The God Box by Alex Sanchez Page A

replied. "We shouldn't barge in on you guys' date.""It's okay," I told them, meaning it. Between Thanksgiving and Abuelita I hadn't seen Manuel for three days. I missed him.As usual I paid for Angie's ticket, and she bought our drinks and popcorn. Dakota also bought a bag, and Manuel got their drinks.As the four of us walked into the theater, we talked and joked about the tons of food we'd eaten for Thanksgiving.
    Halfway down the aisle I followed Dakota and Angie into a row, with Manuel trailing behind me."Do you want to sit next to Manuel?" Angie asked Dakota."That's okay," she replied. "Let the guys sit together."That put Manuel on my left, Angie on my right, and me in the middle. We peeled off our coats, and when I reached into the popcorn bag I now shared with Manuel, our thumbs accidentally bumped."Um, sorry," I mumbled. Yet each time I reached into the bag, our fingers touched. "Sorry," I kept muttering.Manuel laughed like it was hilarious."Hey!" Dakota peered over. "What're you two doing?"Annoyed, I told Manuel, "You can have the rest."I wiped the salt and butter from my fingers, and as the lights dimmed, Angie took hold of my hand. I started to lay my other hand on the armrest between Manuel and me, except . . . Manuel's was already there. I glanced anxiously at it and rested my hand in my lap.Tonight's movie was a Halloween release that had only recently made its way to our town. It began with a newly married couple taking down the sold sign and moving into a picturesque--but isolated-country house.
    Almost immediately mysterious things began to happen. The phone went dead. Lights flickered on and off. Their101car wouldn't start. A pitchfork disappeared.All the while, Angie stroked my right hand, while on my left, Manuel's hand lurked on the armrest.I tried to ignore it and focus on the movie, but my thoughts kept drifting. Why was it considered so wrong to hold another guy's hand? During my fourth-grade field trip to the Grace Museum in Abilene, everyone had paired up with a buddy. For the whole day I held a boy's hand, and no one had thought anything about it. At what age had it become sinful?I struggled to rein in my thoughts, but the warmth emanating from Manuel didn't help any. Each time his shoulder brushed mine, it was as if a little zap of electricity sparked through my body. And when our naked elbows bumped, the hair on my arms practically jumped to attention.On-screen, the couple awoke one stormy night to the sound of feet dragging through the hall outside their bedroom.The woman clutched her husband. "What is it?""I don't know." The man wrapped his arms around his wife.And I slowly lifted my forearm and let it rest casually against Manuel's, while my heart pounded like thunder. Sweat rained down my forehead.
    Why was I doing this? I should yank my lust-crazed arm away. Do it! Now!But the touch of his bare skin excited me too much.On-screen, the eerie scratching and rasping at the couple's bedroom door grew louder."Oh, God! It's trying to get in!" the woman explained, as if her husband might not realize that. But then the creepy sounds faded away... and the couple returned to sleep."Leave the house, you stupids! " I wanted to shout at the couple. But they stayed, and my arm remained on the armrest, pressed against Manuel's.102Annoyed and confused, I turned to look at him. The light from the screen shone across his eyes and mouth. And a feeling, different from the one in the lobby, tugged at me. It wasn't jealousy. It was something else, stirring from deep inside my chest. Unsettled, I quickly turned away."What's the matter?" Angie whispered."Um, nothing." I grabbed her hand more tightly and avoided turning to look at Manuel again. Instead, I tried to concentrate on the rest of the dumb movie, as the man and woman died gruesome deaths.In the lobby afterward, Manuel annoyed the rest of us with scratching sounds while clawing with his hands. We all said good night, Manuel gave Dakota a ride, and I drove Angie