Dangerous Days of Daniel X

Chapter 41

GO TO THE BEACH with Phoebe instead of school? I thought. I could certainly handle that.

A few minutes later Phoebe took down a chess set from her shelf, and for the next hour, we gorged ourselves on microwave popcorn and played. Phoebe was really good. I’ve played IBM’s Deep Blue program, so I’m a pretty fair judge of talent.

“I thought you said you only played a little,” I said as she took my second knight. “I think I’m being hustled. You think I wouldn’t notice that totally obscure Konstantino-polsky opening? Who taught you that? Kasparov?”

“Hey, I told you I was a closet geek,” she said, smiling. Which was weird, because when I looked up about two seconds later, a tear was running down Phoebe’s cheek.

“Hey, don’t do that. Aren’t you supposed to cry if you’re losing?”

“It’s not that,” Phoebe said, wiping her eyes. “I’m actually happy. Can’t you tell?”

“And that’s why you’re crying?”

“It’s just… I was so bummed out that first day of school, and then I turned around and there you were. Now you’re trying to help me find Allison. It’s like fate or something, you know, Daniel? You’re like my guardian angel. I don’t mean to be corny, but -”

“Phoebe?” a man’s voice called from the hall. “Are you still awake? C’mon, sweetheart. Lights out. You have school in the morning.”

I was at the window, about to dive for the bushes, when Phoebe grabbed me. And held me against her body, which was kind of nice, I must say.

“It’s okay, Daniel. He’s gone. Let me fix a place for you to sleep.”

I stood there watching Phoebe arrange pillows and sheets. She isn’t thinking that I… I mean, she doesn’t think that she and I would… WHAT?

A pillow hit me square in the face.

“You sleep in the closet here, Daniel. In case my mom or dad opens the door, okay? See you in the morning.”

“Oh yeah. The closet. Perfect,” I said.

“Night, Daniel,” said Phoebe.

“Night, Phoebe,” I said.

From the closet.

Not so terrible, actually.

Safe anyway.