The Other Normals Read Online Free PDF Page B

character sheet, are my Rule Book, my dice, and my mechanical pencils. Travis tosses the bag into a bin on wheels, like something used to haul trash away from a demolition site. “We have to check for drugs, alcohol, and candy.”
    “There’s no candy in there! That’s mine! Give it back!”
    “‘Give it back !’” my brother mocks. “‘I need it back !’”
    “Stop it, Jake!”
    “Can you open your trunk, please?”
    I unlock it. Travis pokes around my tighty-whities while checking things off his list. I watch the bin that holds my backpack. Another counselor wheels it to a picnic table, where more counselors remove comic books and DVD playersfrom the bags within.
    “All clear,” Travis says. He leaves me with my dad and brother.
    “You’re never getting that back,” Jake says.
    “Shut up!” I shove him, pushing with two hands on his chest. He doesn’t move an inch (I guess I really am Strength 2) and he shoves me back (I would put him at Strength 28), targeting my kidney. I fall into Dad. It hurts more than Jake could know—I woke up with a nasty bruise on that area this morning. I can’t explain it; it’s a kidney-shaped bruise over my actual kidney. I guess I sleepwalked into something. Ever since I fell asleep on the bathroom floor, I’ve been waking up with strange bruises.
    “ What’s going on? ” Mom shrieks, hustling toward us. The boys go quiet except for embarrassing comments:
    “Oooooo , snap.”
    “Here she comes.”
    “Watch this crazy white woman.”
    “I leave you three alone to have male-bonding time for two minutes, and you start shoving each other? This is why you’re going to summer camp, Perry: antisocial behavior. ”
    “I’ll handle this,” my father says. He kneels in front of me. “Perry, you have to let them take your game if that’s what they think is best for you. It isn’t real. It’s kid stuff. And you’re not a kid anymore. You’re putting off real life. I know real life is hard”—he quiets down—“I was married to your mother. But you have to face it. In your own way, you’re as bad as Jake.”
    “Hey! Fuck you.” Jake spits in the dirt. “There’s nothing wrong with me.” He stomps back to the car.
    “What are you gonna do with him while I’m at camp?”
    Dad sighs. “We’re taking him to rehab.”
    “About time!”
    “We’re trying to get him into a good college. It’ll make his profile more interesting. Don’t worry about him, kiddo. Worry about you. Make friends. Meet girls. Okay?” I don’t respond in any way, but Dad hugs me and walks back to the car like he really got through to me.
    “Here,” Mom says. She hands me a shopping bag with something hard inside. The bag is much bigger than the item, which is cool and angled. I slip it into my pocket, surprised. “Be safe,” she says. As she hugs me, I see a bald kid’s head behind her.
    “Sam!” I cup my mouth so the exclamation doesn’t escape. I don’t need Sam seeing me with Mom. He’s probably seen me already and is avoiding me because of the volatile nature of my family.
    “What?” Mom asks.
    “Nothing, it’s fine. You can go. There’s somebody here I know!”
    “Where?”
    “ Don’t look! Just go. Please, Mom, don’t ruin this and introduce us, please.”
    “Thank you for your text message,” she says. She holds up her phone: wish you were here.
    “I was …” I start trying to explain that I was trying to send that to Sam , that I have so few people in my phone that I must have sent it to “Mom” instead of “Sam” … but then I think better of it. “You’re welcome, Mom.” I almost tell her I love her, but what would be the point?
    “Enjoy what I got you.” She looks strangely beautiful for a moment before going back to the car; thirty seconds later they’re gone.

19
    SAM STANDS WITH A GROUP OF THREE kids. One is short; the other two are the tall ones who were dribbling the basketball. Why didn’t he tell me he was coming here? I blurt,