In the name of teamwork, Nicholas insisted that he and Seiji must talk when they were going from one class to the other, and that at the end of the school day they should meet and discuss the day’s events.
“Nothing has changed in the eighty-seven minutes since I last saw you,” Seiji reported on Monday afternoon. “I don’t know how anything could have changed significantly in that amount of time. I cannot elaborate on my classes. You wouldn’t understand advanced mathematics even if I tried to explain it.”
Nicholas nodded happily. “It’s good to catch up. Hey, who do you sit with in the classes we don’t have together?”
“I sit by myself,” replied Seiji. “It is pleasant and restful.”
“Cool,” said Nicholas. “I sit with Bobby and Dante. We pull up a third desk so we can all be together in an extra-long row. Dante says Bobby and I aren’t allowed to talk about fencing for more than eighteen minutes at a stretch.”
Seiji squinted. “Dante is such a strange person.”
Nicholas privately agreed, but Dante was Bobby’s best friend, so Nicholas owed him loyalty.
“Don’t think you can call anyone else a weirdo, Seiji.”
“Nor can you!” Seiji said sharply.
Nicholas nodded. “Fair.”
The hallways were filled with boys hooting and jumping and running around and throwing paper airplanes. One got caught in Seiji’s black hair and he halted, a look of affront descending on his face like winter. The thrower of the offending plane retreated hurriedly. Nicholas plucked it out of Seiji’s hair and sent the airplane flying after its maker.
Right after the end of classes, Kings Row was always a zoo, but this was more than the normal rush to escape education. People were high-fiving in midair. Kally and Tanner, who Nicholas knew from fencing tryouts, were playing air guitar and singing to each other. Students were shoving into Seiji, who normally projected a force field and stopped strangers from touching him by will alone. Nicholas saw someone leap up and grab the top of the arched doorway leading to the stone steps outside. He was starting to think there was something unusual going on.
Eugene ambled over to them in the middle of the chaos. He was grinning broadly.
“So, are you guys going to Kingstone Fair?” he asked.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Nicholas.
“I never go places,” answered Seiji.
Eugene seemed daunted by this response to his conversational overtures.
“See, the thing is, Eugene, unless you or Bobby or Dante tell us about something, we’re not going to know about it,” Nicholas explained. “We have no other friends at Kings Row. Nobody talks to me because I’m a vandal with a scholarship, and nobody talks to Seiji because… well, because…”
“Because of my personality,” said Seiji.
Nicholas nodded. “Right, because of that.”
“Or lack thereof,” Seiji added in a brisk, factual tone.
Nicholas raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you’ve got one,” he said. “Don’t know that I can describe it, but you’ve got one.”
Eugene slapped Seiji on the back. “Totally, bro.”
Seiji endured being slapped on the back, his jaw setting. Another boy whooped and swung around a marble bust of a former principal. Seiji gave him a look, and the boy backed away.
“Kingstone Fair is held in the woods on the other side of Kingstone,” Eugene told them, seeming happy to share his lofty experience with the freshmen. “It’s every September. Everyone’s really excited to go. There’s fried dough.”
Seiji’s interest seemed caught. “This is a popular social event?”
“Yah, bro, obviously. Fried dough!”
Eugene offered Seiji a fist bump over fried dough. Seiji made a fastidious shape with his mouth, and glanced at Nicholas in search of help. Nicholas intervened to accept the fried-dough fist bump.
“So everybody will be at this fair,” mused Seiji. “And the school will be deserted. What a perfect opportunity.”
“To go to the fair!” Nicholas nodded with enthusiasm. “Let’s all go together! As a team.”
“I do not intend to go to the fair, Nicholas,” said Seiji. “It seems frivolous. I meant it was a perfect opportunity for me to catch up on some of the training I’ve been missing by having indulgent breakfasts. It’s also a perfect opportunity for Eugene to take you away from school so that I can have some peace. As Eugene and I were talking about earlier. Remember, Eugene?”
Seiji’s tone was slightly sinister. Eugene’s eyes went wide.
Nicholas ignored this in favor of complaining to Seiji. “If you’re in the salle and I’m in our room, you could still have peace.”
“Not enough peace,” said Seiji. “You could show up at the salle at any time. You often do. I wish you to be entirely off the premises, so I may attain complete peace of mind. Eugene will take you away. As previously discussed.”
Nicholas had no objection to going to the fair, but Eugene seemed shaken. Maybe he was afraid of heights? They didn’t have to go on the Ferris wheel or anything.
“Whoa, bro,” Eugene remarked in hollow tones. “Having peace of mind sounds fun. I wish I had some.”
“Uh, Seiji,” said Nicholas. “I think you’re overlooking one important thing.”
Seiji blinked interrogatively.
“If Eugene and I go to the fair together, then we will be rocking at teamwork, as usual”—Nicholas accepted another Eugene fist bump, this one actually intended for him—“and you will suck at it. As usual!”
“Is that so?” Seiji asked, his voice extraordinarily calm.
Eugene made a faint protesting sound.
It seemed as though there was something going on here that Nicholas didn’t understand. Nicholas felt grievously injured. He’d become Seiji’s friend first, but here Seiji was having secrets with Eugene.
On the other hand, Seiji didn’t train with Eugene, so that was sort of like Nicholas having a secret with Seiji. And going to the fair with Eugene would be fun, though obviously it would be better if Seiji were there, too.
“Fine, Eugene and I will go to the fair without you.”
“Enjoy yourselves,” said Seiji. He seemed in a weirdly good mood.
“What’re you doing, Seiji?” Eugene was speaking from the corner of his mouth.
“I haven’t done anything,” said Seiji blandly.
“What are you going to do?” Eugene asked in an unnecessarily loud voice. Nicholas wasn’t fussy about indoor voices like Aiden, but there were limits. Seiji obviously wouldn’t do anything bad. “I’m starting to get that intense feeling of disquiet again, bro! Bros don’t let other bros fret. Tell me what… Okay, everybody shut up right now.”
Seiji frowned, his particular frown of being imperiously disappointed that the world was failing him by making no sense.
“Do you wish for me to tell you something, or do you wish for me to shut up? Your requests strike me as contradictory.”
“Shut up!” Eugene hissed. “Some truly momentous gossip is unfolding right before our eyes!”
Nicholas knew Eugene enjoyed gossip. He looked around with interest to see what had caught his attention but saw only boys rioting excitedly over the fair to come.
Then he noticed the captain was here. Nicholas brightened. Harvard and Aiden were walking down the hall together, as they often did, but today they were holding hands.
One of Aiden’s fans stopped beside Eugene and clutched his arm. “Is it happening, do you think?” the Bon whispered. “Is it finally happening?”
“I don’t know, bro, but I think so, bro!”
Eugene over-bro’ed when he was excited.
Nicholas liked to see the Bons’ enthusiasm for fencing but found the specific target of their enthusiasm mysterious.
Aiden wasn’t that good a fencer. Why not support Seiji or the captain instead?
Someone gave a piercing whistle as Aiden and Harvard passed by. “Hello, gorgeous! What are you doing later?”
Aiden glanced around without much interest, accepting whistles as his due. Harvard was the one who actually responded to the whistle. His face clouded and he stepped back immediately, moving as though by instinct. His hand fell away from Aiden’s grasp.
Then a new idea seemed to strike their captain.
He stepped forward with a purposeful air, linked his fingers with Aiden’s, and tugged Aiden to his side. Aiden went easily, leaning close.
Eugene and the Bon made sounds like steaming kettles. Nicholas exchanged a questioning look with Seiji to see if he understood what was happening. Seiji gave him a tiny shake of the head.
Aiden was ignoring the crowd in the way Aiden did, taking for granted that he was being watched. All his attention seemed focused on Harvard.
Enlightenment descended upon Nicholas. “Oh, are Aiden and Harvard dating now?”
Harvard glanced again at Aiden, who nodded. Then Harvard nodded, too.
While light had only just dawned for Nicholas, Eugene’s eyes were glowing with unholy joy. “I must tell everyone!”
“Wait,” said Nicholas. “What about that Neil guy?”
Aiden’s green eyes narrowed. “Neil’s out,” he reported.
“Like, taken out?” Nicholas muttered.
Aiden proceeded: “Harvard made the excellent decision to upgrade blah, blah, blee, bloo…”
Aiden’s mouth kept moving, but Nicholas had not bought tickets to the Aiden Kane Is So Great Show. He refused to hear.
Harvard was nodding along indulgently. This kind of heroic patience was why Harvard was the captain, Nicholas supposed.
They wandered off toward the open doors, hand in hand, still smiling. The Bon was texting frantically. Nicholas caught a glimpse of many exclamation points and capital letters on the Bon’s screen.
“That’s good that Aiden and Harvard are dating,” Seiji decided.
Everyone exchanged surprised glances that Seiji had an opinion on this matter.
“If the captain is determined to date, and it seems he is, then he should choose someone who has at least some interest in fencing. My parents are a very devoted couple,” Seiji explained.
“Are they?” Nicholas felt unexpectedly touched. Seiji’s parents were together, and they loved each other.
That must have been nice for Seiji to grow up with.
“I understand that must be a surprise for you all, since you’ve met me, but my parents aren’t much like me,” Seiji continued. “They have very dedicated hearts. They say—how did they put it in that magazine feature?—that their personal partnership leads to more effective teamwork between them.”
Nicholas frowned. “Wait, and you think they’re not like you?”
“You and your lack of dedication to anything. That makes sense.”
Seiji nodded absently.
“I was being sarcastic, Seiji!”
“Were you?” Seiji made a face. “Why?” Before Nicholas could answer, Seiji gestured dismissively. “Never mind that. I can’t hang around making small talk all day. I have many things to do. Eugene, please remove Nicholas to the fair, thank you, goodbye.”
He walked off, a stern, remote presence among the joyful crowd. A guy hopping on one foot almost crashed into him. On reception of a chilling glance from Seiji, he decided to throw himself upon the floor instead.
Nicholas grinned watching it happen, then turned to Eugene.
“We’re going to the fair, then!”
Eugene seemed to be absorbed in a private, horrific vision, but he answered, “Looks like.”
“We can go into Kingstone and pick up Seiji’s watch, too.”
Nicholas thought it would be a fun evening. Before he went to get his blazer, he glanced back at Harvard and Aiden heading out the door.
“I honestly think the captain can do better,” Nicholas remarked.
The Bon tried to kick him. Nicholas dodged out of the way and ran laughing down the hall, the doors to Kings Row wide open and the sunlight of late afternoon spilling onto the stone floor.