Charged (Electric) Read online

  “I keep telling her that, but she never listens to me.” Brie throws out. “Maybe you can change her mind.”

  “Well, thanks, but really that’s the only song like that we have.” I desperately try to change the subject. “Let’s play some other stuff, Brie.”

  Maybe an hour or so later, we finish up and Brie flips off all of her equipment. She grabs three bottles of water out of the mini-fridge that she keeps stocked and passes them out. “We’re getting better.” She declares.

  I nod, too busy chugging water to speak.

  “I think you guys have some real potential.” Mason says. “Have you played anywhere yet?”

  Oh, no. Here we go. I open my mouth to answer, but it’s too late. Brie’s already beginning her rant. “We’ve played a couple places. We’d play more if our loser, quote unquote, manager did his job.”

  I don’t know why I always feel the need to defend Joel to her, maybe because he’s always been so supportive. Either way, I begin my calm rebuttal, “Brie he tries, but he’s got other things going on, too.”

  She looks at Mason. “No, he doesn’t.”

  Mason is now standing with his hands out in front of him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to start anything.”

  Brie exhales noisily. “It’s not your fault. I’m not really even mad at him, just frustrated. Sorry, done flipping out now.”

  “I should get going anyway.” I grab my bag. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  “Bye,” Brie says.

  “Wait,” Mason calls, “thanks for having me, Brie, I got to get going, too. Kat, I’ll walk with you.”

  Brie shoots me a look that guarantees she will be calling me later. I suppress an eye roll and turn back around, waiting for Mason to join me. He’s by my side in seconds. “Where’s your house?” I ask.

  “We moved into a house on Bruyn Ave. Do you know where that is?”

  “Sure, that’s around the corner from my house. Which house is it?” I think I know exactly which one, but wait for his confirmation. There weren’t a lot of houses for sale on that road.

  “It’s white, with dark blue shutters.”

  I smile. “That’s funny. Ironic even, just follow me.”

  I lead him to my own house just two blocks away. I take the side yard, past the dining room, assuming my mom is in the living room, so she doesn’t start with embarrassing questions when I get in. When we get to the backyard, recognition hits his face. “Hey,” He gives me that smile again. “We’re neighbors.”

  For the first time I return it and smile back at him. “Yeah, we are.”

  He shuffles his feet a bit, and if I’m not mistaken, looks nervous, which is odd. “Thanks for letting me hang out with you today. I had fun.”

  Now his nervousness is making me nervous. “Thanks, and anytime. Really, I mean it’s usually just Brie and me.” I need to stop babbling, so I bite down on my lip.

  Mason chuckles a little. “Can I walk you to school in the morning?”

  I grin. “I’ll see you then.”

  He takes a step towards me, looking thoughtful. “Goodnight, Kat.”

  “Goodnight, Mason.” I turn to go, but he grabs onto my hand, spinning me back to him. I’m about to ask what he wants, when he gently pulls me to him and quickly, softly lowers his mouth to mine. My entire body ignites into a very pleasant tingling sensation. It’s as if everything is amplified while our mouths are joined. I’m stuck, frozen in disbelief as he pulls away. From the smile on his face, he enjoyed it as much as I did.

  “Was that okay?” He asks me, with a smile playing on his lips.

  I grin and nod my head. My brain refuses to make words right now. He lets go of all of me, but my hand.

  “I’ll see you in the morning?”

  I smile and nod some more, feeling kind of like a moron, but not totally caring. He chuckles and plants one last chaste kiss on my hand that’s entwined with his before he lets go. He starts walking to his house and turns around halfway. “Goodnight, Kat.”

  “Goodnight, Mason.” I manage to say again, before I turn back to my own house. That was…nice. A thought crosses my mind. I know that that was my first kiss, but I’m hoping I wasn’t obvious about it. This is what’s rambling through my brain as I make my way inside. I wave a quick hi to my mom, barely making it to my room before my phone goes off. I don’t have to look to know its Brie.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “He was so making eyes at you!” Brie replies.

  “I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if he was…until we walked home-his house is the one right behind mine by the way-and, well-“

  “Spit it out, Kat!” I love getting her worked up.

  “This stays between us, for now. When we got to the backyard, we said goodbye. Then, he sort of kissed me.”

  I hear Brie whoop loudly on the other end of the phone. “It’s about freaking time, Kat. I was wondering when a guy would finally catch your eye. How was it?”

  “Freaking phenomenal! If that’s what kissing someone is like, I have no idea what took me so long.”

  “Trust me, it’s not always a pleasant experience. I’m actually kind of proud of you for waiting until you found a ‘freaking phenomenal’ guy to practice on.”

  I smile. “He seems pretty great. He wants us to walk to school together tomorrow.”

  “Then I’ll get my mom to drive me,” I start to protest, but she continues, “a one-time deal mind you. This way you two can have a little time to get to know each other better. But once you hit school grounds, all bets are off. I’m going to have to get used to sharing you.”

  “Thanks, Brie. You know you don’t have to share me, though.”

  “Yeah, as your best friend, I kind of do. Now go get all beautified and rested, so you can knock his socks off tomorrow morning.”

  I know that she won’t like it if I get all mushy on her. “Night, Brie.”

  “Night, Kat.”

  I hear my mom yell up the stairs, “You eating tonight, Kat?”

  “Be right down!” I yell back. I think about Brie’s beautification suggestion. I better hurry up with dinner, apparently I have a lot to do.

  I’m up early the next morning. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see Mason again, because I’m not just excited, but also super happy and a bit nervous. The total effect is quite overwhelming, and the closer it gets to the time to go, the worse it’s getting. I take a deep breath as I hear a soft knock on the back door. I’m also grateful my mom leaves before me. She’d inadvertently add stress to the situation.

  I grab my bag and keys and open the door, momentarily floored by Mason. My mental images did not do his face justice at all. I force myself to speak. “Good morning, Mason.”

  “Hey, Kat,” He replies, “good morning to you, too.”

  To my surprise, he reaches for my hand to help me down the stairs and doesn’t let go. Perplexed, but happy, I don’t say a thing.

  Mason turns to me, “So, I need to get your number. I forgot to yesterday, and short of throwing rocks at your window, I didn’t know how else to get a hold of you.”

  I smile at the thought. “That wouldn’t be so bad, but I can give you my number too.”

  “If I had known which window was yours, I might have.” He pulls out his phone and dials in the numbers I recite, and then calls me quickly so I have his number, too.

  As we make our way to school, I have to admit, I walk extra slow to prolong our time together. Our conversation consists of more getting to know each other. We talk about favorite music, books, movies and the like. We have some similar choices, but I like some things he’s never heard of and vice versa. We debate the best Iron Man movies as we head into school.

  Maybe it’s my exceptionally great walk to school, or the fact that I like basketball, but gym isn’t that bad again today. By the time I meet up with Brie in Biology, I’m grinning from ear to ear. It could also be because I know I’ll see Mason next period. It certainly helps. She doesn’t have a chanc
e to start grilling me before Mr. Murphy pushes a television into the classroom. His excitement is palpable.

  Mr. Murphy is easily one of my favorite teachers. He’s older, perhaps in his fifties, with mostly silver hair and a soft midsection. Not a very tall man, it’s his excitement that makes him seem larger than life, and when he’s really excited, his faces flushes red.

  “Special class today, guys!” Mr. Murphy says exuberantly. “We will be focusing on BioNano and watching their news conference in a half hour. Big things happening people, big things!”

  Chapter Two

  Because Mr. Murphy is one of our favorite teachers, we try hard to match his excitement and enthusiasm for today’s class. He jumps right in, explaining exactly what has him so pumped up. “Okay, so who can tell me what BioNano has been focusing on, anybody?” I glance around, surprised no one else has the answer. So I shrug and raise my hand, “Yes, Kat.”

  “I believe they are leading ground-breaking research on nanotechnology?” This is more of a question than an answer.

  “Precisely,” Mr. Murphy continues. “This morning they have released to the scientific community that they have had a breakthrough, which they will be announcing shortly, and we will get to watch history in the making.” He pauses to clean his glasses, something he does when he is excited. “Since we have some time left, I’m going to give you a brief background on the company, their research, and what it is going to mean for you.

  “Since 1996, BioNano has been a leader in the field of nanotechnology. They mastered many of its facets. Without them, all of your smart phones would be non-existent, and many other technological advances would not have been possible. After their successes in technology, they decided to begin research on utilizing nanotechnology for the greater good, things like medical advances. Can anyone tell me what kind of impact this could have if they were successful?”

  This is way over my head. Sure, I have a basic knowledge of it, -I’m amazed everyone doesn’t with as much as BioNano is in the news. I’m grateful that before Mr. Murphy could glance in my direction again, Jason pipes up. “They have been working on self-replicating nanobots, the size of an atom. If they succeed, they will have created a nanobot with the ability to rearrange a single atom-using its properties to change it to something else. This can be incredibly useful externally, but the real focus is in the medical field. These nanobots will be able to eradicate bacterial infections, repair damaged tissues and blood cells. The possible advances in modern medicine will be astounding.”

  If Mr. Murphy could explode with pride I think he just would have. “Perfect, Jason. Any questions, class? I want us all on the same page.”

  We all murmur our understanding. Though, I suspect some of us understand more than others.

  Brie’s hand shoots up next to me, and Mr. Murphy nods his head at her. “Mr. Murphy, can’t that be dangerous though?” My best friend, ever the pessimist, leave it to her to argue against anything. “I mean, what is going to keep these things in line. Are they going to make nano-police?”

  Mr. Murphy chuckles. “Great question, Brie. Yes, there is a danger factor, but each nanobot is specifically designed to do a specific task, and no more.”

  My eyebrows raise and I inadvertently say, “What’s to keep them from manipulating themselves around this safety measure?”

  Mr. Murphy claps his hands together and points at me. “And therein lays the problem. That’s a valid concern, and something I believe they will be addressing in today’s press conference.” He glances at the clock on the wall. “Which will be starting soon, if you need a drink or to use the restroom, please do so now. I want all of us to see the entire presentation if possible.”

  During our short break, Brie turns to me. “So, how was your walk this morning?”

  I feel my face warm and my heart kicks up a notch. “It rocked. I keep waiting for something to happen, though. Girls like me can never hold the attention of a guy like Mason for long.”

  Brie shakes her head at me. “I don’t want to hear any of that nonsense.” She waves a finger in my face. “You know how I feel about your lack of self-esteem. I’m just shocked Mason is the first guy to notice.”

  I stick my tongue out at her, but I’m saved from replying by the lights dimming and Mr. Murphy calling our attention to the television. It starts with a brief history of BioNano, the company’s founders, and their recent advances in technology. When the short film is over, the camera focuses on an older gentleman behind a podium. His name is listed below as Dr. Harris, and he jumps full speed ahead into explaining their newest, self-replicating nanobots, and what this will mean for our medical community and beyond.

  “Imagine being able to reset atoms as we need to, being able to change and remap atoms as we need to. This means we can create water from sand, or manipulate carbon into diamonds. An oil spill will no longer require months of cleanup and have such damaging effects on our environment. We can now utilize our nanotechnology to change these damaging atoms back into the natural elements they were prior to any accident.

  “This stands true for the use of nanotechnology in medicine. Gone are the days where tissue takes weeks to repair itself, where we lose lives to bacterial infections. We are even able to regenerate tissue, giving us the power to regrow lost limbs. This is the medical advance we’ve been striving for, and I’m proud to announce that our day is here.”

  We watch the rest of the special broadcast, watch some of the same questions we had get answered. Something still bothers me, though. Dr. Harris is so quick to deem this new technology as safe. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great and all…if it does what they say, how they say. Mr. Murphy switches off the television and flicks the classroom lights back on. “How cool is that, guys?” Collectively the classroom hums in excitement. “Well, I have even more exciting news for you. We will be taking a tour of the BioNano facilities this Friday, and you will all get a chance to see nanotechnology in action, first hand. This will be an all-day trip, -permission slips on my desk.”

  Brie turns to me, “I will take a Friday field trip anytime, even if it means going to Frankenstein’s factory.”

  I make a face at her. “I think it will be interesting. And yes, a Friday field trip is kickass, regardless.”

  We make our way into the congested hallway. Our high school has the typical institutional feel. Two stories, the large brick rectangle houses grades nine through twelve. The inside walls are aquamarine, the floors tan pebbled tile, the lockers painted fire-engine red, and typical high school flyers, posters and art dominate. There is nothing outstanding about its appearance, but we make it work.

  Brie and I spilt up. My stomach flutters at the thought of seeing Mason again in Calculus. I find him waiting, sitting in the seat next to the one I was in yesterday. I give him a shy smile and am rewarded with his brilliant, brain numbing grin. Managing to catch myself before I trip over the last desk in the row, I make my way to my seat without further incident. I give myself a second to compose myself under the pretense of settling in and getting out my textbook and notes.

  When I have gathered enough courage, I turn and give him my best smile. “How’s your morning going?” I ask.

  The look he gives me literally smolders. My heart kicks up a notch, and I almost miss him say, “My morning just got better.” He follows this with another grin and I am left gaping at him, my mouth slightly ajar. He continues, “How about you?”

  I shake my head minutely to clear the fog, not missing his small chuckle as I do so. “My morning was good. Did you hear about the field trip on Friday yet?” Mason shakes his head so I give him a brief rundown before the bell rings. We both focus on Ms. Nahlik, a necessary evil in Calculus, and don’t have a chance to talk again until the end of class.

  Maybe it’s because my odds are more even, now that I have both Brie and Mason flanking me, or because she just didn’t feel like it today, but I manage to brush past Kiera and her minions with only a snarky look between us. We grab
a table in the lunchroom, gathering a bit of attention still, but not quite as much as yesterday. I’m sure everyone expected Mason to fall in line at Kiera’s table. She obviously had, as she glares openly at me. I roll my eyes as I shift my gaze away from her and over to Brie and Mason.

  “I’m grabbing something,” Brie says, getting out of her chair. “You want anything?”

  I shake my head. All of this extra attention is making me queasy. “I’m good, thanks.”

  Mason shifts a little closer towards me. “You look a little…panicked, you alright?”

  I blush and put my head down a little, letting my hair shield my face. “Everyone is staring at us. It makes me a little uneasy.”

  He smirks. “Says the singer. So, what, you’re saying that you don’t like to be watched?”

  I shake my head. “It’s different when I’m playing music. I’m preoccupied with the guitar, and singing, and Brie’s rhythm in my ears. But this is awkward, mostly people just gawking at us for no apparent reason.”

  “I guess I can see the differentiation.” He glances around. “I suppose we are attracting a bit of attention. They’ll get over it, eventually.”

  I shrug. “I hope so.”

  By the time Friday arrives, my life feels a bit surreal. I blame it on Mason, and part of me keeps waiting for him to have the realization that I am a total loser, and run off. Brie keeps telling me I’m nuts, and it’s about time that a guy picked up on how great I am. I think she is just biased. But that’s just my opinion.

  We are all excited to go on our field trip. We pile onto the buses in a flurry of chatter and movement. It makes me feel good that Mason weaseled his way onto our bus and into our group. He was supposed to stay with his class, but Mr. Murphy gave him permission to stay with us. I have to remember to do something nice for Mr. Murphy in return.

  The field trip consists of two parts, so the morning classes (and Mason) will first see the presentation while the afternoon classes take the tour. Then we will switch off. Mr. Murphy sticks with our group, the substitute Biology teacher, Mr. Williams, stays with the other group. They’re both great teachers, but Mr. Murphy’s excitement is way more fun than Mr. Williams’ stoicism.