Page 41 of Styx & Stones

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

ALASKA

After breakfast, wesit on his dad’s crumby couch and prepare to watch a movie. I snatch the popcorn from his hand and stare at the man-child. “Seriously?Peter Pan?”

“It’s a classic.”

“It’s old.”

“Yeah, hence it being a classic.” He throws an unpopped kernel and it hits me right between the eyes.Bastard. I grab a fistful and peg it at him, but he just gives me a typicalStyxgrin and picks up the pieces one by one, placing them into his mouth and crunching them hard.

I hope he breaks his teeth.

“I thought you were so much cooler than this,” I say.

“It’s about a kid who never grows up, and who lives forever. What’s cooler than that?”

“A sexy street rat who steals loaves of bread to feed his tiny monkey.” I toss the popcorn into my mouth and stare at the boy on the TV. “Peter Panis about a loner who’s too stubborn to know a good thing when he sees it. Come to think of it, I see now why you’re totally into this dude.”

“What? I’m not into this dude. I just think he’s the best Disney has to offer.”

I laugh. “I bet you were one of those kids who dressed like Peter for your first trip to Disneyland.”

“I’ll have you know,” he says, tossing back several pieces of popcorn and chewing around his words, “I dressed like Captain Jack Sparrow.”

“You did not?”

“I did. The parents say I got to meet him at the park, and I nearly wet myself. The first thing I said when he went to shake my hand was, ‘I gotta pee!’ Apparently, I had my junk hanging out too. We were almost evicted from Disneyland.”

I gape at him. “Bullshit. You just made that up.”

“I really didn’t.”

“Then I’m embarrassed for you.” I tear my eyes away from Styx’s and stare at the screen. “Do you ever wish you could go back?”

“To Disneyland?”