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“What happens then?” Silvia asked.

“I’ll have a beer with Archie and explain to him that it’s time to go our separate ways.”

“So you’re cheating on him by being on this date?”

“Basically, yeah.”

Their banter became more muted after they passed through the arcade. Most of the dining area here was filled with people from their school. Omar nodded at someone he recognized, and Silvia waved at a couple of girls she’d always talked to in Algebra last year, but there didn’t seem to be anyone they knew wellenough that they’d be interrupted. The lights were low in this part of the restaurant, the walls covered in neon signs. Pop music played over the speakers. While still in high school, this was as close to a nightclub as any of them were likely to get.

After they were seated and had placed their drink order, Omar fussed over his camcorder, putting it against the wall at the very end of their table, as if worried that it might get spilled on or damaged somehow.

“So is that just a hobby?” Silvia asked when he was satisfied.

“No,” Omar said with a shake of his black mane. “It’swaymore than that. To me anyway. Ever since I sawGremlinswhen I was little, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of becoming a director. I didn’t know what that was back then. To be honest, after seeing that movie, I just about peed my bed every night for a week. My mom had to explain that gremlins aren’t real. She gave me this book about how movies are made, so I’d see it was all make-believe. And I was hooked! The idea that you could take the monster under your bed, bring it life, and then make it do whatever you want… That’s magic.”

“Are you into horror movies?” Silvia asked. “Hellraiser IIIis playing tonight.”

“Huh-uh,” Omar said. “I’ll wait until it’s out on cable. Unless you want to see it. Besides, if we were going to sneak into an R-rated movie, I’d rather seeFire Walk With Me.”

“You likeTwin Peaks?” Silvia asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Yeah! I’m obsessed!”

The shared interest generated more than enough conversation to get them through dinner. They argued about which season had been the best, shared their theories about the more mysterious parts, and even took turns doing imitations of their favorite characters. They split a small pizza during this, and by the end of the meal, Silvia felt completely relaxed. Omar seemed comfortable too, judging by the way he had his back to the wall and his legs stretched out. Those sparkling eyes of his never strayed long from her though.

“David Lynch is a genius,” he was saying. “That’s the kind of director I’d like to be someday. He makes youfeelthings, even if you don’t understand the reasons why.”

“I look forward to seeing your first movie then,” Silvia said.

Omar grimaced. “Assuming I get into a decent film school.”

“Is that hard?”

“They don’t care about grades as much as other schools, but I’d still need to impress them. That’s one of the reasons I’m always filming stuff. I need them to see that I have something special. But uh, first I need to figure out whatever that is.”

“I wouldn’t worry about getting their approval,” Silvia said. “Just look at what John Waters achieved on his own.”

Omar’s response was a blank expression.

“Remember thatCry-Babymovie with Johnny Depp from a couple years back?” she asked.

“Kind of, yeah.”

“Well the director of that started out by making his own movies. And they’re like nothing you’ve ever seen, believe me.” Just the thought of them had her laughing.

“I’ll check them out,” Omar said. “What about you? Do you still want to be a jockey?”

“No,” she said. “Not at all. That was just a phase.”

“As much as you know about music, I could imagine you owning your own record store.”

“Maybe,” she said. “Honestly, as soon as I graduate high school, I’m going to focus on making money.”

“Skipping college, huh?”

“Yes. I’m not putting myself in debt to get a degree.” She toyed with the straw of her drink and fought against a feeling of insecurity. “I don’t have much of a plan, to be honest.”

“I’m sure we could come up with one together.” Omar said this with such an earnest expression that she couldn’t help but humor him.