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Show 142 TWENTY-FIVE The Bonneville grapevine, like a system of healthy neurotransmitters, never failed to communicate the presence of an open wound. Raw and fresh and latticed with nerve endings, news of Dyna's arrest reached period one wall ahead of Parker the next morning. "Dyna was here yesterday," he heard Eccles telling someone. "I walked into the room with her." Then louder, "I did too! I oughta know!" "She was arrested Saturday. Amy said." "So who do we believe?" "Well, I don't believe any of it. What a bunch of crap!" "Will everybody shut up?" Jan ordered. "What if this is someone's idea of a joke, huh? What if she walks in right now and hears you saying all this stuff? Good grief!" "Let'8 wait and ask Simpson," suggested Heidi. Parker Bat down at his desk, his ear6 turning warm at the edges. They'd ask him, he knew they would. He stared at Dyna's empty place ahead of him, saw her twisting around- to greet him the way she always did. Just last week she'd presented him with a trick eraser that made black smudges on his chemistry paper* "It's for people who don't make mistakes," she'd said sweetly. "Hey, Parker will know!" Derek said, leaping across two desks to get to him. Parker slid down in his seat. "Hold it, Eccles, I'm not awake yet." He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "He knows," muttered Derek. "I was in detention once for two weeks," Jeffrey announced to the room at large. "It's not so bad." "Oh, Glotz, what do you know?" Jan jumped on him. "I was!" "You've been in the DT?" Mike and Greg asked at the same time. "What for?" "None of your business." "Sor-r^.!" said Mike, although a look of admiration passed between him and Greg. |