The Thread Between Danny and Me

Chapter 3: She's not a poser

And that's how it went for two weeks of my life. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays were "Danny days." Tuesdays and Thursdays I didn't see him at all except when he would obnoxiously call out, "Maria Sofia Ramirez-Johnson" from down the hall.

What a weirdo.

We were in social studies class sitting around doing nothing waiting for the bell to ring. Our teacher had finished up her lesson early and let us work on homework. I'd completed the assignment and watched with amusement as Danny struggled between playing with his finger skateboard, grumbling about his homework, and absentmindedly twirling his pencil.

He threw his head back and sighed loudly. "I'm so bored, Maria Sofia Ramirez-Johnson."

"Sorry?" I shrugged. "You could always finish your homework."

"Don't wanna."

He turned his head and eyed me like he was upset.

"What?"

"Your name is too long."

"You don't have to call me by my full name, ya know."

"You're right." He abruptly sat up. "I think I'll call you..."

I waited with my eyebrows raised.

A Cheshire cat grin encompassed his face. "I'm gonna call you MJ."

I blinked. "You mean, like the Spider-Man girl?"

"uh-huh."

I groaned.

Danny laughed.

"Just call me Maria."

"Nope. You're MJ. From here on out."

I shook my head, then took out my drawing notebook and started to sketch again. Danny leaned over my shoulder and watched me draw.

"I've never met anybody like you," he said.

"What do you mean?"

He pointed with his chin. "You're always drawing buildings and stuff."

"Well, I do want to be an architect."

"That's what I mean. Nobody around here thinks about what they're gonna do when they graduate college every second they get. Most people don't even know or care."

I shrugged. "I can't help it. Drawing buildings makes me happy. Besides, don't you know what you want to do?"

Danny's ocean eyes swirled. "MJ, I'm gonna be a baseball player. And make twenty-five million dollars a year. And I'll buy you a house. A big house, by the shore. You can be my neighbor. Won't you be my neighbor, MJ?"

"Yes, Danny. I'll be your neighbor. But only if you let me design our houses."

He grinned. "Deal. You're stuck with me now."

"What do you want in a house?"

He shrugged. "I'll let you decide."

"Hmmm, let me think about it."

"You've got...ten years to figure it out."

"Why ten years?"

Danny stretched, then cracked his neck. "In ten years, I'll be playing for some major league team."

I tilted my head in thought. "I'll be done with college in...eleven years."

Huh? You're gonna be in college for that long?"

"Yeah. Because I'm gonna get my masters. Then I can build whatever you want."

"Sweet." Danny did a trick with his finger skateboard. "I want a big skateboard park in the back of mine."