"What a gyp!"
I whirled around just in time to catch my best friend, A.J. Henson, storming out of the palm reader's tent. He waved his wallet around indignantly. "I can't believe I paid five bucks for that!"
The unusual green color of the wallet caught my eye. "That's not yours," I remarked.
He stopped ranting long enough to glance down at it briefly. "Oh. Yeah, it's my brother's." He shook his head disbelievingly. "That palm reader is so...so..."
"-nice?" A dry voice came from inside.
A.J. froze.
"Next customer, please."
I ducked inside before A.J. could see my grin. The two of us had gone to the annual Kesterd fair together. (Tam, my other best friend, would have come too if it weren't for the emergency that forced her to baby-sit her baby brother.) Hearing about the "Mystical and Mysterious Madame Shandung", I had tormented A.J. until he had finally agreed to come a long. From the look of things, he was regretting his acquiescence. A lot.
I loved it.
The inside of the large tent was dark and stuffy, with gaudy decorations seemingly randomly littered about. A chubby woman with stark black makeup sat behind a small round table in the center. She beckoned me to come closer. As I approached, I noticed something else about her. The earrings dangling from her ears were miniature crystal balls. Cute.
I sat down on the stool in front of her and offered my hand. She grabbed it and began to frown down at it intently.
"Well?" I asked when she didn't speak.
"I see that you currently have no boyfriend," she murmured.
Now that made me roll my eyes. Anyone could have guessed that. I mean, I know I'm not too hard on the eyes with my cornflower blue eyes and light brown hair, but I'm not the kind boys chase around either. Besides, she knew I was with A.J., and the two of us had hardly sounded romantic.
Then she said something that I never expected to hear. Something that blew me away.
"What did you say?" I demanded incredulously.
Patiently, she repeated herself. "I said, your soulmate is someone with the initials K.H."

I never did get to tell you I have a part- time job, right? Well I do, and it's waitressing at this really trendy cafe overlooking the beach. A.J. also works there; in fact, he was the one who helped me land the job. Working there has been pretty much a piece of cake, and the next morning was no exception. Especially since Tam was hanging out there as well.
It happened while I was waiting on this really fat, balding man. From outside, I heard this beach bum yell, "Hey K.H., see ya around 'kay?"
K.H., I thought, who's that again? Then with a jolt I remembered. "Oh my god!" I began to jump up and down excitedly. The fat man stared at me in shock. "Here." I handed him the pad and rushed out.
I soon located the surfer. "Where is he? Where is he?" I demanded excitedly.
The fellow was taken aback to say the least. "Whoa! Who are you talking about?"
I stamped my feet impatiently. "K.H.!!!" Tam, who had been taking something out of her car, joined us and was staring at me in puzzlement.
The surfer nodded. "Ohhhh. Keith Harris. He just left."
I whirled around and began scanning the area.
"He's not here," the surfer stated matter-of- factly.
I was so frustrated that I grabbed him by the collar. "Where is he then???"
He gulped and looked afraid. "I don't know! I only met him a while ago. But I do know he goes to Jon F. Kennely's High," he quickly added to appease me.
I released my hold on him. "Come on," I told Tam, who was staring at me open-mouthed. I dragged her to her car. "We're going to JFK."
I was interrupted as A.J. came rushing out. "Sybil! What the heck are you doing?"
I shook my head, determination etched into my features. "Cover for me will you?"
"Cover for you?! Who's going to cover me?!"
He was answered by the cloud of dust me and Tam left in our wake.

I had tried to persuade the receptionist to let me have a look at Keith Harris' file to no avail. It was time for drastic measures. "OK," I said, thinking fast. "You distract the receptionist while I look through the files."
"Sybil!" Tam protested shrilly.
"Just do it, Tam. I helped you sneak into Mr. Jamieson's office to pass that overdue report."
"But-but-" She shook her head disbelievingly. "I can't believe it. You're supposed to be the sensible one here."
"Well Sensible Sybil has gone on vacation. Do it, Tam!"
She scurried off, fixing her patented damsel- in-distress smile into place. "Hi. I'm in need of..."
That was my cue. I made a mad scramble for the metal cabinets, and immediately opened the drawer labeled Go- Hin. "Harris, Harris, Harris," I muttered under my breath nervously. "There it is!" My fingers clamped down on this priceless folder, yanking it out. "#3 Dutherland Lane," I memorized quickly. Slipping the folder in without regard to its proper place, I signalled to Tam that mission had been completed.
She nodded imperceptibly and excused herself. "Well?" she asked when we met on the front steps.
"He lives at #3 Dutherland Lane," I told her, climbing into the car.
She buckled herself into the driver's seat. "Then it's #3 Dutherland lane we go!" I crossed my fingers and prayed fervently that everything would work out.

"Here goes nothing," I mumbled. I rang the doorbell. She and I were standing in front of K.H.'s apartment. "Tam, I'm so nervous," I told her as we waited for someone to answer the door.
She rubbed her palms together eagerly. "You should. You're going to meet the man of your dreams!"
I was about to reply when the door swung open. I gasped.

He was tall; a good few inches taller than me. But that was his only feature that indicated he was my age. Everything else about him was thirteen years old. From the crewcut head, to the wire-rimmed glasses, to the Hawaiian print shirt.
He smiled at me. Oh God, he has braces, I thought in a panic. "May I help you?"
It was Tam who first found her voice. "Yes, she - she - she knows you."
The boy smiled pleasantly enough at me. "You do? Funny, I would have remembered. Do you want to come in for a second?"
I nodded mutely. I felt an obligation to stick to him. Maybe he was a real great guy underneath...all of that. After all, he is my soulmate... The thought made me want to break into tears.
The door swung open even wider to reveal a potato chip bag with his fingers digging into it. "My Mom told me not to talk to strangers, but you don't look like you're out to kidnap me." He giggled.
I felt Tam snort beside me. My spirits lowered even further.
He gestured for us to sit down on the sagging couch. He squeaked forward and flicked the TV set on. My eyes bulged. The theme for the Power Rangers filled the room.
That was it. I stood up. "I'm sorry, Keith. This is a big mistake." I was going to say more but my emotions got the better if me and I ran out, Tam close on my heels.
"Sybil, wait up."
Obediently, I did. "Tam, I've made such a fool of myself." My voice quivered as I spoke.
She placed an assuring arm over my shoulders. "I know. We all do." She leaned her head against mine. "Look, I'm sorry to ditch my best friend like this, but I have to run this errand for my mother in town... Will it be alright if I dropped you off at Beach Break for now? We can talk about this later. If it's alright with you...?"
I nodded, appreciating the concern she felt but knowing the errand must be urgent. "Sure, I'll be OK."
That's what I thought. The minute Tam had left, wheels screeching, the weight of what had happened suddenly bore onto my shoulders.
A.J. spotted me almost immediately. "Hey, you owe me big time for-" Then he stopped, seeing my drooping posture. "What happened, Sybil?" He wrapped a worried arm around me. "Here let's go and talk about it." As he spoke, he dragged me gently into a small room at the back of the cafe. There was a small wicker couch there and a stack of moldy old magazines. As soon as we sat down on the couch, I broke into tears. I don't know why I did; it was embarrassing even, but it felt good. Before I knew it, I was pouring out all the day's events to him, from hearing someone calling K.H. in the parking lot, to the disastrous meeting with him. "I f-f-felt so excited, A.J. I have never h-h-hoped so much for something in my whole life!" A.J. held me even tighter and didn't speak.
When I felt sober enough to talk to, I broke away.
He stared at me with those soul-searching gray eyes of his. "Sybil, everyone makes their won destiny. No crummy fortune teller can tell you what life has in store for you."
I smiled wobbly. "Especially the crummy fortune teller that swindled five bucks out of you?"
A.J. cracked a smile too. "Yes, especially that one." He cupped my face with his hand. "Now dry your eyes and get your butt off the couch. When you find someone as special as you Sybil, then you'll know who your soulmate is."

I was wiping the counter wistfully when she came in. I saw her push the double glass doors open and step inside. She stopped and surveyed everything around her. Her eyes widened when she saw me.
At first, I didn't recognize her. Minus the black makeup and heavy getup, she looked a different person. But as she approached I noticed her earrings. Miniature crystal balls. Dead giveaway. I felt dread sinking through me.
"Hi!" she greeted brightly, unaware of the havoc she had wrought on my life. "How are you and K.H. getting along?"
Big mistake. "Oh, just as well as a sixteen- year-old girl and a thirteen-year old boy can get along." I couldn't keep the spite I felt for her from showing.
"Thirteen-year-old boy? We are talking about your best friend here, right?"
My heart skipped a beat. "Best friend?"
"Yes! K.H.! Didn't you get it? I got his name form the ID in his wallet. Pretty clever huh?" she chortled to herself.
"From his wallet..." I mumbled. Then everything fell into place.
"That's not yours."
"Oh. Yeah, it's my brother's." Kenneth Henson!!!
The palm reader mistook the look on my face as disappointment in her abilities. "Now, now, you don't actually believe I read his name off his palm, did you? I didn't think you looked like a girl who believed in that crap." Her pudgy, white face grew serious. "Honey, I may not be able to read palms, but I do know a good couple when I see one. And you two are one of the best."
The two of us heard a car honk outside. The fortune teller winked at me conspiratorially. "Gotta go, sweetheart. You're not the only one with a soulmate!"
I waved good-bye numbly.
She had meant A.J. all this time! I had run around town looking for K.H....and he had been beside me the whole time! This was staggering news to say the least. "A.J.?" I mumbled to myself. There were lots of reasons to say that the two of us were incompatible. For one, I had always thought my type ran more along the lines of dark, mysterious personages. A.J. was fair with sandy blond hair, and I knew everything about him! But one thing stuck into my mind...
"Sybil, everyone makes their own destiny, No crummy fortune teller can tell you what life has in store for you."
"Neither can I it seems," I thought to myself out loud.
Just then he appeared, carrying a tray laden with plates. He felt me staring at him and looked up. "What?" he asked, baffled.
"When you find someone as special as you, Sybil, you'll know who your soulmate is."
But I already have, I thought. But aloud I said:
"Nothing."

That's it!

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