We gotta get out of this place. (The Animals)

Tommy brought Penny to his house. It was less sombre but only slightly so. Only Rider was in the kitchen, which was a rarity because that was where everyone was normally congregated.

Rider looked up from his book with a nod.

“Where is everyone?”

“Out back somewhere,” he shrugged. Rider was reading his way out of that place.

“What are you reading?” Penny asked politely.

“Thermodynamics and the Physics of Space Travel.”

“Wow, sounds like a nice light read.”

Rider smiled.

“Hey, you two talk for a second,” Tommy instructed clasping her arms in his fists for a split second as he moved by. “I’m going to go see what’s up.”

Penny nodded and paced to the table, taking a seat across from Rider. She noticed the powdery white bowl next to him. He ran his finger around the edge in a circular motion then touched his tongue.

“You’re eating icing sugar from the bowl?” Penny was appalled.

Rider laughed. “It’s really quite good.”

He licked his finger and dug it into the white powder then into his mouth again.

“Try it.”

“No,” she said with furrowed eyebrows. “Your spit is in there now and it’s disgusting to eat icing sugar from the bowl.”

“Have you ever tried it?” He paused. “That’s what I thought. So how would you know?”

“I’m sweet enough.”

Rider laughed. He nudged the bowl toward her and she cautiously dipped her finger in.

“No, you have to lick your finger first so it will stick.”

Penny tried this method. Then she wrinkled her mouth and slapped her tongue against the roof of her mouth a couple times.

“This tastes weird. And makes my mouth feel... kinda funny.”

“Maybe it’s because my spit is in the bowl,” Rider teased.

“Ew,” Penny cringed. “I don’t know why I listened to someone reading about thermodynamics for fun.”

“Well it’s not exactly for fun. I’m starting school in September. I’m studying aerospace.”

“Aerospace,” she repeated.

“You don’t have to sound so astounded. I’m not as dumb as I look.”

She laughed and watched his obsessive compulsive sort of pattern of circling the bowl and dabbing the white residue onto his tongue.

“Where will you go to school?”

“California. As far away as I can get from here.”