Chapter One
“Well, that’s it, then. My life is over. This is the end, the finale, the bittersweet conclusion. The curtains have drawn, we fade to black, the orchestra hushes. Nothing further, everything lost, little gained, really. How sad, they’ll say. Oh, he was so terribly young and so terribly brilliant to have had his once bustling life ravaged so, and left for naught but scraps.”
Benji didn’t even look at Maps. He was too busy clicking away on the mouse and swiveling in the chair in front of Maps’ desk.
“Are you even listening?” Maps asked from his seated position on his bed.
“That depends,” Benji said without looking away from the computer screen. “Have you stopped your babbling?”
“Not babbling. Being dramatic—rightly so, I believe.”
Arms crossed over his chest, Maps sat on his bed and watched the back of Benji’s black head of hair.
Benji was half Korean, half Caucasian, and all smarminess. His hair was longer in the front, perpetually hanging in front of his small nose and brown eyes. He always wore band T-shirts from bands he’d never listened to because he thought it was ironic. Maps thought it was dumb.
“Oh, please, Maps. I’m just moving down the block. It’ll take you less than fifteen minutes to walk there.”
“Walk!” Maps shook his head, even though Benji couldn’t see. “I shan’t be walking to any houses, Benji, especially not ones that far away. What if I have a brilliant idea in the middle of the night and absolutely need to tell you? What then? Should I walk a few blocks to tell you about my brilliant idea? Is that what you want, Benji? Me wandering around at all hours of the night, on my own, in some strange neighborhood, begging for muggers and hooligans to have at me? You’re becoming quite the bad influence.” He waved his hand in the air dismissively. “All right then, off with you.”
Benji sighed as he turned in the computer chair to face Maps. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
Maps stopped abruptly. “Miss me? But we’ll still see each other every day, right? It’s only a few blocks away, right? Just less than a fifteen minute walk, right? Benji, isn’t that right?”
“Isn’t it exhausting being you?”
“Of course,” Maps said. “But isn’t anyone who’s anyone constantly exhausted? Think about it. The greatest minds of mankind—constantly in need of a nap or some coffee.”
“Maybe your new neighbor will have the energy to listen to you.”
“What if they’re someone who only wants me for my body?”
Benji threw his head back and laughed.
Maps scowled. So he was a little on the skinny side, but he’d fill out. At least that’s what his mom said. His dirty blond hair wasn’t ever particularly anything, but it was just hair and didn’t need to conduct a train or orchestrate a three-ring circus. It just had to sit on his head, and it was doing a fine job of that. And yeah, maybe his glasses were a little nerdy, but there wasn’t a single thing unattractive or funny about visual impairment.
Benji swiveled in the computer chair and turned towards Maps. “Some days you’re too much.”
“I’d like to think I’m the absolute right amount.”
Benji stood up and sat next to Maps on the bed, playfully shoving him. “We’ll still talk on the phone, okay?” he said. “And we’ll text all the time and chat online on all the forums. And, shit, we have Bio, Advanced Physics, Spanish, History, and English together. We’ll see each other all the time.”
“It won’t be the same,” Maps said quietly. Maps was used to looking out his bedroom window on the second story of the house and being able to see Benji’s window just a few feet away. They’d grown up together. Spent every waking minute together. Hell, there wasn’t anything they didn’t share with each other.
“If I had the choice,” Benji said. “I’d stay here. But my Burger Flipper salary isn’t enough to live on. Plus, I’m only sixteen
“Well, that’s it, then. My life is over. This is the end, the finale, the bittersweet conclusion. The curtains have drawn, we fade to black, the orchestra hushes. Nothing further, everything lost, little gained, really. How sad, they’ll say. Oh, he was so terribly young and so terribly brilliant to have had his once bustling life ravaged so, and left for naught but scraps.”
Benji didn’t even look at Maps. He was too busy clicking away on the mouse and swiveling in the chair in front of Maps’ desk.
“Are you even listening?” Maps asked from his seated position on his bed.
“That depends,” Benji said without looking away from the computer screen. “Have you stopped your babbling?”
“Not babbling. Being dramatic—rightly so, I believe.”
Arms crossed over his chest, Maps sat on his bed and watched the back of Benji’s black head of hair.
Benji was half Korean, half Caucasian, and all smarminess. His hair was longer in the front, perpetually hanging in front of his small nose and brown eyes. He always wore band T-shirts from bands he’d never listened to because he thought it was ironic. Maps thought it was dumb.
“Oh, please, Maps. I’m just moving down the block. It’ll take you less than fifteen minutes to walk there.”
“Walk!” Maps shook his head, even though Benji couldn’t see. “I shan’t be walking to any houses, Benji, especially not ones that far away. What if I have a brilliant idea in the middle of the night and absolutely need to tell you? What then? Should I walk a few blocks to tell you about my brilliant idea? Is that what you want, Benji? Me wandering around at all hours of the night, on my own, in some strange neighborhood, begging for muggers and hooligans to have at me? You’re becoming quite the bad influence.” He waved his hand in the air dismissively. “All right then, off with you.”
Benji sighed as he turned in the computer chair to face Maps. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
Maps stopped abruptly. “Miss me? But we’ll still see each other every day, right? It’s only a few blocks away, right? Just less than a fifteen minute walk, right? Benji, isn’t that right?”
“Isn’t it exhausting being you?”
“Of course,” Maps said. “But isn’t anyone who’s anyone constantly exhausted? Think about it. The greatest minds of mankind—constantly in need of a nap or some coffee.”
“Maybe your new neighbor will have the energy to listen to you.”
“What if they’re someone who only wants me for my body?”
Benji threw his head back and laughed.
Maps scowled. So he was a little on the skinny side, but he’d fill out. At least that’s what his mom said. His dirty blond hair wasn’t ever particularly anything, but it was just hair and didn’t need to conduct a train or orchestrate a three-ring circus. It just had to sit on his head, and it was doing a fine job of that. And yeah, maybe his glasses were a little nerdy, but there wasn’t a single thing unattractive or funny about visual impairment.
Benji swiveled in the computer chair and turned towards Maps. “Some days you’re too much.”
“I’d like to think I’m the absolute right amount.”
Benji stood up and sat next to Maps on the bed, playfully shoving him. “We’ll still talk on the phone, okay?” he said. “And we’ll text all the time and chat online on all the forums. And, shit, we have Bio, Advanced Physics, Spanish, History, and English together. We’ll see each other all the time.”
“It won’t be the same,” Maps said quietly. Maps was used to looking out his bedroom window on the second story of the house and being able to see Benji’s window just a few feet away. They’d grown up together. Spent every waking minute together. Hell, there wasn’t anything they didn’t share with each other.
“If I had the choice,” Benji said. “I’d stay here. But my Burger Flipper salary isn’t enough to live on. Plus, I’m only sixteen
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