She let out a heavy sigh and he stopped them at the doorwithout going through it.
She looked up at him and finished, “Being an adult suckssometimes.”
“Yeah,” he agreed.
“All right, honey, let’s get this done.”
“Yeah,” he repeated.
“First though, just to say, you going to the school to checkon Mal…” She grinned up at him.“I’ve figured out I like boys like you too.”
On that, he realized he hadn’t given her a hello kiss.
He saw to that.
He then made sure he did a thorough job with it.
When they were done, they turned to the door.
And together, they pushed through it to get things done.
“Okay, that’s sorted.But before I call her, you needto be real with me, Mal.Are you truly okay?I mean, physical-wise, where theykicked you.”
They were at the soda fountain, him, Archie and Mal.
And Archie was finishing things up with Mal before she movedon to having a chat with his mom.
Dutch was somewhere with Joany, and he had a feeling she’dlet him select the music, considering Buckcherry was playing.
“I’m okay, Archie,” Mal replied.
“Tell it true, Mal,” she urged.
Jag was sitting next to the kid, Archie on the opposite sidefrom him.
Both Jag and Mal had cherry Cokes, Archie made them thenopted out of a refreshment for herself.
“I’m telling it true, honest,” Mal told her.
Jag studied the kid’s profile and he’d have to be aseriously good liar to be pulling that off because he didn’t look like he wasbullshitting.
Jag then looked to Archie, catching her nod.She pushed fromthe back counter, went to Mal, laid her hand flat on the counter in front ofhim and said, “It’s because I dig you.You mean something to me.Okay?”
“Okay,” Mal replied.
She studied him.
And that was when Jagger saw in her what he felt in himself,but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was until then.
Mal was not their zone anymore.
Like she said, it sucked being an adult, but it was more.
They were powerless to take care of him in certain waysbecause they were his tribe, but they were not histribe.
He really needed to get the other kids to Ride.
Her eyes came to him, he gave her a smile he hoped made herfeel better, and then she reached out and touched Mal’s forearm before shemurmured, “I’m off to call your mom.Be back.”
