Chapter 11
JOHN
TEN YEARS AGO
We dominated this statewide mathematics competition. Owned it. Not a big surprise, but satisfying, nonetheless.
All the other guys on the team are trying to hit on the only girl, Marcy.
She’s always touching my arm and laughing really loudly whenever I say anything.
Literally anything. When I said, “Does anyone here have a pen that actually works?” she giggled hysterically.
I needed a pen to write with. In what world is that funny?
Monty’s sister is here with Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery.
It looks like she’s got ballet after this.
Her hair is up in a bun, and she looks even more annoyed and impatient than usual.
Most siblings in the audience are staring at their phones, but Olivia is practicing her arm and foot positions, or whatever they’re called.
It’s funny. She’s such a delicate little thing, but she always looks so tense. She’d be really pretty if she didn’t have that scowl on her face all the time. Although I can’t assume that she’s scowling all the time, she certainly is when I’m around. Lucky for her, I’ve always found it adorable.
She notices me watching her and rolls her eyes.
I can’t think of one time in the past decade that she’s ever made eye contact with me and not rolled her eyes.
I think… I think I’m going to miss her when I go to MIT.
Is that right? Yes. I will. I’ll miss Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery too.
I’ll miss Monty, even when he’s on the same campus.
He’ll make new friends, and I’ll be studying more than he will, and we won’t see each other as much.
This is exactly why I didn’t skip grades. I’ll never regret that.
But I have been missing Tiny Dancer already.
She’s usually at her friend’s house now since they started letting her go to sleepovers, so I don’t see her much anymore.
It’s too bad we were never in high school together.
I would have found it very entertaining, thinking up different ways to annoy her in public places.
She has always been like a little sister to me.
Is that true?
No.
Maybe a cousin.
Mr. Montgomery keeps looking at his watch. They’re coming over. I’ll have to lie about my parents.
“Mr. Brandt! Congratulations.” He extends his hand to shake mine.
“Mr. Montgomery. Thank you for your support.”
“It was fun!”
A snort from Tiny Dancer.
“It was,” he insists. “I just wish I understood more of what you kids were talking about up there.”
“Well, not many people do, sir. Don’t feel bad.”
Another exaggerated eye roll from Olivia.
I look around to make sure Monty is still preoccupied with chatting up Marcy before I talk to his sister. “Hey there, Tiny Dancer.”
“Hey there, Nerdballs.”
“Olivia,” Mr. Montgomery reprimands her. He can be stern with her sometimes.
“Ohhhh, there he is—the genius!” Monty’s mom comes over with her arms outstretched.
“Hello, Mrs. Montgomery.”
She’s a good hugger. The best. “I was hoping to see your mom and dad here.” She feels sorry for me, but she’s trying not to show it.
“Yes, they asked me to say ‘hi’ to you. They’re on a business trip. They’ll be back late tonight.”
“Oh, well, you must come have dinner with us tonight,” she says.
“I’d love to, but I think the team’s going out to celebrate.”
“Oh, that’s right. Nathan said. I forgot. You come stay with us afterward if you’d like. I’ll text your mother if you do.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I made your favorite zucchini-and-banana bread,” Mrs. Montgomery says. “I’ll leave some out for you.”
“I will save room for that. Thank you.”
Olivia has been watching me. Studying me, her head tilted. She doesn’t leave when her parents go over to talk to our coach.
“What?”
She shrugs. “You’re different with my mom.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve always treated her the same way.”
“I mean you treat her differently from how you treat other people,” she says. “You’re nicer to her.”
“I’m nice to everyone.”
“No, you’re not. You’re not mean. You don’t try to be rude; you just don’t try hard enough not to be. But you do with my mom. You try not to be rude, I mean.”
“I don’t think being rude is the same as not being nice,” I say.
“It is. Why do you pretend to like her zucchini-banana bread? Nobody likes it. Not even Mom. It’s literally where organic zucchini and bananas go to die.”
“What makes you think I don’t like it?”
“I see how your whole body tenses up before you take a bite. Even when you heard her mention it just now.”
Olivia pays attention. She makes intuitive and intellectual connections. I like that.
“Your mom kept making it for me after I said I liked it once. Nobody’s ever done that for me before.
” There’s an unexpected crack in my voice.
I clear my throat as I push my glasses up my nose and look directly at her so she can see that I’m not crying.
I’m not emotional; I just appreciate how nice her mom is to me.
She doesn’t convey surprise at my revelation; she just nods. “It does make her happy. And it makes you happy. So, if one little lie makes two people happy, then it’s okay?”
Olivia questions things. It’s impressive for her age. Not everyone does that at any age, I’ve noticed.
“I suppose it depends on the nature of the lie.”
She pauses to consider before saying, “I wouldn’t want anyone to lie to me to make me happy.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want what someone else says to decide whether I’m happy or not.”
Wow. She must have what they call a high emotional IQ. Too bad that won’t get her anywhere in life. “To determine whether you’re happy or not,” I say, correcting her.
“Whatever. I’d just rather have all the information I need to make an informed decision about something. When people start sugarcoating things, it just gets complicated.”
“So why do you think it’s a problem when I don’t try not to be rude to people?” I ask.
“I didn’t say I thought it was a problem.”
I will definitely miss talking to this girl. Maybe I should give her my number when I leave for college. Maybe Monty would be cool with that.
“I also didn’t say I particularly like people who don’t sugarcoat things.” She smiles smugly. “I’m an enigma.”
Yes. She is. I like that about her too.
But she’s Monty’s little sister.
And I think it’s important to go to college with my testicles intact.