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Enjoy this chapter!

Reynie

Reynie ended up "hanging out" with Sophie after school. When he telephoned Miss Perumal to tell her the news, she became unexpectedly emotional and told him that she was "proud but not surprised" that he was getting on so well with his peers, adding that Sophie sounded like a very nice girl. He hung up feeling quite apprehensive about their – well, not date, per se, but she did happen to be a girl and in his short time being exposed to the operations of teenage life, this could turn out not to be as "just friends".

He had no idea, though, and persevered through the day, producing his typical work and impressing his new teachers, who had already identified him as their most conscientious student. Being Reynie, of course, he was nothing if not modest and remained oblivious to their high praises.

Aside from his very natural trepidation throughout the day, something else nagged at his brain. Someone else.

Why had Kate appeared so upset when she saw him interacting with other people? Was it because she was struggling in making other friends? She was happy for him, right? Regardless, there was definitely something there.

She was a complete and utter fool, Reynie thought privately, if she believed he couldn't read her like a book. He may not have Constance's talent, but Kate, well… she had always been there. She was his first true best friend, and as different as they were he felt deeply attached to her. Through all their escapades he had only felt the fondness grow, and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her.

This was a difficult task to manage, however, when she didn't tell him why she was upset. But after all, he reasoned, he had not attempted to ask her. He was still thrown off by her whatever it was – anger? hurt? – and above all most certainly did not want to lose her friendship by being overly intrusive.

The fact that Kate Wetherall – kind, easygoing, fun Kate Wetherall – was so upset was strange in itself, and rather unsettling. Not in the way that the Ten Men were unsettling. Not in a sinister way. Just… confusing.

Putting those misgivings aside, he nervously ran his fingers through his hair and tugged at the hem of his polo shirt as the last bell rang. People began pouring out of the classroom and he tried desperately to go with the flow of traffic and not get crushed. This was a skill that it seemed he would have to acquire over time. Thankfully, Sophie was waiting right outside the door for him and, with a cheerful smile and wink, said, "Hello!"

Somehow this put Reynie at ease, if only for the time being. If he was going to make friends, then he might as well focus on it now. He felt his anxiety disappear and joined her, walking over to her locker so she could grab the books she needed for that night's homework. It turned out that Sophie was quite as ambitious as Reynie in academics, and was already planning to go to a high-level, possibly Ivy League university. She was even attempting to graduate early so that she might get a head start in launching a career – but, as she told Reynie ruefully, her parents were adamant that she not overwork herself. Reynie found this quite admirable.

Not to mention that throughout their time together, he started to really like Sophie.

She wasn't like any girls he'd met before, which wasn't a particularly radical statement, seeing as the only people of the female gender that he associated with on a regular basis were either grown-ups or "gifted" (a massive understatement) children. Still, something about her personality was just plain appealing.

They walked around town, and it suddenly seemed as if he'd never been there before. She talked happily of school and her family and listened intently whenever he was talking. For Reynie, resigned to being the misfit among other kids, this was refreshing, gratifying, and flattering all at once. While he disliked her friends – they seemed fake, lacking personalities – he genuinely enjoyed her company. In fact, he was shocked when he received a phone call from a concerned Miss Perumal, wanting to know where in the world he was because night was falling.

"The time went by really fast, didn't it?" said Sophie, smiling at him. "We'll have to do this again."

"Definitely," said Reynie, and meant it with all his heart. "I'm sorry that I have to go."

"Oh, it's fine," she said, waving him off. "I'll just call my older brother. He wants to meet you. Hey, he can give you a ride home if you'd like!"

Taken aback – he'd never been "given a ride home" – Reynie blurted, "That would be great!"

"Cool." She beamed and took out her cell phone. "Just a sec."

He watched her walk over to a small bench at the corner of the block and felt a vague fluttering in the pit of his stomach. Although he was the last person to judge anyone on their looks, he had to admit to himself that he found her positively lovely. Something about her personality, her sparkly eyes, her shiny hair, and the way she walked and talked struck him. He was so caught up in these unfamiliar thoughts and feelings that he barely noticed his phone ringing, and picked it up only in the nick of time. It was Kate.

"Hi," he said.

"Oh, uh, hi. Reynie. Where are you?"

"Still with Sophie. Actually, can you tell Miss Perumal that her brother is dropping me off at Mr. Benedict's?"

"Um… okay." She sounded hesitant, then anxiously asked, "Are you staying the night again?"

Reynie consulted his watch. "Probably. It's too late to drive now. How's Sticky doing?"

"Ugh, he's been moping around because he thinks he embarrassed himself in front of this Cleo character." She paused. "As much as I love teasing him, I kind of feel bad. I might have to have a talk with her."

Reynie laughed. Leave it to Kate to put Sticky's feelings and romantic aspirations before her own desire to make fun of him. She was such a… great person. Quickly putting those thoughts away – somehow he felt like they were hypocritical, or wrong, with Sophie right there – he said, "Don't worry. I'll try to talk to him tonight."

"Good. I think I might hurt more than help in this situation."

Before he could stop himself, Reynie quickly said, "Oh, no, you're perfect."

"What?"

Shaking his head and wondering what in the world was wrong with him today, he sighed. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Kate. I'll see you at home." He hung up before she could respond.

Why should he care about talking to her while he was with Sophie? Kate was always there. Always there. Abruptly, he started remembering things. All the laughs they'd had, the many times Sticky and Constance looked to the two of them for guidance, the times she'd saved their lives with her heroic bucket…

"Hey, he'll be here in a couple minutes," Sophie said, walking over to him.

He jumped slightly, then managed a smile. She made him feel at ease; just looking at her calmed his mind. "Listen, I really appreciate you doing this. I didn't know what life would be like, you know, being around other teenagers, and to tell the truth I didn't want to know. But now I think I'm starting to like it. A lot."

"Aw!" She looked up at him, then a little shyly leaned over and wrapped her arms around his waist. Startled, he didn't return the hug at first – he wasn't a physically affectionate person by nature, and the types of hugs he received tended to almost break his ribs or get tears all over his shoulders – but then instinctively put his arms around her as well. She was gentle, not aggressive, and looked up at him so directly. Why did he feel like his heart was beating way too fast?

They broke apart after just a moment, but Reynie's mind was, once again, going crazy.

Thankfully, her brother – he introduced himself as "Theodore, but I hate it, so call me Ted, but not Teddy" – pulled up to the curb shortly. He opened the car door for Sophie to ride shotgun, cracking a few carefree jokes. Then he asked Reynie for directions, commenting that he'd always found that area charming, and continued to make conversation. He was just as friendly as Sophie, if not more so. Before Reynie knew it, they'd arrived at their street and he was getting out of the car. Sophie beamed at him.

"Bye!" she called. "See you in school tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you," said Reynie as the car drove away. He stood still, gathering his thoughts, then sprinted up the front walk and let himself in.

Everyone had already been seated for dinner. He paused, peering into the dining room, which was lit with a soft yellow light. The adults were talking and laughing, Sticky was bickering with Constance over the last baked potato, and Kate was… well, Kate was plowing into her plate with gusto. As he watched, she noticed him and a grin split her face. He laughed; she had jelly on the corner of her mouth, and he felt a sudden urge to wipe it off for her. Dismissing that compulsion, he waved at her.

"Come on!" she said, patting the empty chair next to her. And he went.