Free The Fading by Christopher Ransom Page B

store last week. He hadn’t been in the bubble, but being in the bubble had taught him the value of opportunity, and the ease
     with which the common blindness of others presented it.
    She hesitated, but not for long. ‘This isn’t right.’
    ‘Have a good day at the restaurant,’ he said, and kissed her on the cheek.
    ‘I promise someday—’ Rebecca started.
    ‘I know, I know.’
    ‘For such a tall drink of water, you’re a good kid,’ she said. ‘Stay out of trouble.’
    ‘Uh-huh.’
    Tico’s was Boulder’s busiest Mexican restaurant. With her tips it was almost enough, but also, in another way, it was not
     even close to enough.
    The TV was on, so he didn’t hear Julie come through the front door. Of course, he hadn’t heard her come in yesterday, either,
     so maybe she was just really quiet. He’d been telling himself he would leave by one. Then one thirty. Then two. But every
     time he got up to leave he wound up pacing the kitchen, checking the cupboards, as if hidden in one of them was the answer
     tothe question: if he really wanted to fuck with Happy John, what was he doing here? He could have ridden to the store – the
     new Richardson Sporting Goods mega-store at 88th and Wadsworth – and slashed his dad’s tires. He was eating the last Oreo
     when the sound of her book bag crashing onto a dining-room chair startled him.
    ‘What a surprise,’ Julie said.
    He wiped black crumbs from his lips, thinking of his pimples. Her lips were shiny with some kind of pink gloss and she was
     wearing designer jeans, a plain white shirt buttoned to her throat, and a gold chain with a cross. She planted her hands on
     her hips again, stepping back into her bossy role. He swallowed, licked his teeth.
    ‘Well?’ she said.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Exactly. What do you want?’
    ‘Why didn’t you tell on me?’ he said.
    ‘Maybe I did.’
    He smiled. ‘Nope.’
    ‘What’s your problem anyway? What did you do?’
    ‘No idea what you’re talking about,’ Noel said.
    ‘Your dad said you got kicked out of school. You had to go to family counseling. Then you went away for a while.’
    Noel went to the fridge and drank milk, watching her over the carton his nose was stuck in. He guzzled for effect.
    ‘Really?’ she said. ‘You really have to do that?’
    Noel belched.
    Julie made a horrible face. ‘You filthy pig. No wonder they locked you up.’
    ‘They didn’t lock me up. I went into an exile of my own choosing. And Happy John’s the one who went away, remember?’
    ‘How should I know? I wasn’t here.’
    ‘Right. You were in Florida, with the alligators.’
    ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
    ‘Think about it,’ he said.
    She took a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge and left the kitchen with as much drama as she could muster. He followed
     her into the living room where she plopped down on the couch and used the TV as an excuse to avoid eye contact.
    ‘So, what was it? You steal John’s car or try to kill yourself or something?’
    Noel sprawled over a reading chair in the far corner. ‘I refused to go to school.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘And that’s it. One day I just refused to go. My dad freaked out. He and my mom fought a lot. About their own bullshit, mostly,
     and me. Then my dad left.’
    ‘There has to be more to it than that.’
    Noel shrugged.
    ‘Come on. Seriously, tell me.’
    ‘First tell me something you did.’ He smiled at her and winked.
    She faced him, aghast. ‘I didn’t do anything.’
    ‘Never?’
    ‘Stop looking at me! You’re freaking me out.’
    ‘Yeah,’ he said, laughing. ‘You did something.’
    Julie chewed the inside of her cheek. They watched a talk show, then she changed it to
The People’s Court
. The plaintiff was suing for $847.00 because the defendant had ruined her couch and broke the TV.
    After a couple minutes Julie said, ‘You should go soon.’
    ‘Show me your room first.’
    She glared at him. Her neck turned spotty