Chapter 16
Snyder‘s Lake was just visible off in the distance. The water looked almost gray, but hopefully that was just a trick of the light. The trees dotting the shore definitely looked pretty bare, though. Barely any signs of life at all.
“Remind me why I agreed to this,” Daniel said. He wasn’t asking anyone in the car in particular, but Phil answered from the passenger seat anyway.
“Because outside of classes, you’ve been sleepwalking through your life since the fall, and it’s depressing to watch, so me and Bob thought a spring break trip might snap you out of it.”
Bob, behind the wheel, chimed in. “I get that you had a good thing with that girl, and she was gorgeous. But it’s been a year now, and you’re the one who broke up with her.”
“Nine months and 24 days,” Daniel answered.
It came out almost automatically. And they’d broken up with each other, but there was no point getting into a pedantic debate about that.
“But—you know what, I really appreciate you guys inviting me. I know I haven’t exactly been the most fun guy to be around. ”
“You don’t even play Battletech anymore,” Phil agreed. “I brought my set, by the way. Just in case we get bored looking at the lake and drinking cheap beer.”
Daniel hadn’t given much thought to what they’d be doing at the house on the shore of Snyder’s Lake that Bob’s brother’s girlfriend’s father was letting them use for four days.
His family had rented a beach house in Ocean City a couple of times, but there were plenty of things to do in Ocean City, and obviously you could swim in the Atlantic.
He didn’t know if you could swim in the lake here.
There might be—he didn’t even know what sort of dangerous amphibian things might live in Snyder’s Lake.
It might end up being four days of Battletech and cheap beer. Maybe that would shake him out of the funk he’d been in since last May. It wouldn’t make him forget Nora, or stop missing her, but maybe he could enjoy something—anything—for a little while. He was allowed that, wasn’t he?
Bob’s shout of, “Hey, Daniel!” cut through his thoughts.
“I was just saying to Phil when you zoned out, we won’t be the only ones there.
You met my little sister, Emily—she just transferred to Albion for this semester.
She’s coming up with her roommate. She’s a redhead—very cute.
Kim. She lived over in Morris Hall last year. So that’ll be fun, right?”
Kim? Redheaded Kim? Who lived in Morris Hall last year?
Nora’s roommate.
Daniel had to laugh; what else was there to do? Even when he actually made an effort to move on, the universe worked against him.
Daniel , later that day
Daniel had forgotten how much he enjoyed playing Battletech . It had started raining five minutes after they got to the lake house, so there really wasn’t much else to do, but he got into the swing of it almost immediately.
The phone rang, but Daniel ignored it; this wasn’t his house. A moment later Bob called out, “The girls will be here in ten minutes. They’re bringing pizza.”
“We’re almost done anyway,” Daniel said. He had methodically crushed Phil’s forces, and now Phil’s last ‘mech was pinned in a corner of the map waiting to die. “Actually, this might be it right here.” He picked up the dice, and rolled two sixes. A hit. “Do we even need to roll for location?”
“No point,” Phil said. “Anywhere will be fatal now.” He laughed. “You were never this ruthless before, Daniel. But it was fun to play with you anyway. Rematch later?”
“Maybe you and Bob against me.” He grinned. “You might have a chance that way.” That was the sort of thing Nora would have said, if she ever played Battletech . If she was still in his life.
Phil shook his fist at Daniel. “Gloat now. I’ll have my revenge!”
It had been fun, and it was hard to recall the last time he’d just had fun for its own sake. Probably a year ago, on his birthday. But there was no point thinking about that night.
The girls showed up right on time. He would have known Emily was Bob’s sister even if he hadn’t been told; they had the same nose, the same eyes. Just like him and Lisa.
And Kim looked the same as she had last spring. “Hey, Daniel,” she said. She sounded wary. He couldn’t blame her; she probably expected him to ask about Nora.
“Hi, Kim. Please don’t worry—I’m not going to ask about her.” He knew there wouldn’t be any point even if he wanted to. Kim wasn’t living with Nora this year anyway, so what could she tell him anyway?
“Good,” she said. “I’ve barely spoken to her all year. She’s living in her own world, and I don’t think she really lets anybody in. But that’s all I want to say about her. Let’s just pretend she doesn’t exist while we’re here. Deal?”
Daniel extended his hand, and she shook it. “Deal.”
Daniel , March 14
Daniel opened the back door and took a look outside the house. There was a trail down to the lakeside, and it looked like you could walk all the way around it. Despite yesterday’s rain that had continued until after midnight, the trail was dry, at least as far as he could see.
It might be nice to go for a walk in the fresh air. There was a little breeze, and plenty of sun. Why not? It would even be healthy, especially after last night’s greasy pizza and the prospect of whatever alcohol Bob picked up at the liquor store later today.
Bob had complained about being volunteered to go to the store.
“Why do I have to go?”
Phil told him, “It’s your family’s house, so you’re responsible.”
“It’s not actually my family’s. And even if it was, Emily’s family, too, so it’s her house as much as mine.” he’d protested.
She pointed out, “You’re the oldest, so you’re responsible.”
Bob turned to Daniel. “Why can’t you go?”
“I’m not twenty-one yet.” Daniel threw up his hands. “Ask me on Wednesday when I’m legal.”
Bob finally looked at Kim. “What about you?”
“It’s not my house either, and I’m not twenty-one. Sorry, Bob.” And that ended the debate.
But maybe he’d go with Bob anyway. It wasn’t really fair to make him go by himself. In the meantime, though, the outdoors was calling. Or at least whispering.
He was only two steps out the door when he heard Kim call out to him. “Hey, you want some company?”
He didn’t, really. But that was rude, and not fair to Kim, wasn’t it? “Sure, come on.”
They set off, and Daniel quickly discovered that the trail wasn’t quite as dry as he’d thought. “Watch where you’re walking,” he said to Kim after he stepped into a patch of mud up to his ankle. He was glad he’d worn his ratty old sneakers that probably should’ve been thrown out six months ago.
The trail curved out of sight of the house very quickly.
There was nothing else to see except nature all around them, and no sounds except their footsteps.
It was almost as though the rest of the world had vanished.
Like in that movie he’d seen a couple of years ago, where the hero woke up and everyone was gone.
It was kind of unsettling.
“Are you okay?”
He felt Kim’s hand on his arm. He must have been showing his nerves.
“I’m fine,” he said. He didn’t push her hand away, though. He wasn’t sure why. “Just feeling lonely.” He realized as soon as he said it what Kim would think. “Not like that! Not about her . Just—just this weird quiet, like I’m the last person on Earth. I felt creeped out for a minute, that’s all.”
She had been starting to frown, but now she just looked scared instead. She punched his arm, not quite playfully. “God, why did you have to say that? Now you’ve got me thinking it, too. I’d rather talk about her than feel like I’m in a horror movie or something.”
“Do you want to go back?”
Kim still looked scared, but she shook her head. “Your friends were trying to teach Emily that stupid robot fighting game. I’m not letting them drag me into that.”
“Technically they’re not robots,” Daniel said. He knew that would annoy her, but if she was annoyed with him, she’d forget about being scared. That seemed like the chivalrous thing to do.
Daniel , two hours later
“They’re going to send out a search party for us if we don’t head back soon,” Kim said.
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t think Phil or Bob are going to venture out of sight of the house.
Neither one of them is exactly a nature lover.
” Of course, he wasn’t one either. This was the longest he could recall ever being in any kind of wilderness.
Not that this even counted as wilderness, really.
“Besides, we’re three quarters of the way around the lake. It won’t be that long.”
Kim was silent for a couple of minutes. Then she grabbed his arm to stop him. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we took a little longer.” She wasn’t letting go. Daniel didn’t understand why she was hanging on to him.
Unless she was—what? Flirting with him?
“Kim?”
She let her fingers trail down his arm, and then she was holding his hand. And staring into his eyes. “This has been really nice.”
It was nice, to clear his head a little, to breathe fresh air and actually force his body to move properly for the first time in a while.
And Kim was good company. “Kim, I’m not—I mean, you’re really sweet, and you’re pretty.
” God, that sounded horrible. She deserved a better answer.
“It’s not anything about you. It’s just that you’re not… ”
“I’m not Nora,” she finished for him, with a sad smile. “I guessed you would say that. But I wasn’t sure. It was worth a shot, you know?”
“You’re not angry?” She didn’t seem to be, but it would make the rest of this trip very awkward if she was.
“Not angry. Just a little disappointed. But I get it.” She was still holding his hand.
She squeezed it. “You had something real with her, and… I’ve never had that, but I’m sure it’s hard to get past. But if you don’t mind a little free advice, you aren’t ever going to get past her until you start trying to. ”