OMG, A CUL8R Time Travel Mystery (13 page)

“
I doubt that that will come out in the conversation at a barbecue, but I’ve met Scott’s parents and they’re really nice.  He’s an engineer and she works at a bank.”

“It will be nice to meet my neighbors.  I should have done this a long time ago, but I’ve never
really had a compelling reason until now.”

“I
’ll check with them as soon as we get back,” Kelly eagerly agreed.

Her pancakes arrived and she ate them with gusto in spite of noticing her aunt was eating an egg-white omelet with turkey bacon.  There was a reason she was so slim and smart-looking in almost anything she wore.  Even today, dressed casually, she looked crisp and
attractive.

After breakfast, they continued on to the mall.
   As promised, the thunderstorm had passed and the sun had turned the air into something close to the moistness of a terrarium.  They parked outside of Macy’s on the south side.  “This mall was built back in the mid 1960s but they keep it fresh,” her aunt explained.  “It has a ton of stores, so I’m sure we can find something we like here.”

Kelly smiled and was a half-step ahead as they approached the doors.  “Sounds good.”

“We’ll just have to stumble on Scott’s friend. I’m not sure where his kiosk is located.”

“Will we be coming back before school starts or should I look for that stuff now?”
Kelly asked.

“Let’s plan on coming back.  Styles
may change between now and then, and you want to be current.  Besides, you may have a growth spurt.”

“I’m hoping for a little shrinkage,” Kelly admitted.

“This is nice,” Aunt Jane said as she stopped along a rack of skinny jeans.

“For you?”

“Both of us,” she said as she stepped back and held a pair up against Kelly.

“Really?”  Kelly was skeptical.

“Let’s try on a couple of these so we can find your size.”

“I don’t think my size is that small.”

“You shouldn’t worry about your body so much,” her aunt tried to reassure her.  “You are definitely not overweight.”

Kelly looked down at herself, seeing only the flaws.  She just didn’t see herself as
anything other than plump.

As if reading her mind, her aunt continued, “You have a good proportion of muscle to fat.  I can see that you could use a little toning, but you wouldn’t want to be much thinner.”

“Really?” Kelly repeated, trying to see what her aunt saw.

“You’re probably still going to add an inch or two in height, too, and you don’t want to lose your shape.”

Kelly was sensitive about her developing body.  Was her chest too small?  Was her waist too thick?  Were her feet too large?  The last thing she wanted was a Kardashian butt.  Maybe it worked for Kim, but Kelly didn’t know how it would fit into the real world.

They went to the dressing room with
their arms full of shirts, jeans, shorts and even bras.  Kelly tried each on and modeled them for her aunt who gave her a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  They finally agreed on two pairs of jeans, four capris, four shorts, some tank tops and blouses and two new bras, one white and one blue.  Kelly’s mother had always picked out her clothes, and this shopping experience was more fun and way more work than Kelly had ever anticipated.

They stopped for a freshly-
squeezed lemonade and strolled through the mall after returning to Aunt Jane’s Mercedes to leave the bags in the trunk.

“There’s the Cell Hut
.”  Kelly rushed ahead and started to look at the phones and cases on display.  There were so many in all sizes and colors.  She was glad she had Scott’s guidance neatly folded in her pocket.

“Can I help you?” the man asked.  He was a little overweight and wore thick black rimmed glasses and had jet black hair that hadn’t seen a comb in
at least a year.  Kelly could imagine him as a regular player of
OOT
.

“Are you Dave Reed?”

“You must be Kelly.  Scott said you’d be along this weekend.”  He noticed Jane arriving behind Kelly.  “And you must be Aunt Jane.  Hello, I’m Dave.”  He reached across the counter to shake Jane’s hand.

Kelly pulled out Scott’s note and handed it to Dave.  “Scott
said you would know what I’m looking for.”

“Ah yes, I could have guessed.
  Scott can be a mega-geek compared to me sometimes.  He has three and his friend Austin has one of these exact phones.  He must be getting some sort of kickback.   These are the 4G Droids on an AT&T service plan.  The basic phone is free, but what Scott says you need is an upgrade that will cost $19.99 with a two-year contract for $40 a month.  It’s a smart phone with unlimited talk and text messaging.”

Kelly looked at her aunt, expecting her to try to talk her into something else.  Instead, Jane seemed impressed. 
“That’s a good deal.  Maybe I should upgrade mine.”

“We could do better on the family plan, same phone.”

“Not on a Blackberry?”  Jane looked down at her beloved Blackberry.

“Sorry, no.  But this phone has a ton of features.  I can’t tell you how many people have replaced their Blackberry with this exact model.”

“Well . . .” It was with almost a physical pain that Jane placed her Blackberry on the counter and picked up the Droid.  After almost ten minutes of trying out all the features and playing with the apps, Jane nodded.  “We’ll take them.”

“Really?  That’s so cool.”
  Kelly was shocked and pleased.

“I didn’t know having a family would actually save me money.”
She looked at Kelly and they both smiled broadly.  Dave offered to transfer all the numbers and emails on her Blackberry to her new phone, and Jane, with just the tiniest hesitation, agreed.  She and Kelly shopped for cases while they waited.  Kelly picked one that looked like tooled leather with a horse head on it, and Jane picked one in stylish silver.  She signed all the necessary agreements, paid for their purchases and Dave handed her their new phones and her obsolete Blackberry.

Before she gave Kelly hers, Jane went to contacts and typed in her information.  “Here is my cell number and my office number, so you can always get in touch with me.”  She smiled as she handed Kelly her new phone.
  Then she added Kelly’s new number to her own phone.

“Thanks . . . for everything,” Kelly said, genuinely moved by her aunt’s
warmth and generosity.  It had been a comfortable day for both of them, with very little of the unease of the last few days.  It had taken a classic feminine ritual . . . shopping . . . to create that first bonding moment.

Having her own phone was surprisingly empowering. 
Kelly felt more in control of her life and in touch with her surroundings.  As soon as she got home, she removed all the tags off her new clothes and put them away where they belonged.  Then after finalizing the details of the cook-out, she ran next door to share the invites.

Scott’s mom accepted immediately and offered to bring something for dessert which Kelly was sure her aunt would appreciate. 
Aunt Jane seemed immune to the temptation of anything sweeter than fruit or Sweet ‘n Low in her coffee, which didn’t really count at all.

Scott was in his lab.  Kelly held out her phone as soon as she walked in
the door.  “Got it.  Dave says ‘hi’.”

“Epic!”  Scott took the phone and immediately started pushing buttons.  He didn’t say another word for the next five minutes
.  When he finally looked up at her and smiled and said, “I’ve put in my number and Austin’s and programmed in some personalized ringers for us and your aunt so you’ll know who’s calling.  I’ve also set up links to
OOT
and I can set up your email if you’ll give your address.”

Kelly was overwhelmed.  It was like he was speaking a foreign language.  But rather than admit her ignorance, she decided to spend some quality time tonight trying to figure it all out for herself.
  She gave him her email address and watched as he flipped through the screens and tapped in her information, then handed her the phone.   “Thanks.  It’s a really nice phone.  My aunt even got one just like it.”

“Your aunt’s cool.”

“She’s inviting your family and Austin’s dad over for a cook-out tomorrow.  Would you go with me next door to ask him?”

“Sure, let me lock up.”

Kelly tried to glance over at his workbench, but he stepped in front of it, blocking her view.  “Working on something new?”

“Uh . . . not really new.”

“Not going to tell me about it?” she asked.

“Not yet.  Maybe tomorrow or Monday.  I’ve got a couple more bugs to work out.”

Kelly shrugged, trying not to let it bother her.  “Fine.  If you don’t want me to know.”  She turned away.

Scott
reached out and grabbed her arm.  “Kelly, it’s not that at all.”

He didn’t let go, so she looked back at him.

“This is a really cool project that will change everything.  It’s not that I don’t want you to know; it’s just that I don’t want you to be disappointed if it doesn’t work out.”

“Disappointed?  Why would I be disappointed?”

He looked into her eyes.  “I can’t remember when I’ve been so excited about something, and it’s because of you.  You have no idea how many people look at me like I’m crazy or eccentric.  That is, if they even see me at all.”

A flush colored his cheeks
as he continued, “Everyone thinks it doesn’t bother me, but it does.  No one likes to be made fun of.  Or to be ignored.  It hurts.”

Kelly relaxed and stopped trying to pull away.

“But you don’t treat me that way,” he continued.  “You’re different.  You believe in me and my wild ideas.  You don’t judge me.”

“I think you’re the most intelligent person I’ve ever met,” she told him honestly.  “I can’t remember when I’ve had more fun than the last couple of days with you.”

He gave her arm one last squeeze, then removed his hand.  “I promise I’ll tell you all about it as soon as I get further along with it.  Okay?”

“Okay.”  She was still curious, but she felt more comfortable about their relationship.  It was a day of forging bonds, and this was one of friendship
.  They were partners in this discovery, and he would take her with him all the way.  It was perfectly logical that he wouldn’t want to share the details until it was ready.

He locked his door, and they went to Austin’s house together.  Austin’s dad, Jim, was still at work, but Austin called him, and he agreed to come.  They all ended up back at Kelly’s where they swam and hung out for the rest of the afternoon.

CHAPTER NINE

SUNDAY

Nico, as she had christened, the macaw, showed up
on time and in fine form.  After her usual one-sided conversation, he gave her that jaunty wink and flew away.  Kelly dressed in one of her oldest shorts and t-shirts because this morning she and Aunt Jane were going to tackle the garage.  Kelly brushed her hair into a ponytail and unplugged her cell phone from its charger.  She had spent over an hour last night playing with it and learning all the tricks and shortcuts.  After Austin got home from his job, he had sent her her first text, inviting her to join him and Scott in a late-night game of
Out of Time
.

She had proven to
fit perfectly into the group, having helped with the damage-dealing while Austin’s Diomedes took the brunt of the assaults.  Scott led the way, taking the shortest and always safest routes, which made for a quick end to one of the hardest dungeons she had ever run. It seemed they all had their strengths and they covered for each other’s weaknesses.  They had finally conquered their level a little after midnight, and she had spent the night dreaming about first Scott, then Austin, Achilles, then Diomedes, and Kelly was always in the middle, torn between the two.  She had awakened with the dreams still fresh on her mind which left her a little confused.  She didn’t think about either of them that way.  Did she?

After checking for messages, even though she wasn’t expecting any, she dropped her phone into her pocket and headed downstairs.

Aunt Jane had beat her to the kitchen again.  She was working her way through
The Miami Herald’s
Sunday edition.  The paper consumed a considerable amount of the island’s available real estate.  She sat, nibbling on a banana nut muffin while she read.  Next to her was another muffin on a plate and a fork, obviously set out for Kelly.  Kelly smiled at the thoughtfulness.

“Are you ready to dig into the garage?” she asked her aunt.

“I hate garage sales, but we’ve got to get rid of all that old stuff, and I just can’t bear to throw it away.”  She patted the barstool next to her.  “Sit down and have a banana muffin first.”

Kelly pulled a bottle of orange juice out of the refrigerator and set it and a glass next to her plate. “I’ve got a good start
on it already.”

“I know you do.  I bought price stickers and plast
ic table clothes to lay things out on. A guy from the rental place should be here any time now with some folding tables.  I thought we could get stuff cleaned up and priced out so all we have to do next weekend is drag it out into the drive and wait for the shoppers.”