The Prisoner of Cell 25

  “I live here,” she said, looking at us suspiciously.

  “But you said you were working late.”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  “No, I . . . I’m just surprised.”

  “I had a headache, so they let me come home early.” Her eyes darted back and forth between us. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “You were doing something. What do you have behind your back, Ostin?”

  Ostin froze. “Nothing.” His “nothing” sounded more like a question than a statement.

  My mother walked up to him and put out her hand. “Let’s see it.”

  He slowly took the multimeter from behind his back and handed it to my mom. She examined the device, then looked up at him.

  “What does it do?”

  He swallowed. I was hoping he’d make something up—calculate algorithms or something.

  “It measures voltage.”

  “Voltage? You mean electricity?” She looked perplexed. “Why would you . . .” She stopped and looked at me. I could see anger change her countenance. “How long has Ostin known?”

  I swallowed. “I don’t know. A while.”

  “Thirty-four months and nine days,” Ostin said.

  Shut up, I thought.

  My mother handed the multimeter back to Ostin. “You need to go home now, Ostin,” she said. “I need to speak to Michael.”

  “Okay, Mrs. Vey,” he said, eager to get out of our house. “Have a good night.”

  Run, you wuss, I thought.

  After the door shut, my mother looked at me for what seemed like a year. Then she said, “Come here.” I followed her over to the couch. “Sit.”

  I sat and she sat next to me. For a moment she just held her head in her hands. The silence was excruciating. Finally she looked up.

  “Michael, I don’t know what to say to you. Do you know how hard this has been, moving away from our home and everyone we know in California, to come to a new city just so that no one would find out about you? I gave up a good-paying job at a law firm to be a checker at a supermarket.”

  I lowered my head. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  She crossed her arms at her chest. “No, sorry doesn’t cut it. Who else knows about this?”

  “The boys yesterday. And Taylor.”

  “Who’s Taylor?”

  “The cheerleader who saw me.”

  “Did you see her at school today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she ask you about what happened?”

  I swallowed. “I went to her house.”

  My mother’s eyes widened. “Please don’t tell me that you talked to her about what happened.”

  I slowly nodded.

  She threw up her hands. “Michael, what were you thinking? Now we may have to pick up and start over again. I am so tired, I don’t know if I can do it.”

  My eyes welled up. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to . . .”

  “Michael, it doesn’t always matter what you mean to do, it matters what you do. Please, explain to me, why would you risk everything and tell them?”

  For a few moments I just sat there silently. Then, suddenly, it all came out. “I’m sick of having everyone at school think I’m just some wimpy kid who makes funny faces and noises. I’m sick of being bullied all the time. And I’m sick of hiding who I am.

  “Ostin is the only friend I have. He doesn’t care about my Tourette’s or my electricity. He just likes me for me.” I looked up into her eyes. “I just want someone to know the truth about me and still be my friend.”

  She put her head down. Then she took my hand. “Michael, I know it’s not easy being different. I don’t blame you for feeling this way. It’s just that most people can’t understand your special gift.”

  “You think this is a gift, Mom? It’s not. It’s just another reminder that I’m a freak.”

  “Michael, don’t say that.”

  “Why? That’s what they call me.”

  “Who calls you that?”

  “The kids at summer camp last June. They surrounded me and said, ‘Let’s see what the freak does next.’ And they don’t even know about my electricity, they were just talking about all my ticking and blinking.”

  Her eyes welled up with tears. After a moment she asked softly,

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you have enough to worry about.”

  She looked like she didn’t know what to say.

  “I’m just tired of everyone picking on me all the time for no reason except they think they can. I’m tired of knowing I could stop them and I don’t. You know who I hate more than them for picking on me? I hate myself for letting them.” I looked into her eyes. “I’m tired of being a nobody.”

  My mother wiped her eyes. “You’re not a nobody, Michael. You’re a great kid with a big heart.” She kissed my forehead, then said, “I owe you an apology. I was wrong when I said that it doesn’t matter what you meant to do. Sometimes we can’t know what’s right. We can only know that we meant to do the right thing—and that we had the right reason.”

  “How do we know if it’s the right reason?”

  “If we make love our reason we may veer off course sometimes but we’ll never be lost.” She put her arm around me. “Michael, I’m sorry for getting mad at you. I was just scared. Ostin’s been a good friend, hasn’t he?”

  I nodded. “The best.”

  “And he’s kept your secret?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’m glad you told him. It’s best to not keep secrets from our best friends.” She crossed her arms at her chest. “Now tell me about this cheerleader.”

  “I think she’s like me.”

  She smiled. “She likes you?”

  “No, Mom, she’s like me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She has powers too.”

  My mom’s expression changed. “What?”

  “She showed me. It’s been her secret too. She even glows like me.”

  “She can . . . shock?”

  “Sort of. It’s like she can shock people’s brains. And she can read minds.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “She showed me.”

  She looked down for a moment, then softly said, “He said there might be others . . .”

  “What?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s nothing. So, is she cute?”

  “She’s the cutest girl in the whole school.”

  “Work that.” She smiled at me. “Why don’t you go see if Ostin wants to go to Baskin-Robbins with us.”

  I smiled. “Okay, Mom.” I stood and started toward the door.

  “Michael.”

  I turned back.

  “When I start thinking about all the hard things in my life, I think of you and I feel lucky to be me. I could not be more proud of you.

  And I know your father would be just as proud.”

  I walked back and hugged her. “I love you, Mom.”

  Her eyes moistened. “I love you more every day. Never forget that.”

  That night I had a double-decker ice cream at Baskin-Robbins—

  Bubble Gum and Pralines and Cream. Ostin had a triple-decker. My mother didn’t have anything. She just kept looking at me and smiling.

  Chapter Nine

  A New Crowd

  The next day I didn’t see Ostin until lunch. I found him sitting where we always sat, at a small round table near the vending machines. It was pizza day and he’d gotten an extra slice. He waved to me. “Michael.” I sat down at the table.

  “You eye’s looking a lot better,” he said.

  “Thanks. Where were you this morning?”

  “I had a dentist appointment.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “It was just a checkup. Two cavities.”

  “Probably all the ice cream you ate last night,” I joked. “At my last appointment I had three. I can only chew sugarless
gum now.” I opened my carton of milk. “So we’re starting a club.”

  “Who?”

  “Us. You, me, and Taylor.”

  “What kind of club?”

  “It’s for people with . . .” I hesitated. I hadn’t told him about Taylor. “Unique abilities like mine.”

  “Excellent. So why Taylor?”

  “I don’t know. Why you?”

  “Because of my intellect, of course.”

  “Well, there’s more to Taylor than meets the eyes.”

  “And with her there’s a lot to meet the eye. Her super power can be that she’s super good-looking,” Ostin said.

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said.

  “What’s the club called?”

  “We haven’t named it yet. Something about electricity. I was hoping you’d come up with something.”

  “I’ll put my computer on it,” he said, tapping the side of his head.

  He took a bite of pizza. Before he’d finished chewing he said, “Hey, we get our tests back in biology today.”

  “Can’t wait,” I said sarcastically.

  “How’d you do?”

  “I don’t know. B maybe. If I’m lucky.” I didn’t have to ask him what he was getting. We both knew he got an A. He could teach the class.

  Just then one of the cheerleaders walked up to our table. There was a basketball game today and the cheerleaders always wore their outfits on game day. “Is this seat taken?”

  Ostin’s eyes were as wide as glazed doughnuts. “No.”

  “Good.” She dragged the chair off to a nearby table.

  “Any time, babe!” Ostin shouted after her. “Come back if you need another one. Got plenty of ’em. I’m your chair connection.” He turned to me. “Did you see that? She spoke to me.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s going somewhere.”

  He took another couple of bites of pizza. “So what happened with your mom last night? First she’s mad as a hornet and then she’s taking us out to ice cream.”

  “She’s just afraid that someone will find out about me. That’s why we moved from California, you know. And our last apartment.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You haven’t told anyone, have you?”

  “Never.”

  “Good. Because I’d have to shock you if you did.”

  He looked at me anxiously. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Like an electric eel.”

  He stopped chewing.

  I punched his arm. “Relax, I’m kidding.” Then I added, “Sort of.”

  Just then Taylor walked up to our table. She was also wearing her cheerleader outfit. She looked as pretty as ever. I could feel my tongue knot up, and I started blinking like crazy.

  “Hi, Michael. Is this seat taken?”

  “No, you can take it,” Ostin said eagerly. “I’ll even carry it for you.”

  She looked at him. “No, I mean, may I sit here?”

  “Sure,” I said. I couldn’t believe she wanted to sit by us. She turned to Ostin, who looked like he might hyperventilate with excitement. “Dallas, isn’t it?”

  “Ostin.”

  “Right. I knew it was a Texas thing.”

  “I was just telling Ostin about our club,” I said.

  Taylor suddenly looked nervous. “Did you tell him anything else?”

  “No,” I said.

  Ostin looked at us curiously. “Tell me what?”

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “Nothing,” Taylor said. She turned to me. “Remember when you asked me where I was born? You’ll never believe what I found out.”

  Before she could tell me, two guys walked up to our table wearing letterman jackets. Spencer and Drew. They both played on the basketball team. They were two of the coolest guys at Meridian.

  “Hey, Taylor. Whassup?”

  She smiled. “Hi guys.”

  They sat down at our table.

  “This is my friend, Michael,” Taylor said. The taller of the two reached out his hand. “Hey, I’m Spencer.”

  The other guy just bobbed his head. “Drew.”

  “Hi,” I said. Ostin looked starstruck.

  “So are you guys nervous for the game?” Taylor asked.

  “Nah,” Spencer said. “It’s just another game.”

  “Not hardly,” she said to me. “It’s the regional championship. The winner of this game goes to State.”

  Drew said, “Cottonwood’s won their last three games. They have this forward who’s on fire.”

  Ostin looked at him quizzically. “Literally?”

  “What?”

  “He’s literally on fire?”

  I kicked Ostin under the table.

  Drew looked at me. “Where’d you get the shiner?”

  “I got in a fight.”

  He turned to Taylor. “Hey, this isn’t the kid you told us about who kicked Jack’s butt?”

  “That’s him,” Taylor said. “I watched him beat up Jack and two other guys. He’s got a black belt”

  “You gotta be kidding me.” Drew looked at me in awe. “Dude, you’re legend.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. “Thanks.”

  “I’m Ostin,” Ostin said.

  Drew said to Ostin, “You gonna eat both those pieces of pizza?”

  “Uh, no.” His no sounded like a question.

  “Great.” Drew reached over and took one, shoving half of it into his mouth.

  Then two more cheerleaders walked up to our table. “Hey, guys.

  Hi Tay.”

  Taylor said, “Hi Dom. Hi Maddie.”

  “Hello girls,” Drew said. “Move over, Houston.”

  “Ostin,” Ostin said.

  The girls sat down between Drew and Ostin. Ostin had a bliss-ful look on his face, like he was in heaven—a nervous heaven—but heaven all the same. I was anxious too. I kept turning away to blink, hoping no one would notice.

  “We’re having a party at Maddie’s house after the game,” Dominique said to the table. “Wanna come?”

  “Yeah,” Spencer said. “We’ll be there.”

  “Can you come, Tay?”

  “Yes.” She turned to me. “Michael, you’re coming to the game, aren’t you?”

  Her question caught me off guard. “Uh, yeah. Of course,” I said.

  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Ostin looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

  “Great, you guys want to come to the party after?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  Taylor turned to the cheerleaders. “Guys, this is my friend, Michael.”

  “Hi, Michael,” Dominique said.

  “Hi,” Maddie said.

  “That’s Houston,” Drew said, pointing at Ostin.

  “Nice to meet you,” Ostin said.

  “Do you have something in your eye?” Maddie asked me.

  I turned red. “Uh, no.”

  “You were just blinking kind of funny.”

  I wanted to crawl under the table.

  “Michael has Tourette’s syndrome,” Taylor said.

  “Oh, I thought you were like winking at me,” Drew said.

  “No. I can’t help it.”

  “Is it, like, contagious?” Drew asked.

  “Duh,” Taylor said. “Is stupidity contagious?”

  Drew looked genuinely baffled. “I don’t know, is it?”

  Spencer laughed. “You’re such an idiot, dude.”

  “Sorry,” Drew said to me.

  “It’s okay. I was born with it. It makes me blink and stuff.”

  Dominique said, “I have a cousin with—how do you say it?”

  “Tourette.”

  “Yeah, Tourette. His name is Richard, but everyone in his neighborhood calls him King Richard, because he’s, like, totally amazing on any board. Skateboard, snowboard, wakeboard—if it’s a board, he can rule it.”

  “That’s nothing,” Drew said. “Mike here is a little Chuck Norris.

  The other day he beat up three
guys twice his size. You should have seen it. It was awesome.”

  “That’s so cool,” Dominique said.

  I glanced at Taylor. She grinned.

  Ostin just sat and listened, so excited that he didn’t seem to notice the loss of his pizza. When the second lunch bell rang he popped up like a toaster pastry. “Gotta go,” he said. “Lovely hangin’ with you ladies.”

  No one at the table acted like they’d heard him.

  “Hold on,” I said, standing. “I need to go too.”

  “Hey, stay cool, man,” Spencer said to me. “See you tonight?”

  “Yeah. Good luck with your game.”

  “Spencer’s made All-State,” Taylor said. “He already has college scouts checking him out.”

  “That’s really cool,” I said.

  He shrugged. “I throw a ball through a hoop. Nothing to it. See ya around, man.”

  Taylor stood up with me. She put her hand on my arm as we walked away from the table. “Sorry we crashed your table. I didn’t plan on that happening.”

  “No, it’s cool. I’m just not used to hanging out with those guys.”

  “What guys? Spencer and Drew?”

  “Yeah. And the cheerleaders.”

  Taylor nodded. “You mean the popular kids.”

  “Yeah.”

  “They’re no different than anyone else. Besides, they like you.”

  “Really?”

  “Couldn’t you tell?”

  “No.” I looked at her. “So why did you lie to them?”

  “I didn’t lie.”

  “You told them I’m a black belt”

  “I told them you have a black belt What’s that around your waist?”

  I grinned. “That’s not what they thought you meant.”

  “Look, word’s gotten out about what you did to Jack. I mean, you took out three kids twice your size. You think that’s going to go un-noticed? I was just protecting your secret.”

  Another bell rang. Taylor sighed. “I’ve got to go. Can’t be late to class. Look, I found out something I need to tell you, but I’ve got to run. We can talk at the party tonight.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Wait, I don’t know where your friend lives.”

  “You can go with me. Just meet me after the game.”

  “Where will you be?”