Page 94 of All the way home

Zach laughs outright. “I’m an astrophysics major and I carry around a rock. It kinda comes with the territory.”

“Yeah, what’s with the rock anyway? You said it was obsidian. Does that mean something?”

“Supposedly it’s for safety while traveling.” Momentarily, he considers telling Kieran that he usually keeps it on his desk close to his pillow, but decides against it. “At least, that’s what my mom’s always told me.”

“And your mom is pretty into all this stuff.”

Zach likes the way he says all this stuff. There’s none of the usual heavy skepticism that comes when people hear about his mom’s interests, which says a lot about Kieran. “Yeah, she always has been.”

“Are you into it too?”

“I don’t know.” Reaching into his pocket for the obsidian, Zach sighs. “I don’t have proof any of it works, but I also don’t have proof that it doesn’t, and proving a negative is way too much work. Plus, it’s just—it’s nice. Mom gets all weird about doing spells the night before any of us leave home and we know it’s another way of saying she loves us, y’know?”

“That’s cute.” Kieran swallows and blinks a half dozen times in a row. Then he tilts his head. “Can I see the obsidian again?”

With a nod, Zach pulls it out of his pocket and hands it over. Kieran’s fingers brush against his as he takes it.

“Protection.” Kieran turns it over and over in his fingers, watching the light glint off the shiny surfaces and catch on the sharp edges. “I always thought it would be nice to believe that something is protecting you.”

“Maybe the universe is protecting you.”

Nothing in Kieran’s face betrays him, but he swallows, hard, and Zach knows, somehow, that Kieran doesn’t believe him.

Swiftly, Zach clears his throat and changes the subject. “So, you’re not a nerd, then.”

Passing the rock back, clearly relieved to be talking about something else, Kieran shrugs. “I’m a nerd about some things.”

“Like what?”

“Like, I can quote most of The Hobbit movie from memory.”

Pocketing the obsidian again, Zach raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. I used to be a bit of a freak about memorization, actually, so I know a lot of weird things by heart.”

“Like what?”

“Like all the bones in the human body.”

Zach splutters. “What?”

“I’ll show you if you want,” Kieran says, grin alight with mischief, and then when Zach nods, he does. As he rattles them off like he could do it in his sleep, occasionally so fast the words blur together, Zach’s eyes go progressively wider. By the time he’s finished, Kieran’s beaming.

“Speechless?” Kieran asks after a moment passes in stunned silence, clearly teasing.

“I’m, uh.” Blinking, Zach clears his throat. He’s not quite sure how to go about saying that he thinks the display is bizarrely and enormously attractive, so he doesn’t even try. “I bet that comes in handy for studying.”

“It does.”

Shaking his head, Zach runs his fingers along the edge of the table. “I’m no good with memorizing. Math is easier.”

“It is not.”

“They give you formula sheets! It’s just about figuring out how to attack the problem!”

“And that’s the hard part!” Kieran grins.

Zach shrugs. “Different strengths, I guess.”