Page 57 of Nerdplay
“Thanks, I’ll pass.”
Turns out Charlie was right about the first two questions. Unfortunately, so is Gloria, which means InGloria’s Bastards are now tied with Balrog’s Revenge. The pressure is on.
“The answer to number three is Czechoslovakia.”
Charlie pounds his fists excitedly on the table, nearly knocking over his glass in the process, not that there’s any beer left. He polished another one off during the round.
Gloria’s team moans, which is a good sign.
Our answer to number 4 is also correct, which leaves one to go. We huddle together, waiting for the answer.
“The final answer is the Ganges river.”
“We won!” I reach over to hug Ben, but he’s already hugging Laura. I turn and slap hands with Charlie instead.
“Of course we won. I’m a Thorpe. It’s in my DNA.” He looks around the room with droopy eyes. “What do we win anyway?”
Manny drops a book of coupons on the table. “Great game, everybody. See you next year.”
Charlie stares at the coupon book. “This isn’t a trophy.”
“No, this is better. They’re all local establishments. I’m sure they would appreciate the business.”
He picks up the book and thumbs through it. “What’s a Peter Pan Pizza? Do they sprinkle it with fairy dust?”
“Pixie dust,” I correct him. “Tinker Bell is a pixie.”
“Can I see?” Laura asks. He slides the coupon book across the table to her.
“Will it help if I buy you a beer?” I ask.
“I’ve probably had enough of those for one night. It’s a long walk back to my cabin from the parking lot. Wouldn’t want to fall in the lake on my way there.”
We split into Ubers, and Charlie and I end up alone in the backseat of a Volkswagen Beetle, which seems even more compact when your fellow passenger is the size of a lumberjack. I was sure he only had four limbs until this moment. Now I’m questioning everything I thought I knew about his bodily structure.
“How do you know so much about geography?” I ask. I’m pressed up against him in a way that makes conversation awkward yet necessary.
“I was in the geography bee in high school. Made it to the state championships.”
“That’s impressive.”
“I guess it would’ve been, if that hadn’t been the year my brother won an international science and engineering competition.” He scratches his cheek. “Funny, I haven’t thought about that in years.”
“You should invite your brother here next year. Sounds like he might fit in.”
Charlie blows a drunken raspberry. “Michael is too busy being an uptight prick to enjoy robot dog races.”
“Well, congratulations on a well-deserved win. We wouldn’t have won without you.”
The driver drops us off in the parking lot. Charlie staggers toward the woods and I manage to redirect him toward the cabins instead.
“This was a fun night, Cricket. I’m glad you talked me into it.” He hesitates. “How’d you get the name Cricket anyway? Were you into insects as a kid? Or maybe a big fan of Jiminy Cricket?”
“No. I was so quiet, my family didn’t realize when I’d spoken. My dad would ask me a question and think I didn’t answer him.” I pause for effect. “Crickets.”
He shakes his head. “Does not compute.”
“What do you mean?”
