Dedications



At this point we had a sort of portable sound-booth for Electra. I could plug her right into the PA system and her voice was largely indistinguishable from an unsylphed person’s.

For her focus, Mom had helped her cut a picture out of a magazine and tape it next to her window. From that angle, I couldn’t see it. And she hung a flap from a paper sack over it when the side was open.

Out of respect for her privacy, I didn’t try to peek.

Respect, and also Mom got me into a three-quarter nelson choke hold and told me in no uncertain terms to leave the damned picture the hell alone.

For my focus, I had a Princess Leia action figure. It wasn’t a perfect likeness, but it was close enough. And it came with a blaster, not a slave bikini, so Electra didn’t complain.

I was glad to have purchased some dedications when Monday came. There weren’t any love messages for boys, so Electra read three of her fakes and implored girls to let their boyfriends know they cared.

I alternated real dedications with anonymous fakes, like ‘to the shy girl in the back of first period’ or ‘the girl near the window that draws all those hearts on her notebooks.’

And one for ‘the girl who debates like an avenging goddess,’ because I looked and saw that Chip hadn’t bought any announcements.

I was trying to do him a favor, but it backfired. Seems that Chrissy and Chip had agreed NOT to send each other ‘tawdry’ messages over the PA.

So Chrissy instantly knew it was me and that I was trying to cover for her boyfriend. She thought it was sweet.

Chip knew it was my dedication, sent to his girl and told me to mind my own fucking business.

And that was totally correct, I have to admit. I apologized profusely to him, in front of his pack of jocks, with more sincerity than I’d read any of the dedications.

Chip nodded, then stalked off, bouncing my shoulder with his as he went by. That told all his followers to do the same thing. I was fair game for a few moments.

No one was dumb enough to knock me hard enough to drop Electra’s carrier, of course.

Chrissy still gave me a kiss on the cheek for ‘trying,’ and offered to explain everything to Chip.

“No, no, we’re cool. He slugged me and everything,” I said. Electra backed up my story. She hadn’t seen whether or not I got slugged, or the mood he was in, but she had felt me bounce when he walked by, so assumed I was telling the truth.

After the morning dedications, people started buying a lot more spots. We never had to use the fake ones again, there wasn’t any time.

Chip did send Chrissy a rose on Friday, of course. It was anonymous, so it fell to me to deliver it again.

I chickened out and made a little tray. I carried that and Electra handed out the anonymous roses. Safer for everyone that way, I thought.

Chrissy kissed Electra, thanked me, and ran off to find Chip.



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Index

40. Announcements

42. Wuthering Smites