kept it nearby in case, but there'd been nothing but background radiation. ”Besides, she's probably with Jack.” He remembered the sight of her and Jack on Thanksgiving Day, kissing and groping in front of her house.
”She hasn't seen Jack in months! Not since... Thanksgiving. She dumped him on the day before Thanksgiving.”
”She did?”
”Yep. Jack was a total a.s.shole.”
”I agree with that.”
”So go see her,” Grace said.
”She's probably dating someone else,” John said.
”She's not.”
”How do you know? You moved out of the dorm.” Grace had moved into an apartment near the factory when she stopped going to cla.s.s.
”I still keep in touch,” Grace said defensively. ”I still go back for lunch at the cafeteria. It's really good mac and cheese.”
John laughed.
”Call her; see her,” Grace said. ”Talk to her. What can it hurt?”
”Everything.”
John said no more, but his mind churned over their last argument, his last view of Casey. Not now, he told himself. It was too complicated, too wrong.
But when he left Henry and Grace to go to Dynamics, he drove past Casey's dorm and parked in the nearest commuter lot. Instead of stopping and calling her from the lobby, he walked on to cla.s.s.
On the way back, after a lecture on rigid body torque, John paused again in front of her dorm. It was nearly five in the afternoon. She was likely to be studying or getting dinner. If he had really wanted to talk with her, he should have stopped by before cla.s.s. Now it was too late.
”I'm an idiot,” he whispered to himself, and headed toward his car.
”John?”
He turned. Casey was standing three meters behind him on the sidewalk with two other female students John didn't know. They peered at him curiously.
”Hi, Casey.”
”What are...? How are you doing?”
He shrugged. ”Busy.”
”I hear. Grace keeps me up-to-date, and I read all the newspaper articles.”
He was full of words and not sure where to start. The two friends, eyeing him as if he were a toad, didn't help.
”Listen. ...”
”Yeah.”
”You want to go to dinner?”
”Casey,” one of the women said. ”Don't you have-”
”It's okay, Sheryl,” she said. To John, she said, ”Let's go.”
<script>