blow us off, I hope itâs worth it.â
âSounds like youâve been out more than me,â said Emily. âI mean, yeah, Iâve been hanging out with Kevin, but Iâve been busy with other things, too.â Emily pointed to the opened books in front of her.
âBusy with something other than Kevin? What could possibly be more interesting or fun?â Abby swiveled her legs under the table and faced Emily to be fully into the conversation.
âYou know, schoolwork and things at home. And, when Iâm done with all of that, Iâm tired.â
âTired? Youâre sixteen, not sixty, Em,â said Abby. âListen, down a couple of Red Bulls this week because Lucas is havinga party on Saturday and weâre going. And by âwe,â I mean the three of us. Kevin can meet us there if he wants, okay?â
Going to a party was the last thing Emily wanted to do, but she said, âOkay.â
The house was packed when they arrived. Sarah and Abby moved easily through the crowd, saying hi to people. Sarah was in front of Emily, holding her hand as they walked. Emily focused on Sarahâs hand wrapped around hers, remembering how they used to clasp hands as they sat side by side on the playground swings. Theyâd see how high they could go without getting out of sync and disconnected.
In the kitchen, Abby made her way to a senior named Sergio who was pouring drinks. She tugged on the front of his shirt to get him to bend down. He smiled at whatever she said, and she pecked him on the cheek when he handed her the first of three cups of beer. Abby kept one and passed the others to Sarah and Emily. They âclinkedâ their plastic cups and Sarah and Abby drank. Emily held her cup low and scanned the room.
âAbby, move in,â Sarah said. âWeâll shield you,â she said to Emily. Once concealed, Emily gulped her drink.
âThere you go,â said Abby. She grabbed Emily by the shoulders and shook her gently. âLoosen up and have fun. No worries, okay? The social ninja warriors have your back.â
Abby and Emily smiled and then Abby turned her attention back to Sergio.
âCome on, letâs walk around,â said Sarah.
Sarah guided Emily through the house and outside. When Sarah stopped to talk to some people, Emily kept walking. She went back inside and weaved through the crowd several times looking for Kevin, but he hadnât arrived yet. When her beer was gone, she returned to the kitchen for another. Abby was kissing Sergio, so someone else managed the beer-pouring duties. Emily slyly sipped her drink when no one was looking and smiled politely when they were. Her stomach twisted in knots. She wanted to go home but didnât say anything.
Instead, Emily went upstairs and discovered an office. She closed the door behind her almost all the way, but left it open just enough to allow in a sliver of light from the hallway. Books lined one wall, from ceiling to floor. She found an old, hardcover copy of Thoreauâs
Walden
and sat near the door. Legs stretched out and ankles crossed, Emily relaxed and read as best she could with the dim light. She quickly got lost in the pages.
After a while, the door opened. Before Emily could move, someone tripped over her legs. The girl clutched a large cup in one hand that she didnât want to spill, so she instinctively twisted and landed with a thud.
âUgh! Not again!â Elizabeth rolled on her back. She groaned and pounded her fist into the hardwood floor, once for each word: âSon of a bitch!â
Emily covered her mouth with her hand, half-worried about Elizabeth and half laughing at the girlâs reaction.
Elizabeth stared at the ceiling for a few moments before turning to see who had caused her fall.
âDelgado, what are you doing here?â
âReading.â
âReading. Of course. That makes total sense.â Elizabeth sat up and moved opposite Emily, her
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