each of us around our necks. “I meant literally. On me.” He pulled us toward his chest.
“Stop it,” I squealed, pulling out from underneath his arm and punching him lightly on the chest. Bethany stayed there a little
longer, laughing, but smacking at his arm.
“You wish,” she said at last, squirming away. “Now, seriously, Zack. We can’t get sidetracked. We need to decide what we want
to do.”
“I was trying to show you,” he said, grabbing her head and pulling her close again.
Our drinks came, and Bethany used that as her chance to try to get us on track again. “I’m thinking summer would be better,”
she said, opening the notebook and turning to a tab marked OUTDOOR .
“I think summer would be better, too. I might take some classes at community college in the fall,” I said, and as I said it,
I was shocked that I really meant it. For my whole life, everything was leading up to this trip to Colorado. Everything. Never
did I really consider what would happen afterward. Shannin went away to college on scholarships.Bethany would go away to college, too. Zack would go to acting school. And I would… I’d never filled in the blank before.
I’d always shrugged it off when people asked. It was as if I’d never considered that after I got to Colorado and solved the
mystery of why my mother was so hell-bent on getting there that I’d have to go back to my own life. Or start my own life.
Whichever it was.
“Since when?” Bethany asked, taking a sip of her drink.
I shrugged. “Since… I don’t know… since now, I guess.”
“Is Cole going to community college?” she asked, and even though she didn’t mean anything by it, I still heard it as an accusation.
“I don’t know,” I said snippily. “We’ve never talked about it.”
Bethany shrugged. “Cool,” she said.
The waitress brought our breadsticks, and we ate silently. After a while, Zack started in with another Zack story—something
about Celia asking him to sit with her and her freshman friends at lunch. Not surprisingly, he did it. Zack had more self-confidence
than anyone I’d ever known. He could pull off sitting at a freshman table. Everyone else would rather die. Even most of the
freshmen.
“Some of those frosh are built,” he said, a string of cheese hanging from his bottom lip. “How come neither of you looked
like that when you were freshmen?”
“Because we didn’t get our parents to buy us waterbras,” Bethany said. She slapped her palm against the open notebook. “Okay, so are we in agreement on…”
“Holy shit,” Zack mumbled, and put down his breadstick. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Bethany and I looked up and followed his gaze through the front window of Shubb’s. On the other side, shutting his car door,
was Cole.
“Did you invite Cole here?” Bethany asked. Again, the tone of her voice sounded like she was accusing me of something, though
I didn’t know what exactly.
I shook my head. “Nope, he probably just wanted to say hi.”
“Goody,” Zack said sourly.
I shot Zack a look. He stretched his mouth in a wide fake smile.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, shimmying out of the booth.
By the time I got around the pinball machines, Cole was already inside, craning his neck to find me. I came up from the side
and grabbed him around the waist.
“Hey!” I said. “What are you doing here?”
He jumped at first, but smiled when he turned toward me, and snaked his arms around my waist. “Looking for you,” he said.
“I got done with Heldorf faster than I thought.”
“He change his mind about the C?”
He shook his head. “No. But it’s no big deal. I can still try out for basketball.” He pulled me in tighter. “Mmm, you feel
good. But I don’t want to interrupt you guys. I justwanted to see you.” He was back to the Cole I was used to—happy and gentle.
“You’re not interrupting anything,” I said. Zack would just have to get
“Stop it,” I squealed, pulling out from underneath his arm and punching him lightly on the chest. Bethany stayed there a little
longer, laughing, but smacking at his arm.
“You wish,” she said at last, squirming away. “Now, seriously, Zack. We can’t get sidetracked. We need to decide what we want
to do.”
“I was trying to show you,” he said, grabbing her head and pulling her close again.
Our drinks came, and Bethany used that as her chance to try to get us on track again. “I’m thinking summer would be better,”
she said, opening the notebook and turning to a tab marked OUTDOOR .
“I think summer would be better, too. I might take some classes at community college in the fall,” I said, and as I said it,
I was shocked that I really meant it. For my whole life, everything was leading up to this trip to Colorado. Everything. Never
did I really consider what would happen afterward. Shannin went away to college on scholarships.Bethany would go away to college, too. Zack would go to acting school. And I would… I’d never filled in the blank before.
I’d always shrugged it off when people asked. It was as if I’d never considered that after I got to Colorado and solved the
mystery of why my mother was so hell-bent on getting there that I’d have to go back to my own life. Or start my own life.
Whichever it was.
“Since when?” Bethany asked, taking a sip of her drink.
I shrugged. “Since… I don’t know… since now, I guess.”
“Is Cole going to community college?” she asked, and even though she didn’t mean anything by it, I still heard it as an accusation.
“I don’t know,” I said snippily. “We’ve never talked about it.”
Bethany shrugged. “Cool,” she said.
The waitress brought our breadsticks, and we ate silently. After a while, Zack started in with another Zack story—something
about Celia asking him to sit with her and her freshman friends at lunch. Not surprisingly, he did it. Zack had more self-confidence
than anyone I’d ever known. He could pull off sitting at a freshman table. Everyone else would rather die. Even most of the
freshmen.
“Some of those frosh are built,” he said, a string of cheese hanging from his bottom lip. “How come neither of you looked
like that when you were freshmen?”
“Because we didn’t get our parents to buy us waterbras,” Bethany said. She slapped her palm against the open notebook. “Okay, so are we in agreement on…”
“Holy shit,” Zack mumbled, and put down his breadstick. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Bethany and I looked up and followed his gaze through the front window of Shubb’s. On the other side, shutting his car door,
was Cole.
“Did you invite Cole here?” Bethany asked. Again, the tone of her voice sounded like she was accusing me of something, though
I didn’t know what exactly.
I shook my head. “Nope, he probably just wanted to say hi.”
“Goody,” Zack said sourly.
I shot Zack a look. He stretched his mouth in a wide fake smile.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, shimmying out of the booth.
By the time I got around the pinball machines, Cole was already inside, craning his neck to find me. I came up from the side
and grabbed him around the waist.
“Hey!” I said. “What are you doing here?”
He jumped at first, but smiled when he turned toward me, and snaked his arms around my waist. “Looking for you,” he said.
“I got done with Heldorf faster than I thought.”
“He change his mind about the C?”
He shook his head. “No. But it’s no big deal. I can still try out for basketball.” He pulled me in tighter. “Mmm, you feel
good. But I don’t want to interrupt you guys. I justwanted to see you.” He was back to the Cole I was used to—happy and gentle.
“You’re not interrupting anything,” I said. Zack would just have to get
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