Part 16 (1/2)
As I was checking the list on Mr Klunk's World History class, so irl whose earrings dangled to her clavicles
That's a week's detention for you, young lady, I nearly snapped, but stopped myself in time She'd taken me for another student! In these dimly lit, crowded corridors, I could pass as a kid! I'd always looked younger than irl in et , I'd had to wear fruet the kids to think of me as a teacher
Where do you hide aof marbles But first I needed to look more like all the other erhood at the school store, where I bought a Zablocki Zebras sweatshi+rt-black and white and hideous all over-and a headband that swept lasses, I looked like Brainella, the Human Computer Luckily the store was nearly deserted and I was able to pull off Charlene's sweater and pull on the Zablocki sweatshi+rt behind a rack of paperbacks without being seen I bought a roomy black backpack and transferred the contents of Luella's tote bag into it e sweat fu I pacified hiranola bar and then stuffed hi, I , hor the perilous terrain of the high school hallway Aed years flooded back Were those boys over there staring at ly or cute? Was that clique of Mean Girls snickering atthese dorky, LL Fru platform sandals?
The aroma of lima beans and Brussels sprouts drifted from somewhere close by, and I realized it was already lunchti my nose, I found the school cafeteria, jauello, wait up!” I heard one boy call
My head snapped around I zeroed in on a boy of about sixteen as pushi+ng his tray along the a la carte cafeteria line The first boy caught up with him They paid for their food and went out into the courtyard adjoining the cafeteria, where picnic tables were scattered beneath a patch of ragged locust trees It was a popular place; twenty or thirty kids were hanging out there, flinging their nutritionally balanced school lunches to the pigeons
I followed the pair I went up to the first boy, as lounging atop one of the tables, eating French fries ”Excuse uello?”
”Jackpot,” he said ”It's Eddie, okay?” He had a pleasant, husky voice and killer eyes-brown liquid with ri eyeliner He had bronze skin, a nose that was a hand-ed with bleached blond like a strip of over-fertilized lawn He wore standard teenage guy getup: oversized T-shi+rt, shorts with the crotch starting at the knees, and clunky faux gold chains
His friend was a tall kid with grasshopper arlasses, and a pony hawk like a woodpecker crest He was checking out le-uello scowled at hi to drink”
Rico shrugged and stalked off
I took a deep breath, crossed ers, and asked ”Are you by chance related to a Luis?”
”Luis Ruiz? My cuz But don't co his baby, sweetheart, because he's muerto”
”When did he die? What happened?”
Eddie patted the tabletop and I hopped up beside him ”Why you want to know about Luis?”
”I have irl, but I don't even know you, and I don't think the Arguellos have a light-skinned branch of the fa aboutreason My teacher assigned a research paper on dead guys nauy lent me bus fare and I wanted to pay him back?
Instinct belatedly kicked in Eddie was street sers, but he was still a teenaged guy running on surging hormones So I turned my face up to the sun, arched my back, locked my hands behind my head, and stretched Let the sweatshi+rt do the talkin'
The sweatshi+rt talked Eddie was definitely listenin'
”I' and e Maybe that cute friend of yours would know so about Luis”
”Who, Rico? That dope don't know nada about nada And I'm a h enough to handle-”
”Rico, tough? 'Scuse h so hard I puke He still sleeps with a teddy bear You think I'h?”
I put h, Eddie And you're cute And you're built like The Rock What do you press-two hundred? You're s to talk to ht? An undercover cop or so for you to talk about your cousin I understand” I started to get up
”Whoa-c'mon, not so fast You want to know about my cuz, I'll tell you I was just worried that you couldn't handle it, 'cause the Luis stuff is kind of sick”
I fluttered my lashes ”I think I can take it If you holdpreschoolers hooked on lollipops?
Looking pleased, Eddie took my hand ”See, Luis kicked it about three-wait-alo now It was cruel, babes They duarette burns, other stuff you don't want to know”
Black spots swarmed in front of my eyes ”Who's they?”
”The Posse probably”
”That's a gang?”
”Yeah Or maybe the Cobras Luis was s?”
Eddie frowned ”He swore he wasn't Not while he still lived with us anyhow My ht before I go to bed I' luck-the only one left at home for her to pick on I never touch even a aspirin, but she don't trust hs touched I didn't h on you,” I said, operating on the theory that teenagers love hearing how badly their parents treat theht Anyhow, Luis coal, but he knows he's safe with us He's like way old, ale Be in by ten No hangin' with the bad ladies”
He shook his packet of French fries at ed up out of the backpack like a trout ju and the fries flew all overthehed and reached to pet muffin
”He bites,” I warned
”I bite back,” Eddie said
I thought the friesup the remnants ”You said Luis was your cousin?” I proed ”Some relation on otta take in faive Luis the spare bedroom What's your puppy's na approxiirl? You can't tell with the furry ones, covers up their cojones”
”He's a boy You were saying, about Luis?” I prompted
”Not to speak ill of the dead, but Luis-I hated hi around like his balls clanked He said why he caeance for soo And after he kills hiet to talk to Diane Sawyer He'll spill so uy's name will be smeared for all time At least I think that's what Luis said Half the ti about My Spanish ain't too good and Luis's English was fer shi+t”
Eddie's pal Rico reappeared, holding a Sprite out to s to hips to face His eyes widened
”Holy crap! She's-” His voice rose to a squeak ”Hey, you guys! She's Mazie Maguire! She's here-the fugitive!”
For a big guy, Eddie couldHe slapped his hand over Rico'soff the table, poised to take off