up to you? That's not just rude! That's crazy!~
"Why?" Angelica said. "You two are the only people I met in school so far who seem interesting enough for me to want to be your friend."
"What?" Luke squeaked. "We're interesting?"
"Yeah," Angelica laughed. "Go figure, right? I don't know what it is, but I think we have something in common."
"Like what?"
~Haven't you said enough nonsense? If you can't say something smart, keep your mouth shut. You were always good at that.~
"I bet you hate small talk just as much as I do," Angelica said.
"You mean the How are you's? " Luke said.
"Exactly," Angelica chuckled.
"I bet you most people who say Great! don't even remember what great feels like."
~Nice comeback!~
"Yeah! It's just a word to them. It doesn't mean anything," Luke said.
"When does a word mean something?" Angelica asked.
"When you feel it rather than repeat it," Luke said.
"You see?" Angelica said. "I was right. I feel the same way about words. Luke and I have two things in common—we don't like small talk and meaningless words. And I don't believe for a minute you really want to be a loner, MJ. You came here, and all it took was one text. Whatever it is you're dealing with, I hope you're honest with yourself. That's all. I have a lifetime to be a loner if I chose to be one. I don't have that much time to find new friends in my new school, so why waste it by pretending I don't care to find any? I wanted you to get to know me so we can skip the learning about each other and do the friendship thing instead. It's your turn, MJ. Give me something. Anything."
"My life's pretty boring. Mom and Dad, living in a house similar to all of the other houses in our subdivision. Hell, the whole neighborhood, subdivision after subdivision looks alike. You could get lost here and wander around for miles thinking your home is the next one."
~Are you serious? You really think all the houses look alike? Are you blind or something?~
"My house looks different," Luke said.
"That's not the point," Angelica said.
"What? Am I missing something?" Luke said.
"It's all sanitized. Everyone's home is similar in size, the neighborhood is perfectly planned, the schools are plastered in the middle of it. Everyone acts like the perfect nuclear family. Kids are sanitized, too. And it's not just the sanitizer in classrooms teachers squirt onto kids' hands after every stupid activity. The kind of sanitizer your parents and your teachers use seeps in through your every pore. It gets inside your head until you almost believe it. Gosh, you're lucky if you end up believing it because if you don't, you'll go crazy."
~I'm not sure I like this speech, MJ.~
"Have you ever gone crazy, MJ?" Angelica asked.
"Every freaking day since I got out of elementary school."
~That long? Why haven't I noticed you were in trouble before? How could you hide from me like that? I thought we were a team!~
"I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one freaking out every day," Luke exhaled.
"Which one of the sanitizers do you hate the most, MJ?" Angelica asked.
"The plan."
~The plan? What is the plan?~
"It's like you're not your own person, ever. Your whole life is planned for you from the get go. And the more you try to steer away from the plan, the tighter the leash they have on you gets. It starts small, so you don't suspect anything. Little kids in organized play dates. They all have to share and be nice. They can't fight or say bad words. They are told to have fun , whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. No one ever defines what fun is. It's as vague as it is overused."
"Fun is like a codeword for anything as long as it's not spontaneous." Angelica snorted a loud laugh.
"You're so right about that!" Luke laughed, too. "I saw a YouTube video of this Hollywood producer with his kids in this crazy decorated carriage with horses riding around their humongous mansion. These parents were inside the carriage with their kids and asking them over and over again, Are
"Why?" Angelica said. "You two are the only people I met in school so far who seem interesting enough for me to want to be your friend."
"What?" Luke squeaked. "We're interesting?"
"Yeah," Angelica laughed. "Go figure, right? I don't know what it is, but I think we have something in common."
"Like what?"
~Haven't you said enough nonsense? If you can't say something smart, keep your mouth shut. You were always good at that.~
"I bet you hate small talk just as much as I do," Angelica said.
"You mean the How are you's? " Luke said.
"Exactly," Angelica chuckled.
"I bet you most people who say Great! don't even remember what great feels like."
~Nice comeback!~
"Yeah! It's just a word to them. It doesn't mean anything," Luke said.
"When does a word mean something?" Angelica asked.
"When you feel it rather than repeat it," Luke said.
"You see?" Angelica said. "I was right. I feel the same way about words. Luke and I have two things in common—we don't like small talk and meaningless words. And I don't believe for a minute you really want to be a loner, MJ. You came here, and all it took was one text. Whatever it is you're dealing with, I hope you're honest with yourself. That's all. I have a lifetime to be a loner if I chose to be one. I don't have that much time to find new friends in my new school, so why waste it by pretending I don't care to find any? I wanted you to get to know me so we can skip the learning about each other and do the friendship thing instead. It's your turn, MJ. Give me something. Anything."
"My life's pretty boring. Mom and Dad, living in a house similar to all of the other houses in our subdivision. Hell, the whole neighborhood, subdivision after subdivision looks alike. You could get lost here and wander around for miles thinking your home is the next one."
~Are you serious? You really think all the houses look alike? Are you blind or something?~
"My house looks different," Luke said.
"That's not the point," Angelica said.
"What? Am I missing something?" Luke said.
"It's all sanitized. Everyone's home is similar in size, the neighborhood is perfectly planned, the schools are plastered in the middle of it. Everyone acts like the perfect nuclear family. Kids are sanitized, too. And it's not just the sanitizer in classrooms teachers squirt onto kids' hands after every stupid activity. The kind of sanitizer your parents and your teachers use seeps in through your every pore. It gets inside your head until you almost believe it. Gosh, you're lucky if you end up believing it because if you don't, you'll go crazy."
~I'm not sure I like this speech, MJ.~
"Have you ever gone crazy, MJ?" Angelica asked.
"Every freaking day since I got out of elementary school."
~That long? Why haven't I noticed you were in trouble before? How could you hide from me like that? I thought we were a team!~
"I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one freaking out every day," Luke exhaled.
"Which one of the sanitizers do you hate the most, MJ?" Angelica asked.
"The plan."
~The plan? What is the plan?~
"It's like you're not your own person, ever. Your whole life is planned for you from the get go. And the more you try to steer away from the plan, the tighter the leash they have on you gets. It starts small, so you don't suspect anything. Little kids in organized play dates. They all have to share and be nice. They can't fight or say bad words. They are told to have fun , whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. No one ever defines what fun is. It's as vague as it is overused."
"Fun is like a codeword for anything as long as it's not spontaneous." Angelica snorted a loud laugh.
"You're so right about that!" Luke laughed, too. "I saw a YouTube video of this Hollywood producer with his kids in this crazy decorated carriage with horses riding around their humongous mansion. These parents were inside the carriage with their kids and asking them over and over again, Are
Similar Books
