Four Letters in Reverse (FLIR #1) (6 page)

“H
EY, PASS ME THE
fries, Hans,” I requested, stretching my arms out and wiggling my fingers at my friend.

After waiting to be served, I was rewarded with a mountain of fries at my reach. Grabbing a couple from the tray, I tossed them into my mouth. Content with life, I rested my hands behind my head, sighing as I looked up at the sky.

It was a beautiful day. Hans, Matty, and I had decided to have lunch outdoors, and it was an awesome break from classes and assignments and homework.

At least for an hour.

“Look at this,” Hannah said, tossing the tray of fries on Mateo’s lap and squeezing herself between us. She placed a magazine in front of my face and I had to blink at the closeness, all the words running together.

“Too close, Hans.”

Mateo snatched the magazine from Hannah’s fingers and looked at the magazine article. There was a picture of Jannie Tay performing onstage during her most recent concert.

He started to read.
“Teenage sensation, Jannie Tay (16), just wrapped up her North American tour in New York City. She surprised the audience with two new singles that won’t officially be released until her next album, causing a frenzy at the amphitheater. Her tour resumes in Europe next week starting in Ireland.”

He looked up from the magazine. “I heard a rumor about Jannie Tay,” Mateo casually slipped out.

“What?” Hannah asked eagerly.

He glanced at me before looking back at Hans. “I heard she’s related to Nat G.”

Hannah’s mouth gaped open for a full five seconds before she could speak. “That rocker chick?”

“She has a certain appeal,” I said, thinking of the carefree, in your face, rock star.

“There’s no way sweet Jannie Tay is related to Nat G,” Hannah said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’ve also heard that Jannie Tay isn’t so sweet.”

“Shut your mouth, Mateo. Stop telling lies!” she exclaimed, pointing back at the picture. “No more rumor talk. Take a look at the backup dancers. That’s what I wanted to show you. That could so be us in a few years.”

I sighed, a grin on my lips as I closed my eyes. “Can you imagine? We’d be living the dream.”

“Living what dream?”

I looked up to see both Bruno and Owen staring down at me. I ignored Owen’s look of concern, fully knowing he was remembering yesterday and the whole Carolyn fiasco, and answered Bruno’s question.

“As backup dancers for Jannie Tay.”

Bruno looked surprised. “I didn’t know you danced.”

“We all do,” Matty spoke up, flipping the pages of the magazine, and nibbling on a fry. “Have been for years.”

Bruno looked over at Owen. “Did you know?”

He didn’t seem ready for the question because he sort of stumbled over his words as he looked from me to his friend. “Uh, yeah. I knew … I never mentioned it?”

“No.”

Owen looked back at me, scratching the back of his head. “It must have slipped my mind.”

Hannah looked from me to Owen, back to me, then grabbed Bruno’s arm. “Bruno!” she exclaimed dramatically, like she was a star on Broadway. “Have I ever mentioned that I have a third cousin named Bruno? I’ve never met him but isn’t that cool?”

As I silently thanked Hannah for her distraction as she rambled on, Mateo quietly smirked to himself, turning the page to the magazine that I obviously knew he wasn’t reading.

Owen sat down next to me. “So,” he started, casually running his palm over the shards of grass.

“So,” I echoed back, sitting up.

The sound of another page turning filled my ears, as well as Hannah’s endless chatter.

“You okay, Annabella?”

I nodded quickly, still not used to him calling me that. “Yeah. Water under the bridge.”

He moved a little closer. “I spoke to her,” he whispered in my ear.

Another page turned.

“I told her that what she said was not cool.”

And another.

“She seems really sorry.”

I looked at him sharply. “Are you apologizing for her?”

He shook his head quickly. “No,” he said quietly. He sighed and I knew he wasn’t used to being in a situation like this. “She knows what she did was wrong.”

“Is that it?” I didn’t know why I was so irritated at Owen. It wasn’t his fault Carolyn was so evil.
Gah,
he even saw the good in the evil people of the world.

“Yeah,” he said, pulling back and wiping his face. It was probably the first time I had seen wrinkles on his forehead.

Oh God,
I thought to myself.
I’m giving Owen Wilder wrinkles.

“That’s a great idea, Hannah!” interrupted Mateo.

I turned to see Mateo staring at me hard. I played along.

Thank you, Matty!

“What’s a great idea?”

Mateo closed the magazine, tossing it aside. “Hannah was just telling Bruno that we should all hang out at her place sometime. You know she has that giant TV we can play video games on.”

“That sounds like fun.”

I was surprised Owen spoke up first. And actually said yes. I thought he’d never want to hang out with me after being so cold just now. My heart felt heavy with guilt.

Hannah looked over at me. “You in, Annabells?”

I didn’t turn my eyes away from Owen, just nodded. “Yes.”

If Bruno didn’t realize that my attention was on his best friend and not him, he was blind.

“Great!” Hannah said, slapping her hands together. “You can’t come over tonight but definitely Friday.”

“We seem to live for Fridays,” Bruno commented with a grin.

“Yup,” Hannah agreed.

“Friday it is then,” Owen said softly as he stared back at me.

He was doing it again, that alien thing.

Only this time I think I was too.

“W
HAT WAS THAT?”

“What was what?” I feigned ignorance.

“Don’t give me that,” Mateo stated, as we walked side by side. It was after school and we had just dropped Hannah off at her place so Matty and I were alone.

He clutched the straps of his backpack, eyeing me suspiciously. “There was some serious
tish
happening between you and Owen. What have I missed?”

“Nothing.”

“I don’t think you having an intense conversation in hushed tones nothing. I don’t think Owen referring to you by your first name nothing. Or the way you two were looking at each other. I swear, you two are my own soap opera. Now spill.”

I couldn’t help it. Everything rushed out my mouth like an avalanche as I confessed to Matty. The Carolyn incident, Owen’s defense, the hug right after.

We were standing in front of my house, Mateo looking up at me as I stood on the front porch. “I can’t believe you never said anything about Carolyn. Hannah’s gonna have a field day.”

I sighed, knowing that the trio could never really keep secrets from each other for long.

“Can you reel her in for me?” I asked. “I don’t want her to get in trouble because of me.”

If there was one thing to know about Hannah, she loved fiercely.

And defended fiercely.

Matty nodded once. “I can handle Hans. Remember the plan? We’re all gonna graduate together. We’ll leave no man behind.”

I grinned. “Love you, Matty.”

“Love you too, Annabells.” He took off his backpack and unzipped it, then taking out a piece of paper, presented it to me.

“Here.”

I grabbed the paper and looked down at it, smiling so wide I thought my face would rip apart.

It was a drawing of Owen and me at the movie theater. Sketched in pencil, Owen and I sat next to each other, each with mischievous grins on our faces as he whispered in my ear.

“Matty,” I exclaimed, looking at my friend. My heart felt so full, I wanted to burst. I rushed down the steps and tightly wrapped my arms around him. “It’s beautiful.”

“Well,” he shrugged and I knew he was slightly embarrassed. “I was keeping it for when you needed it and I think you need it. Whatever it is that’s going on, I know you’ll figure it out.” He gestured to the drawing.

“You looked really happy there, Bells.”

After finally saying goodbye to Mateo, I rushed inside my house and up into my room. Dropping my bags on the ground, I fell onto my bed and with arms outstretched in the air, stared up at the drawing of Owen and I. Then I hugged it to my chest, smiling.

I did look happy.

I had to admit, I couldn’t wait until Friday.

“T
RUTH OR TRUTH?”

“Why is there no option?” Owen asked Mateo as he sat across from me in the circle the five of us made on the basement floor of Hannah’s house.

The rest of the week went by in a blur and it was Friday once again. I hadn’t had the guts to approach Owen all week with an apology. The fact that Carolyn always seemed to be lurking about, with her group of friends that looked like her own teenage girl militia, didn’t help.

So now as promised, we were all hanging out at Hannah’s place. Her parents were upstairs watching TV. I loved Hannah’s parents. They gave us space that kids our age needed, but the door to the basement was still wide open.

Hannah was an only child and the reason why she was, kind of, spoiled rotten with having the luxury of her own basement space with a sixty inch flat screen TV plastered on the wall. We had been playing video games for hours but as usual, Hannah got bored (especially since Matty kept beating her) and wanted to play a game of truth or truth.

Matty stared at me when he answered Owen’s question. “Because this one doesn’t do dares. Ever.”

Bruno and Owen looked at me and I shrugged in awkwardness. “I just don’t want to be forced into doing something I don’t particularly want to do. If I want to do something, I’ll do it. No need to
dare
me.”

“So you’d rather tell the truth?”

I looked at Owen steadily. “Yes.”

“Okay then.” He looked over at Bruno who sat beside him. “Let’s play. You go first.”

Bruno glanced around the circle. He turned to his right where Hannah sat. “Who do I ask first?”

“Hold on one second.” Hannah rose and ran up the stairs to the main floor. When she returned, she was holding an empty pop bottle.

“Here,” she said, placing the bottle in the center of the circle. “This will determine who will be asked.”

“Are you sure we’re not playing spin the bottle?” Bruno asked with a grin. His eyes flicked over to me.

I quickly averted them and they landed on Owen who regarded me with a raised brow and a smirk.

Tish.

Shaking my head, I looked over at Hannah. She had this grin on her face as she sat down between Bruno and me.

“Never. Annabells here would have a hernia.”

I gave her a dirty look then looked over at Bruno. “Spin it.”

Bruno leaned forward and turned the bottle clockwise. We waited as the bottle spun round and round in circles.

It landed on Mateo.

Bruno pointed a finger at him. “Have you ever liked Annabella or Hannah?”

“Always. They’re my best friends.”

Bruno made a face. “That’s not what I meant.”

Mateo shrugged, a gleam in his eyes. “That’s how I interpreted it.”

Bruno looked over at Hannah and me for help and I felt bad. “The thing about truth or truth, is that you have to be very particular about the way you ask the question since you only have one try … at least until your next spin.”

Hannah grinned over at Mateo. “So Matty answered fine. It’s your turn to spin.”

Mateo grabbed hold of the bottle and spun quickly with the flick of a wrist. Once it finally stopped, the bottle landed on me. He rubbed his hands together in glee. “Hmm, what can I ask Annabella that I don’t already know?”

I smiled smugly. “Not a thing.”

Mateo realized his mistake. “Tish, I didn’t—”

“Sorry, Matty,” I said, moving forward to grasp the bottle. “My turn.”

After spinning the bottle, I really didn’t want it to land on Owen because we hadn’t talked to each other in what seemed like forever.
Ugh,
I didn’t want our first interaction to be asking some stupid question.

It landed on Owen.

I gulped as I looked in front of me. Owen regarded me calmly.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I didn’t know what to say. That was when the panic set in. It was like someone had ripped out my vocal cords and I was unable to speak.

The silence droned on in what seemed like forever before Owen saved the day.

“I’m not gay.”

My eyes widened. “But I—”

“Nah ah,” Owen interrupted. “You already asked a question—”

“No, she didn’t,” interrupted Bruno.

“But that was what you wanted to ask, right?” Owen asked softly.

I didn’t know what to say so I just nodded blindly.

“Great. She asked, I answered. It’s my turn.”

Owen spun the bottle while I remained still shell-shocked that he, once again, came to my rescue.

“Earth to Annabells!” Hannah said and I blinked, snapping out of my stupor. I looked down at the position of the bottle and realized it was directed at me.

Oh.

“Annabella.”

Tish.

“Yes?” I answered Owen, as if I were being called in class.

“Do you like when someone looks at you like an alien?”

I ignored the confused looks on everybody else’s faces and tried breathing calmly.

It’s a simple act, AB. You inhale then you exhale. Stop having a mental freak out in front of everyone and act chill.

“It depends on the someone.”

He nodded as he took in my answer, a smile never quite leaving his face.

Glad that
that
was over, I spun the bottle once more and it landed on Hannah. We continued to play for about ten more minutes until we gave up. I was just relieved the bottle never landed on Owen or me again because I did not want to explain the whole alien thing. But Matty kept glancing at me with knowing eyes so I knew he put two and two together.

“Tell me a dream,” voiced Hannah in a theatrical voice.

That was our next activity. We spent the next five minutes writing down the last dream that we each had on Hannah’s signature pink pastel colored paper. It was something we liked to play often but it was slightly strange we were sharing it with Owen and Bruno.

It felt right, though.

I looked down at my paper, going first.
“I dreamed that I had wings for arms and fins for legs. I could swim or fly wherever I wanted to, whenever I wanted to. In this dream, I was on an abandoned beach far away from anything and anyone. The sea was a beautiful blue-green that seemed to glitter at me. The sand was hot against my skin and I wanted to stay there forever and ever.”

I stopped, looking up from my words. “The End.”

I noticed Owen had this faraway look on his face while Hannah sighed happily. Mateo grinned at me, nodding, and Bruno looked depressed.

I frowned at him. “What’s wrong?”

“That was amazing, don’t get me wrong. It’s just—” He paused, making a face as he waved his pink paper in the air. “Mine sucks.”

Mateo gave him a pat on the back. “It’s not a competition. It’s kind of another version of truth or truth. There’s no right or wrong answer—it just is.”

“And the answer will always change as we have more and more dreams!” exclaimed Hannah.

“Or nightmares,” Mateo couldn’t help but add.

“So what did you dream, Bruno?” asked Owen.

He frowned, looking down at his paper.
“I dreamed that it was my first day of high school. But I wasn’t at Evansdale High. Instead I was at the private school.”
He paused, looking over at Owen. “You know, the one Dad wants me going to?”

Owen nodded and Bruno sighed, continuing.
“So I’m at this school, I know no one, and I don’t make it on any of the sport teams. And then when I go to the chemistry department, a bunch of students lock me up in the chem lab and I’m trapped with a thousand grasshoppers wanting to eat me alive.”

“I doubt the grasshoppers will eat you alive.”

I glared at Mateo, then turned to Bruno with kinder eyes. “That sucks, Bruno! Have you told your dad how you feel?”

He shook his head sadly and I glanced over at Owen who looked just as depressed.

Hannah scooted closer to Bruno, patting him on the shoulder. “Definitely tell your dad. It’s weird but sometimes parents actually listen. I mean, did I actually believe that they would give me the
entire
basement when I asked them? No! Did I believe it when Mom said she’d buy me backstage passes for any Jannie Tay concert if she ever had a show up here? No.”

“She probably thinks Jannie Tay will never have a concert up north.”

“Shut up, Matty.” Hannah looked back at Bruno. “Did Annabella think she’d ever get her own room? No. So you see, you’ll never know if you don’t ask is all I’m saying,” she ended with a shrug.

Bruno managed to look better from Hannah’s pep talk and we continued our game of dreams, listening to Hannah’s dream of being at some secret underground Jannie Tay concert, to Mateo’s dream of digging a hole in his backyard and ending up in an alternate dimension where it was the seventies and bell bottoms were in.

“Everyone, it’s getting late,” Hannah’s mother called from the top of the stairs as soon as Mateo stopped talking. “Time to head on home.”

I glanced at my phone and saw that she was right. It was a bit after eight so I send a quick text to my dad to come pick me up. We all grabbed our belongings and made our way upstairs and out the front door, a jumble of goodbyes directed at Hannah’s parents. Once out on the porch, I sat down, since I was the only one being picked up. As the boys past by, something fell on my lap and I looked down, picking it up.

It was a piece of pink paper.

“See ya, girls,” called out Mateo as he walked off with Owen and Bruno who both waved their goodbyes, Owen gliding on his skateboard.

Once the boys had left, I opened up the small piece of paper, looking down in shock.

“What is it?” Hannah asked as she sat next to me.

I looked over at her wordlessly, showing her the evidence.

Hannah’s eyes darted over the writing and then she beamed.

“Woohoo! Annabells has her first boy’s phone number! So when are you going to call him?”

I smiled, looking down at Owen’s handwriting. That wasn’t the only question I had.

I wonder what dreams he wrote about on the other part of the ripped paper?