Chapter 5

t day i talked to miss garber, tion, and got t. eddie, by t upset at all. in fact, i could tell ually relieved about to let me play tom ton, of relaxed rig;y-y-yes, a-a-absolutely,“ uttering. “i-i-i un-un-understand.“ it took ically ten seconds to get t.

for y, role. tely mute, but t one point in to tell te bum t god c for rodden. t ip-offs to t s from ed it to be real clear ion, and it certainly going to be a fey gs of nowhere.

rearted t il all t;little bugs“ out of our performance. by little bugs, i mean our tendency to accidentally knock over t fifteen years ago, year, by toby bus of roving s for t. traigally once a day. o to sooto ly s all own.

but allooby really didnt knorict environment. as a result, t obvious rig. after a feo fall apart, and took it upon o keep toget t too good at t, rusty nails sticking out all over, poking t o ly ourselves or topple over, making little nail age floor. after a couple of years tage o be resurfaced, and t exactly close to , to be more careful in ture. t meant ice in til t;little bugs.“

fortunately involved ual production of tering duties. t role fell to miss garber, and t told us to do o memorize our lines as quickly as possible. e didnt ime as ted for re possible day in november, and didnt to be performed too close to cmas, so as not to interfere ;its true meaning.“ t left us only to get t rig a han usual.

t t day t really surprising. soo, as t, and id be looking do a stack of pages, trying to figure out line s ing for a buing buse bums, at least on t first day, and all of a sudden i ually envious of eddie, at least in t regard. to be a lot of exactly ed whe class.

my noble feelings about doing t;rig; my friends didnt understand it at all, and t. “youre doing ; eric asked . “youre doing t plain stupid?“ i sort of mumbled t i let it drop, and old everyone around us t i , of course, rue, and tell t person tories kept getting oo-by lunc i ting engaged. i actually t it. s ual except for t t s couldnt ignore. uffed into ted oacky antique so be , it sort of gave me the willies.

i guess t ed to resent jamie again. i kno , but i aking t, ly gone out of of o make me feel o stumble t fe really even attempting to lea t for jamie and miss garber. after reo put t of my mind, and i even boto pick up t. instead id joke tell fibs about hing.

jamie, t going to let me off t easy. no, s me rig s, righe old ego.

i urday nigs tive state cball, about a er rearted. e terfront outside of cecils diner, eating creet. sill a uing o side, old broer again and carrying must e for o be out, and it ranger to see of toued my back to , but even margaret- who she was looking for.

“landon, your girlfriend is ;

“s my girlfriend,“ i said. “i dont ;

“your fiancée, t;

i guess salked to sally, too.

“im not engaged,“ i said. “no off.“

i glanced over my so see if sted me, and i guess soended not to notice.

“; margaret said, and giggled.

“i kno; i said.

ty seconds later s again.

“sill coming.“ i told you she was quick.

“i kno; i said tted teet for drive you as crazy as jamie.

i glanced around again, and time jamie kneued a later sanding right beside me.

“; so me, oblivious of my sco. “ . . .“ s around t of mumbled “; and tried not to stare at the bible.

eric . jamie could even make eric feel guilty if so one time, and eric alks before. be;tion lady,“ in obvious reference to tion army. “s; o say. but ory. in to be in her bad graces.

“ seen you around mucly.“ sill talked to ime.

ed from one foot to t guilty look for all it h.

“ell, i been to cely,“ he said.

jamie smiled t glittery smile. “ell, ts okay, i suppose, as long as it doesnt become a or anyt;

“it .“

no beell t about all ts t to jamie. for a second i t o call ;maam.“

“you a beer?“ margaret asked. i trying to be funny, but no one laughed.

jamie put o ugging gently at ;o really . . . t;

sly at me glo so ask me off to to be i t u out better, but i guess t in her plans.

“ell, you did really re; so me. “i kno a lot of lines to lea, but im sure youre going to get t ed to teering like you did. youre a real gentleman.“

“t; i said, a little knot forming in my stomacried to be cool, but all my friends elling trut miss garber forcing it on me and everyt.

“your friends s; jamie added, putting t t to rest.

“o; eric said, pouncing. “very proud. landon, eering and all.“

oh no.

jamie smiled at ued back to me again, ;i also ed to tell you t if you need any ime. e can sit on to.“

i sa;like ; to margaret. t going all. by no in my stomach was as big as paul bunyans bowling ball.

“ts okay,“ i mumbled, ;i can lea t ;

“ell, sometimes it o read ; eric offered.

i told you ick it to me, even though he was my friend.

“no, really,“ i said to ;ill lea t;

“maybe,“ eric said, smiling, “you t of t it dotle better. sort of a dress reo see it.“

you could practically see jamies mind start clicking at tion of t button ;do you t; she asked.

eric nodded seriously. “im sure of it. landon of it first, but i kno if i exactly t;

“me too,“ margaret chimed in.

as t scene from julius caesar abs tu, eric?

“it ; s me, and i could tell sill mulling it over.

but eric about to let me off t easy. no to do me. “youd like to do t, you, landon?“ ;;

it exactly someto, ?

“i reckon so,“ i said under my breataring at my best friend. eric, despite the remedial classes he was in, would have been one hell of a chess player.

“good, ts all settled. ts if its okay ; , it could y.

“ell . . . yes, i suppose ill o talk to miss garber and tor of t if ts okay, i t ;

and tell s it.

ce.

t day i spent fourteen of control. my senior year certainly tuing out t it if i o perform for a buncainly didnt to look like an idiot.