My father had said nothing.
Chapter 3
Xander
Day one of “regular” high school had been uneventful, if mind-numbingly unchallenging. But I’d come home to my father scribbling away at his desk, safe and content, and that was all that mattered.
And Emery…
There had been a moment in the cafeteria when I thought maybe…but no. If she had a good reason for ignoring my letters, she felt no urgency to tell me. The humiliation brought a fresh rush of blood to my face as I thought of how I’d poured my heart out to her. She probably showed my letters to her friends and laughed and laughed…
I was better off focusing on my goals for the year:
keep myself mentally stimulated
make the rowing crew
earn money
The last was imperative. The more I saved from Dad’s pensionand from selling the Gaithersburg house, the better the facility I could place him in, should it come to that. I needed a job, one that was close to Dad in case he needed me.
I printed up some ads for tutoring services in math and science and put my cell phone number at the bottom. On the following morning, I pinned my flyers to bulletin boards in the Academy hallways.
The halls were relatively empty due to the student-led club fair happening upstairs. I wandered up to the sun-soaked patio on the second level, with views of the Narragansett to the north and the Atlantic to the south. Booths adorned with streamers, lights, and music lined the patio, enticing students to investigate. But one booth had only a simple hand-painted banner:
Do you want the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? Join the Math & Physics Club!
One club with both subjects was exactly my wheelhouse, but likely child’s play to me. I nearly kept walking, but a little voice whispered that I used my intellectual superiority as an excuse to avoid certain activities. Like talking to people my age. Making friends. Emery’s words from seven years ago echoed in my mind.
Maybe you just need the practice.
I stopped at the booth, where a lanky guy sat behind a foldout table, reading a book. His clothes were similar to mine: plain jeans, plain shirt, old shoes. A “Bender” like me, if I were forced to classify him.
I cleared my throat. “Forty-two.”
He blinked up at me with green eyes set in an angular face. “Huh?”
“The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.” I pointed at his own banner. “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?”
“Oh, right!” The guy laughed. “Business has been so slow, I almost forgot I’m supposed to be recruiting.” He got to his feet and stuck out his hand. “Dean Yearwood, secretary of the Math & Physics Club.”
“Xander Ford.”
“Pleased to meet you, Xander. You’re new here, yeah? Senior?”
I nodded. “From Maryland. Just moved.”
“And are you any good at math, Xander from Maryland?” Dean’s smile was wide but genuine.
“You could say that,” I said dryly, my automaticI’m smarter than youprogram already up and running.
But if Dean was put off by my arrogance, he didn’t show it. He laughed. “Oh, I caught a live one!”
A group of students—Richies—passed by. One of the girls waved and blew him a kiss. “Hello, Dean!”
“Hello, Sierra.” He pretended to snatch her kiss out of midair and tuck it inside his lightweight jacket. “Save that for later.”
She giggled and the group moved on.
