Total Knockout by Taylor Morris Page B

to say, Phew. If you only knew. Currently I’m totally messing up the biggest venture of my career with those vending machines—a prelude to my future in politics?—and meanwhile my two best friends are on the phone talking about God knows what, and I sort of want to kill someone becauseeverything in my life seems to be completely out of order.
    Instead, I took another bite of the soup, but now I tasted neither spicy nor sweet. More like bitter.
    Finally, Cooper finished his call and put the cordless back in its cradle. He sat down next to me but didn’t look at me.
    â€œWhat was that about?”
    â€œNothing,” he said.
    â€œHas she called you before?”
    He shrugged. “Yeah.”
    â€œY’all call each other?”
    â€œYeah, sometimes. Why? It’s not a big deal, Loosh.”
    â€œI know,” I said, feeling defensive, but all I could think was, What the heck? Trying to sound like I didn’t care, I said, “I just didn’t know y’all were friends, you know, outside the three of us. That’s all.”
    â€œWell,” Cooper said, “we are.”
    There was a bit of finality in that. He was telling me to back off. He’d never done that before.
    â€œFine. Sorry I asked.”
    Cooper finished the last of his soup. “Thanks, Dad,” he said, setting it on the counter. “It was great.”
    â€œYeah, thanks,” I said, doing the same. Mr. Nixon took our bowls and rinsed them in the sink.
    â€œI better get going,” I said to Cooper. Melanie’s call made me feel funny in a way I couldn’t—or didn’t want to—put my finger on. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there, go home, and be alone. I didn’t even want to go back to the garage and get my gear. I just wanted out.
    â€œOkay,” Cooper said as we walked to the front door. “Hey, you want to jump on the trampoline for a while?”
    â€œNo, thanks,” I said. Even when Cooper was the one making me upset, he was still the one trying to make me feel better. “I should get home and shower.”
    â€œYeah, I guess I should too,” he said at the front door. “Shower, I mean.”
    I started down the brick walk, past the just-planted shrubs. “Hey, Loosh?” Cooper called. I turned back to him. “Everything’s cool. Right?”
    I nodded, but I got the feeling that he was just saying what he thought I wanted to hear. Which meant that even he knew everything wasn’t okay.

“I don’t think my life could get any worse,” I told Melanie on the bus ride to school. I opened a Pop Tart imposter and bit through the dry pastry. Not only had all brand names disappeared from our kitchen, but a lot of my healthy food had too. But that was the least of my problems. This whole thing with Melanie calling Cooper the night before had totally thrown me. Why did I care so much? Did I want him to grab my wrist the way he had grabbed hers that day on the trampoline? I wasn’t sure, but I thought if I confided in Melanie, she might confide in me.
    â€œCome on, Lucia. Things aren’t that bad.”
    I looked out the window as we left the neighborhood and entered the main road to school. When I got home from Cooper’s the night before, I’d even tried to kiss my elbow to see if I’d turn into a boy. Sad, right?
    â€œI know. But I mean, well—you’ve seen what they’ve done to the vending machines. Have you bought anything from them yet?”
    Melanie wore a green knit beanie with a little ball on top, and I wondered if there was anything she didn’t look totally adorable in. “I haven’t, but I swear I will,” she said. “I never have any money on me.”
    I held my tongue. Maybe if the machines took credit cards, she would have bought a ton by now. “So, what’s new with you? Anything exciting happening?” It sounded like obvious digging,