The Best Possible Answer(29)

I don’t have time to think. I should run toward the office, which is much closer than where Evan and Mila are, but my instinct is to be with my sister, especially since we’re under attack, and so I run toward them. Thankfully, I move just in time before a tomato falls, splat, on my towel, where I had been sitting mere seconds before.

“What the hell!” I laugh as I squeeze under their umbrella, where they’ve been joined by at least two other families and their kids, who are all soaking wet. “He’s lost his mind completely!”

One of the dads yells up at Professor Cox. “Stop throwing those! You’ll kill someone!”

He’s right, but I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the tomato grenades being launched from the eleventh floor. A tomato lands right on our umbrella, which makes me laugh even harder.

Professor Cox’s throwing dozens of tomatoes. I’m not sure if he’s aiming at us or at the water, but most of them splatter on concrete, and a few actually make it into the pool. We’re close enough that I can see the pulpy masses turn to slime and spiral through water. Crimson fireworks explode against the pale blue floor of the pool.

Virgo, who’s standing at the edge of the office, starts to sing a deep operatic aria in Italian; his baritone voice reverberates throughout the pool area. It’s the most perfect sound track to this utterly ridiculous event.

That makes me explode into laughter. My laughter makes Mila start to giggle, which, in turn, makes Evan laugh, too, and then we’re all giggling uncontrollably as the dad yells at the sky. Then he turns to us and snaps, “You think this is funny?”

I try to muffle my laughter and shake my head no, but really, I do think it’s funny. I think this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.

I look over at Evan, who’s wearing the broadest, most joyful smile.

In this moment, I’m not thinking about anything.

And it’s amazing.

Before I know it, I’m reaching out for Evan’s hand.

He’s startled for a moment, but then he looks at me with a smile and squeezes mine.

I lean in.

And I kiss him.

First, I can feel his surprise, but then I feel his decision to return the kiss. I close my eyes to let myself feel this moment, my lips on his, his mouth turning from a smile into a kiss.

And then I remember where we are.

I open my eyes and pull away before Mila sees us.

Evan smiles and squeezes my hand again.

Virgo’s still singing, and the tomatoes are still falling, but at a slower rate now. Professor Cox seems to have perfected his aim, as they’re all falling straight into the empty pool beside us.

Five more tomatoes fall, and then it’s over.

Virgo stops his singing, and then Professor Cox calls out, “Triumph is mine!” And then: “All clear on deck!”

We wait for a few minutes, just to be sure.

Evan’s hand is still wrapped around mine. We’re all squeezed in close enough under this umbrella that Mila can’t see.

I don’t want to pull away.

Finally, everyone starts to clear out from under the umbrellas, and Evan and I are forced to let go.

I dive in the water.

Mila and Evan both follow me in. Without saying anything about the tomato attack or the sudden kiss or the touch of his strong fingers around mine, we lead the cleanup of the tomato bombs from the bottom of the pool.

The strange thing is, while I’m stunned by my own choice to kiss him, I don’t feel the panic that I did mere minutes before.

As I dive the eight feet underwater, searching for the drenched fruits, I am strangely calm, strangely happy. All I can think about is how fine I am in this moment. I know I should feel upset about Sammie, about this sudden strange entanglement with Evan, about the consequences of all my bad decisions.

But none of that is weighing on me at all.

All I can think about is diving down to the bottom of this pool to find these tomatoes.

I am right here swimming. I am right here laughing. And that’s enough.

The last hour has been absolutely absurd and absolutely wonderful.

For the first time in a very long time, I feel fine.

I feel really, really fine.

*

When we get back upstairs, Mila is still hyper from the tomato attack. I open the door, and she runs to the window. “I can’t see anything from here,” she whines. “Could we go up to Sammie’s? She said she can see right into his apartment, right?”

“We’re not bothering Sammie right now,” I say.

My mom, who’s sitting at the dining room table, looks up from her papers. “What are you two talking about?”

“The Nut!” Mila exclaims, her forehead still pressed against the window. “He went crazy today! Threw tomatoes at us! It was awesome!”

My mom looks at me. “Are you talking about Professor Cox?”

“Yeah.” I laugh. “He stood on his balcony and threw like fifty tomatoes at us.”

“Made a huge mess!” Mila turns from the window. “Do you think he’ll be arrested?”

“Someone called the police?” my mom asks.

“No. Not yet. I mean, I don’t think so,” I say. “But one guy, some upset dad, was threatening to. I don’t know if he did.”

“That would be a shame,” my mom says. Then she grabs her phone to text someone. I lean over close enough that I can see she’s texting Sammie’s mom.