Unexpected Consequences

1. Peter, How Could You Forget The Bean?

BY SOME MIRACULOUS MIRACLE, I was now five-foot-eight.

At least I thought I was, until I realized I had my shoes on. I took them off and stood against the fading, seven-foot ruler that was written onto the hotel wall by marker. Nope. Still five-foot-seven. Fabulous.

I did twenty jumping jacks, glanced at the clock, and did twenty more, trying to keep boredom from taking over. For the past week, I had fun visiting my cousin Elizabeth and her wife in Chicago, but there was nothing planned for today. I was starting junior year tomorrow—and I was still in Illinois. Our flight was supposed to depart very early this morning, but bad overnight weather had delayed it by twenty-four hours. I had one more day in Chicago, and I had no idea what to do with it.

The jumping jacks weren't killing as much time as I'd hoped. It was eight in the morning; Mom was still asleep in her room, and I'd been awake for two hours. Did I dare leave the hotel without her? It wasn't like she kept me on a tight leash, but I didn't think she'd be happy if I went wandering down the streets of an unfamiliar city on the day we were supposed to leave.

Even though it was nine in the morning in New York, and Ben didn't wake up until ten thirty on Sundays, I called him, hoping he'd help pass my time. Irrelevant Goose was still his contact name; I was never letting that go.

I flopped down onto the suite couch, counting the dots on the ceiling as I waited. "Good morning!" I yelled as soon as he picked up.

There was a groan and a shuffle of bedsheets.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"Nah. Definitely not." I picked at a loose thread on my sleeve as I talked. "I'm bored. I won't get back home until four in the morning, and then I have to go to school. Should I skip?"

"You can't skip," he grumbled. "We have a meeting tomorrow."

"Seriously? On the first day?" I asked. I'd promised myself, Ben, and our friends that I was joining the academic team this year, and although I knew it was a commitment that took a lot of work, I was surprised that we were having a meeting on the first day. Then I remembered that this was Benjamin Ramirez, a math-science-technology-literally-everything whiz devoted to the success of this team. Of course we were having a meeting tomorrow.

"I don't get it," he said, his voice groggy. "You get another day in Chicago, and you're complaining?"

"I don't have anything to do," I whined.

"Go see the Cloud or something."

"The what?"

Ben abruptly hung up. I stared at my phone, frowning in dejection, and then I got a video call from him. He was sitting up in his bed, half of his face covered by his hand, looking extremely disappointed in me.

"The Cloud Gate?" he asked. "Also known as the Bean?"

I raised an eyebrow innocently, trying not to laugh. It was funny that he'd gone on video call just so I could see how disappointed he was, because hearing it was clearly not enough.

"Jeez, Peter. How could you forget the Bean? You're in Chicago!"

I pulled my laptop out of my backpack and did a quick search. "Oh," I said, scrolling through pictures of the reflective, bean-shaped sculpture. "It's adorable."

"Yeah it is. If you're bored, go see it."

I glanced up at Mom's door. I'd ask her to come with me, but I knew she was tired as heck and wouldn't want to do anything but relax today. The Bean was within walking distance, and it wasn't like I was going out to get into trouble. As long as I was back in time for lunch, she probably wouldn't mind.