Part of me wanted to forget the whole encounter at the bookstore and just go on acting like usual. Burnwood was finally getting tolerable for me and my friends had everything to do with that. Perhaps if I tried really hard I could manage to push aside the feelings of betrayal and isolation, and hold on to the connection I once shared with them.
I held onto those feelings until fourth period, but I couldn’t even force myself to sneak a quick glimpse of Alec. His eyes followed me from the moment I stepped into the classroom until I left. Things didn’t get any better by Phys. Ed., either. In fact, I actually walked right passed her as though she were visible. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but see the devastated expression on her face as I did.
After school I left through the main entrance in an effort to avoid the parking lot. I walked quickly and arrived home well ahead of any record I had set in the past.
I stepped inside and kicked off my shoes. “Uncle! Are you home?”
“Kitchen,” he called back.
I sat down next to him at the dining table. “Hey.”
He furrowed his brow and then glanced down at his watch.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said, blinking away his expression. “It’s just I haven’t seen you home this early in a while. Something wrong?”
I shook my head. “No, everything’s fine. You want to go out for dinner today?”
He folded his newspaper, placed it down on the table, and stared at me. I could tell he was sizing me up. “You want something? That’s it, isn’t it? You want something from me?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I want to go out for dinner.”
He leaned back in his chair, still eying me. Finally, he shrugged and reached out for his cup of coffee. “Okay, Rosie’s it is.”
“Actually,” I said, pulling my cell phone from my pocket. “There’s a bowling alley just east of Portland.”
He paused, his look growing more curious. “Let me get this straight. You want to go all the way to Portland…”
“Chamberlain actually,” I corrected.
“Of course, you want to go all the way to Chamberlain for bowling and dinner.”
“Yes,” I said flatly. “It’s known for its pizza. It was even on one of the shows on the food network.”
He sighed. “And nothing’s wrong?”
I got up from my seat and started for the stairs. “I’ll be ready in 15 minutes. Is that enough time for you?”
He shrugged indifferently. “Sure.”
I paused at the bottom of the staircase and flashed him a thankful smile.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said, shooing me with a wave of his hand.
I ran back into the kitchen and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “You really are the best uncle in the world.”
He rolled his eyes. “Just go already. All this talk about pizza is making me hungry.”