Free Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper Page B

I’m Ben the weirdo. That’s cool with me.”
    “You’ve got enough body piercing for both of us. Is that a new one on your eyebrow?”
    “Yeah, I was bored, and it drives my mother crazy. You know, I’ll probably end up being the corporate lawyer she wants me to be, but I’m gonna have fun on the journey!”
    “Like the safety pins in your ears?”
    “Why buy jewelry? I believe in self-expression.”
    “For real. I bet little old ladies on the bus get up and move when they see you coming.”
    “Yeah, I love it! Here I come—leather jacket, dog collar on my neck, blue or pink or green hair, and all my visible body parts pierced. I sit down next to one of them, and look real slowly over at her, and then I grin—showing lots of teeth.”
    “Why you do that, man?” Julio asked, laughing.
    “Why not? Life’s a trip—enjoy the ride. So, speaking of trippin’, how was dining with Miss Dynamite today,
mi amigo?
    Julio grinned at the thought of Romiette, then frowned as he remembered the rest. “Lunch today with Romi was great, at least at first. We laughed and rattled on together like we’ve known each other for years. We talked about her mom’s shop and her dad’s TV show. That Nannette Norris is a real trip.”
    “Yeah, I saw it last night! She kept stumbling over words like ‘maintenance’ and ‘metropolitan.’ It would have been funny if it weren’t so embarrassing. Old Nannette is my kind of girl! Pretty—and stupid!”
    Julio added, “It looks like Romi’s dad tries real hard to keep a straight face, but in those little sections just before the commercials when they have to make small talk on the air, you can see he’s straining to act like he likes her. It must be rough.”
    Ben and Julio walked down to the corner, past the little store where kids bought chips and soda and illegal cigarettes. The weather was cold, but the sun was shining, letting them know spring would show up sooner or later. They had missed the early bus, so they knew they had at least a twenty-minute wait. They stood in silence for a few minutes, Ben’s corn-bright hair blowing in the chilly breeze. Ben said finally, “So, tell me, did you give Romi the lion?”
    Julio laughed. “Yeah, I was scared at first, but I think she liked my little surprise. And even though it was just a small stuffed lion, she treated it like it was a gift from a king!”
    Ben bowed down in mock reverence and announced, “All hail, King Julio!”
    Julio punched his arm, chuckling. “Cut that out, Ben!”
    “Oh, sire, tell me. Did the Princess Romiette honor you with a gift as well, or have you changed your initials to RRC and decided to advertise it on the loop of your jeans?” He wouldn’t stop bowing. Other students at the bus stop smiled, but they were used to Ben’s antics.
    “Yeah, she gave me the key chain,” he admitted.
    “Aw. How sweet.” He was still bowing, onlynow he looked more like a penguin than the subject of a king.
    “I wasn’t sure if I should take it at first,” Julio began.
    “Why?” Ben finally stood straight up. “You think too much, man!”
    “But it seemed like she really wanted me to have it, so I thanked her and hooked it onto my own key chain, this one with the Texas Rangers logo on it.”
    “Good man. Wise choice. So, a perfect day?”
    “Not exactly. The Family is still in the house.”
    “This ain’t good, Julio.”
    “You telling me? Me and Romi were just finishing the last of the cafeteria chocolate milk, which is probably the only thing they can’t mess up, and these two dudes came up to our table and stopped. I looked up to say something, thinking they were friends of Romiette’s, but they didn’t smile. And they had on purple.”
    “What did you do?”
    “There was nothing to do. They just stared at me. I don’t think they liked me talking to her. They didn’t say anything; they just looked at me, looked at her, and walked away.”
    “What you gonna do?”
    “Wait and see. And