Alternative

October 1, 2008 at 3:52PM

Our history teacher is sick, and they can't get a substitute in time, so we're let out early from school. 

I catch up with Beth as she's leaving and ask if she's doing anything.

"Just going home, I guess," she says.

"Are you taking the streetcar?"

"Yep."

Without confirming whether or not she wants company, I continue to walk with her. She's still nervous around me and I want to figure out what that means. I also have this intense desire to get back that feeling of close proximity that I had with her yesterday.

On the way to the streetcar, she tells me that she's sort of bummed about Mr. Connor being sick because he was supposed to talk about Hedy Lamarr, this Hollywood actress in the 1930s who was apparently also a genius inventor: she created this way of preventing frequency jamming for allied torpedoes in WWII, which was the technology that eventually lead to the development of Bluetooth.

She shows me a picture of Hedy Lemarr on her phone.

"You look a lot like her," I say.

She absorbs the comment like I'd just started playing a favourite song of hers.

"That is such a compliment, thank you."

It was true, she did resemble her, but there was also just something similar about her whole vibe.

We get onto the streetcar and I notice Alex outside my window, approaching. He hasn't spotted us yet, but he's getting closer and we aren't moving. I pray for the driver to close the doors and go, and just as Alex is about to get on, my prayer is granted.

I turn my head away from the window, hoping that he can't see us as we ride off. Beth hasn't noticed anything because she's on her phone, reading more about Hedy Lemarr.

"If you know so much about her, why do you care about Mr. Connor talking about her in history class?" I ask.

She thinks about it.

"Because I want other people to know about her, too."

"You have a lot of different interests, huh? 1930s movie stars-slash-inventors, Diane Arbus, Stephen Hawking..."

She chuckles at this and says: "I don't know, I guess so. I like what I like..."

We sit in silence for a bit until she mentions that her stop is coming up. I really want to stay close to her. I look at her, unable to form words. She looks back at me and smiles innocently.

"What?" she asks. 

Without really thinking, I lean forward and kiss her.

She kisses me back. And then starts giggling.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing. It's just funny to do that here."

"Sorry."

"On the streetcar."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I'd screwed up. This wasn't the place. She didn't want that. I look away from her, but she quickly gets my attention.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you did."

I notice my hands and feet trembling. I feel tingly, electric, lifted off the ground.

"Me too," I say.

She notices my trembling.

"Are you cold?"

I chuckle, my teeth rattling, the trembling intensifying.

"No."

She smiles. She understands, and moves in for a second kiss. Wrapping her arms around me, holding on, trying to get me to settle down.