back to the door for Health and Student Services and pushed it open. Linda, the secretary, sat at her desk, shuffling papers. Behind her loomed the door to Chuck’s room and the door to the nurse. A radio on Linda’s bookshelf droned light rock. The muffled sounds of someone talking leaked through Chuck’s door. Linda probably kept the radio on to drown out the counseling sessions.
“Hey, Linda.” I leaned against the post near her desk, attempting to play it cool. “How’s it going?”
“Busy.”
“I like your earrings,” I said. It was the sort of thing Dickie would say.
Linda touched her earrings to remind herself what she was wearing. The dangly clumps of bright beads clashed with her necklace and striped shirt.
“They’re bold,” I added. “They go well with your necklace.”
“Thank you.”
“Amber’s my favorite stone. If you can call it a stone, since it’s not really, is it?”
“I think it’s tree sap,” she said.
“Okay. So amber’s my favorite tree sap.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “What can I help you with?”
“Nothing. Just wanted to say hello. Oh, and I’m supposed to see Chuck.”
“Really?”
“Yup.” I leaned forward and pulled my hair back to give her a good look.
“Oh, my,” she said, reading my forehead. She slid out a sheet from her files and frowned at it. “I’m not sure what category to put that under.”
“It’s not meant to be an insult. One of my friends snuck into my room and elfed me.”
“Elfed you?”
“Wrote on my face while I slept,” I explained. “Like elves do mischief in the night.”
“You kids,” she said. “You’re so funny.”
“Mr. Funt didn’t think it was funny. That’s why he sent me here.”
“Well, Mr. Funt . . . he’s dealing with a lot right now,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Yeah. His divorce.”
We both nodded.
“It’s not our policy to force students to talk with a counselor,” Linda said. “So is there anything you’d
like
to talk with Chuck about?”
“Nope. I’m feeling pretty sane today. In fact, I’m the sanest person I know, appearances aside.”
“I try not to judge by appearances.”
“Then is it okay if I leave?”
She shrugged. “I don’t see why not. But if ever you
do
need to talk with someone . . .”
“Linda,” I said, “I always want to talk with you.”
“You’re such a charmer.”
“Oh.” I turned back, as if I’d just remembered something. “If Mr. Funt stops by, will you tell him I was here?”
“No problem.”
“Great. Don’t work too hard.”
I headed for the exit. So far, so good. No one had seen me here, and Linda would cover for me. I was about to make a clean getaway when the door opened and I ran into the Ice Queen. She sidestepped, trying to get around me, only I stepped in the same direction and we collided, chest to chest. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so embarrassing.
“Excuse me,” she said, sounding annoyed. “I need to get a Band-Aid.”
“Sure,” I replied. My face burned, and my stomach did flips. All the cool drained out of me.
The Ice Queen gave me a strange look. I had this overwhelming desire to impress her, while at the same time I wanted to ignore her because she couldn’t care less about me. And beneath all that, there was something else — a sense of déjà vu that kept me frozen in place. We’d stood this way, blocking each other, before.
“Forget it,” she said, turning. A wisp of her blond hair fell across her blue eyes. She hurried off, keeping her head down, the way movie stars do when they want to avoid being photographed.
I tried to tell her to wait, but no words came out. It suddenly hit me why the situation seemed familiar. It had happened last night.
The Thief in my dreams was Ellie.
O God! I could be bounded in a nutshell,
and count myself a king of infinite space,
were it not that I have bad dreams.
—
HAMLET, ACT 2, SCENE 2
THE COLD CAME QUICKLY. Leaves fell from the
“Hey, Linda.” I leaned against the post near her desk, attempting to play it cool. “How’s it going?”
“Busy.”
“I like your earrings,” I said. It was the sort of thing Dickie would say.
Linda touched her earrings to remind herself what she was wearing. The dangly clumps of bright beads clashed with her necklace and striped shirt.
“They’re bold,” I added. “They go well with your necklace.”
“Thank you.”
“Amber’s my favorite stone. If you can call it a stone, since it’s not really, is it?”
“I think it’s tree sap,” she said.
“Okay. So amber’s my favorite tree sap.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “What can I help you with?”
“Nothing. Just wanted to say hello. Oh, and I’m supposed to see Chuck.”
“Really?”
“Yup.” I leaned forward and pulled my hair back to give her a good look.
“Oh, my,” she said, reading my forehead. She slid out a sheet from her files and frowned at it. “I’m not sure what category to put that under.”
“It’s not meant to be an insult. One of my friends snuck into my room and elfed me.”
“Elfed you?”
“Wrote on my face while I slept,” I explained. “Like elves do mischief in the night.”
“You kids,” she said. “You’re so funny.”
“Mr. Funt didn’t think it was funny. That’s why he sent me here.”
“Well, Mr. Funt . . . he’s dealing with a lot right now,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Yeah. His divorce.”
We both nodded.
“It’s not our policy to force students to talk with a counselor,” Linda said. “So is there anything you’d
like
to talk with Chuck about?”
“Nope. I’m feeling pretty sane today. In fact, I’m the sanest person I know, appearances aside.”
“I try not to judge by appearances.”
“Then is it okay if I leave?”
She shrugged. “I don’t see why not. But if ever you
do
need to talk with someone . . .”
“Linda,” I said, “I always want to talk with you.”
“You’re such a charmer.”
“Oh.” I turned back, as if I’d just remembered something. “If Mr. Funt stops by, will you tell him I was here?”
“No problem.”
“Great. Don’t work too hard.”
I headed for the exit. So far, so good. No one had seen me here, and Linda would cover for me. I was about to make a clean getaway when the door opened and I ran into the Ice Queen. She sidestepped, trying to get around me, only I stepped in the same direction and we collided, chest to chest. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so embarrassing.
“Excuse me,” she said, sounding annoyed. “I need to get a Band-Aid.”
“Sure,” I replied. My face burned, and my stomach did flips. All the cool drained out of me.
The Ice Queen gave me a strange look. I had this overwhelming desire to impress her, while at the same time I wanted to ignore her because she couldn’t care less about me. And beneath all that, there was something else — a sense of déjà vu that kept me frozen in place. We’d stood this way, blocking each other, before.
“Forget it,” she said, turning. A wisp of her blond hair fell across her blue eyes. She hurried off, keeping her head down, the way movie stars do when they want to avoid being photographed.
I tried to tell her to wait, but no words came out. It suddenly hit me why the situation seemed familiar. It had happened last night.
The Thief in my dreams was Ellie.
O God! I could be bounded in a nutshell,
and count myself a king of infinite space,
were it not that I have bad dreams.
—
HAMLET, ACT 2, SCENE 2
THE COLD CAME QUICKLY. Leaves fell from the
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