“What is your opinion on string theory, is it real,” said Sam to Brandon.
“It’s fake,” said Brandon. “There’s one that’s real. I can’t remember what it’s called.” He looked toward the ceiling without moving his head or neck.
About ten seconds passed.
“I read Chaos by James something,” said Sam.
Hester laughed. Sam felt her looking at him.
“Yes, chaos theory,” said Brandon. “James Gleick.”
Brandon walked out of the garage area.
“Do you like skateboarders?” said Sam to Hester.
Hester made some noises.
“I like skateboarders,” said Sam. “I watch the skating things on Vice TV.”
Two Asian men came into the garage area and began to smoke.
“Do they work in the restaurant,” said Sam.
“I don’t know, probably,” said Hester. “Do you skateboard?”
“In middle school.” Sam stared at Hester’s face.
Hester said something about Brandon eating pike at 4 a.m.
“That’s good,” said Sam staring at Hester’s face. “I watch skateboarders on YouTube. I feel like we’re in Taiwan right now. I think because of the fish smell, it reminds me of restaurants in Taiwan. Restaurants in Taiwan are all, like, really big, and have giant tables with those spinning things in the middle, and TVs.” Sam thought about talking about the twenty-four-hour mall in Taiwan. The twenty-four-hour mall was funny. Sam wondered if he was talking too much. He thought that he usually didn’t talk so it would be okay if he talked a lot while he was feeling calm and alert.
“I feel good,” he said with some confidence.
Brandon came back and said the name of the string theory he believed was correct. The name was a combination of letters and numbers. Brandon walked away. Sam and Hester went downstairs into a room and sat on a padded seat. People came out of a door and smiled at Sam and Hester. Sam smiled at them and waved and they went upstairs.
“Are you bored,” said Hester.
“No, I feel calm,” said Sam. “I like Brandon.”
They went upstairs and stood in a crowded hallway. Sam stared at people’s faces with a neutral facial expression. Someone was taking pictures of everyone with a professional-looking camera. Brandon said something and walked away. “Go,” said Hester. “He wants to introduce you to Moby.”
“Go with Brandon,” said Hester.
“Who,” said Sam. “Oh, he was talking to me?”
“Yes,” said Hester.
Sam went downstairs and stood by Brandon.
Moby was standing with some people.
“He’s talking to girls right now,” said Brandon.
“I don’t have to meet him,” said Sam.
“He’s weird sometimes,” said Brandon with a serious facial expression. Brandon and Sam sat on a padded seat. Moby walked by and Brandon stood and said Sam’s name.
“Hi, we met before,” said Sam from where he sat.
Moby looked at Sam and quietly said “hi” and walked away.
“He’s weird,” said Brandon in a voice like he was going to cry.
“It’s okay,” said Sam. “Hester said you play violin.”
Brandon nodded a little. “I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I’ll introduce you at a different time, maybe. It’ll be better later. He’s nervous now.”
“It’s okay,” said Sam. “Hester said you like computers. I play piano.”
“Oh, really,” said Brandon with a confused facial expression.
“Yeah. I like Chopin. I feel like Chopin is ‘emo.’ Do you like Chopin?”
“Schumann … is my favorite,” said Brandon.
“When you DJ,” said Sam. “Do you use, like, polyrhythms.”
“Um, sometimes,” said Brandon in a quiet voice.
Sam said he was going to find Hester and walked away.
About a month later Sam was walking toward the library around 4 p.m. after taking the L train to Manhattan and buying food. He text messaged Robert: “Not going to Mara’s party. Holding iced coffee, feel potentially very productive. Staying in library tonight.” He walked into New York University’s computer store. He picked up Sony “in-ear” earphones and walked around and removed the security tag. He put the earphones in his pocket. He walked toward the exit. “What do you have in your pocket?” said a short Hispanic woman with short hair. Sam stared at the woman and remembered seeing her standing in a corner sort of looking at him about forty seconds ago.
Sam took out his cell phone. “My cell phone.”
“You have something else,” said the woman.
“I have this,” said Sam holding the earphones.
“Where did you get those?” said the woman.
“They’re mine, I brought them in.”
“You didn’t bring those in. I saw you take them.”
“No, they’re mine,” said Sam.
“Let me see them,” said the woman.
“You caught me,” said Sam grinning. “They’re from this store.”
“Okay, just stand here,” said the woman. “Don’t move.”
Sam thought about running away. His iced coffee would spill a lot. The woman was saying things into a walkie-talkie. A middle-aged man came and walked Sam next door into New York University’s security center.
“Are you a student?” said the middle-aged man.
“Yes, no,” said Sam. “I’m an alumni.”
“He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket,” said the middle-aged man to another middle-aged man. “How much were the earphones?” he said to Sam.
“I don’t know,” said Sam. “I think forty.”
“This is your first time being arrested?”
“Yes,” said Sam in an uncertain voice.
The middle-aged man put Sam’s full iced coffee in a trashcan. The middle-aged man put Sam in handcuffs. Two policemen came about twenty minutes later and asked Sam if he had been arrested before. “Yes,” said Sam slowly. “I mean, I don’t know if I have a record. I had a D.A.T. and I think it was erased from my record after six months, I don’t know if it’s been six months.”
“You told me you didn’t have a prior arrest,” said the middle-aged man.
“Sorry,” said Sam. “I mean, I didn’t know.”
“What were you arrested for the first time?” said the middle-aged man.
“Shoplifting,” said Sam.
“From the same store?” said the middle-aged man.
“No,” said Sam. “From American Apparel.”
“Are you going to shoplift again?” said the middle-aged man. “The answer is no.”
“No,” said Sam. “I shouldn’t have today. I’m just stupid.”
At the police station Sam called Robert. “Hi,” he said to Robert’s voicemail. “I’m at the police station on Fifth Street, can you come get my bag? If you don’t come that’s okay. If you come you can eat the grapes in the bag. They’re organic.” Sam did sit-ups on the concrete bench in the cell. The bench was very smooth. Sam did push-ups with his hands on the bench and his feet on the floor. He thought that he would have a headache soon from no caffeine. He looked at a teenage girl in handcuffs on a bench outside the cell. “What are you here for?” said the girl.
“Stealing earphones,” said Sam.
“Why did you steal earphones?”
“Mine broke,” said Sam.
“Earphones are 4.99,” said the girl.
“No, but I wanted forty-dollar ones,” said Sam.
The girl said she stole from Urban Outfitters. “I was outside, and the guy told us to stop, and I thought about running. I thought there was a sixty percent chance I would get away if I ran and I decided not to run. I wasn’t even the one that stole the most. My friend was holding the bag with everything in it, she ran and got away.”