LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 66

"It's a fucking negative integer, you nimwit" Jack Merridew proclaimed forcefully as he slammed a frustrated hand down on the kitchen table. "You're adding in the wrong direction."

"Damnit! I keep thinking about number lines like rulers" Ralph sighed frustratedly.

"Well, don't" Jack flatly suggested. "They're not rulers, zero is in the middle, not at the end. A fucking hamster could figure this shit out faster than you are. What gives?"

Ralph took a deep breath and leaned back against the back of the wooden dining chair. "Maybe I'm just distracted, I dunno" he shrugged.

"Distracted by what?" Jack pressed.

"What do you think?" Ralph asked sharply.

Because it was now September 4th, Ralph's parents had reminded the boys that morning that they'd need to make their decisions about attending the commemoration ceremony at Bainbridge Military Academy. The ceremony was only two days away, and Ralph couldn't think about anything else. He was tired of looking at the number line Jack drew in pen on a sheet of lined paper. It had several erased pencils markings on it; evidence of over ninety minutes of work. Although Ralph's understanding of the subject wouldn't have led anyone to believe they really were working that whole time.

"Should we just be done with this then?" Jack diverted Ralph's question. "Maybe we should come back to it later. It's not due til Monday, right?"

"I think so" Ralph responded uncertainly. "Tuesday, maybe. Whichever day I have math."

"Well good then, tomorrow's Saturday so there's no need to worry about it now" Jack pointed out as he jammed the scrap sheet of paper into the crevice of Ralph's textbook and slammed it shut.

Jack looked up to find Ralph staring intently at him. Though it wasn't the usual, loving, hypnotized stare he usually looked at Jack with. He looked like he was trying to piece Jack together like a puzzle.

"What?" Jack asked hotly.

"Have you decided about Sunday?" Ralph asked seemingly out of nowhere, his gaze still and steady. When Jack didn't answer right away, Ralph pressed on. "Are you even thinking about it? Do you have even the slightest idea about what you might do? Just a general idea of where your head's at would be nice. My parents wanna know by the end of the day, in case you've somehow forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten" Jack spoke after a brief moment of bitter quiet. "I'd just rather not talk to you about it."

"Why not?" Ralph asked in a low, sad tone he was doing a bad job at hiding. Jack could tell that Ralph was offended, but didn't want him to know it.

"Does there have to be a reason?"

"I—" Ralph paused abruptly as he was rendered momentarily speechless. "I guess not."

Whether there had to be a reason or not was beside the point because there was a reason, Ralph knew, he just wasn't sure why it was a secret. Sometimes, Jack was difficult to figure out; especially when he didn't want to be figured out.

"Good then" Jack smiled with satisfaction as he stood up from the table and ventured into the kitchen to refill his empty water bottle.

Later that night, the boys were camped out on the living room floor in an organized mess of blankets, pillows, couch cushions, and a few empty fruit and cracker bowls around them. They were on their second movie of the night. Had the commemoration ceremony not been so hot on Ralph's mind, he would've been able to better enjoy the peace that came from knowing he could stay home all day tomorrow with Jack instead of getting up for school like he did all week long.