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The Difference Between You and Me(68)

By:Madeleine George

For a moment, Jesse feels the energy wave encircle them once more, the one that draws them toward each other like ultra-magnetic gravitational pull. She feels it as fear this time: the sense that they’re going to fall into each other, even if she doesn’t want it to happen. If Emily says it back to her now, Jesse is afraid she’ll give in to her completely.

But Emily doesn’t say, “I love you, too.” She says, “I’d better go find Michael,” and she turns abruptly, and heads back across the parking lot toward the lit-up gym. After a couple of steps she breaks into a run.

Jesse stands and watches her go.

She’s still watching when Esther appears, breathless, at Jesse’s side.

“There you are!” Esther gasps. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”

Jesse says, “Here.”

“Okay, well, can you come back under the tent? I left your mom in charge of the birdhouse–cash box, but I think she wants to get back up and dance.”

“No, sure. Of course.”

As Esther steers her in the direction of the tent, Jesse turns to look back over her shoulder at the parking lot. Emily’s gone.

“It’s crazy in there, isn’t it?” Esther is practically bouncing up and down with excitement as she walks. “How many people do you think are here? Three hundred? Four hundred?”

“Um, more like seventy-five? But it’s still great.”

“The birdhouse–cash box is totally full,” Esther gloats. “I had to take some money out to make room for more money.” Jesse looks at Esther now and sees that she’s a giddy, ecstatic mess—sweaty from dancing in her coat, her braids so undone that her hair is basically just a mass of curls with two vestigial rubber bands wadded up in it. In the distant glow of the lantern-tent, her eyes gleam.

“How much do you think we made so far?” Jesse asks.

“I don’t know. Thousands. Millions.” Esther giggles gleefully. “Can you believe how excellent this is?”

“It’s awesome,” Jesse agrees.

“It’s paradise in there. And Arlo and Charlie are so happy. They have a whole crazy plan for what to do with the money. Apparently, they’re going to start some kind of blog.”

“Blogs are free.”

“Yeah, I don’t know, apparently they have some kind of big plan.”

Jesse looks into the tent as they get closer to it, crowded with happy people bathed in yellow light. A little girl in a purple hat and coat has cuddled up with the Weimaraner, who is sitting, chin on paws, at the edge of the dance floor, and is sleeping on top of him. Arlo and the baseball players have stopped moshing, and Arlo is standing in the middle of them now, lecturing them animatedly about something (how to Dumpster-dive for fun and profit, no doubt) and making them all look at something on his BlackBerry.

“We made that,” Esther says.

She reaches down and grabs Jesse’s hand. In the cool night air, her hand is warm and dry, and her grip is strong.

Esther looks at Jesse admiringly. Under her gaze, Jesse feels her chin lift. She feels her shoulders straighten. She feels strong, and strange, and beautiful.

“Hey, you want to dance one dance before you take over the birdhouse?” Esther suggests, tugging Jesse toward the tent. “Don’t be scared. It’s totally cool and non-gender-oppressive in there.”

Esther pulls Jesse from the chilly dark into the warmth and noise and jostle of the dance floor. She takes hold of both of her hands, and spins her around like a little kid. They go faster and faster. Esther laughs. Jesse laughs. When Jesse looks up, the glittering lights of the tent blur above her like the stars of the universe.