She’s biting her bottom lip, trying not to smile, but she’s failing. “I decided to forgo the police. I’m going to hunt this maniac down myself and deal with him my own way.”
“Vigilante justice. I like it,” I say grinning. “I hope this monster gets what he deserves. What, exactly, do you think he deserves?”
“Well…” She pauses and sips her latte as her eyes dart around.
I do the same, casually glancing around to make sure no one is watching us. Not a lot of people in school know about how odd it would be to see us talking and not screaming at each other, but some definitely do and I don’t want to start a rumor that somehow gets back to our families.
“I think first I’ll explain that it was really hard to think on my feet when Daisy and Jasmyn questioned me about where the hell the new flowers came from,” she says. “And then after I berate him for that. Then…then I’ll tell him that it violates all terms of our agreement. And that I hate charity. But…”
She looks down and then back up and her eyes are watery. “It was the sweetest thing I think anyone has ever done for me. That it makes me want to kiss him and…a lot of other things that I’m hoping I can show him tonight. If he dares to sneak back into my apartment or let me sneak into his.”
“I’m pretty sure this vandal will most definitely let you do whatever you want to him tonight, wherever you want,” I reply and have to shove my hands into my hoodie to keep from reaching out and touching her pink cheeks. “Don’t cry, Magnolia. If you cry I’ll have to take you in my arms no matter who might be watching. I won’t be able to help myself.”
She takes a ragged breath and takes one step back from me, regaining her composure. “Then I’ll have to throw the latte on you.”
I smile. She smiles back.
“Hey! Adler!”
She freezes and I look toward the voice It’s Bennie Oldman. He’s a senior and like Maggie and me, he’s a local too and he worked on my farm a couple summers ago before everything started to melt down. “Maggie. Hey. I didn’t know you two were…friends?”
“What? Who? No!” she barks out way too forcefully with an equally aggressive laugh at the end.
“We’re just neighbors and in the same program. I was asking her for notes from a class I missed,” I say which isn’t a lie. It’s just not the truth in this particular situation.
“I think he knows we’re neighbors, Tater Tot. He worked on your farm,” Maggie reminds me and Bennie laughs.
“You forget me that soon?” Bennie laughs and nudges me.
“Anyway, I have to run,” Maggie says and smiles at Bennie. “Nice seeing you Bennie. And…not nice seeing you, Tate. Bye.”
“Bye,” Bennie says and waves as she leaves. I don’t bother with an acerbic retort. I just watch her go and wish he hadn’t interrupted us.
Bennie chuckles. “When I worked for you guys any Todd was a bad Todd. You know your grandfather told me it wasn’t personal opinion but scientific fact because you could never trust a person with a first name as a last name.”
I shake my head. “My grandmother’s maiden name was Brent so that’s a load of garbage. How ya been Bennie?”
“Good. Great, actually,” he replies falling in step with me. He runs a giant paw through his long, shaggy hair. Bennie is extremely tall and lanky which makes his hands and feet look stupidly disproportionate. His nickname as far back as grade school has been Shaggy like the cartoon character fromScooby-Doo. “I was bummed when I couldn’t get another summer job at your farm this past summer because you guys were a great gig, but I ended up working at the Shipley farm and it was good. Better than I thought. They’re keeping me on until November part-time, so that’s great.”
“We really wanted you back we just couldn’t afford it this season, Bennie,” I say, feeling the crushing weight of guilt I felt when I had to tell him at the beginning of the summer.
“Hey man, I know. Like I said, it’s all good,” Bennie says easily. “I knew it wasn’t just me when I saw Hank at the Biscuit.”
Now that crushing guilt somehow gets even heavier. “You talked to Hank?”
“Yeah all the time. Why? Don’t you?” Bennie asks and he gets incredulous as I don’t answer. “Did Hank do something?”
I shake my head. “Hey, Bennie. I gotta head back to the hockey house and grab some food. Just finished practice and I’m starving. I’ll catch you later.”
“Yeah. For sure.” Bennie nods amicably. “And if you need workers next year I’d definitely come back. So would Hank, I bet.”
I text Maggie as soon as Bennie leaves my side.
Sorry about that.
A light rain begins to fall and since I don’t have a jacket, only a hoodie, I pick up the pace as my phone rings and Maggie’s alias appears on the screen. I didn’t store her number by her real name because I didn’t want anyone to see it come up. Her name is Prof Doyle, which is my Economics of Agriculture teacher. If someone looks through my phone and sees our texts they’re going to think I’m having an affair with a fifty-nine-year-old professor, but I’d rather that than anyone know the truth.
“Hey.”
