The Uneventful Life of Harvey Mackler

c h a p t e r | s e v e n

     "YOU HAVE FIVE seconds to choose a colour," I say.

I have my best poker face on as I extend my closed palm towards Hayden and begin to countdown.

"Five... four... three..."

"You're making me panic!" Hayden interjects in a distressed tone. "Um. Blue!"

I open my palm, letting the coloured marbles fall out and into the square box on the table. Hayden and I begin to count the marbles rapidly.

"One two three—" Hayden shouts as he counts the blue marbles.

"Onetwothreefourfivesix seven red! Ha!" I exclaim. "I win. There were more red marbles than blue ones. That's 10 points. Plus 5 more points for counting them all up first. That brings me up to 42."

"No fair," Hayden sulks, "let's do another game. I still think you cheated on the card game."

"It's not my fault you guessed the ace wrong." I shrug. "You got points deducted for every wrong guess."

"But how is it fair that they went to you instead? I think you made that rule up."

"Stop being a sore loser, Hayden. I won fair and square. That means you have to go pick Hollis up."

Hunter walks into the kitchen at that moment, eyeing our assortment of knickknacks and board games we'd used to settle the score of who had to go get Hollis from the summer camp pick-up point.

"Is that why you two have been so noisy all morning?" Hunter questions. "It's pointless anyway. I just got off the phone with the Yakamura's. They've already volunteered to drop Hollis at home."

Hayden and I turn our attention to Hunter, faces perking up in delighted surprise.

"Really?" I say.

Hayden breathes a sigh of relief. "Great. Did they say around what time?"

Hunter shrugs. "I think it's around midday or something." He pauses. "No, actually that's when they leave camp. It should be around four then."

I unlock my phone to check the time. It's still quite early. 8:40 AM. Hayden and I have been at it since half seven.

"Why do you care, Hayd?" I question. "It's not like you have to go anymore."

"I wanted to figure out if I really could've picked him up. I might still be working by the time Hollis arrives."

I raise an eyebrow. "You're working today as well? What even is this work you're doing?"

"Stop looking so suspicious, Harvey," Hayden retorts. "You're acting like I've become a drug dealer."

"That makes me even more suspicious," I reply. "Hunter, has he told you?"

Hunter nods, taking a seat by the kitchen island and picking up Hayden's scorecard. "It's nothing suspicious, Harv," he says as he scans the point tally. "He's just messing with you. It's Mo's Electronics."

"The tech store? Really?" I pout. "I applied there like a month ago and they rejected me."

"Clearly, they also realised I was the superior twin," Hayden boasts.

I shoot him a death glare.

"I'm joking," Hayden corrects. "It's because of my looks and overall charm."

"Okay, that's it—" I'm about to hurl an object at Hayden's head when he raises his hands in surrender.

"Fine, okay, I'll be serious," he relents. "Jay's cousin is the new manager, so she's letting both of us work there just for the summer. If you ask Jay I'm sure he can put in a word for you too."