Starstruck

Chapter 7a: Seismic shift (part 1)

I shot a glance at Brianna, a little ticked that she'd talked to Deb about that behind my back, but she just shrugged and gave me an apologetic smile. I tried not to be bothered that Deb and Bri seemed closer these days than Bri and I were, but it hurt just a teensy bit.

That night at dinner, there was no hiding from my aunt and uncle that I wasn't wearing my glasses. I'd considered wearing them just to avoid the inevitable questions, but they made everything so blurry I was afraid I'd get sick to my stomach.

"They're in my room," I replied to Aunt Theresa's query. "My eyes seem to be improving or something--I can actually see a little better without my glasses than with them lately."

I wasn't sure why I hedged instead of telling them about the sudden and apparently complete cure of my nearsightedness. Maybe it was because the only person I'd told so far was Rigel and I wanted to keep it our secret for now. That made it somehow precious.

My aunt harrumphed. "I suppose we'll have to take you to the optometrist, even though you've only had these glasses for eight or nine months. Have you checked to see if one of your older pairs will work in the meantime?"

"Oh, good idea, I'll do that."

The next morning at breakfast, I made a point of wearing my glasses from two years ago--which didn't make things quite as blurry as my current ones--and telling her they worked perfectly.

"So there's no rush for an optometry appointment," I said.

She hmphed again but didn't argue, and I thought she looked a little relieved. So was I. Apart from the cost, the eye doctor would probably treat me like some kind of medical curiosity, attention I really didn't want.

Today, Rigel actually walked me to lunch from Science class. I couldn't help feeling like the queen of the world, entering the lunchroom at his side, knowing everyone there was staring at us. For once in my life, I didn't mind being the center of attention. Bri and Deb grinned at us as we approached the table, then scurried off for yet another "project" the minute we sat down.

Rigel and I both chuckled a little as they left, but then he turned to me, suddenly serious.

"Before I forget, M, would you be at all, well, interested in coming to this afternoon's football practice?" He said it in kind of a rush--the way I said things when I didn't want to lose my nerve. Not that I could imagine Rigel ever losing his nerve about anything.

At least as flattered as I was startled, I nodded. "I'd love . . . uh, that is, sure. I mean, I'll need to call home, but I'm sure it'll be okay. I'll use Bri's cell phone after school."

"You can use mine if you want," he offered.

"Oh, um, thanks! So . . . you don't have any problems using a cell phone with the, er, static thing?"

He shrugged, then grinned. "Well, I did fry my first one, but then my dad got me one of these shockproof ones with the rubber casing." He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me.

I touched the table leg before taking it, still afraid I might manage to destroy it, but it didn't spark at all when I touched it. It was completely covered with a tough, rubbery skin.

"Cool! My aunt won't let me have one until I start driving, but I think she was going to use my electrical problem to put it off even longer. Now I can tell her about this."

"Do you want to call her now?"

I knew she wouldn't be home yet, but I went ahead and left a message on the answering machine at home, saying I was staying after school but would be home in plenty of time for dinner.