back.
Chapter 12
S ARIT’S DOORBELL RANG OVER AND OVER, AND THE large sunken living room quickly filled up with kids from school. People streamed in and slouched onto the couches and floor. Bob Marley played quietly on the stereo in the corner. Cara perched at the edge of a couch, her purse feeling like a suitcase in her hands. A giant bowl of pretzels appeared and slowly made its way around the room. People talked in low voices, with only the occasional burst of laughter. A purple dusk was beginning to gather outside the large picture windows.
Cara looked around for Sarit, but she couldn’t see her or any of the other track girls. They were probably in the kitchen. Through some sliding doors on the right, a group of kids perched on lounge chairs drawn up around a fire pit. She recognized Alexis’s figure, lying against the back of a chair. She looked like she was asleep. Jack was sitting next to her. Ethan was out there too, on Alexis’s other side, poking at the fire with a long stick. His eyes were focused on the dancing flames, and Cara wondered if he was deliberately trying not to look at Jack or Alexis.
She forced herself to smile at a tall guy next to her. He was wearing a blue tie pulled down, with his collar unbuttoned. She didn’t really know anyone—they were mostly seniors. Two girls across from her looked over with blank eyes. One of them took a pretzel and nibbled at it daintily. Cara’s hands felt as big as hams. She placed them next to her on the couch, but that felt weird, so she folded them in her lap, which felt even weirder.
“Where’s Sammi?” a tall dark-haired girl sitting on the floor asked.
“You know,” the guy with the blue tie replied meaningfully. Everyone burst out laughing at Sammi’s unnamed whereabouts, and Cara tried to laugh too. She felt like there was a giant POSEUR sign plastered to her forehead.
“What was she thinking?” The tall girl sighed.
Her friend rolled her eyes. “What is she always thinking? She knew they’d be gone.”
“But they weren’t!” A blond girl laughed. More merriment. Cara could feel her smile grow more fixed. She willed her eye not to start twitching, but God help her, it did. Of course. The twitch began slow and small but quickly increased until she could feel the edge of her eyelid almost vibrating with it.
Cara got up quickly, catching her toe on the edge of the coffee table and stumbling a little. “Sorry,” she mumbled to the group. She thought she could feel their eyes following her across the room.
The cluttered kitchen was deserted. Dishes crowded the sink. The window over the sink looked out onto the small backyard, with an old wooden garage at the back and a neighbor’s picket fence beyond. Cara poked around in the cabinets for a clean glass and finally pulled down a coffee mug reading SHERMAN HIGH JUNIOR PROM COURT, 2005. QUEEN was emblazoned on the handle. Must have been Sarit’s older sister.
Cara took a deep breath, relaxing for a moment in the unobserved quiet of the room and felt her eyelid twitching slow and then stop. She ran water into the mug and took a sip. It was warm and metallic-tasting. As she dumped it out she gazed at her reflection in the darkening window. Her face stared back at her, the eyes wide and dark. Her hair fell loosely around her face. The shadows under her eyes were deep gray smudges. Then, over her shoulder, she saw Ethan come into the kitchen.
She whirled around. His tie was loosened, and his hair was rumpled, as if he’d run his hand through it a few times. “Hey there.” He smiled in his easy way. “I didn’t know you were here.”
Cara’s throat closed up, but she managed to say, “Yeah, I am.” Brilliant, Cara. Would you like fries with that?
Ethan opened the fridge and studied the contents critically. He extracted a bottle of iced tea and opened a nearby cabinet. It was full of pots and pans.
“Oh! Here.” Cara handed him a 2005 Prom Court King mug that matched her
Chapter 12
S ARIT’S DOORBELL RANG OVER AND OVER, AND THE large sunken living room quickly filled up with kids from school. People streamed in and slouched onto the couches and floor. Bob Marley played quietly on the stereo in the corner. Cara perched at the edge of a couch, her purse feeling like a suitcase in her hands. A giant bowl of pretzels appeared and slowly made its way around the room. People talked in low voices, with only the occasional burst of laughter. A purple dusk was beginning to gather outside the large picture windows.
Cara looked around for Sarit, but she couldn’t see her or any of the other track girls. They were probably in the kitchen. Through some sliding doors on the right, a group of kids perched on lounge chairs drawn up around a fire pit. She recognized Alexis’s figure, lying against the back of a chair. She looked like she was asleep. Jack was sitting next to her. Ethan was out there too, on Alexis’s other side, poking at the fire with a long stick. His eyes were focused on the dancing flames, and Cara wondered if he was deliberately trying not to look at Jack or Alexis.
She forced herself to smile at a tall guy next to her. He was wearing a blue tie pulled down, with his collar unbuttoned. She didn’t really know anyone—they were mostly seniors. Two girls across from her looked over with blank eyes. One of them took a pretzel and nibbled at it daintily. Cara’s hands felt as big as hams. She placed them next to her on the couch, but that felt weird, so she folded them in her lap, which felt even weirder.
“Where’s Sammi?” a tall dark-haired girl sitting on the floor asked.
“You know,” the guy with the blue tie replied meaningfully. Everyone burst out laughing at Sammi’s unnamed whereabouts, and Cara tried to laugh too. She felt like there was a giant POSEUR sign plastered to her forehead.
“What was she thinking?” The tall girl sighed.
Her friend rolled her eyes. “What is she always thinking? She knew they’d be gone.”
“But they weren’t!” A blond girl laughed. More merriment. Cara could feel her smile grow more fixed. She willed her eye not to start twitching, but God help her, it did. Of course. The twitch began slow and small but quickly increased until she could feel the edge of her eyelid almost vibrating with it.
Cara got up quickly, catching her toe on the edge of the coffee table and stumbling a little. “Sorry,” she mumbled to the group. She thought she could feel their eyes following her across the room.
The cluttered kitchen was deserted. Dishes crowded the sink. The window over the sink looked out onto the small backyard, with an old wooden garage at the back and a neighbor’s picket fence beyond. Cara poked around in the cabinets for a clean glass and finally pulled down a coffee mug reading SHERMAN HIGH JUNIOR PROM COURT, 2005. QUEEN was emblazoned on the handle. Must have been Sarit’s older sister.
Cara took a deep breath, relaxing for a moment in the unobserved quiet of the room and felt her eyelid twitching slow and then stop. She ran water into the mug and took a sip. It was warm and metallic-tasting. As she dumped it out she gazed at her reflection in the darkening window. Her face stared back at her, the eyes wide and dark. Her hair fell loosely around her face. The shadows under her eyes were deep gray smudges. Then, over her shoulder, she saw Ethan come into the kitchen.
She whirled around. His tie was loosened, and his hair was rumpled, as if he’d run his hand through it a few times. “Hey there.” He smiled in his easy way. “I didn’t know you were here.”
Cara’s throat closed up, but she managed to say, “Yeah, I am.” Brilliant, Cara. Would you like fries with that?
Ethan opened the fridge and studied the contents critically. He extracted a bottle of iced tea and opened a nearby cabinet. It was full of pots and pans.
“Oh! Here.” Cara handed him a 2005 Prom Court King mug that matched her
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