(NOT fan fiction!) Kurt Cobain and Tally Fisk

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ad astra per aspera.

That's Latin for, "Through adversity to the stars."

It's one of about ten million Latin phrases Tally has been making us memorize.

Mavis wasn't kidding.

Tally has had the Invisible Woodsmen meeting three times a week, learning Latin phrases, memorizing definitions of scholarly ideas and theories, and chanting mantras.

I haven't even had the chance to act aloof about our tryst because she's been in some kind of hyperdrive.

Do you know about Aristotle's Theory of Revolution? I do.

Do you know what String Theory is? I do.

Well, I did yesterday. I may have forgotten.

Now we're sneaking around town under the cover of darkness, wearing black hoodies.

At last night's meeting, Mavis suggested altruism again and Tally hit the ground running.

So, tonight we are committing random acts of kindness.

"You know," Mavis says as we walk up the sidewalk of the animal shelter, "For what these four hoodies must have cost you, we probably could have bought way more things to help people. And animals."

"The hoodies," Tally says with an eye roll, "are part of helping people. We have to stay anonymous. Every business has security cameras these days. Plus, they were cheap at Hobby Lobby."

We're each lugging two giant bags of pet food for the shelter. Keeping our heads down so our faces can't be seen on any camera.

I used an entire paycheck on my part of this.

John unceremoniously drops his bags at the front door of the business.

"I'm the one who's being completely selfless here," he says. "I don't even like dogs. They get fur all over my clothes."

"I thought gay guys all loved pretty little purse dogs," Tally says.

"Why would you want a dog in your purse?" John retorts. "I will never understand that. You'd have to sterilize all your stuff."

Once all the bags of food are piled in front of the door, Tally drops an Invisible Woodsmen card and we turn and jog down the sidewalk.

Mavis's car is parked a block away and Tally is leading the way, speedwalking like a septuagenarian. We still have to leave food at the food bank door and get back before curfew.

I fall back with Mavis.

"I'm too tired for this," I mutter.

Mavis casts a glance up at Tally and then says in a low voice, "Tally's parents are going to be gone tomorrow so she's sneaking out with Kyle."

If you were dying to know, Tally has not dumped Kyle's sorry self and come running to me. Yet. Somehow, in the past couple of weeks, I've developed a high opinion of myself and am having trouble figuring out how she could possibly choose him over me.

Then, I remind myself that I have always been the weird kid at school. No way would Tally Fisk choose the weird kid over the captain of the football team. Who am I kidding?

Myself. That's who I'm kidding.

But, did you know that three girls have texted John and asked for my number? Three. That's not even counting that one time Tally asked him for my number.

John didn't give them my number, by the way. He said he's keeping the mystery alive.

My theory is that he's trying to save me from myself. And I ain't mad about it. I'm out of control. I hung out with Chris Belston two days ago. We played basketball at his house and he said, "Dude, you're really good. Why doesn't Coach ever put you in?"

"Well," I said, catching my breath, "you didn't ever notice at practice. Guess Coach didn't either. I'm cursed with invisibility."

"I'll bet you're a starter this year. I'd put money on it," Chris said.

And my head tripled in size.

"Anyway," Mavis continues, "I say the three of us get together tomorrow without Tally. We'll have a Lord of the Rings marathon or something and nap all day."

"You know the way straight to my heart," I say. "I'm in."