We stepped out of class together, just chatting about how life was at Liberty High School and with Katie commenting on how friendly everyone was so far and how there was this nice guy who was telling some interesting comedy.
“Ah, you’ve met Matt.”
“Is he a friend of yours?”
“Yes,” I decided to forget to mention that he wanted to get into her pants.
“If he keeps practicing, he could be on stage one day.”
“Yeah.”
“He may even be funnier than Gabriel Iglesias,” Katie replied with a wink.
“He means well.”
“He takes lessons from one of the best, so I’ll give him props for that. Do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Let him down easy for me. Let him know I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Katie laughed as we approached the stairwell. Her laughter was louder than any other voice. “Guys never understand. We want to think they do, but they never really hear what you’re saying. They’ll try to read your mind and freak out because they can’t comprehend it.”
I didn’t take that as a personal attack towards the male gender. She was right. Guys didn’t understand anything about girls but, in their defense, girls would send signals but TV, movies and several hundred years of subordination helped to muddle said signals. You do not want me to start on my opinion about “Fifty Shades of Grey”.
“Can I ask you for two favors,”
“Okay,” I replied with a nod.
“Let me know if I’m being too direct or bitchy.”
“You got it.”
“Where did you get all of the answers?”
“A little Half-blood Prince magic.”
“You have your brother or sister’s old book?”
“Sister’s. There are few doodles in it too.”
“Lucky.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it. I searched for that book right before class on the first day and it has helped me tremendously for the past two months.”
Katie nodded as we dodged past students.
“My next question, Tyler, is should I call you Tai, with an ‘AI’?”
I looked at her for a second and then turned my head straight ahead. Did she know? Is this why she said “we” earlier? That alone wasn’t scaring me, it was what she would do with the information.
“Which is it?”
“With the AI,” I mumbled.
“I can’t hear you.”
“The AI. T-A-I. How do you-?”
“Let’s just say today is your lucky day.”
I shook my head and grinned because if I didn’t, I would be running and screaming down the hallway.
“The five of you. This will be a lucky for all of you.”
“How?”
“For me to know and for you, Matt, Tony, Chris and Riley to find out.”
I searched for a video camera, but it was possible to hide those in anything so that was a hopeless endeavor.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Oh, do you?” I replied, trying to block my thoughts but only ended up thinking of them more and more.
“Let’s meet in the library at lunch, where you guys play that game. Check you later, Tai.”
Katie ran ahead and I took what little time there was left to try and find Matt.

I found him caught in a hate triangle of Barry, Paul, and Wes, seniors and on Liberty High School’s wrestling team. They threw him back and forth and then back again like a human pinball and their fists were the bumpers. I wanted to run in and help him, but I kept my distance because if I tried, I’d be the bonus ball on the playfield.
“Gonna try out for the team, Matty boy?”
“Maybe I will,” Matt replied as Barry shoved him down.
“I’m looking forward to getting a letter for beating your ass. Let’s go guys. See you later, Matty.”
“Hulk on up for us,” Wes said as he flipped Matt off. They walked in my direction, so I turned and ducked in a classroom door until they passed. Then, I ran out to Matt who had gotten himself off the floor.
“I’m a junior. I’m a human being. One would think I deserve some respect or maybe some help. You know, if we banded together, then they’d back down.
“I’m sure they would,” I replied as I picked up Matt’s books. “I have a message for you.”
“What?”
“Her name is Katie.”
“And she wants me to ask her out?”
“We didn’t really talk about that. She did say she liked your comedy.’
“I knew it. Girls love humor.”
“We’re supposed to meet with her in the library at noon, near the switch.”
“How does she know about that?”
I shrugged my shoulders as we ran in the opposite direction of the Pinball Wizards.
“Wait, all five of us?”
“Yes.”
“You know what that means? A quintet. She wants us to do her in the library. I could swear I’ve seen a video like that online.”
“She said this is our lucky day.”
“And if that’s what’s going to happen then hell yeah it’s a lucky day.”
Matt’s eyes had a glazed look on his face as he was thinking about things that we had all talked about at one time but none of us ever thought it would ever happen, much less at school.
“It’s semi-private. Someone would have to come to that corner, and we could have someone be the lookout while the others, you know…”
“I don’t think that’s what she meant.”
“Yeah, probably not, but I can dream, right?”
Matt’s dreams usually turned into my nightmares. Like the time he convinced us all to boost PlayStation Vitas from a used video game store. I felt sick after I did that. I silently returned the Vita the next day. There was the other time where he thought that we should all go into the business of selling raffle tickets for a new car. The raffle was for a shiny, electric sports car and we made over five hundred dollars only to have the raffle pulled as the website hosting it realized the picture was for a remote-controlled McLaren.
The other guys would think of so many crazy ideas I had stopped counting, but I would be there to evaluate the situation and let them know everything negative that could happen. Riley’s attempt to buy pot on a street corner in the middle of what looked like a gang war. Not to mention the police in riot gear parked on the next block. Tony, wanting to drag race against drivers from other schools. His car and ego were in no condition at the time to push around let alone win a race. Chris had an idea to raid a girl’s slumber party until I learned most were going to be in junior high. I wasn’t trying to be a wet blanket; I just didn’t want us to have criminal records before turning eighteen.
This new dream could get him arrested, assuming Katie didn’t beat him to a pulp beforehand.
The five of us met in front of the library.
“Katie talked to you guys?” Chris asked.
“Yep,” came Matt’s reply. “Well, she talked to Ty, and he told me.”
“Chris told me,” Riley added.
“She met up with me in shop class,” Tony said as we walked into the library. “By the way, she knows how to handle power tools.”
We weaved through the rows of bookcases to the back of the room and turned a corner.
Katie was already there, leaning on the wall.
“So, why are we here?” I asked.
“As I said, it’s your lucky day.”
“I’m not too comfortable with doing anything in the library.”
“I don’t think she means that, Chris. Be serious,” Matt replied.
I wanted to punch him so badly.
“My friends, and please consider me a friend. I’m here to help you. Each of you have a wish that’s buried in your heart. Now, I know a few of you have a desire that, while meaningful to you, could be hurtful to others, so please be careful.”
“Are you some sort of Genie?”
“The correct pronunciation is Jinn, J-I-N-N, but yes.”
We stood motionless and without any thought in our heads; nothing rational. Then, one by one, the other guys started laughing and shaking their heads.
“Do you have a bottle? Riley asked.