The new boy talking to my little sister was almost too good looking, a fact that had certainly not escaped her. She looked at him with rapt attention, hanging on his every word. He was a novelty—one of the few people at this campus event we’d never seen before. I could see why he’d caught her attention, and it wasn’t only because he was a fresh face.
His light brown hair had a bit of a curl, lending him a playful look. His skin was an even beachfront tan color, as if he’d spent all summer outside smiling at girls with his charming slightly-crooked smile. He was wearing loose shorts and a baggy T-shirt. I figured him to be about my height, which was unusually tall at 193 cm. As my sister was speaking he positioned his body to shade her from the sun, listening to whatever it was she had to say. Attentively.
I narrowed my eyes at them. Where had he come from all of a sudden? What was his interest in my sister? He didn’t look like a college student, although there was a chance he was. He had to be related to faculty somehow, though. The University of Saint Catharines was holding their annual welcoming event for professors and their families; regular students weren’t invited.
I debated about joining my sister and her new friend to find out more about him myself, but when I gave her a half-wave to get her attention, she flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and turned her back on me. The two of them were far enough away that it wasn’t necessarily deliberate, but I decided to give them space anyway. I’d have a chance to talk with the new boy eventually.
We’d lucked into fantastic weather for the event, even if it was a little bright. Summer was still in the air. The grass was soft and green. The few clouds in the sky looked like they’d been painted on purely for artistic effect.
The college had been around since the early 1800s back when it had been an all-women’s college. A lot of the buildings in the West part of campus, which housed the arts and humanities, went back to the early days of the college. They’d held up remarkably well over the years: hulking red brick buildings with ivy-covered walls and white-trimmed windows.
I spotted my mom standing near Old Main, the one of the original buildings on campus that now served as the administrative center. As head of the humanities department, my mom was one of the main hosts of this thing and there was almost always something that needed doing. She waved me over. “Hey Theo!”
My mom’s bleached blond hair was caught back in a large clip at the nape of her neck. She had allowed my sister to do her makeup in the morning, so her eyebrows were a lot more shapely than usual, but not in a bad way. My sister had a good eye. Mom’s nails were also perfectly manicured—which would last about a day. There was a box full of brightly colored chalk ends and a handful of smudgy terry cloth rags on the ground in front of her. She tapped it with her foot.
“Would you mind bringing this down to the sculpture garden? Art History is giving prizes this year for the top three sidewalk art drawings and I told them we could supply the materials,” she said.
“They don’t need me as a judge this year, do they? Because I didn’t sign up for that kind of drama.” These things could be very competitive.
My mom laughed. “Don’t worry. Fine Arts has it covered. But you should think about entering.”
“Yeah. Right.” I scoffed. I hadn’t inherited any of her artistic talent, although I enjoyed looking at art. I’d practically grown up in art museums.
I carried the box toward the expanse of pavement that surrounded the sculpture garden. A few groups had already gathered there, mostly families with young kids. I recognized almost everyone, even if I didn’t know them by name. They all knew me. I was Prof Stafford’s kid.
“Thanks Theo.” One of the studio art professors took the box off my hands. She raised her voice to get the attention of the people waiting for the event to begin. “Groups of three or more. Must include at least one person under the age of ten actively participating. I will be the judge of participation, and my will is law. Judging criteria are clearly posted. Paper copies available to groups who would like them. Final entries due at two o’clock. Any questions?”
I didn’t stick around to help with the details. My curiosity could no longer be contained. I decided it would be okay to check in on my sister and the mystery boy; I’d given them enough time to themselves. When I walked back up the hill he was laughing about something my sister had said. It couldn’t possibly have been that funny. I knew my sister.
“Nadine, who’s your new friend?” I asked.
“There you are!” My sister grabbed me by the arm as soon as I was within reach. “Come meet Lex. He and his mom just moved up from Michigan.”
Lex. He didn’t hold out his hand for me to shake. He nodded instead. “You must be Theo. I see the resemblance.” We both took after our dad with his dark hair and blue eyes. “It’s good to meet you. Apparently we’ll be classmates this fall.”
“At Rockville?” That wasn’t too much of a surprise. A lot of faculty had kids at the high school closest to Saint Kate’s. “You’re a senior?” I asked.
Lex nodded.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Nadine beaming. Lex had clearly made quite an impression already.
“Kind of sucks to start somewhere new as a senior,” I said.
Lex shrugged. “I could have found a way to finish out senior year at my old school, I suppose. But then I would have been stuck in Detroit. Have you ever been?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Well, it’s no loss on your part. Anyway, I figured I was up for one last adventure before starting college next fall,” he said.
“Tell me something about yourself.” I hadn’t missed the way my sister’s eyes remained glued to Lex the entire time. I suspected she was going to make him my problem one way or another. I thought I might as well find out what I was getting myself into.
“Is this a job interview?” Lex joked.
I smiled my most disarming smile to put him at ease. “No, not at all. I’d just like to get to know you better.” I wanted to know if my sister had any reason to be looking at him like that.
“Well,” Lex leaned toward me conspiratorially. “I was born in the year of the dog, so you know I’m reliable, considerate, and sincere.”
I tried not to roll my eyes. “Did you grow up in Detroit?”
“No. I didn’t spend much time there at all. My mom has worked as an adjunct professor at a number of different universities so we’ve moved around a lot. All around the Midwest: Chicago, Madison, Des Moines… This is a tenure track position though, so it should be longer term.”
I nodded. “And your dad? Is he in academia?”
Lex barked out a laugh. “Hardly. He dropped out of college after one semester and enrolled in culinary school.”
“He’s a chef?”
Lex nodded. “Not a famous one. He usually ends up working at nicer hotels.”
“Hobbies?” I asked.
“My dad?” Lex looked confused.
I smiled. “No. You.”
“I’m a bit of a gamer, I suppose.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Casual or competitive?”
My sister tugged on my arm. “Honestly, where is this interrogation going? Leave the poor boy alone.”
“No, it's fine. Casual. Very casual. I haven’t even hooked my console up yet.”
I nodded. I was comfortable with casual gamers. They had room in their lives for actual human interaction. “Sports?”
“Sports… Well let's clear one thing up right now: not hockey.” Lex laughed. “I don’t mean anything by that. Hockey’s great. It’s fine. Watching hockey is thoroughly enjoyable. But playing hockey? Not a skill set I have. I can’t move along ice wearing machete boots even if I’m not carrying a stick.”
Nadine laughed. “We can always teach you.”
“You can always try.” He grinned at her before turning back to me. “How about you? Hobbies? Sports?”
Nadine answered for me. “Theo played hockey when he was in elementary, but once his height came in, the basketball coaches snatched him up.”
“You play?” Lex asked.
“Not at the high school level. Height will only get you so far. Beyond that you apparently need to demonstrate some skill,” I said.
Nadine punched me in the arm. “You were hardly that bad.”
“Yeah, I was.”
The noon bells began to chime, signaling to the campus caterers that it was time to roll out the lunch buffet.
“Maybe I should check in with Mom and see if she needs me to do anything,” Nadine said. “Do you know where she is?”
“Last I saw her she was near Old Main, but I’m sure she’s moved on since then.”
Nadine nodded. “You two stay here. I’ll just take a quick lap and see if I can find her. If not, we can head over to load up on high quality food stuff.”
When Nadine was out of earshot, Lex grinned at me. “So, did I pass?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Did you pass what?”
“The interrogation? Or the job interview. Although I’m not sure what job I’m meant to be interviewing for.”
“You’re too old for her.”
“What?” Lex’s eyes went wide. “I’m not—”
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