We Are the Ants(70)

This part of the mall was quieter. Some doors were labeled with store names, others with numbers. Being in that store with all those shoppers laughing at me dragged me back into the gym showers. I felt my knobby wrists rubbing together painfully, felt my groin ache and the hair on my legs yanked off when Coach Raskin removed the tape. Marcus and his friends hadn’t victimized me once; they did it every time they called me Space Boy or left a mask on my desk or paraded that f*cking picture around for the world to see. I was tired of being the victim, but I didn’t know how to be anything else.

I’m not sure how long Audrey had been calling, but I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and answered it. She was frantic, so I rejoined her at the food court. The moment she saw me, she threw herself at me, crying. Her heavy shopping bag whacked me in the back, probably leaving a bruise.

“Sorry for running off.”

Audrey’s tears quickly became rage. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

“It was Adrian.”

“I saw him.” An evil grin lifted her lips. “But he won’t cause problems anymore.”

I waited for Audrey to spill, but she was savoring her victory. “Are you going to fill me in or what?”

Audrey pulled me out of the way. The mingling smells of fried rice and pizza and burgers made me hungry. I hadn’t eaten all day. “I may have e-mailed an anonymous tip to Principal DeShields from one of the phones in the Apple store.”

“Wait, what?”

Audrey couldn’t stop smiling the whole time she recounted her story. “I cornered Adrian’s manager and explained what Adrian had done, but he didn’t take me seriously. He’s one of those dicks who calls everyone ‘bro,’ even girls, and he was never going to take my word over Adrian’s.” Audrey glowered, still fired up. “So I confronted Adrian myself.”

A supernova occurs when the gravitational force of a star’s core becomes greater than the star’s energy output. The core collapses in on itself, ejecting the outer layers in a display of light and energy greater than that which the sun will produce over its entire lifetime. Adrian never stood a chance.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“You’re right,” she said. “You should have.” Audrey gave me her Hell-yes-I-did-just-go-there stare, so I kept my mouth shut. “It was easy. I set a display phone to record video and confronted him about the picture. I’d only planned to use it to get him fired, but then the fool blabbed about actually snapping the picture. He went on and on about how much you struggled. I pretty much lost my shit.”

My knees felt weak, like I’d stood up too fast. The blood rushed to my head, and the world turned to static. I leaned against the wall until it passed. “Did you really record him saying that?”

“Yep!” Audrey had never looked more proud of herself. “Then I saved the video and e-mailed a copy to Principal DeShields. I’m sure she’ll know what to do with it.” She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek. “Merry Christmas, Henry.”

I knew there would be repercussions, but I didn’t care. Adrian was going to get what he deserved. I wish that made me feel some sense of relief or closure, but the victory was hollow. No matter what Principal DeShields did to Adrian, I’d still be Space Boy. Nothing could change that.

Despite the crowds, neither of us was ready to go home, so Audrey and I grabbed slices of greasy pizza, had our picture taken together with Santa, and each bought toys for the donation tree in the center of the mall. It was nearing closing time, and I still hadn’t found a present for Diego.

“I’m terrible at gifts, Audrey.”

Audrey tried to reassure me. “Pshaw. What are you talking about? I love my talking Gollum doll. Nothing says best-friendship like an emaciated demon who hides under your pillow snarling, ‘My precious!’ even after you remove his batteries and drown him in a bucket of water.”

I laughed so loud, it sounded like a seal barking. I don’t know why I’d bought that doll except that Audrey once said she loved The Lord of the Rings. It was so creepy, I hid it in Charlie’s closet until I was ready to wrap it. “Did Jesse ever show you the smittens I got him for his birthday?”

“What the hell is a smitten?”

“It’s a mitten that two people can wear while holding hands.” Audrey turned red; I thought she was choking on her tongue. “Come on! I thought it was cute!”

“We live in Florida!” Audrey linked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the coffee shop. “Tell me what you know about Diego.”

“He’s a good kisser.”

“Yuck. Other than that?”

The more time Diego and I spent together, the less I felt I knew about him. Every layer I peeled back revealed a hundred more. “He likes to read. He’s an artist. He doesn’t drink.”

“That’s a list of stuff,” she said. “What do you know about him?” Audrey ordered us coffees while I tried to come up with an answer. I knew loads about Jesse—he loved baths but hated hot tubs, he listened to self-important indie music, cologne made his eyes puffy, he never washed his jeans—but Diego was an enigma. Even though he’d finally fessed up about being in juvie, that had only raised more questions.

I wracked my brain for something. “He’s sweet,” I said. “He’d give you his last dollar. Nothing scares him. He cuts a path through this world like he’s got a plan, but I’m pretty sure he’s making it up as he goes along.” I sat down on the ledge surrounding one of the fountains with my head bowed. “I don’t know, Audrey.”