Chapter 11
Before curiosity got the better of me, I turned off my phone.
Like, all the way off. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to do it, since I’d never intentionally turned it off before. Then I went back to listening to my sister sing along to her music. She hadn’t noticed my tiny crisis, thank goodness. She deserved her victory lap.
At home, I showered off The Outside before dinner.
Then Victoria and I reported our hike to Mom and Dad, who listened politely, but were eager to discuss the basement crack again.
To me, it seemed like they were each making the other more anxious about it.
But they liked the anxiety? They seemed to thrive off it?
God, grown-ups were so weird.
Victoria kicked me under the table. “Aren’t you going to tell them about your text friend?” she hissed.
I kicked her back. “Not while they’re so happy talking about their problems.”
We both looked at Dad just as he said, “If they have to dig outside, we’ll be waiting until spring for the work to get done. And what if it’s raining? That’s going to make it harder.”
“There’s no point in stressing out about it now,” Mom said, clearly stressed. “Let’s wait for the estimate.”
Victoria looked back at me. “Okay, we’ll save it for another time.”
After dinner—and dishes, sigh—I retreated to my room. Zooms, who never had to do her dishes (nor anyone else’s), was already in loaf position on my bed, her nose one inch away from the headboard.
“Hi, Zooms-y Pie,” I said.
She didn’t acknowledge me, just continued communing with the wood grains.
“Cool.” I tapped my phone screen to wake it up. Nothing. I tried again. Still nothing. After a brief panic about my phone going to the great electronic beyond, I remembered that I’d turned it off.
I turned it back on and braced myself to start reading the messages I’d ignored earlier. I opened Jess’s first, figuring it would be the hardest and I should get it over with.
Jess:
just checking on you
hope you’re okay …
What did that mean?
Maybe she was snooping for Mary Heather and Kat. As if I’d tell her anything after she abandoned me at lunch that day. And she was clearly the one who’d made that awful banner for “Deer Hill Dirt.”
I muted Jess’s texts without bothering to answer.
Then I opened the next one.
Sophia:
awful what you said about cooper
What had I said about Cooper? I barely knew him.
The only class we had in common was ASL, which meant I had to look at his hands a lot when we practiced signing with a partner (he sat next to me).
He bit his nails. Like, with his mouth. So germs, doing what they do, meant he occasionally had super-infected cuticles.
Oh.
I’d probably said something about his hands being biological weapons.
Alexis:
Gah you are cruel
I mean, also really funny?
But try to remember other people have feelings too
At least she thought I was funny.
The urge to defend myself was overwhelming. I needed a distraction.
I texted Knight.
Me:
So you should know …
I told my sister we’re talking
Knight Errant:
That’s probably good
I told my parents
They want to talk to yours
Me:
Ugh
But yeah, I’m sure mine will want to talk to yours too.
This is going to sound weird
But I don’t want to know who you are
I mean, I do!
But not yet
Knight Errant:
Superposition?
Me:
Yeah.
Exactly.
Knight Errant:
Okay same, actually
I like our very normal future best friendship.
Here, I drew this for you
A cardinal for Cardinal
A second later, a photo of his sketchbook came through. On it was a cardinal, with tan plumage on her body and red-orange wings and crown, perched on a twig, the green-and-brown world beyond slightly blurred. It was so lifelike.
Me:
WOW!
This is your best one yet!
Those details are incredible
Over the last few days, he’d shared several drawings: a wizard calling a storm, a run-down barn on a hill, and even Zooms, though he’d given Zooms a tiny crown and scepter. Knight was good. Like, really, really good.
Knight Errant:
Thank you!
It’s nice to have someone to share my drawings with
Me:
Don’t ever stop sharing your art with me!
Knight Errant:
Okay but where’s my picture for today?
Did you take any?
Me:
YES!
My sister and I went hiking so I took a bunch
Some I can’t show you because she’s in them, but I’m really proud of them! They’re going in my CARDINAL’S EYES ONLY album
I have a different album for pics I show to you
Knight Errant:
Is that album called KNIGHT’S EYES ONLY?
Wait that sounds … eek
Sorry
Me:
brB changing the album name right now
Knight Errant:
I’m embarrassed even thinking about it
Me:
LOL don’t be
It’s actually just called text-door shenanigans
Seriously, though, I say things without thinking all the time
Sometimes it’s fine
Sometimes it’s not fine.
Sometimes it’s REALLY not fine.
But here we are anyway
Knight Errant:
I think I’m relieved? I can’t tell
I sent a photo from earlier—the one of the rocks that looked like a cat. The way the golden light hit the angles, highlighting the warm colors, deepening the shadows … it truly did look feline.
Zooms turned away from the headboard and gave me a curious look.
“Rock cats aren’t as good as you,” I assured her.
She blinked.
I blinked back. Then we slow-blinked at each other until she started purring and went to sleep again.
Knight Errant:
Whoa that’s amazing!
At first it was just a pile of rocks with good lighting but then I looked again and … wow!
Me:
Thank you!
I guess I should have asked before, but …
Do you like cats?
Knight Errant:
Yes of course
Who doesn’t like cats?
Me:
Wrong people
Knight Errant:
SO wrong.
Cats are adorable
Me:
I love when they’re in hunting mode and their pupils get HUGE
Like … the cutest murder expression in the world
Knight Errant:
I personally would be honored to go in such a way
Caught by giant-eyed cats
Me:
This escalated so fast
Unless … Are you a mouse?
I saw your hand before so I was pretty sure …
Knight Errant:
Oh I’m human, let me clarify that
You’re the one who brought up cats doing murder
Me:
TO TOYS
AND THE RED DOT
I wasn’t asking if you’d volunteer lolol
Knight Errant:
THAT WAS UNCLEAR!
I hugged my phone to me. What a sweet, pure person. He was kind, funny, and creative. He’d accepted all the oddness of our friendship like it was no big deal. Like he needed this, too.
Before I could tell my thumbs to stop typing, I’d sent a new message.
Me:
Sooo maybe a weird question
Do you like anyone?
Have a boyfriend or girlfriend?
Or …
Gaaaah! What had I done?
I mean, it was something I should know about my future best friend. But I hadn’t realized how much I wanted the answer until the question was out there. Because … oh no.
What if I liked Knight? Like really liked Knight?
I held my breath while he typed a response. But then he was still typing (and deleting?) and I was going to asphyxiate so I exhaled.
Knight Errant:
I like a girl from school
So he liked girls! Excellent news!
But … he already had a crush. That didn’t mean he couldn’t have more than one, theoretically. But it did lower my chances.
Knight Errant:
What about you?
Me:
Well, to be honest, it didn’t occur to me that you would ask me back
But … no boyfriend or girlfriend
I like someone
But it’s clearly NOT mutual. Partially bc of me, tbh. But. Yeah. Not going anywhere.
There. I’d told my new crush about my other crush—and that I was available.
Except that we were in superposition and we’d both just established that we weren’t leaving it, maybe ever, so did it even matter that I apparently liked this boy I’d impulsively texted because our numbers were one digit off?
This was not how I’d imagined my text-door neighbor thing going.
Anyway, this crush on Knight wasn’t that big of a deal. So he was smart, witty, and talented. Patient, gentle, and encouraging. This was barely a crush.
Knight Errant:
Well I think you’re really great
And if they don’t, that’s their loss
Oh. Maybe this was a significant crush after all.