Drake was back in the cube for a moment. Then it spun like a top. Or maybe he was the one spinning.
He copied Cody's blinking and stood up, giving the Nurse an awkward wave. The goldfish gave a thrash, but Drake told her he was feeling better. Then he ran into a bathroom stall and wept out as much of the goldfish as possible for the rest of recess.
The rest of the day came to Drake as a dance, weaving in and out of classrooms to avoid Tommy with his friends, ducking among daydreams to blink, concealed, at the goldfish's remains. His partner was Cody. Cody found it difficult to dance, but Drake liked dancing with him anyway. Making Cody happy – whether helping him in art class, inviting him to back-cut Drake in the lunch line, or something as simple as opening a door for him – was twirling him once as they danced. The more Drake twirled Cody, the more the remnants of the goldfish dissolved, into some sort of lighter vapor that traveled up and dissipated gently.
But as his daydreams and Cody-twirling progressed, he found that he had an idea. Something that would get rid of the goldfish for good. Meanwhile, Drake would wonder why Cody found it difficult to dance. And then he would look up, see Cody was attached to strings in Tommy's hands, and duck down again.
YOU ARE READING
The Catcher's Dreams (FEATURED)
Science FictionNow Featured! Drake sees glows around people. Pulsing, beating glows. They come like his classmates' shoes or leftover cafeteria food - with different colors, sizes, and smells - but they have one thing in common: Drake can take them away. And once...
