“Hey, guys!” Topher said. “Guess where we are!”
Huda and Davi were very distressed, like some kind of tragedy had occurred. Davi’s face was bright red and he was panting like he had run all the way to the cybercafe. Huda’s eyes were puffy like she had been crying.
“Is it true?” Huda sniffled. “We figured you guys would know since you’re with him.”
“Is what true?” Mo asked.
“You haven’t heard?” Davi asked in shock. “It’s been all over the news and the Wizzer blogs.”
“We’ve been trying to avoid the Internet since St. Louis,” Joey said.
“Are you talking about the rumors of Cash missing stunt training?” Sam asked. “Because if so, you guys don’t need to worry about that. It was just a misunderstanding and Cash took care of it.”
His words were anything but helpful. In fact, the international Wizzers started panicking a little more.
“Davi, they don’t know what we’re talking about!” Huda said. “How can they be in the dark when they’re with him?”
“Sorry, our Google Alerts were becoming too much so we turned them off,” Topher said. “What’s going on?”
They could tell Davi was searching the Internet while talking to them because his eyes darted all over his screen. The Brazilian boy came across something that made him gasp and cover his face.
“Oh no!” Davi exclaimed. “Huda, it’s true! Some site called Deadline just confirmed it!”
The Saudi Arabian girl burst into tears like she had learned a family member had been killed. She had to cover her mouth so she wouldn’t wake up anyone in her house.
“You’re scaring us!” Mo said. “Just spit it out! What happened?”
“Guys…,” Huda whimpered. “We didn’t want to believe it at first.… The network made the announcement this afternoon.… Wiz Kids has been canceled! The show’s not coming back! It’s all over!”
Topher, Joey, Sam, and Mo unanimously went into a state of shock.
Apparently the Arizona Meteor Crater was only the second biggest impact of their day.
Chapter Twenty
HEROES AND HAPPINESS
The drive from the Arizona Meteor Crater to the Grand Canyon was the quietest the station wagon had been the whole trip—but not by special request. The Downers Grove gang were too stunned to speak. As if they had magically been transported into a snow globe, their whole world had been turned upside down and violently shaken apart, and they didn’t know where to begin picking up the pieces. The travelers didn’t know what to say, what to do, or what to think. The only guidance they had was their itinerary, so they followed it and hoped some reassurance would be waiting at their next stop.
Cash stayed quiet, too, but his silence inspired a thousand questions. Did the actor know his show was getting canceled or was it news to him as well? If he was aware, how long had he known? Was his behavior the reason the network had pulled the plug? Why would he join fans on a road trip if he knew this news was coming? The car was driven over a hundred miles before anyone was brave enough to voice the taunting questions aloud.
“Did you know?” Mo asked.
Her stern gaze was aimed directly at Cash but the actor never looked away from the Arizona desert outside his window.
“I knew I wasn’t returning for season ten,” he said softly. “But I had no idea they were going to cancel the show over it.”
“So you’ve been lying to us,” Joey said.
“I never lied about anything,” Cash said. “I just didn’t tell you the whole truth—there’s a difference.”
“Why are you leaving the show?” Sam asked.
“Because it’s just my time to go, okay?” he said. “God, I’ve spent all week telling you about what a nightmare it is—does it actually surprise you? Can you blame me for wanting it to end?”
“You should have told us,” Mo said. “You should have prepared us for this—this—”
“Disappointment?” Cash finished her sentence. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you. Actually, I don’t really give a shit. I’ve already disappointed the whole world—who cares if four more nerds are added to the list?”
“Cash, you knew how much the show meant to us,” Topher said. “You knew we’ve been watching it since we were in elementary school. And you knew the show was going to keep us connected when we went away to college. How can we not be disappointed right now?”
The actor slowly shook his head at the notion.
“Dumb ass,” Cash said under his breath.
“Excuse me?” Topher said.