Fourteen
RECENT COMMENTS:
@Alisha: Any updates on the scavenger hunt yet? Dying to live vicariously through you!
Replying to @Alisha
@Priya: Same here!
Replying to @Alisha
@Christine: Me too! Dying for a new update!
“So, how’d it go?”
When Julian seems to shrink into himself after he glances at me, it’s clear he’s able to fill in the blanks. Probably because of my disheartened expression, or the way my shoulders sink at the question.
“Not so good,” Krystal answers for me, squeezing my arm in a way that makes my heart sing, despite everything. “She told her to quit.”
“The scavenger hunt?”
“Well, yeah, but also TikTok in general,” I say. Krystal glances back at me, concern brimming in her eyes. The art print Natalia gave me burns a hole in my purse, its twin hanging from Krystal’s fingers. What does it mean? Because it has to mean something , doesn’t it? Despite the colossal failure this venture turned out to be, I can’t help but feel as if our fates are tied. Natalia’s and mine. Krystal’s and mine.
One woman wanting. One woman waiting.
“That’s a bummer,” Julian says as he starts the engine. “What are you gonna do now?”
Krystal turns to me, the same question shining in her eyes. She bites down on her bottom lip. I’m unable to look away until she clears her throat. I clear my own before my eyes fall to the woman depicted in Krystal’s hand. The prints we were given juxtapose each other the same way we do. There’s no hope for us. Isn’t that what she was trying to tell me when she said love wasn’t for her?
“I don’t know.” I throw my head back against the headrest and curl my knees up to my chest. “I’m practically back to square one at this point. I need to think.”
“Stephanie thinks you can convince her,” Krystal says. “There might still be a chance.”
I don’t know Natalia well enough to gauge if that’s a real possibility. But Krystal is right. Stephanie seemed to think there was a possibility I could change her mind. How she thinks I can do that, I have no earthly idea.
“Maybe,” I say. “Maybe not. I don’t think that’s something I can count on.”
But scrapping the scavenger hunt wouldn’t just let me down. I’d be letting down this online community I’ve built too. If I haven’t already let them down, that is. Maybe they won’t even care, if the rumors Natalia mentioned have spread far enough already. One thing is for sure, though. I might have a bigger problem on my hands than whether the scavenger hunt is DOA.
The ride home is silent, but my thoughts are anything but. When we arrive back, I’m still reeling.
“As fun an adventure as this was, I’m laughably behind on grading.” Julian salutes us on the porch, calling out a last “Good luck!” as he disappears inside.
Krystal leans back against the porch railing, arms crossed over her chest, eyes trained down at her scuffed sneakers.
“You probably have to head out too,” I say, even as I silently hope she doesn’t have to go yet. “I won’t keep you.”
“I’m sorry this didn’t turn out differently. What are you going to do?”
“Hell if I know.”
“Well, maybe I can help,” she offers. “We can brainstorm new clues. This doesn’t have to be the end of the scavenger hunt.”
“We?” I try for a wry smile, but I’m not sure it has the desired effect. If it comes off more sad than anything else, mimicking my true feelings about this whole mess of a day.
“Yeah,” she says as I look away from her, unable to meet her eyes. “If you still want help, that is.”
I nod, try to reroute my thoughts in a more encouraging direction, but fail miserably. “Sure. I’d love your help. But maybe we should give planning a rest for tonight. I think I need a break from it for a while.”
“Of course. Whatever you need.” Her hand falls on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. “You’ll have a clearer head about this tomorrow.”
“Right.” But as soon as she makes her way down the porch steps, I can’t keep myself from calling out her name. She turns around and meets my eyes, brows raised in question.
“What is it?”
Good question. What is it with me and this woman? Why does the thought of her leaving make me feel hollowed out? It has to be more than the silence waiting for me inside. For the first time since my parents have been gone, the loneliness plaguing me dissipates when she’s around.
“Do you want some company for a while?” She seems surprised by the question, but instead of turning me down like I think she will, she nods. A single dip of her head that turns my bones to liquid.
“Sure.” She clicks a button on her keys, unlocking her car doors. “Hop in.”