Just Hold Hands

Chapter 2

Catherine was gloating the whole way to school.

"I was right."

"Okay."

"I was right."

"So you've said."

"I was ri-ight," she sang.

"You're a terrible singer and I hate your outfit."

Catherine was wearing a black shirt featuring the poster for the movie Alien. She'd also refused to wear a jacket on the grounds that she simply could not cover her top. Her and their mother had fought about it for fifteen minutes.

"Now, what is your problem with these jeans? I think they fit very nicely."

"The shirt, dumbass. Have some subtlety."

"It's a good movie," she shrugged.

"You cried the entire time we watched it. That's not even your shirt, it's mom's."

They continued to pass through their usually quiet neighborhood. The streets were more crowded than usual, people zipping up and down on bikes and in cars, probably stocking up for disaster.

Catherine scoffed. "You steal mom's clothes all the time."

"Yeah, but I look good in them"

"Liar."

First period was, yet again, a class in name only. Mrs. Baker didn't even try for a real lesson, this time, electing instead to watch a movie on her phone while the class chattered away. Theo had her head on her desk, turned so she could listen.

"Did you hear about the broadcast?" Kate asked. "It got leaked."

"Oh my god, I saw!" said Maria. "They're looking for a chosen one ."

"I think the official phrasing was 'powerful Earth operative.'"

Nora walked over to sit at the empty desk at the intersection between Theo and Kate's. "Do you think this means that they've been here?"

"I guess so," said Maria. "How else would we already have some human that the aliens chose?"

"Theo? What do you think?"

At the sound of Nora's voice, Theo quickly blinked and sat up. "I think that we're really lucky that we live in the middle of nowhere. Don't aliens always destroy important landmarks first?"

"They could blow up Patty's Ice Cream," Kate interjected. "That's an important landmark."

"At least we're nowhere near the George Washington Bridge."

Nora lightly laughed. "True."

"Do you think the operative is half-alien?" Kate asked.

"That would make the aliens humanoid," from Maria.

"I bet the aliens are really hot."

"Kate!" Maria laughed.

"I'm just saying, I'd bang an alien if it was hot."

"If the aliens invade the school, I'm volunteering Kate," Theo said, quickly glancing at Nora and looking away. Nora laughed.

"Girl, I'd volunteer myself." Kate laughed. "Where do you think Matt went?" For a few seconds, nobody answered.

"Who?" Nora asked. Thank god , Theo thought, because she had no clue who Kate was talking about.

"The guy who's desk you're sitting at."