Fire With Fire by Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian Page B

THIR
TEEN
    I’ve got my back pressed up against a wall of
hay bales, and the sticks are pricking through my nun habit.
It’s a dead-end part of the maze, but I don’t care. I’m hiding
out here so no ghouls or zombies or whatever can get me from
behind. Every so often, I crane my neck and peer around the
corner and keep my eyes peeled for Mary.
    Obviously I’d find her faster if I actually looked for her, but
I’m not moving from this spot. Mary can come to me. I didn’t
pay thirty dollars to die of a heart attack in this damn maze.
    I hope she’s having fun. Kid deserves to have a good time.
I’m glad that little doofus was trying his pathetic best to chat
Mary up while we were in line. She could use a boost to her selfesteem, big time. Sure, I’m no guidance counselor, but Mary
needs to realize that she’s not the girl she used to be.
    A pack of people creep past the alley where I’m hiding out. A
girl in a ballerina costume breaks off from the group and heads
toward me, walking cautiously on her tiptoes. She’s got on a
pink leotard, pink tutu, pink everything. Of course it’s Lillia.
“Lil,” I say, stepping out of the shadows.
    She jumps and screams a horror-movie scream, but she’s smiling, too. Scaredy-cat Lillia loves this stuff—who’d have known?
She must think I’m one of the workers, because she’s about to
run away, back to her friends. But then I say her name again and
she stops cold. It takes her another second to recognize me, I
guess because of my costume.
“Kat! Oh my God! Is that you under there?”
    “Taketh not the Lord’s name in vain!” I say in a booming
voice.
She giggles. “Where’s Mary? She was coming with you, right?”
I nod. “Wait till you see her costume. She looks amazing.”
As I say it, I realize that I wish it were the three of us hanging out together tonight. But I push the thought out of my
mind, because it doesn’t make sense to feel sad about something you can’t do shit about. I quick change the subject. “Did
everything go okay at the elementary school tonight?”
“It was fine. I think the kids had fun. The parents were
happy.”
“Cool.” I felt bad, seeing how stressed Lillia was all week.
“Hey. You know, I would have come and helped. But you didn’t
say anything, so—” Her cheeks get flush, so I back off. “I’m not
upset or anything,” I clarify. “I mean . . .” I don’t know what I
mean. I’m babbling.
“Don’t worry. It all worked out. I didn’t think to ask you,
though. I know it’s not your thing. But thanks for offering to
help”—she smirks—“when it’s too late to actually, you know,
help.”
I touch a finger to her shoulder and make a sizzle sound.
“Nice zinger, Lil. I like how I’m rubbing off on you.”
She looks like she’s about to make another joke at my expense
when we hear Reeve say, “Shit!”
His voice sounds like it’s coming from the other side of the
hay wall.
We both roll our eyes, because Reeve’s such a douche, but
then there’s Mary’s voice, all tiny and small and Mary-like.
“I . . . I didn’t see you.”
In half a second, Lillia and I both have our ears up to the wall,
listening.
She whispers to me, “Mary’s talking to him.”
I whisper back, “Eff talking. Kick him in the nuts!”
That makes Lillia laugh, and she quick puts both her hands
up to her mouth so no one hears it.
We listen to Mary lead Reeve through the conversation. And
I’m like, why isn’t this dummy apologizing to her, once and
for all?
Instead we hear Reeve say, “Go fuck yourself.”
Suddenly I’m burning a thousand degrees inside. Fucking
Reeve Tabatsky. He’s as much of an a-hole as he was before his
accident, if not a bigger one. I start heading over to rescue Mary
and to take out Reeve’s other leg, but Lillia grabs my arm.
“Kat, don’t. Give her a chance to stand up for herself.” Her
eyes are big and hopeful. Either that or she’s nervous.
I don’t want to, but