Kaleidoscopic

Chapter 19

"Spiderman will never join the Avengers," Evan stated.

"That's what I thought too," Chris said. "Until I read issue #236. He helped defeat the Lava Men, okay? That means – "

"How long are you guys staying here?" Nadine asked, repining her nametag out of boredom.

The record store was the kind of building that had skinny-boarded wood floors that creaked whenever a dime dropped. The planks were bowed and curved throughout every aisle, looking worn and scratched in places that had been exposed to the most traffic. There were stacks and stacks of dusty vinyl albums lining the walls, and rows and rows of newer releases around every corner. Nadine could name every title and every artist, even the alternative options.

Like corny holiday tunes, Christmas had come and gone, leaving behind strings of burned out lights and stockpiles of food in Tupperware. Nadine and Evan spent Christmas alone, like every year. Their dad was in France and wouldn't be home until report card season. The siblings ordered Thai food and watched Charlie Brown, staying up until their dad called them from a random hotel. It wasn't the first year their dad had been gone over the holidays – he was an airline pilot – but it was the first year without their mom.

Evan sat on the front counter while Nadine counted the money in the register. Chris was flipping through Pink Floyd discography, making sure to go as slow as possible. He had lied and told Evan he needed to return a Def Leppard album, but it was obvious he wanted to see Nadine. He kept glancing at her until the door chimed, shifting his attention to the front.

"Oh, shit. It's Bones," the boy with glasses said. He turned to Evan and asked, "Do I look punchable?"

"You always look punchable," he replied.

Chris cowered.

"Don't call him that," Nadine spoke, closing the register. "His name's Ben."

The two boys stared at her, not understanding why she cared.

"It is," she defended. "That's his name."

Bones stalked toward the front of the store with Danny trailing behind him. They brought along a bitter breeze and some frozen dead leaves, making Evan want to wrap himself in Danny's leather jacket.

"Do you have any spare record needles?" Bones asked Nadine. "Mine broke."

Chris snorted, fiddling with a roll of barcode stickers. "How do you break a record needle?"

Bones's eyes flickered to Nadine. "Body weight," was all he said.

Nadine touched her nose, attempting to act reposed. She rolled her shoulders as if to readjust the collar of her Camelot Music polo.

"We have some in the back," Nadine voiced, trying not to drawn attention to her blushing skin.

Bones followed her while Chris tagged along, rambling about safety hazards. Evan took the opportunity to speak to Danny.

"I was starting to think you were avoiding me," Evan said.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Danny responded, brushing off some snowflakes on his sleeve.

Evan hopped off the counter. "So you are avoiding me?"

When Evan's feet hit the ground, his body became inches away from Danny. The brown-eyed boy hated the instinctive sensation that ensued from Evan's action, denying the white-heat feeling and blaming it on the overactive store heater.

Danny swallowed. "I've been trying to keep my distance."

"What if I don't want us to be distant?"

Danny breathed cautiously, as if his breath would create a protective bubble around himself. He didn't want to get hurt again...Especially not by Evan. He didn't think he would be able to piece himself back together for a second time.

"Do you need anything else?" Nadine's voice came around the corner, leaving Danny and Evan's conversation unfinished.

"I don't think so," Bones said, setting the needle and a Ramones album on the counter.

Evan drummed his fingers on the counter, conjuring up a plan.

"That's a good album," Evan remarked, gesturing toward the album Bones had picked out. "You should bring it to Heather's party tomorrow."

Nadine whipped her eyes to her brother, cursing him out with just a glance.

"Party?" Bones wondered, intrigued.

"Heather's annual New Year's Eve party," Evan explained, manipulating the situation. "Everyone's going."

Bones thought about it. "You going?" he asked Nadine.

Nadine opened her mouth, but Chris interjected, saying, "Nadine doesn't go anywhere without her body guard." He pointed to himself and then folded his arms to look stronger.

Evan hauled himself onto the counter again. "You both should come. And bring some good music," he said. "It'd be nice to listen to something other than Madonna or Stevie Nicks. People won't get drunk as fast."

Danny tucked his hands into his pockets, understanding the real invitation. Evan wanted Danny to come to the part so they could be alone.

"We'll think about it," Bones replied, watching Nadine's fingers press the buttons on the register.