us apart.”
While Charlotte and I puzzled over this response, Rose led us still farther up the hill, past the trees in the no-man’s-land between the Cooks’ and the Larsons’, to the sharp turnoff onto Fox Hill Way, which dipped down slightly, then led up to two more houses, then Toby’s house, then the transfer station. One reason kids sometimes made fun of Toby was the proximity of his house to the transfer station. Sometimes kids said he smelled like the dump, which I didn’t think was true.
A few steps away from the turnoff, Rose stopped walking and looked upward. Charlotte and I did the same without knowing why.
“See?” Rose said. “All these stars? This movie’s gonna get you thinking about this. All these stars, and any one of them could be a sun. There’s bound to be lots of other creatures out there, spinning around some of those suns.”
“Maybe…” Charlotte said skeptically.
Rose didn’t seem to hear her. “I just hope the right ones get to us first.”
Rose began walking again, and as we followed her, we heard the sound of an engine, and then headlights suddenly appeared.
“Outta the road!” Rose shouted, yanking me by the sleeve as Charlotte jumped from the car’s path. There was no sidewalk.
The driver of the car braked and then pulled over slightly ahead of us.
“What the hell are you doing, Rose?” the young man demanded as he got out of the car. “You trying to get these kids killed?”
Rose mumbled something in return, which sounded like, “What do you care?”
“What’re you doing? Your mom said you’d just left for Joe’s.”
“That’s right. But I’m baby-sitting tonight, as you can see.”
“Doing a real good job of it, too.”
“Shut up, Aaron. What do you want?”
I squinted at Aaron. He was tall, with sandy blond hair, fierce eyes, and nice teeth. Charlotte had been right. He was handsome.
“I wanted to know if you’d come later. Paul says his parents just went to a movie. You’ll be done by nine-thirty, I’ll bet.”
“You researched where I’d be all night, you stalker?”
“Do you want me to pick you up when you’re done? You can call me at Steve’s.”
“No. I don’t know. I don’t feel like it.”
Charlotte and I stood by the evergreens, riveted. I couldn’t imagine being sixteen, having this handsome guy begging me to come out for a date, and saying no . Rose was a rock star.
“Rose,” Aaron said, reaching out for her shoulder, “why won’t you at least—”
“Get. Your. Fucking. Hand. Off. Me,” Rose snarled. “You make me sick. ”
Charlotte and I looked at each other. This wasn’t just hobbyist swearing. Rose really was angry.
“You’re such a drama queen, Rose,” Aaron said, getting back into his car. “Do you know that?”
“Beats being an asshole,” Rose murmured, but I was pretty certain he didn’t hear her, because he’d slammed his door shut by then.
He drove past us, spun around at the transfer station, and sped back down the road, turning back onto the main Fox Hill Road, revving his engine as he did so.
“WOW!” Charlotte said as soon as the engine noise had faded. “Why did you yell at him like that?”
“Because he’s a jerk.”
“Why? What’d he do?”
Rose squinted at Charlotte, and for a moment I thought another evil eye was coming. When we’d nearly reached Toby’s driveway, Rose said, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“I would,” Charlotte insisted. “I’d believe you.”
Rose said nothing. She led us across the Deans’ grass.
“I would,” Charlotte said again.
Rose paused before heading up the Deans’ driveway. She seemed to be looking at the stars again. I gazed across the yard. I loved the Deans’ place, with its rickety farmhouse feel and two cool little outbuildings: the dilapidated shed and the root cellar. The shed was where Joe hung out and did his funny sculptures. I wasn’t sure what a “root cellar” was, really, but I liked how the
While Charlotte and I puzzled over this response, Rose led us still farther up the hill, past the trees in the no-man’s-land between the Cooks’ and the Larsons’, to the sharp turnoff onto Fox Hill Way, which dipped down slightly, then led up to two more houses, then Toby’s house, then the transfer station. One reason kids sometimes made fun of Toby was the proximity of his house to the transfer station. Sometimes kids said he smelled like the dump, which I didn’t think was true.
A few steps away from the turnoff, Rose stopped walking and looked upward. Charlotte and I did the same without knowing why.
“See?” Rose said. “All these stars? This movie’s gonna get you thinking about this. All these stars, and any one of them could be a sun. There’s bound to be lots of other creatures out there, spinning around some of those suns.”
“Maybe…” Charlotte said skeptically.
Rose didn’t seem to hear her. “I just hope the right ones get to us first.”
Rose began walking again, and as we followed her, we heard the sound of an engine, and then headlights suddenly appeared.
“Outta the road!” Rose shouted, yanking me by the sleeve as Charlotte jumped from the car’s path. There was no sidewalk.
The driver of the car braked and then pulled over slightly ahead of us.
“What the hell are you doing, Rose?” the young man demanded as he got out of the car. “You trying to get these kids killed?”
Rose mumbled something in return, which sounded like, “What do you care?”
“What’re you doing? Your mom said you’d just left for Joe’s.”
“That’s right. But I’m baby-sitting tonight, as you can see.”
“Doing a real good job of it, too.”
“Shut up, Aaron. What do you want?”
I squinted at Aaron. He was tall, with sandy blond hair, fierce eyes, and nice teeth. Charlotte had been right. He was handsome.
“I wanted to know if you’d come later. Paul says his parents just went to a movie. You’ll be done by nine-thirty, I’ll bet.”
“You researched where I’d be all night, you stalker?”
“Do you want me to pick you up when you’re done? You can call me at Steve’s.”
“No. I don’t know. I don’t feel like it.”
Charlotte and I stood by the evergreens, riveted. I couldn’t imagine being sixteen, having this handsome guy begging me to come out for a date, and saying no . Rose was a rock star.
“Rose,” Aaron said, reaching out for her shoulder, “why won’t you at least—”
“Get. Your. Fucking. Hand. Off. Me,” Rose snarled. “You make me sick. ”
Charlotte and I looked at each other. This wasn’t just hobbyist swearing. Rose really was angry.
“You’re such a drama queen, Rose,” Aaron said, getting back into his car. “Do you know that?”
“Beats being an asshole,” Rose murmured, but I was pretty certain he didn’t hear her, because he’d slammed his door shut by then.
He drove past us, spun around at the transfer station, and sped back down the road, turning back onto the main Fox Hill Road, revving his engine as he did so.
“WOW!” Charlotte said as soon as the engine noise had faded. “Why did you yell at him like that?”
“Because he’s a jerk.”
“Why? What’d he do?”
Rose squinted at Charlotte, and for a moment I thought another evil eye was coming. When we’d nearly reached Toby’s driveway, Rose said, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“I would,” Charlotte insisted. “I’d believe you.”
Rose said nothing. She led us across the Deans’ grass.
“I would,” Charlotte said again.
Rose paused before heading up the Deans’ driveway. She seemed to be looking at the stars again. I gazed across the yard. I loved the Deans’ place, with its rickety farmhouse feel and two cool little outbuildings: the dilapidated shed and the root cellar. The shed was where Joe hung out and did his funny sculptures. I wasn’t sure what a “root cellar” was, really, but I liked how the
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