Isa and I had timed it so that we’d arrive when class was in session, wanting the hallways to be empty. But still, my pulse was pounding so furiously that I could hear the blood pumping through my ears when I walked into the front office. It was quiet; Principal Unger and her inner circle must’ve been in their morning meeting in the back conference room. Lucky me. I counted to three before skipping up to the headsecretary’s desk. Mrs.Flamporis, to put it mildly, shrieked when she glanced up from her computer.
Now, you may wonder why she shrieked.
She shrieked because I was disguised as the “Phillie Phanatic,” the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies, and I supposed when the Phanatic was in your workplace rather than on your TV screen, the goofy oversized costume could be a little jarring. The Phanatic is a furry green hybrid of a weird bird and friendly monster with a gargantuan gut, googly eyes, and a prominent snout. He wears a red-and-white pinstriped Phillies jersey, a red cap, and white sneakers. My costume was authentic; my Phillies-obsessed uncle volunteered to be the Phanatic during the MLB season (for six hundred dollars an hour!) but had recently retired from the gig. The team had astonishingly let him keep his costume, and my aunt was quick to gift it to James when he asked.
I greeted Mrs.Flamporis with some jazz hands and showed off the Phanatic’s extendable tongue. “Hello…,” she said, sounding bemused. “How can I help you, Mr.Phanatic?”
Even though the mascot head shielded my face and would muffle my voice, I panicked and fell into an impression of Karen from my mom’s favorite ’90s sitcom,Will & Grace.We watched it together, and Karen’s nasally upbeat voice always made her laugh. It actually kind of sounded like Principal Unger (except there was never any amusement or delight in Unger’s cadence). “Oh, honey, I’m here to pick up Everett Adler of course!” I said, then cringed and thought,Seriously, Grace?!
What mascot used the word “honey”?
Our secretary’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “He actually entered the contest?”
“He sure did!” I said, still in Karen mode. I’d committed. And it was fun. “He’s our winner this month—”
“I’vegotto call Mr.Murphy,” Mrs.Flamporis interrupted, reaching for her phone. “He’s our head baseball coach, and won’t believe…” She shook her head. “Hehasto see this.”
I inwardly sighed. I should’ve known Mr.Murphy would be summoned. Our gym teacher was always going on about the Phillie Phanatic contest; during each month of baseball season, a student from a local school district was chosen to spend the day at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies home field. It included a behind-the-scenes tour, lunch with the team, and prime seating at the afternoon game. Today, the Phillies were playing the Mets.
After hanging up with Mr.Murphy, Mrs.Flamporis looked up the Adlers’ phone number to clear today’s “field trip” with Everett’s mom. I resisted the urge to shift from one foot to the other, but relaxed when Mrs.Adler’s warm, gentle voice came over the speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Mara, hello!” Mrs.Flamporis said. “This is Sophia Flamporis….”
I listened as she gushed the good news to Everett’s mom, who was quiet for a moment before she laughed. It sounded bittersweet, almost. “This is wonderful,” she said as Mr.Murphy entered the office, grinning. “Really, really wonderful. He has my full permission.” She released a motherly sigh. “Todayis a tough one for our family, so a Mets game will brighten his spirits.”
A sudden sharpness shot through my chest.
Today is a tough one for our family.
It must’ve been one of those cloudy days for the Adlers. They tended to strike out of nowhere, hitting Everett especiallyhard. We would never be used to his dad being gone, but after two years, we were…well, getting used to him being gone. And I hated that I felt that way; I hated that I could breathe while Everett was still engulfed in a thick haze. I fell asleep easily every night after making s’mores in the microwave with my dad, while Everett tossed and turned, wishing he could get his father’s input on his fantasy football team’s lineup. Scott Barbour was the best dad in the universe, but Jesse Adler had been a close second. He’d given the greatest bear hugs.
Youneedto get Everett out,I told myself.No matter what. He needs this day just as much as we do.
Maybe more.
“Everett Adler, please report to the main office.” Mrs.Flamporis smiled and spoke coolly into the intercom. “Everett Adler, please report to the main office….”
“Would it be okay if we got a couple pictures?” Mr.Murphy asked as we waited for Everett. “We’d love to post them on the school’s website.”
“And Instagram,” Mrs.Flamporis added. “I’m working on rebranding our page.”
“Of course!” I chirped in my high-pitched voice, but my pulse wavered. Hopefully a photo op wasn’t important enough to disturb Principal Unger from her meeting. She’d probably ask to see my nonexistent Philadelphia Phillies ID before strongly requesting I take off the mascot head to check that my photo matched my face in the flesh.
Part of me couldn’t believe I was getting away with not doing so now. Mrs.Flamporis and Mr.Murphy apparently were too starstruck.
“Excellent,” Mrs.Flamporis said, then rose from her swivel chair. She pointed to the closed conference room door. “Our principal would never forgive me if…”
She trailed off at the sound of footsteps in the hall.
I spun on my heel.
And there was Everett, walking through the office door.
My heart did a handspring. Every time I saw Everett Adler, it was as if I hadn’t seen him in a decade. I just felt this magneticpulltoward him. He was intriguingly handsome, lean with broad shoulders, hair as dark as midnight, and amber eyes that glowed like dusk. His eyelashes were almost black, yet light freckles had been sprinkled across the bridge of his nose. And if you were clever enough to make him laugh, wicked dimples appeared in his cheeks.
Ev,I thought.There’s Ev.
He looked absolutely baffled.
