Linkage: The Narrows of Time

Chapter 8

Saturday, December 22





Lucas stepped out ofthe oversized shower stall in their apartment, wiping himself offwith a beige, terry-cloth towel from the towel rack. He slipped onhis boxer-briefs and a pair of ankle-high white socks.

He stood in front ofthe cracked mirror and watched his hands lather up his face withshaving cream. “What do you wanna do for breakfast?” he yelled toDrew, almost smearing some of the cream into his right eye.

“Hang on a minute,I’m on the phone,” Drew answered from the other room.

Lucas scraped thefive-bladed razor across the middle of his chin, trying not to cutopen one of his childhood scars. The blade pulled and ripped at hisstubble, reminding him to buy replacements at the on-campusdrugstore. When he finished, he rinsed off his face, toweled it dry,and then waited for signs of blood to appear. There were none. He rana blast of hot water through the blades and tapped the razor twiceagainst the edge of the sink.

Drew rolled into thebathroom, squeezed past the back of Lucas’ legs, and positioned hiswheelchair between the sink and the toilet. Their apartment had anoversized handicap accessible bathroom, its only redeeming quality.He put his shaving kit on the edge of the sink along with a can ofair freshener. The can was shrink-wrapped with a price sticker on itsside.

“Round two?” Lucasasked.

Drew laughed. “Ishould’ve known better than to have those onion rings yesterday.”

“Can you hold on aminute? I just need to brush my teeth.”

“Sorry, can’t.Something’s peeking already.”

Lucas handed him anextra roll of toilet paper from under the sink. “Here, you mightneed this.”

* * *

Tenminutes later, Lucas was on the couch when he heard the toilet flushand smelled the air freshener. Lucas went into the bathroom and stoodnext to Drew, who was washing his hands in the sink.

“I think you need touse more of that spray. It’s hard to breathe in here,” Lucassaid, holding the shirt collar over his nose.

“I don’t smellanything.”

“You never do.”

Lucas dodged hisbrother’s left arm as Drew removed his pajama top. It was all partof his brother’s shaving ritual. After that, Drew would spend agood ten minutes brushing each of his teeth twenty-one times.

“Damn, how manypush-ups did you do today?” Lucas asked, seeing Drew’s pumped upbiceps.

“Three hundredseventy-five, a new personal best.”

Lucas looked at hisphysique in the mirror. “I’d be lucky to do fifty. Plus it wouldtake me all day.”

“I had a lot of extraenergy today.”

“Maybe you shouldthink about wearing a short-sleeved shirt, to show off those guns tothe ladies.”

“I don’t think so.”

Lucas flexed his rightbicep while looking in the mirror, but it was barely noticeable. “Iknow I would if I had your guns. It seems like no matter how hard Itry, I can’t put on any weight. I still look like I did in eighthgrade.”

“Except you’re afoot taller.”

“Seriously, dude, youshould think about it. I see major hotties checking you out all thetime.”

“I doubt that.Besides, I don’t care about them. I figure I’ve found the onlygirl for me.”

“Who?”

“Abby.”

“The chick from thelab?”

Drew smiled.

“Granted she’ssmokin’ hot, but you just met her. She could be a bunny-boiler forall you know. Besides, how do you know she’s even interested?”

“Because she gave meher phone number yesterday and I just called her. We’re meetingthis morning for coffee at the Wildcat House.”

Lucas was impressed byhis brother’s initiative, especially since Drew did not drinkcoffee. His brother was more of a milk and cookies kind of guy.

“Am I invited?”

“Sure, if you want.But I think she’s only expecting me.”

Lucas was hungry, butcoffee was not his first choice for breakfast. “Maybe I’ll justgrab something here.”

“It’s up to you.She probably won’t mind if you join us.”

“No, you go ahead.I’m going to make some cinnamon oatmeal. Maybe even fry up a slabof bacon,” Lucas said, trying to flex his chest muscles in themirror. “You might want to bring her a gift.”

“What kind of gift?”

Lucas smiled. “Like adozen red roses wrapped in a big yellow bow. She obviously likesflowers since she wears them in her hair.”

“I don’t know. Thatsounds expensive. Can’t I just get her something small?”

“Maybe a box ofchocolates?”

“I’ll think aboutit,” Drew said, thumbing through the dust inside his wallet. “WhenMom calls later, be sure to find out what the cardiologist said.”

“Do you really thinkyou’ll be gone that long?”

Drew grinned. “Younever know.”

* * *

Drewwaited for the shuttle driver to retrieve his wheelchair from thebumper rack. After getting in his chair, he thanked the driver andtipped him a dollar, not knowing if gratuity was appropriate or ifthe amount were sufficient. Lucas normally took care of fetching hiswheelchair from the rack, so tipping the driver was unchartedterritory. Either way, the buck was all he could spare.

He made his way alongthe sidewalk next to the science lab. To his right was a flowergarden flush with mums, pansies, petunias, and some other flowers hedid not recognize. Perhaps the botany department was experimentingwith some new type of flora. He strolled next to the flowerbed,reached down, and snapped off one of the more radiant red flowers. Heplaced it across his lap, then un-tucked his shirt and used it tohide the gift. He resumed his trip, entering the west end of theStudent union   where he rode the elevator up two levels and found Abbysitting at a table near the front of the Wildcat House restaurant.She was wearing a low-cut pink sweater and jeans. In front of herwere two jumbo-sized Styrofoam cups of coffee and a plate ofchocolate chip muffins.

She smiled when theymade eye contact. Drew blushed. She stood up and walked over to greethim, wrapping her arms around his shoulders for a tight hug. Drewwanted to hug her back, but missed the opportunity when she let gobefore he could act. She looked into his eyes, as if he needed to saysomething. “Wow, it’s nice in here,” he said loud enough foreveryone to hear—not what he expected his lips to say.

“Haven’t you beenin here before?” she asked.

“No. We always eat inthe cafeteria on the first floor.”

“Well, then, I guessit’s up to me to show you all the hot spots,” she said, handinghim one of the cups of coffee as he reached the cozy, two-persontable. “I love this place.”

He put the cup on thetable before sliding his wheelchair under the edge. He was sittingdirectly across from her, only an arm’s length away. He wasn’tsure if the time was right, but couldn’t wait any longer. Hereached under his shirt to retrieve the red flower, then gave it toher. “This is for you.”

“Oh Drew, it’s sobeautiful. Thank you sooooo much. Nobody has ever given me flowersbefore.”

Drew smiled but didn’trespond.

“What kind of floweris it?”

“I really don’tknow. But when I saw it, it made me think of you. It’sbreathtaking.” He wasn’t sure where those words came from, but heactually sounded smooth and charming, as if he’d done this before.Lucas would be proud of him.

Abby gently hugged theflower across her chest. She stood up, came to his side of the table,and then hugged him again, though this time she lingered much longer.A second chance, he thought. Don’t mess up. He wrapped his armsaround her, finding her tiny body soft and inviting. The warmth ofher sweet breathe caressed his neck and her perfume was intoxicating.He was in heaven. He prayed she’d never let go, but she did.

Drew wasn’t sure whatto say next, so he just smelled his cup of steaming java, hoping shemight continue the conversation. The coffee blend had an enjoyablearoma. If it tasted as good as it smelled, he might actually like it.He took a sip. God, it was nasty. He wanted to spit it back into thecup, but didn’t. Abby loved this place—he needed to play along.He smiled at her, then sucked in another mouthful. The java wasscorching hot, burning the roof of his mouth.

“Do you like it? It’smy favorite,” she said.

“Yes. It’sdelicious.” He tore open and dumped four packs of sugar into it. Hetook another drink, wondering if he could ever get used to thedisgusting taste. “Hmmm. They sure make good coffee here.”

“Yeah, I come hereall the time. It’s always packed. Did you have any trouble gettinghere?”

“No, I took theshuttle. It dropped me off a block away.”

“Lucas didn’t driveyou?”

“No, we don’t havea car. But the shuttle’s pretty handy. Not expensive either.”

“Do you live closeby?”

“We’re just northof Speedway, in an old apartment building that Dr. Kleezebee owns.”

“He owns an apartmentbuilding? I never would have guessed that.”

“Don’t let hisappearance fool you, Kleezebee’s loaded.”

“Seriously? Dr.Kleezebee?”

“It’s true. Haveyou’ve seen those BTX Enterprises signs all over town?”

“Yeah, they’reeverywhere.”

“Well, Kleezebee ownsthat company.”

“Isn’t BTX buildingthe new Atlantis World Mall, halfway between here and Phoenix?”

Drew nodded. “I can’twait to see it. It’s going to be the world’s largest indoor mall.Kleezebee told me they’re building a really cool science exhibitfor the kids, too. I hope it includes a telescope for some decentnight viewing. The kids will love that. I just wish it was closer.”

“Is your apartmentnice?”

“Not really. It’sold and small. But Kleezebee let’s us live there for free.”

“That’s verygenerous of him,” she replied with a surprised look on her face.

“He does that for alot of his staff. Bruno and Trevor live in our complex, too.Kleezebee even keeps a place there, though I’m not sure why. He’snever there. I think he sleeps in his office.”

“He wears a weddingring. I take it he’s married?” she asked.

“Yeah, but I don’tthink anyone’s ever seen her. I’ve been in his office and hisapartment, but there’re no photos of her anywhere. I’m not surewhat the deal is.”

Drew looked beyond Abbyat the checkout counter along the back wall of the Wildcat House. Abroad-shouldered man with a Mohawk haircut was standing in line,talking to two female students in front of him. Drew recognized him.It was the tallest rugby player from the altercation in thecafeteria—the same one that shoved his wheelchair across the room.His heart raced and he started to sweat. Not now, he thought. Not infront of Abby. He should have insisted that Lucas join them forcoffee.

“Is it atwo-bedroom?” Abby asked.

Drew slumped down inhis chair and leaned to his right, using Abby’s head as a shield.If the jerk turned his way, maybe he could hide himself from view.

“Did you hear me?”she asked.

“I’m sorry, whatdid you say?”

“Is your apartment atwo-bedroom?”

“No, it’s only aone. Lucas and I share a room, just like we did as kids. What aboutyou?”

“I live in CochiseHall. It’s just on the other side of the science lab.”

Drew took a full biteof the chocolate muffin, and washed it down with another sip of therevolting coffee. His throat wasn’t working properly, making itdifficult to swallow. If he choked or coughed, the rugby player mightnotice him. He took another sip to wash down the muffin, but he couldfeel a cough coming. He used his shirtsleeve to cover his mouth andmuffle the sound. It worked.

“Are you okay?” sheasked.

It took a few momentsto get his voice working. “I’m fine. Just went down the wrongpipe.”

“I have a roommate,too. Her name’s Jasmine. She’s a pre-med student from Colorado.She’s really nice and we get along great. Her dad’s in themilitary, I think. I’ve never met him, but he calls occasionally.They seem close.”

“Are you fromColorado, too?”

“I’m fromMilwaukee, Wisconsin.”

Drew was not much of asports fan, but felt confident he could fake it. “Oh, yes, the homeof the Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers. Do you get home much?”

“Only during thesummer when I can drive back home. It’s too expensive to fly overthe Christmas break.”

Cool, Drew thought.She’ll be on campus over the break, too. He won’t have to waitlong for another date. Hopefully, she’ll want another date. Justkeep the conversation moving, he thought—no awkward pauses. “MyMom lives up in Phoenix. Usually she drives down and picks us up forthe holiday, but she had heart surgery recently and can’t drive. Sowe plan to stay here and work on our project over the break.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s doinggreat. The neighbor lady watches her. She hopes to be back at worksoon.”

Drew glanced at thecounter. The rugby player was still chatting with the girls in line.So far, so good, except now his stomach was turning flips. He mightneed to make a run for the bathroom, soon. Not a bad idea, hethought. It would make a good place to hide—for a while a least.But what happens if that guy follows him into the restroom? He wouldbe cornered, alone, and helpless. He decided to remain where hewas—plenty of other people around.

“What’s your momdo?”

“She’s aMathematics professor at Paradise Community College, in Phoenix.”

“And your Dad?”

“He died two yearsago.”

She reached over andsqueezed his hand. “I’m so sorry, Drew. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. Howcould you?”

She rubbed her softforefinger across the top of his hand. He looked at her and shesmiled back with a glaze of tears in her eyes.

“Dad went into thehospital one day for a routine test, and never came out. They weredoing an angiogram on his neck and something went wrong. We neverreally got the whole story.”

“You must really misshim.”

Drew stared into hiscoffee while swirling it around with a thin, red straw. He looked up,but couldn’t see the bully through Abby’s head. “Yeah, verymuch. Besides my brother, he was my best friend. We used to spend allday working on his inventions in the shop. Those were great times.”

“Your dad was aninventor?”

“Well, he tried tobe, but he never really had much success. He did come up with thiscool, self-cleaning toilet, but nobody was interested. I guesselectricity and bowel movements weren’t meant to go together.”

She laughed.

“Dad’s bestinvention was a sonic pest control system. He even found investorsfor it, but the EPA chased them away when their field testing showedit liquefied dog brains.”

“Gross,” she said,slurping from her cup. “Do you ever think about continuing hiswork?”

”Never really thoughtabout it. But I guess I could. All his equipment is still in thegarage back home. After he died, Mom couldn’t bear to part with anyof it.” He thought he was talking too much about himself. “Areyour parents back in Wisconsin?”

Her smile vanished andher shoulders slumped. “They passed away my senior year in highschool. I miss them so much.”

Drew tried to respond,but the words ran dry. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t knowif he should hold her hand or give her a hug. He did neither. He feltuseless.

Abby wiped a tear fromher cheek. “Mom died from colon cancer. Dad passed away in hissleep six months later. I think he died of a broken heart. They weretogether almost forty years.”

“I guess that’spretty common when you’ve been married a long time,” he said witha soft tone in his voice. “Sounds like they loved each other verymuch.”

A smile washed overAbby’s lips. She nodded quickly. The joy returned to her eyes.

Drew took another swigof coffee. It didn’t taste quite as bad this time, still wasn’tpleasant, but at least he no longer wanted to spit it out. “Anyother family?”

“I was an only child,just like my mom and dad. No aunts or uncles, either.”

“Yeah, me too. It’sjust me, Lucas, and Mom . . . Oh, and Grandpa Roy. But we never seehim anymore after we almost had to call the police on him.”

“What happened?”

“It wasThanksgiving—four years ago. Everything was going along just fineuntil Roy decided to open a second jug of wine. It wasn’t longbefore he and Dad were totally sloshed, and then all hell brokeloose. They started cussing and shoving each other, then Roy took aswing at my dad. Next thing I know, they’re beating the crap out ofeach other and Mom is screaming at them to stop. Lucas jumped in tobreak it up, but he took one in the jaw—knocked him out cold.That’s when the fight stopped on its own.”

“What started it?”

“Seems like everytime Roy stayed with us, he’d harp endlessly on Dad about getting areal job. He didn’t agree with Dad being an inventor and workingfrom home. He thought the husband’s place was to go off to work,while the wife stayed home and pumped out a gaggle of kids. Dad gottired of it and said something he shouldn’t have.”

“I can see why he’snot welcome anymore.”

“Roy’s ahigh-ranking Army intelligence officer and moves around a lot. Ithink he’s back east somewhere right now. The last time we saw himwas at Dad’s funeral. He arrived late and sat in the back of thechurch. He left before the service was over.”

“That’s too bad.Family’s important and you’d think he would want to stay intouch, especially after your dad died.”

“Actually, he andLucas are talking secretly via email. I stumbled across a fewundeleted emails in Lucas’ spam folder last week. He doesn’t knowI know, so don’t say anything.”

“I won’t,” Abbysaid. “Have you ever thought about calling him?”

“To be honest, never.He and I have nothing in common. I’m into science and he’s careermilitary. Lucas is into all that stuff, but I could care less.”

“You and Lucas seemto get along well.”

“Yeah, I don’t knowwhat I would do without him,” Drew said, missing his brother morethan ever at that moment. He checked the counter line again. Apainful beating stood only a few feet away from him and he hadnowhere to run.

“I take it you’reolder than him?” Abby asked.

“A lot of peoplethink that. Actually, he’s six months older than me.”

“You guys look sodifferent.”

“That’s becausehe’s Irish and I’m Italian. I’m sure Dr. Kleezebee didn’ttell you . . . but we’re adopted.”

“Oh, that makessense. I thought you were fraternal twins or something.”

“I’m sure a lot ofpeople think we’re brothers from a different mother, which ofcourse we are, just not in the way they think. But we don’t goaround advertising.”

“I don’t blame you.It’s really nobody’s business, including mine.”

“Its okay, Abby. Iwant you to know . . . everything.”

She smiled.

“The state put ustogether as roommates when we were six years old. Lucas barely saidanything to me the first month. But he finally came around. I guess Igrew on him. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

“So your parentsadopted both of you, together?”

“Yeah, we were apackage deal.” Drew checked the counter again—the miscreant wasnext in line at the cash register. He thought about faking an excuseto go home, but didn’t want to leave Abby there all alone. What ifthe rugby player tried to hit on her? Or worse, spotted him leavingand followed him outside.

The Rugby player openedhis wallet and handed a few bills to the checkout girl who waschewing gum and blowing six-inch pink bubbles with it. Drew’s heartsank. It wouldn’t be long before Mr. Mohawk spotted him. Sweatdripped from Drew’s temples and his hands were shaking. He decidedto roll up his sleeves to expose his biceps. They were still pumpedup from that morning’s pushups and might be enough to dissuade thetroublemaker from stopping at their table. It was a long shot, but itwas the only idea he could muster.

“Wow, you have reallystrong arms,” Abby said with a curious look on her face.

Drew felt bloodswelling in his cheeks and forehead, certainly turning his face abeet-red color. He was worried that she might think he was showingoff. “Uh . . . yeah, it’s a little hot in here with all thecoffee and stuff. I’m still a little sweaty from my workout thismorning. I hope I don’t smell.”

She touched his hand,again. “Sweetie, you smell really nice.”

“Thanks, I was alittle worried there for a moment.” Drew dabbed and wiped the sweatoff his face with the folded, red napkin sitting in front of him onthe table.

She smiled back at him.“Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer this if youdon’t want to.”

“No, go ahead. Ask meanything.”

“How did Lucas getthat horrible scar on his face?”

Drew laughed. “Whichone?”

Abby pointed to herright cheek, just under her eye. “The big one. It must have hurt.”

“That came from thisboy, crazy Dave, who never stopped picking on us in the orphanage. Hewas a lot older than we were, but it didn't seem to matter. One day,when Lucas was protecting me, the kid picked up a piece of brokenglass and stabbed Lucas in the face. Cut him all the way to the bone.It took sixty-three stitches to sew him up. Thank God this skinny,redheaded man jumped in to stop it. He held on to Dave until thepolice showed up and took him to juvy.”

“It must have beenawful growing up in that place.”

“It wasn’t easy,that’s for sure. Luckily for us, Mom and Dad came along and adoptedus. I’m not sure either of us would have survived much longer.”

Just then, someonebumped into the table, lifting it up about two inches. Drew grabbedhis coffee cup and Abby’s, catching them both before they tippedover. When he looked up to see who smashed into the table, the breathran out of his lungs. It was the Rugby player. Drew ducked his head,figuring a punch to his jaw was next.

“Sorry, my bad,”the man said, trying not to spill the three coffee cups on his tray.He squeezed behind Drew’s wheelchair and scooted by. The two girlswith him followed suit.

“Nice catch,” Abbysaid.

“Got lucky,” Drewsaid, trying to catch his breath. He kept an eye on the player as hewalked through the side entrance and sat outside at a table on theterrace. The girls took seats on either side of him.

“Do you remember yourbiological parents?” Abby asked.

“Not really. Mybio-mom died in a car accident when I was only six months old. I wasin the car with her, but I don’t remember anything. From what I wastold, she fell asleep at the wheel, while we were on our way homefrom daycare after she’d worked a double shift at the hospital. Thecar flipped over several times and landed in a ditch. My legs werepinned underneath. Would you like to see a picture of her?”

“I’d love to.”

He reached inside thecollar of his shirt and pulled out the leather pouch hanging from hisneck. Inside was a pristine picture of a beautiful, dark-hairedwoman. He handed the photo to her.

“One of theorphanage’s volunteer workers found her picture and had itlaminated. Lucas made the pouch for me.”

Abby studied the photo.“She’s beautiful. I see where you get your good looks.”

Drew was not preparedfor her compliment and did not respond right away. “Her name wasLauren Falconio. She was an ER nurse and was studying at night tobecome a doctor.”

Abby gave the photoback to Lucas. He slid it into the leather pouch and tucked it insidehis shirt. “I never knew my bio-dad. Mom was artificiallyinseminated at some fertility clinic. Apparently, she wasn’t intomen and decided the turkey-baster method was the way to go.”

Abby laughed again,nearly choking on her coffee.

For some unknownreason, Drew felt very comfortable talking with her—even aboutsubjects that were taboo with his brother. He couldn’t stophimself. “Lucas’ mom was a drug addict who died of an overdose,and his dad died in prison. I think he was a grifter. Lucas doesn’tlike to talk about them much.”

Abby did not respondright away, obviously deep in thought. “Tonight my roommate Jasmineand I are going to the midnight movie at the Gallagher Theatre. Wouldyou and Lucas like to join us?”

“Sure,” Drew saidbefore thinking it through. He had never been inside the student-runtheatre, even though he passed by it every time he ate in thecafeteria. The box office was just to the right of the Studentunion  ’s main entrance. “Well, I should probably check with Lucasfirst. I’m not sure if he’ll want to go.”

“Jasmine’s reallypretty. And she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Still, I’ll haveto ask him first. Can I call you later and let you know?”

“That’s fine.”

While Abby went on totell him about her parents and blistering cold winters in Wisconsin,Drew’s mind wandered. He envisioned their future together . . .They were on their honeymoon in Hawaii, sitting on the beach andholding hands. She was drinking a margarita and he, a virginDaiquiri. Both of their glasses were garnished with tiny paperumbrellas.

The next two hours flewby quickly while they chatted about everything. She’d smile at him,which would send shivers radiating throughout his body. He neverwanted to leave that coffeehouse.

* * *

Drewfound Lucas sitting at the study desk in the apartment when heunlocked the door went inside.

“Nice timing. Youjust missed Mom’s call,” Lucas said.

“How’s she doing?What did the cardiologist say?”

“She’s doingexcellent. Just needs to keep taking her meds.”

“Awesome news.”

“So how’d it gotoday? You were gone awhile.”

Drew considered tellingLucas about the encounter with the rugby player, but decided againstit. It would only upset his brother. “It was actually really nice.”

“Did you get any?”

“No,” Drew saidwholeheartedly. “She’s not that kind of girl.”

“What? Does she havea penis?”

Drew didn’t respond.

“Did you at leastkiss her or get a hug? Something?”

“She held my hand.”

“Well, that’s astart. You gonna see her again, Romeo?”

“Yes, tonight, forthe midnight movie on campus. Her roommate’s coming, too.”

Lucas laughed. “Thatsounds like loads of fun. Better you than me, brother.”

“Actually, I washoping you might go with me.”

“Sorry, I don’t doblind dates. Not my thing.”

“Please, Lucas. Ireally need you to go.”

Lucas closed his eyesand shook his head. He bit his lower lip.

“I’m way toonervous to go by myself,” Drew said. “Come on, I’d do it foryou.”

Lucas took a deepbreath and let out a long exhale. “What’s the movie?”

“Eraserhead.Some low budget surreal horror flick made in nineteen seventy-seven.”

“Never heard of it.Must be a lousy piece of shit.”

“It can’t be thatbad. It’s been playing at the theatre for a while now.”

“Who’s herroommate?”

“Her name’sJasmine. Abby says she’s really nice.”

“Anytime someone usesthe ‘nice’ word, it means she’s hideous. So which body part isshe missing?”

Drew laughed. “Abbysays she’s very pretty. She used to work at the p-ssycat Palace onSpeedway.”

“Isn’t that anall-nude strip joint in the red light district?”

“Maybe. All I knowfor sure is Jasmine is a pre-med student from Denver, and she doesn’thave a boyfriend.”

Lucas smiled and raisedone of his eyebrows. “Okay, I guess I’ll go. Twist my arm. Whattime are we meeting them?”

“Eleven forty-five.They’ll be waiting for us in front of the theatre.”

* * *

Drewand Lucas were late as they made their way across campus to thestudent-run theatre. They would have left a few minutes sooner, butLucas had to wait for Drew to finish combing his hair, and then sprayit down. Once he was into his personal hygiene ritual, nothing couldstop him from finishing.

“Why so gloomy,brother? This is supposed to be fun,” Lucas said, sidestepping apile of dog crap sitting on the sidewalk. It was covered in flies andlooked fresh. Lucas figured there might be more landmines along theway as the got closer to the Grassy Mall area.

“I’m not sure aboutthis, at all.”

“Just relax and gowith the flow.”

“That’s easy foryou to say. I have no clue what I’m supposed to do.”

“Didn’t you justspend the whole morning with her?”

“Yeah, but we justtalked.”

“I thought you heldhands?”

“She held mine. Inever moved.”

“Then I’m sure Abbywill take care of everything,” Lucas joked, trying to relieve hisown nervousness.

“That’s what I’mafraid of. She’s going to expect me to react in a certain way, butI’ll probably misread her signals and ruin everything.”

“It’s simple,really. When she tries to stick her tongue down your throat, let her.How hard is that?”

“You’re not helpingvery much,” Drew said, rolling his chair forward. “When am Isupposed to put my arm around her?”

“As soon as the moviestarts. Did you bring a condom?” Lucas wisecracked, knowing thatDrew’s penis was one of the few things still working properly belowhis waist. Luckily for Drew, his bio-mom’s car only crushed hislegs and not his spine or pelvic area.

“No, I didn’t. WasI supposed to? See, I already screwed up.”

“I was just kidding,”Lucas said, patting his brother on the back. “Look, there’s noreason to panic. It sounds like she’s really into you. Trust me.Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.”

Lucas had his ownreservations about a blind date with a former strip club worker. Hehad only been with one woman before, the university’s librarian.

Lucas had hooked upwith her in December of his freshman year, working the graveyardshift. He stopped to comfort the pudgy, forty-year-old woman who wasgoing through a tumultuous divorce and crying behind her desk. Itbegan as a simple hug and ended with him shedding his virginity onthe floor in the last row of book stacks. He had no clue what he wasdoing and just went along for the ride. During the brief encounter,Lucas learned the basics but was still not confident in his abilityto bring a woman to the height of ecstasy. He recalled very littlefrom the few minutes he spent with her, except how slippery and softshe felt on the inside. However, one thing always puzzled him. Whydid she run off afterwards, sobbing the entire way?

Her first name wasRobyn, but Lucas never knew her last name. In fact, that was the oneand only time he ever saw her. He went back to the library thefollowing night, but she wasn’t there. Her replacement said she’dquit her job that morning and was moving out of town.

* * *

TheStudent union  ’s towering all-glass foyer overlooked a hundred-footwide set of cement stairs leading up to its main entrance. To theright was Gallagher Theatre, where a sea of film enthusiasts waitedto enter through its turnstiles.

“There’s Abby andJasmine,” Drew said, pointing to them on the left side of the crowdon the middle step. Abby was bouncing up and down, wearing apink-colored pullover jacket and waving her arms over her head. Shewas holding a spread of movie tickets in her hand.

Lucas looked up at theStudent union  ’s clock tower. The time was 11:50 PM, barely enoughtime to purchase popcorn and Cokes and find seats together. “Damnit. Late again,” he mumbled, hoping they weren’t relegated to thefront row of the theatre.

Jasmine was severalinches taller than Abby and wore a navy-blue Denver Broncos footballjersey with a white 10 emblazoned on the front. If Jasmine were trulya fanatic, it would pose a problem since Lucas knew zip aboutfootball. Lucas much preferred the speed and grace of professionalice hockey; specifically the Los Angeles Kings, who had just startedtheir season, hoping to defend their back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

Her jet-black,shoulder-length hair was pulled back into a single, understatedponytail. Lucas was still too far away to decide if she were asattractive as Abby had promised. Nevertheless, he did detect someprominent curves hidden beneath her casual apparel, leading him tobelieve the blind date had real potential, including carry on anintelligent conversation since she was pre-med. But then again, hecould easily converse about high-energy processes in warpedspace-times around black holes, but maybe she wouldn’t comprehendit. He started to have doubts about himself, his date, and theevening in general. He imagined her staring at his forehead as if hehad a third arm growing out of the middle of it while he rambled onabout physics. He wished he knew more about football.

He looked to his left,but Drew wasn’t there. He turned around and found Drew sittingstill, about six feet behind him. “Bro, relax. It’s only a movie.Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”

“That’s not it.Look!” Drew said, pointing at a group of three men standing twosteps below Abby and Jasmine. “It’s that Mohawk rugby player andhis two goons.”

“Jesus, are youkidding me? Not again,” Lucas said. He looked around and didn’tsee any campus police. He would have to face these a*sholes alone.

The theatre lineadvanced forward as the patrons ahead of the girls navigated theirway through the rope-style stanchions leading into the theatre. Abbyand Jasmine turned to face forward, then stepped back into line tokeep pace with the procession. They, and the rugby players, werealmost to the top step.

“What do we do?”Drew asked.

“We ignore them.That’s what we do. Walk right past them. Don’t give them thesatisfaction. Come on, the girls are almost inside. We need todouble-time it,” Lucas said, moving behind his brother to grab thewheelchair handles.

Drew nodded. “I wishthose guys would just go away, forever.”

Lucas glanced up at thegirls, and was blinded by an intense, white-hot light shooting outfrom behind where the girls were standing. Before he could react, adeafening, high-decibel squeal nearly ripped his eardrums apart.

He let go of thewheelchair handles, raising his hands to cover his ears. It felt asthough his head were in a giant microwave oven and someone had turnedit on full blast, cooking his brain from the inside out. Hisequilibrium gave way, buckling his legs and sending his kneecapscrashing into the cement sidewalk.

A few seconds later,both the intense light and the deafening sound subsided. He felt asudden breeze pull him toward the theatre, but it dissipated quickly.

He lowered his hands,opened his eyes, and looked to his left and right. Dozens of peopleon either side of him were lying on the ground; all but two appearedto be unconscious. Drew was directly in front of him, slumped over inhis wheelchair and not moving.

Lucas moved in front ofhis brother with his back to the Student union  . Drew’s head wastilted down with blood dripping from his left nostril. He shook Drewgently, trying to wake him up. “Drew, are you okay?” There was noresponse. Lucas wiped the blood off his brother’s lip and shook himagain. “Come on, little brother, wake up. Talk to me.”

Drew finally opened hiseyes and looked at him. “What happened?” he asked, in ascraggily, half-awake voice.

“You passed out. Areyou all right?”

Drew rubbed hisforehead. “My head’s spinning and I have a wicked headache.Where’s Abby?”

Lucas turned around andlooked at the Student union  . He couldn’t believe his eyes. “F*ckme!”

The entire frontsection of the Student union   and most of the theatre’s fa?ade hadvanished. Most of the building’s entrance stairs were missing, too.

Drew raced past himwith breakneck speed, using his callused hands to grip and release inunison, quickly propelling himself forward one thrust at a time. Hescreamed Abby’s name repeatedly along the way.

Traumatized and a bit unsteady, Lucas followed behind his brother,though at a much slower pace.