Chapter Thirteen

I was in my room studying when there was a knock at my door. "Yeah?" I responded.

Daniel poked his head in. "Hi. Your mom told me you were up here."

Even though we'd planned to study together, I was surprised to see him. I had figured he would avoid showing up and would have some apologetic excuse the next day to make it seem like he really had wanted to come. But here he was, his head hanging past the end of my door, waiting.

"Uh - yeah, come in," I told him.

"Thanks." He crossed to my bed where I had my books laid out. I cleared a spot for him to sit at my desk, unsettling landslides of unfolded laundry. "Thanks," he said again, sitting down, "I didn't know where you lived. You left before I could ask." I looked over at him, confused. "I had to ask Charles," he explained.

So Charles had knowingly taken part in my ignoring of him. This seemed like a pretty heavy blow to the mission. "Oh?" I remarked, trying to sound casual, "What did he tell you?"

"Well, he told me where you lived." I had to hand it to Daniel; he was honest, and he got to the point. And at this moment, he was also frustratingly ignorant of what he was supposed to be telling me.

"Right." I measured my next shot. "So, did he ... was he angry? or happy? upset?"

"I don't really know."

"Like, did he think it was funny, or did he get mad that you asked him?"

"He didn't get mad, I don't think. But I don't know. He didn't laugh or anything. Why?" Daniel looked perplexed.

"No reason. Don't worry about it."

"Oh. Okay." He unzipped his backpack and unloaded his book and notes onto my half-cleared desk. "So," he said tentatively, "is there something wrong between you guys?"

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"I don't know. It just seems like you're mad at each other or something. You always used to be talking and joking and everything, and now, I don't know. It's like I never hear you guys talking anymore, even when you're both at your lockers."

"I don't know. Charles is just being a jerk."

"Are you jealous that he can go to the other dimension?"

What I'd thought earlier about Daniel getting straight to the point? Still annoying. "Can we just study?" I said.

We sat together for a little over an hour reviewing Daniel's notes, which were vastly better than any I had ever taken, and eventually decided to call it a night. As he was packing up his bag, Daniel turned to me. "So, my dad's taking me to see the new X-Men movie on Saturday. But if you want to come, I can just ask him to drop us off. He doesn't really like superhero movies."

I watched Daniel zipping up his backpack; the same kid I'd stood next to in the hall every day of school this year and barely said a word to, and now we were making movie dates.

Somehow, I felt like I was betraying Charles now, turning all the anger and hurt of the last few days into a tangible decision. I had already told myself things with Charles and me would never be the same, but accepting this invitation suddenly struck me as the one step from which I couldn't go back.

"So...?" Daniel was staring at me.

"Oh, uh, sure. Yeah." I stammered. "I'll ask my mom."

"Okay, great. See you later," he said, getting up and walking cheerfully out of the room.

I sat on my bed for a long time, trying to understand everything that had just happened.