Chapter 2- Michael P.O.V

Michael Olson had not heard Jessica Hart’s comment to Alice McCoy about finding a guy to fall in love with by lunch, but had he been listening, he might have believed her to be a beautiful witch capable of casting potent spells. Michael had thought of Jessica, and nothing else, all morning. He had a terrible feeling he was going to spend a substantial portion of the remainder of the year thinking about her.

And I’m going to have to see her every day, several times a day, until June.

Whereas most guys would have been delighted with a set up that would bring them repeatedly in contact with a girl they found attractive, Michael didn’t for the simple reason  he knew he’d never be able to get past the hello-how are you?  stage. It was true that he had said much more to her than that during their first meeting, but that had been before he’d had a chance to fantasise about her. Now just the memory of her made him uneasy. He didn’t what it had been about her that had hit him so hard. He wondered if her effect on him hadn’t been largely because of his own state of mind. His summer had been particularly lonely. He had worked and read a lot, and gone out seldom; and never with anyone of the opposite sex. Since school started he’d been looking over the new girls from Mesa. There was no doubt he was ripe for a crush.

Or a heartache.

“Remember that scene in War Games when Matthew Broderick changes the girl’s grade with him home computer?” Bubba asked as he and Michael strolled across the deserted campus. Fourth period had just begun, but neither Bubba nor Michael was cutting. Because of extremely high IQ tests taken when they were in junior high, both guys were in the MGM (Mentally Gifted Minors) Programme. They had a free period each day to pursue individual projects that their superior intelligence qualified them to pursue. In actuality, they were probably cutting.  So far this year, they had used fourth period primarily to get an early start on lunch.

“I remember the scene,” Michael said. “You couldn’t do that here, though, could you?”

Bubba was a wizard at computers, and at life itself. He was five feet four, and because he enjoyed food and denied himself nothing, he was also rather round. But stature and weight was no obstacle for Bubba. He went out with practically any girl he wanted and enjoyed the reputation as the coolest person in Tabb High.

“Not without the codes that give access to the school’s district files data files.”

“I didn’t think the scene was very realistic,” Michael said. “Hey, why are we going to the administration building?”

“To get the codes.”

“What?”

Bubba smiled faintly. He endeavoured to maintain a serene countenance, like the holy Budda, from whom his nickname had been derived. Michael couldn’t remember who had thought up the nickname. Perhaps it had been Bubba himself. His real name was John Free.

“Mr Bark wants me to write a program that will automatically read and count the votes on the cars that will be used in the voting for student body officers,” Bubba explained.

“But you don’t need the district data files to do that.”

“Does Miss Fenway know that?”

Miss Fenway was a secretary in the administration building. “What does Miss Fenway have to do with any of this?”

“She has the codes written on a little piece of white paper taped to a board that slides out from her desk above her top left drawer. I saw them there yesterday.”

“Did you memorise them?”

“No I didn’t have a chance. But I will today.”

“But what does this have to do with the program you are writing for Mr Bark?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

Once inside the administration building, they went straight to Miss Fenway’s office. She was busy sorting files at a corner cabinet when they entered. Michael had always liked Miss Fenway. She enjoyed playing mother to every kid in school, and she took special pride in him because he got straight As. But she was no dummy, and he doubted bubba would trick her into giving confidential information. She had a computer terminal at her desk.

“May I help you boys?” she asked, putting down her papers and steeping toward them. A thin woman, with a warm, wrinkled face, she had never married nor have any kids.

“Yes” Bubba said. “Mr Bark has put me in charge of tabulating the votes for student body officers this afternoon. I need the codes that will allow me to connect the old card reader in this building with the new PC in the computer science class.”

Miss Fenway was puzzled. “I hadn’t been informed about this.”

“Mr Bark is free this period. You’ll find him in the teacher’s lounge, I believe. He’ll explain what I mean.” Bubba took a seat, making it clear he was going to wait in her office until she did what he wanted. Miss Fenway looked at Michael.

“Do you know what this is all about?”

“Not me.”

The instant Miss Fenway left, Bubba sprang to his feet- he was remarkably agile given his physique- and closed the door. He had the desk board with the page of codes pulled out in two seconds. Swiftly, but carefully, he began to copy them down.

“I didn’t see you do this,” Michael said.

“See me do what?”

Miss Fenway returned a minute later with Mr Bark. The latter explained to Bubba that all he had to do was write a program that broke the count down into freshmen, sophomores etc. He would do the rest. Bubba nodded and apologised for not understanding the first time. As they were leaving, Mr Bark told them about a video he wanted them to see.”

“From the TV movie The Day After?” Bubba asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ve seen it,” Bubba said.

“What do you think?”

“It was neat.”

Mr Bark sighed. “I have this new student you should meet.”