“We waited for his girlfriend to follow,” Will answered.
“Don’t worry,” Kai assured. “We wouldn’t have waited too much longer. You did good.”
I stared out the window, seeing teens laughing and joking around on the sidewalk outside the theater as we passed. Halloween decorations—ghosts with flowing white gauze—blew in the breeze as they hung from the street lamps. Orange leaves spilled down from the trees, and I could smell rain coming.
“Let’s go find some food away from the scene of our latest crime,” Will joked, reaching up the front and cranking up Drowning Pool’s Bodies.
He started rocking out to his air guitar as Michael took a right onto Breckinridge, circling the town square. I glanced over, always enjoying the sight of the park in the town center. The small pond glittered with the white lights from the trees surrounding it, and orange bulbs had replaced the normally white ones in the lanterns, bringing a festive feeling to the square. Halloween flags danced off poles hanging outside the shops along with jack-o’-lanterns and more decorations.
“Hey, stop!” Will shouted. “Stop!”
“What?” Michael called, slamming on the brakes and making all of us jerk in our seats.
Will rolled down his window, and Michael turned down the music, waiting.
“She finished it,” Will said, gazing into the park.
I cocked my head, trying to see what he was seeing, but I wasn’t sure what we were looking at. I glanced to my right, seeing FANE, my family’s store across the street. The glass display cases were all lit up, and even from here, I could see jewelry glittering.
I turned back, seeing Will still staring out the window in silence. He then twisted his head, holding his hand over his shoulder to Damon.
“Give me a bottle,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“You know why,” Will shot back, and I blinked, surprised at his suddenly sharp tone. “Give it to me.”
“Not out in the open like this,” Kai argued.
“Screw that.” Will shook his hand at Damon, urging him. “Now!”
What the hell was going on? I saw Damon shoot Michael a quick glance through the rearview mirror as if still not sure.
“Give him a bottle,” Michael said quietly.
My heart skipped a beat, wondering what he was going to do. If Kai was nervous, whatever it was wasn’t a good idea. And if Damon was nervous, it definitely wasn’t a good idea.
Will slid his mask back on his face and pulled his dark hood over his hair before reaching over, sticking his hand in the center pocket of my sweatshirt, and pulling out my matches. Then taking a bottle of liquor and cloth from Damon, he swung his door open and hopped out.
“Jesus,” Damon said, sounding suddenly worried as he shouted after him. “Fuck that bitch. I don’t even know why you care!”
But Will didn’t seem to hear him. He kept walking, fiddling with the materials in front of him.
Who were they talking about?
“Let’s go,” Michael said, opening his door and climbing out.
I watched as they all pulled on their masks and hoods and slammed their doors shut.
I clutched the handle, not sure I wanted to follow. They didn’t all seem on board with what Will was going to do, and I didn’t have a mask.
“Come on.” Michael peered through Will’s open window. “We all go. It’s the rules.”
Ooookay. All for one and one for all then? But that wasn’t really true. Damon had gotten away with doing his prank in private, but I guess, since it was a very private thing he was doing, I wouldn’t want to be around for that anyway.
I hesitated, blowing out a sigh and yanking my hood up.
I climbed out Will’s side and walked briskly next to Michael, stuffing my hands into my sweatshirt.
Scanning the area, I noticed several bystanders, teenagers and couples, and they were all staring at the men in masks. I kept my head down, trying to be invisible.
I spotted Will with a rag now stuffed in the bottle of alcohol as he, Damon, and Kai headed for what looked like the Witch’s Hat Gazebo in the park.
What?
“Why’s he going after the gazebo?” I asked Michael.
“Because he’s in love with the girl who built it,” he replied, “and she can’t stand him.”
I pinched my eyebrows together, confused and not caring who saw my face anymore.
“Emmy Scott?” I shot out, wanting to laugh.
“What?” Michael looked at me, not sharing the joke.
“Well, she’s not…” I trailed off, thinking of moody little Emory Scott in her black-rimmed glasses and overalls who never wore a stitch of make-up. “Well, she’s not really his type, is she?”
I couldn’t believe it. This had to be a mistake. Will had only ever been seen with girly girls in short skirts with perfect hair. Girls who knew how to flirt. Emmy Scott was…well, kind of a nerd by everyone’s opinion, including her own.
We stopped as we neared the gazebo, and I turned my head, seeing Michael’s piercing eyes lock with mine.
“We want what we want,” he explained, the weight of his soft words meaning more than I think he intended.
And my heart starting beating faster.
I glanced over to the guys, seeing Damon hold the bottle as Will lit the cloth, and I shook my head.
“I don’t like this,” I whispered, keeping my head down again. “Emmy’s a good person, and she worked her ass off on that gazebo. It was her senior project for Social Science. It got her into Berkeley.”
“Don’t worry,” Kai assured. “We wouldn’t have waited too much longer. You did good.”
I stared out the window, seeing teens laughing and joking around on the sidewalk outside the theater as we passed. Halloween decorations—ghosts with flowing white gauze—blew in the breeze as they hung from the street lamps. Orange leaves spilled down from the trees, and I could smell rain coming.
“Let’s go find some food away from the scene of our latest crime,” Will joked, reaching up the front and cranking up Drowning Pool’s Bodies.
He started rocking out to his air guitar as Michael took a right onto Breckinridge, circling the town square. I glanced over, always enjoying the sight of the park in the town center. The small pond glittered with the white lights from the trees surrounding it, and orange bulbs had replaced the normally white ones in the lanterns, bringing a festive feeling to the square. Halloween flags danced off poles hanging outside the shops along with jack-o’-lanterns and more decorations.
“Hey, stop!” Will shouted. “Stop!”
“What?” Michael called, slamming on the brakes and making all of us jerk in our seats.
Will rolled down his window, and Michael turned down the music, waiting.
“She finished it,” Will said, gazing into the park.
I cocked my head, trying to see what he was seeing, but I wasn’t sure what we were looking at. I glanced to my right, seeing FANE, my family’s store across the street. The glass display cases were all lit up, and even from here, I could see jewelry glittering.
I turned back, seeing Will still staring out the window in silence. He then twisted his head, holding his hand over his shoulder to Damon.
“Give me a bottle,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“You know why,” Will shot back, and I blinked, surprised at his suddenly sharp tone. “Give it to me.”
“Not out in the open like this,” Kai argued.
“Screw that.” Will shook his hand at Damon, urging him. “Now!”
What the hell was going on? I saw Damon shoot Michael a quick glance through the rearview mirror as if still not sure.
“Give him a bottle,” Michael said quietly.
My heart skipped a beat, wondering what he was going to do. If Kai was nervous, whatever it was wasn’t a good idea. And if Damon was nervous, it definitely wasn’t a good idea.
Will slid his mask back on his face and pulled his dark hood over his hair before reaching over, sticking his hand in the center pocket of my sweatshirt, and pulling out my matches. Then taking a bottle of liquor and cloth from Damon, he swung his door open and hopped out.
“Jesus,” Damon said, sounding suddenly worried as he shouted after him. “Fuck that bitch. I don’t even know why you care!”
But Will didn’t seem to hear him. He kept walking, fiddling with the materials in front of him.
Who were they talking about?
“Let’s go,” Michael said, opening his door and climbing out.
I watched as they all pulled on their masks and hoods and slammed their doors shut.
I clutched the handle, not sure I wanted to follow. They didn’t all seem on board with what Will was going to do, and I didn’t have a mask.
“Come on.” Michael peered through Will’s open window. “We all go. It’s the rules.”
Ooookay. All for one and one for all then? But that wasn’t really true. Damon had gotten away with doing his prank in private, but I guess, since it was a very private thing he was doing, I wouldn’t want to be around for that anyway.
I hesitated, blowing out a sigh and yanking my hood up.
I climbed out Will’s side and walked briskly next to Michael, stuffing my hands into my sweatshirt.
Scanning the area, I noticed several bystanders, teenagers and couples, and they were all staring at the men in masks. I kept my head down, trying to be invisible.
I spotted Will with a rag now stuffed in the bottle of alcohol as he, Damon, and Kai headed for what looked like the Witch’s Hat Gazebo in the park.
What?
“Why’s he going after the gazebo?” I asked Michael.
“Because he’s in love with the girl who built it,” he replied, “and she can’t stand him.”
I pinched my eyebrows together, confused and not caring who saw my face anymore.
“Emmy Scott?” I shot out, wanting to laugh.
“What?” Michael looked at me, not sharing the joke.
“Well, she’s not…” I trailed off, thinking of moody little Emory Scott in her black-rimmed glasses and overalls who never wore a stitch of make-up. “Well, she’s not really his type, is she?”
I couldn’t believe it. This had to be a mistake. Will had only ever been seen with girly girls in short skirts with perfect hair. Girls who knew how to flirt. Emmy Scott was…well, kind of a nerd by everyone’s opinion, including her own.
We stopped as we neared the gazebo, and I turned my head, seeing Michael’s piercing eyes lock with mine.
“We want what we want,” he explained, the weight of his soft words meaning more than I think he intended.
And my heart starting beating faster.
I glanced over to the guys, seeing Damon hold the bottle as Will lit the cloth, and I shook my head.
“I don’t like this,” I whispered, keeping my head down again. “Emmy’s a good person, and she worked her ass off on that gazebo. It was her senior project for Social Science. It got her into Berkeley.”
