August 2011
9 posts
Chapter 13.
In Washington, DC. there were men with machine guns in the train station. American soldiers.
“This country is insane,” Helen said, watching them. “Are they worried that someone is going to hijack a train and drive it into the White House?”
“You know what we should do?” Jane said. She kept her voice low. “We should hijack a train, and drive it into...
Chapter 12.
Jane and Helen decided to take a weekend trip to Washington. Adam and Helen were sort of dating by now. So Adam drove Helen to the train station in his dad’s car, and he was quieter than normal.
“I still don’t like this,” he said. “For the record.”
Helen reached into the back seat for her bag. “I believe your objection has been noted...
Chapter 11.
After school, Helen was waiting in the same place as always. She fell into step beside Jane, and they started walking home. They were quiet for a while, Helen had been crying, but Jane didn’t know what to say. She decided it was better to pretend that it wasn’t obvious.
“I can’t believe she suspended you,” Jane said. “Did they suspend him, too? What is it,...
Chapter 10.
Helen, on the other hand, did get suspended. The music teacher walked in on her and Adam from the chess club, on the sink in the teacher’s bathroom. He had his shirt entirely off, and Helen had her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Why don’t you take a picture?” Helen said to her. “It’ll last longer.”
Adam put his shirt on fast, and ran. Helen slid...
Chapter 9.
Jane and Helen were in the same physics class in high school. And, unlike the other classes they shared, their teacher had latched onto them as stand-out students. In private, he told them to call him Greg. He confided in them about his frustration with the school administrators, and his frustration with empty-headed students. When he won the Mayor’s Teaching Medal, it was Jane and Helen...
Chapter 8.
Helen called Jane at 5 in the morning.
“There’s a hot air balloon here,” Helen said. “At the park.”
“Hot damn! I am on my way,” Jane replied.
It took Jane one minute to get dressed and out the door, and it took her five minutes to bike down to the park. This was one of Helen’s favourite things about Jane. When she said, “I’m...
Chapter 7.
Jane and Helen read every book the library had on serial killers. They read sections out loud to one another, and they underlined passages. They even had a pact. If they turned thirty and they weren’t happy with their lives, they would go on a cross country killing spree. They would go out in a blaze of glory!
So when Jane saw that a behavioural analyst was scheduled to speak at the...
Chapter 6.
Jane bought another Richard Feynman book. He was fast becoming a hero of hers. He was just so curious about the world around him, and he made Jane curious, too. The way he wrote made science seem fun again. He had written a book called The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. How great was that, Jane thought.
He wrote an essay about bloodhounds, and about how under-appreciated the human nose was....
Chapter 5.
Jane picked up the telephone and dialled Helen’s number. After a ring, Helen answered.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey!” Jane said.
There was a long pause, and Jane realized that she couldn’t remember why she called.
“Hello?” Helen said.
“Just calling to make sure you’re still alive,” Jane said.
“As far as I can...
