Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley Read Free Book Online Page B

about.”
    â€œYou wanna start by explaining these walls? It looks like a hospital room in here.”
    He laughed. And
when
he laughed, Lisa took her first full breath since walking through the door.
    â€œI just like it that way, I guess.”
    â€œMinimalist.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œ
Minimalist
,” she repeated. “Very trendy right now, actually.”
    â€œOh,” he said with a shrug. “Lots of stuff makes me feel closed in.”
    â€œYou’d hate my house,” she said. “My mom can’t stand an empty wall. If she had good taste in art, that might be okay. But it’s all roosters and cheap landscapes fromWal-Mart. She had a cow print phase a few years ago that I almost didn’t survive.”
    Another laugh. She was definitely sensing that he was starting to appreciate her humor. And he seemed a little less anxious than when she’d arrived. Complete sentences were a good sign.
    â€œI think maybe it’s because I’m inside so much,” he said. “I guess I like the idea of my room seeming endless or something.”
    â€œYeah,” she said. “I like that. Or maybe you could just imagine whatever you want in here.”
    â€œNo,” he said. “That’s what the garage is for.”
    â€œOh. Okay.”
    A few minutes later, as he opened the door that led from the laundry room into the garage, he looked at Lisa with a very serious expression and then let the door slowly open and stood to one side. She stepped through the threshold, and he watched her without saying another word.
    The entire garage had been painted a deep, solid black and was covered with a bright yellow grid. It was one of the strangest things Lisa had ever seen, and she had no idea what she was looking at.
    â€œHave you ever seen
Star Trek: The Next Generation
?” he asked, walking to the center of the room.
    â€œA couple times,” she said. “My boyfriend watches it. I sort of wish everyone on earth had Patrick Stewart’s voice.”
    â€œYour lips to God’s ears.”
    She shut the door behind her to find that even
it
had been painted to match the pattern of the room. Squareafter square of blackness, highlighted with these intersecting beams that covered not just the floor and walls, but also the ceiling.
    â€œThis is my version of a holodeck,” he said. “On the show. Well, on several versions of
Star Trek
, they use a room like this for simulated reality. Training, to solve puzzles, things like that. It’s nice, right?”
    She was a little caught off guard that he was suddenly speaking to her so casually, the nerves in his voice barely noticeable anymore. As someone who worked very hard to get the things she wanted in life, this was a level of devotion that Lisa could appreciate. And all she could think about was how much Clark would love it.
    â€œSo, then, what do you do in here?”
    â€œWell, I come in here, I sit down in the middle of the floor, and I just think stuff up to entertain myself. They say using your imagination makes you live longer.”
    â€œThey
do
say that,” she agreed. “So, you just think stuff up and picture it happening all around you?”
    â€œSure,” he said. “You don’t ever do that? Imagine being somewhere else?”
    â€œI think about being in college,” she said. “All the time, actually. Far away from Upland.”
    â€œYeah, so, it’s like that. Except the college part. I don’t think that’s in my future.”
    â€œYou never know.”
    â€œYes you do,” he confirmed. “What do you want to study?”
    â€œMedicine,” she answered. “Not sure what kind yet, but being Dr. Praytor is definitely part of the dream.”
    â€œNo wonder my mom likes you so much.”
    â€œCan I try?” she asked, walking over to the center of the room and sitting down.
    â€œOh . . . umm . . .