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help little old ladies with their groceries, did they? I didn’t think so. And I knew he would have had his credit checked before moving in, and his previous landlord called for a reference. The building’s rules were fairly strict, and Rick was a diligent landlord. He wouldn’t have approved Gatorade guy unless everything he’d checked had come back okay. The idea had merit, I had to say. At least enough for a meeting. And having a grandfatherly figure watching my little doll didn’t seem so bad (as long as he didn’t feed her any of his salty, sugary, growth-stunting mess). I tucked Alice into her little car seat and checked my hair in the mirror—hanging perfectly off to one side, thank you very much—then grabbed my keys and walked down the hall to Gatorade guy’s front door.
    The sight that greeted me was probably the opposite of what I expected. Instead of the expected older, cardiganed, grandpa type, I saw a guy, probably not much older than me, if at all, wearing a T-shirt that featured a lightsaber-bearing Yoda and a quote that said: “A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force.” He blinked surprisedly at me with eyes that I noticed were big and brown and not lacking in pretty, curly eyelashes, even if they were covered by an unkempt mop of brown waves.
    “Hi there,” I said, trying my best to look friendly. He just stared wordlessly. “Hi,” I repeated, sticking out my free hand. “I’m Rue. I live next door.”
    He started babbling about remorse and ruefully, and he was about to say “rue the day” when I interrupted what could be a never-ending
    [23]

    Piper Vaughn & M.J. O’Shea

    list of vocabulary words and idioms. I had to stop him, so I gave him my full name. Rufus. God, I hated it. I could see him testing my name out silently with his mouth. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
    “O-oh. I’m Erik. Erik, uh, Van Nuys. Do you want to come in?” The guy looked harmless enough—a bit tightly wound but harmless—
    so I nodded and followed him into what had to be the oddest and most precise apartment I’d ever seen. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see tape lines peeking out from under the couches and chairs so he’d know if they moved a centimeter in the wrong direction.
    He gestured for me to sit. The couch had a view of an admittedly great flat screen and some very straightly hung Star Wars prints.
    Apparently the guy was a fan. I placed Alice next to me on the couch and waited. He’d disappeared around the corner to what I imagined was his kitchen, if his place was a mirror of mine. He reappeared with two glasses of neon yellow sludge that I could only assume was lemon-lime Gatorade (since I’d seen the stuff waiting in piles in the hallway). I hadn’t had any in years, but I didn’t want to be impolite and refuse. It was sweet, after all, for him to offer me a drink—a bit awkward and old-fashioned, but sweet just the same.
    “Thanks,” I said with a smile, and reached for the glass. I took an experimental sip. It really wasn’t too bad, I supposed. Kind of like watered-down sweet-and-sour mixer. Erik smiled at me hesitantly and sat in a somewhat worn-looking leather armchair that sat at a perfect kitty corner to the couch. I hoped his somewhat sad furniture and lack of anything that looked very homey meant he could use some money.
    Gator—I mean Erik, looked nervous but curious, so I took a deep breath and decided to forge on. There was no reason to hesitate.
    “So, Erik. I have a question for you….”

    Erik

    WHEN I rejoined Rue in the living room and handed him a glass of Gatorade, I had no idea what to expect. He thanked me and smiled, and
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    one small thing

    despite the strangeness of the situation, I felt myself returning it with a hesitant one of my own. Wondering what it was he wanted, I settled into my chair and waited for him to say something.
    None of my other neighbors had come over to visit, which was fine by me. I’d never been very good at