True Love and Magic Tricks (17 page)

“
Oh yeah, sorry.” I grab
the wrench and hand it to him. I may not know how to fix an engine
or whatever he’s tuning up under there, but I’m usually a darn good
tool getter. I’m just distracted today.

There was one moment in gym when I
glanced across the field and our eyes caught for the briefest of
seconds. Even a field apart I could see the beautiful green depths
and the way her teeth slid over her perfect bottom lip.

“
Dude.”

She isn’t her usual perky self though,
and I know she lost her best friend, but part of me wishes some of
that sadness has to do with me. It’s probably selfish to think
that—hell I know it is—I just miss her so much, and the only thing
keeping me from falling apart completely is believing she misses
me, too.

“
Dude.”

I won’t know unless I suck
it up and talk to her. Be a man. Nick told me to just let her go.
He may be my brother, but when it comes to girls, he’s an asshole.
He’s never had what Kaylee and I had.
Have
.

“
Okay, what the hell?” Ryan
tosses the wrench into the tool box and leans against the grill of
the Lincoln.

“
Huh?”

“
Something’s up. You’re in
your own world and can’t even hear me when I talk to you. And you
look like shit.”

“
Thanks,” I say, scratching
my chin, realizing I haven’t shaved in a few days.

“
That’s what friends are
for.”

“
To tell me I look like
crap?”

“
And to point out what a
buzzkill you’re being.”

I laugh. “Oh trust me, I
know.”

“
Then why aren’t you doing
anything to fix it?”

I shrug. “Because I don’t
think I
can
.”

Ryan pats my shoulder. “Word of
advice?”

“
Sure.”

“
Go. Talk. To.
Her.”

I kick his shin for acting like I’m an
airhead. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“
She misses you, dude,” he
says, kicking me back.

“
How do you know
that?”

“
I filled in for you,
remember. Swing dance class. By the way you owe me big. Actually
you owe Kaylee. Poor girl is lucky she has any toes
left.”

I shake my head, thinking of the
disaster my practice was with Lexie. “At least you tried. One false
spider incident and Lexie refused to even do that.”

“
Just be happy it was a
false incident.”

“
She does get a little
crazy about spiders.”

“
A little?” Ryan exclaims.
“She becomes certifiable.” He reaches back under the
hood.

“
Enough about Lex and her
spider issues. What’s the deal with you and Kaylee?”

I’ve kept the whole thing a secret
mainly because I’m ashamed of myself. Ashamed that I killed
Kaylee’s gerbil because I messed up a magic trick. Ashamed of the
things I said to her.

I’m sick of not talking about it. I
move my mouth ready to spill my guts to my best friend.

“
What’s the diagnosis?”
Saved by Pop-pop.

Ryan nods to his grandfather then
points to inside the hood. “Loose spark plug. Since I was in here,
I decided to do a full tune up.”

“
Nathanial, you paying
attention?” Mr. Parker has been trying to teach me about cars ever
since the first day I came here. He finally gave up when he
realized I wouldn’t put a deck of cards down long enough to pay
attention. He still gives it a shot from time to time.

“
Sure have.”

Pop-pop glances at Ryan and Ryan
tosses a rag at my face with a laugh. “He’s hung up on a girl. He
doesn’t even know what engine’s in here.”

“
You don’t say. What’d ya
do?”

“
Why do you think it’s
something I did?” I ask, crossing my arms against my
chest.

“
Isn’t it?”

“
Well yes, but—”

Pop-pop wags his finger. “No buts.
You’re a man now and the secret to survival is simple. You are
always wrong. No matter what. Even if you are right, you are
wrong.”

“
How is that
fair?”

“
Oh it’s fair all right.
Because if the Mrs. is happy, you are happy.”

“
But how do I get her
back?”

“
There it is.” Pop-pop
smacks me on the back and for an old man he has some gusto behind
it. “The first step is admitting you’re wrong. You know it. Now
it’s time for the big gesture.”

“
Like what?”

“
Do you need me to do
everything for you?” Pop-pop says with a laugh.

I tuck my hands into my pockets and
lean back on my heels. “I…uh. I really messed things up. I’m going
to need more than a big gesture. I need a miracle.”

“
The only thing I can tell
you is talk from here.” He points to my chest, pressing his fingers
just above my heart. “Be honest with her. Tell her everything you
love about her. All the little things and all the big things. The
truth won’t steer you wrong.”

“
Jack? You get back in
here. I thought you said you’d wash the dishes.”

“
Speaking of keeping the
Mrs. happy, I gotta go.” Pop-pop taps the hood of the Lincoln then
gives me a gentle pat on the back. “Good luck,” he says, and I want
to hug him.

My family life may not be as messed up
as Lexie’s or even Kaylee’s for that matter, but living in the
shadow of my older brother is a constant battle of winning the
spotlight. Not with Pop-pop though. He treats me like his own
grandson.

“
Thanks,” I say as he walks
past.

“
No need for that. Just
passing on my wisdom”

“
Jack!”

“
Dagnabbit woman, I’m
coming.”

“
You did not just call me
‘woman!’”

Pop-pop walks toward the house and in
the direction of Grams whose hands are planted firmly on her hips.
Pop-pop laughs the entire way back.

His words echo through my
mind.
“Be honest with her. Tell her
everything you love about her. All the little things and all the
big things. The truth won’t steer you wrong.”

I reach into my pocket and pull out my
deck of cards. I’m going to tell her exactly what I love about her.
Fifty-two little details to be exact.

Chapter 19

I pump my legs, feeling the sweat on
my forehead trickle down my temple. The sun is my enemy today,
beating down on my back and making the air hard to breathe.
Someone’s on my right. Sean Dixon. He suggestively waggles his
eyebrows as he passes. If I wasn’t dying from exercise overload I’d
say something.

My leg muscles lock. Inhale, exhale,
inhale, exhale, cramp, cramp, push through it, cramp again,
collapse on the track.

“
Stick a fork in me,” I say
to the sky. A shadow passes over my eyes and Lexie comes into view,
her own face glistening with sweat.

“
You have half a lap left.”
She sticks her hand out. “Come on.”

I grab my heart and pretend it’s
stopped. “Body. Has. Ceased. To. Function.” My arm flings around
dramatically before it falls to the track a little harder than I
expected. Blasts of pain shoot through my elbow.

Lexie laughs and kicks my pink
sneaker. “Get up.” She gets a hold of my arms while I whine at her.
But I eventually get back to my feet.

I breathlessly giggle as Lexie moves
behind me and pushes me forward.

“
Slave driver!” I call out,
but I force my tight muscles to move again. Once I’m running on my
own, Lexie paces next to me, brown ponytail loosening as she
runs.

It feels like a hundred years before
we pass Coach with his timer.

“
Fifteen nine, Sperling and
Boggs. Not bad.”

“
That…is…the…last…mile and
a half…I ever run…” I heave, bent in half so much my blond ends hit
the track. Lexie drags me over to the grass where our water bottles
are. I chug all of it within seconds.

“
Huh, I wonder where he put
it,” Lexie says, manicured hands settled on her hips.

“
Who put what?” I pant.
Running is not and will never be my thing.

“
Nate asked me to watch his
stuff ‘cause he had to pee,” she says, and my heart jumps at his
name. “It was just that hat you got him and a blue notepad he
always carries around, but I can’t find it.”

My breathing stops. I straighten right
up and ignore the sweat dripping from my bangs.

“
Blue notepad?”

“
Yeah. I’m sure you’ve seen
him with it. He’s constantly writing stuff down, ripping it out,
and… what’s wrong with you?”

Her eyebrows pull down while I blink
and blink and frantically search the track and field for him. He’s
not out here, but I have a pretty good idea where he is.

My sore legs and tight lungs have a
miraculous recovery, and I sprint toward the school faster than
I’ve ever run in my life.

“
Kaylee!” Lexie calls after
me, but I don’t have much time to do anything but a bizarre wave. I
skid into the gym locker room, finding nobody, so I run straight
out into the hallway. Past the cafeteria, the student union, the
main offices, clear to the farthest lockers possible. And when I
turn the corner, he’s there. Right there in front of mine, folding
a blue piece of paper against the locker door, about to slide it
into the slat.

“
I knew it!”

Cards fly everywhere, as if he had
them hidden in his gym shorts. His crystal grey eyes widen at me,
his mouth open but not saying anything. I walk forward, shaking my
head, not sure how I feel just yet.

“
You always had me
second-guessing,” I say, “but my gut always knew… it’s been you
this whole time?”

Nate nods as the last few cards fall
to the ground. He bends down, sweeping them back to the
deck.

I crouch down to help, keeping my eyes
on the top of his head. The blue note he had seems to have
disappeared. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugs and swipes up a two of
hearts with scribbles on the front. My brow furrows and I gaze at
the rest of the cards. All of them have sharpie marker on one
side.

“
What’s this?” I ask, nails
scraping the tile as I pick up the jack of diamonds.

Number 11: The way you
wear your gym shorts… and any other pair of shorts.

He gulps when my gaze flicks back up.
His cheeks have blossomed red. A light brush of his fingers on my
hand sends goose bumps up my arms as he takes the card. He slides
it in with the rest and closes the box. We both stand straight, and
I raise my eyebrow, still waiting for an answer.

He takes a deep breath. “They’re
reasons why I love you,” he says so quietly I’m not sure if I heard
it right. I open my mouth to respond, but he flips his fedora off
and pulls the blue note back out. “I know you haven’t been reading
them the past few days, but will you please read this
one?”

He settles the letter in my palm, then
places the deck of cards on top. I stay frozen, staring at the
gift. He’s not mad? I yelled at him, avoided him, dodged his calls
and texts, and yet he’s still giving me things. And did he say he
loved me? Love… he said that… and my mind won’t catch up to what’s
happening.

I rip open the letter, only half aware
that Nate has started walking down the hall without me.

Kaylee,

For over a hundred years,
magicians have been pulling objects out of hats. Rabbits, flowers…
It’s become such a famous trick that rabbits are known to represent
magic in general.

I’m a magician. I’ve been
pulling things from hats since I learned the trick at ten years
old. It’s all about sleight of hand. Misdirection.

Distraction.

What people don’t really
know is it isn’t the magician that makes the trick magical. It’s
the object. What is a zig-zag box without the blades? What is a
cage without a dove?