Two from the Heart(47)

And suddenly, there it is: A thin, upright cylinder about four feet tall. Some rudimentary fins. The beginnings of a nose cone. Crude. Ghetto-rigged. MacGyvered. Say what you want. But it’s clearly and unmistakably… a rocket. And a pretty cool-looking one at that.

As he tinkers, Bron explains what he’s doing. He spills out information so fast that some of the younger students have a hard time following, especially if they’re new to English.

Thrust. Pitch. Roll. Attitude. ?De qué está hablando? What the heck is he talking about?

Gonzalo leans down to translate for his smaller schoolmates until he sees their eyes light up—just like his.

The truth is, Gonzalo feels lucky—and a little proud of himself. After all, he was the one who spotted this pasty gringo wandering in the desert. And now, thanks to him, his school is going to have the most kick-ass science project of all time.





Chapter 32


DAISY IS amazing. And so are her nerds.

I don’t know how the hell they got cameras into that classroom. Maybe they tapped into the school security system. Or maybe they invented some kind of miniature lens that looks like a fly on the wall. I’ve stopped asking questions, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Right now, Daisy is sitting across from me with her feet up, her nose buried in her laptop. Even after all this time, she still feels like she needs to babysit me. But honestly, I don’t mind the company.

I’m pecking away at my Selectric, working out ideas for tomorrow. It feels like everything is finally flowing. A well-oiled machine. Maybe I don’t suck at this after all.

Out of nowhere, the metal outer door opens and slams.

“I am done! Can you hear me? DONE!”

I know that voice.

Daisy sits bolt upright as a woman walks into the control room. It’s Sunny.

I definitely did not write this. Sunny is still in her waitress outfit. Her eyes are red. It’s the first time she’s set foot in this place since her audition.

“Wait! Hold on! What’s the matter?” says Daisy, rushing over to put her hand on Sunny’s shoulder. Sunny pulls away—not having any of it.

“I can’t do it. I can’t do this anymore.”

She’s not crazed. She’s not yelling. She’s just… determined.

This situation is way out of Daisy’s wheelhouse. Mine, too. But I give it a try.

“What do you mean?” I say. “It’s working really well! He’s crazy about you!”

Sunny takes a step forward and jabs her finger at me.

“Working? Sure. Because you’re making it work. You talk me through every step. You give me all the questions and all the answers—you and your—” She points at my typewriter.

“It’s a Selectric.”

“And all this… this Mission: Impossible bullshit!” She waves her arm around at our multimillion-dollar lair—consoles, monitors, mainframes. “This has nothing to do with the real world!”

The minions are stunned. They just sit there.

Daisy decides to switch up her approach.

“Wait now. Wait a minute. You knew what you were signing up for. This isn’t some dorky school play you can quit if you don’t like your part. You need to see this through. You’re committed—like all of us. You signed an agreement.”

“That’s pathetic,” says Sunny. “You can keep your stupid money. And don’t worry, I won’t run and sell my story to the Enquirer. I know what I signed. I’m just sick and tired of being a fake. I don’t know if you can tell from inside your little cocoon here—but Tyler Bron is a good guy. He’s a really good guy. He deserves something better than a grade C actress.”

For a second I think about telling Sunny what a terrific actress she’s turned out to be, but I don’t think it would go over too well right now.

Sunny turns to walk out—and then turns back. She tugs her hair away from her right ear, then prods with her little finger until a tiny receiver pops out into her hand. She tosses it onto a desktop.

“I know you’ll want that back,” she says. “I’m sure it’s really expensive.”

And she’s gone.

Daisy stands there for a few seconds. Then she walks slowly across the room and sits down on the sofa. She looks at me.

“Oh. Shit,” she says. “This is big trouble.”

Like I don’t know it. A huge part of Bron’s life just walked out the door. A huge part of my life. If this doesn’t get fixed, the whole project collapses. Right on top of me.

I hate to sound selfish at a time like this, but without Sunny, I’ve got no ending.





Chapter 33


BRON WRAPS up his last oil change of the day and makes it to the diner by eight, just like clockwork. He takes his usual seat and settles in to watch the crowd. Way more interesting than TV. When he feels Sunny at his elbow, he looks up and smiles at…

Maria?

“Hi, there,” he says, trying to cover his disappointment. “I’m sorry. Where’s Sunny tonight?”

Maria fiddles with her order pad and pen.

“She didn’t say anything to you?”

“Say what? Where is she?”

Maria takes a short breath and lets it out. “She’s gone.”