Chapter 18

The next morning when Nick arrived at school, Cat was conspicuously absent, and Nick was kinda glad. Emily was waiting by his locker, bouncing from foot to foot on pink-and-white-swirl sneakers, a habit she had when excited.

“Guess what?”

He hoped the DJ problem was solved so he didn’t have to listen to it again.

Emily gave a little squeal, and Nick couldn’t help but smile at her. “What?”

She held his wrists and shook them. “We’ve been nominated!”

Momentarily he couldn’t think why she would say that.

“Homecoming.” Her face fell. “Remember? Junior Princess and Prince!” She gave his wrists another half-hearted shake. “Gary and Tiffany too!”

“Oh.” He remembered his English teacher passing out the ballots and gave Emily a tight smile. “That’s great!” He secretly hoped Gary and Tiff won so he wouldn’t have to wear a dopey crown or anything.

“I’ve got to start looking for a dress!” Emily said. “Gotta go!” she squealed. “I need to talk to Veronica! She knows the best places to shop.”

Nick shoved his backpack inside, slamming the locker shut. He looked at the clock and headed for the cafeteria for some coffee. Immediately he spotted Tiffany and Gary.

Gary gave him a tweet-whistle. “Where’s Em?”

Nick shrugged. “Something important to discuss with Veronica.”

“Probably how to style her hair,” Tiffany said. “Or where to find a dress.”

“Really, girls talk about that?” Nick asked.

Tiffany gave him an exaggerated grimace. “Of course! That’s what we do.”

“How are you going to style your hair, Gary?” Nick asked.

“I’m thinking about shaving my head,” he said, running his hands through his curly blond hair.

“No!” Tiffany pushed him. “Don’t shave it all off!” She touched a curl behind Gary’s ear, causing him to lean away, laughing and shrugging off her hand.

Nick concentrated on his coffee.

“How’s your research paper coming?” Gary asked.

“I’m not sure where we’re going with it,” Nick said. They had been so busy talking about the reincarnation stuff, they hadn’t even discussed what they wanted to cover on their paper about the Saumur internment camp and military school.

“Yeah, ours—kind of boring too,” Gary said. “You know how I hate writing papers.”

Just then the bell rang.

When Nick got to World History, Cat was already seated. He hadn’t seen her until now.

“Hey! Did you just get here?”

“Chiropractor’s office,” she said, rubbing her lower back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Fell during a dance number, and now my back’s been bothering me.”

“Oh.”

Nick stopped talking just as Coach began speaking. “I’d like to meet with each pair on their progress and answer questions they have about their topic so far,” Coach Sullivan said.

Grumbling from the class. “But we’ve only had a week,” came a response.

“Settle down.” Coach Sullivan waved his hands. “I just want to help you get—and stay—on track.”

“Shit!”

“Excuse me?” Coach Sullivan raised his eyebrows. “Can I start with you, Nick and Catherine?”

Nick flipped open his notebook. He had written down some facts about Cadre Noir.

Coach moved a chair near their desks and consulted his notes. “You two are reporting on the Gypsies during World War II, I believe?”

Nick squinted at the words written on his paper. “We might be broader than that. Focusing on what happened in Saumur during WWII.”

“And what was that?” Coach asked.

“The boys at the school fought off Hitler’s Elite Panzer Division for two days.”

“Oh, yes!” Coach wrote something on his clipboard. “Cat?”

“Our paper will cover the Roma’s persecution during the war.” She looked pointedly at Nick for his reaction. “Mainly how they were rounded up and killed, many starving to death in the internment camps. There was one in Saumur.”

“So you’ll be covering two different factions and their activities during the war?” Coach asked.

They nodded in unison.

“Interesting.” Coach shook his head, and his eyes conveyed his interest.

Coach Sullivan wrote something on his clipboard and said, “Sounds like you two have a plan.” He went to the next pair.

Suddenly the topic was becoming more interesting. “So they were put into this camp and then what?” Nick asked.

“Back up,” she said. “I think we should talk about their nomadic ways and a little about their culture. Then we should discuss the camp and what happened afterward to those still living.” As Cat talked, she tapped a finger on the desk. “So as not to make Gypsies seem strange and weird, I think we should include some famous people who were—and are—Roma.”

“Like who?” Nick asked.

“Charlie Chaplin, Michael Caine, and Mother Teresa.”

Nick was beginning to feel better about their paper. Mother Teresa put a whole new spin on Gypsies. They had a plan for their paper.

****

Later, at home, Nick switched on the study lamp and spread out his books on the desktop, preparing to get his homework done. The light glowed over a picture of Nick with his parents and grandparents at his church confirmation and a small green plastic soldier figurine he had played with as a boy. He picked up the toy and fingered it, turning it over in his palm. Were his play wars as a kid part of the reason for the thoughts about Jean Claude? There had to be an explanation other than he had been reincarnated from another time.

His cell phone vibrated on the desk. So much for little green men. He looked at the caller ID. Emily. He answered, “Hi there.”

“I just wanted to let you know I found my dress.”

“Your dress?” His mind drew a blank. Then he remembered a multicolored skirt puddled on the ground.

“You know, the homecoming dance.”

Of course. How silly of him to have forgotten.

“What color corsage?” he asked, knowing from previous dances with Emily that the corsage couldn’t clash with her dress.

“Let me think about it,” she said.

Just then he had another call coming in. “Can I get back to you? Another call.”

“As long as it’s not Cat!” Emily said.

In fact it was Cat, but Nick said “Gary” to keep the peace.

“Oh, sure.”

Nick answered Cat’s phone call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Just wondering if we should spend some time after school tomorrow doing more research.”

“I thought you already knew everything?”

“Not everything.”

“I guess it would be okay to go after football.” Nick put a fist to his forehead, trying to remember something else. “I’ve got to make a quick trip to see my grandmother.”

“Would you like me to go too?”

Nick studied the ceiling as he thought that over. Grandma and Cat? “What the heck.”

“I’d like to meet your grandmother.” He heard the smile in her voice. “I’ve never had one.”

What harm could there be in introducing Cat to Grandma? Grandma might like meeting someone new.

After football practice the next day, Nick found Cat waiting by his car. “Hop in. We can’t stay long, because I’ve got a ton of calculus.”

Cat shrugged. “Sure.”

They arrived at the hospital and went to Grandma’s room. “Knock. Knock. Grandma?”

“Nick!”

Grandma’s eyes widened when Cat followed him into the room.

“Who’s this?”

“My research partner, Cat.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cat said.

“Cat,” Grandma said slowly. “Is that your real name?”

“No, it’s Catherine, actually.”

“Do you go to school with Nick?”

“Yes.”

“Are you one of the cheerleaders?” Grandma asked, peering closer at Cat.

“No, I’m a dancer.”

“Hmm.”

“She’s good,” Nick added, shifting from foot to foot. “You should see some of her moves!”

“It’s kind of crowded in here,” Grandma said, moving her chin to a small area next to the bed.

Cat rose up on her toes and twirled around, then bent at the waist, making her hair fly out like a black cape, before taking a dive to the floor and sliding on one knee.

“What kind of dancing is that?” Grandma asked, frowning.

“Modern,” Cat responded.

“Do you do ballet or tap?”

“No, I prefer modern.”

“Um.”

“We’re on our way to the library to do more research,” Nick said.

Grandma pouted. “You can’t stay?”

“Afraid not.” He bent over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll come this weekend.”

“Nice to meet you, Cat.” Grandma raised a hand from the blanket.

“And you,” Cat said.

They left and got back in Nick’s car.

“So that’s a grandma, huh?” Cat asked.

“She’s sweet. An important part of my growing up. Her and Grandpa.”

Nick yawned. He was tired, hungry, and didn’t feel like researching tonight. “Why don’t we grab a burger and call it a night? I’m beat.”

“I thought we were going to the library?”

“I’ve got calculus homework. Maybe some other time?”

“Fine,” she said. “Drop me off at school so I can get my car. I’ll skip the burger.”

Nick dropped her off in the parking lot and drove to the nearest hamburger joint and ate while he drove home.