Chapter 1 #2
“I was covered in milk today because I thought making friends with the popular girls would make me happy. How wrong I was. I was sick of being…invisible,” I confess, feeling pathetic. “I thought that if maybe I was like them, people would like me.”
I wait for Dandy to turn his nose up at my confession and kick my miserable ass from his tree house.
But he does nothing of the sort.
“We’ve all been there,” he says instead, squeezing my hand. “You have to make mistakes to learn from them.”
I nod because he’s right.
“Do you have any siblings?”
I shake my head.
“Why did you move here?” he asks in horror because Hollow Banks is a stopover on the way to someplace else.
You don’t stay here.
But those who do seem to be desperate to leave.
“I didn’t have a choice. I live with my aunt and uncle.”
Dandy waits for me to continue, but when he reads between the lines, he doesn’t press.
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad because I’ve been waiting for you.”
I arch a brow, confused.
He gestures toward the telescope, which points out the window toward the sky. “The universe told me something big was coming. And it’s you.”
I lower my chin, hiding behind my long hair because this is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, and I don’t know how to deal with it.
Dandy shared with me that his father died, and it wasn’t an accident. He took his own life. He didn’t go into much detail after that. And I didn’t press because I have secrets of my own.
“Dandy!” A woman’s voice reminds me that a world outside this tree house does exist.
Dandy pokes his head out the window. “Yes, Mother?”
“It’s almost dinnertime. Does your friend want to stay? We’re having meatloaf. She can call her mother and ask if it’s okay.”
Grabbing Dandy’s wrist, I see the time on his digital watch reveals it’s after six.
“Oh no! My aunt will be worried! I have to go.” I jump up and quickly collect my things.
I don’t have a cell. My aunt won’t allow it, saying I’m too young. But it’s not my aunt I’m fearful of. It’s my uncle Leon.
Dandy senses my panic. “My mom can drive you home.”
“I hate to ask, but would that be okay? It will take me over an hour to walk home, and the bus doesn’t run this late. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have lost track of time.”
Panic overwhelms me, just as it did when…
“It’s all right. We’ll get you home.” The moment Dandy places his hand in mine, the panic subsides, and I calm down.
We carefully climb down the tree house’s wooden ladder and race toward Dandy’s back door. When I enter the kitchen, I see that his mother, whom I met when I first arrived, wears a floral apron. She’s mashing potatoes while watching Jeopardy!
“Mom, can you drive Hallie home?”
His mom peers up at us, sensing my anxiety. “Oh, honey, I’m in the middle of dinner.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want to be a bother. I’ll walk.” I feel awful putting her out.
She washes her hands and dries them on a dishcloth. “I’ll call Matthew.” She reaches for her cell off the counter.
“Who’s Matthew?” I ask, not wishing to sound ungrateful, but I can’t get into a car with a stranger.
I’m afraid of cars, and riding in one with someone I don’t know is difficult for me.
My anxiety shows.
“He’s our neighbor, sweetie. I promise, you’ll be fine.”
I nod and wait for her to call, but it’s clear there’s no answer.
Just as I’m about to thank her for her hospitality, the loudest car I’ve ever heard in my life pulls into the drive.
Dandy rolls his eyes, while his mom claps her hands together, as if our problem has been solved.
“Kit can take you.”
I look at Dandy, who explains, “My brother.”
If I don’t get home before dark, I’m certain my aunt will call the police if she hasn’t already.
So I nod animatedly. “Yes, thank you, that would be great.”
However, the moment Kit Rivers enters the kitchen, I wish I had kept my mouth shut.
I can’t stop staring.
I’ve never seen someone so tall. With broad shoulders, ripped jeans, scuffed boots, and dark brown hair, he stands out, especially beside Dandy’s blond curls.
His eyes are an intense hazel green with a streak of amber throughout.
They remind me of a tiger’s eyes. He has a silver hoop in each nostril, and some ink on his arms and chest. I can’t make out what, however.
He and Dandy look nothing alike.
Kit looks at me, a strand of his messy hair falling over his eye. “Who’s the stray?”
I instantly dislike him.
“Kit!” his mom berates, looking at me with an apologetic smile. “This is Hallie. She lives over by Green Hills with her aunt and uncle. Can you please take her home?”
It isn’t a question but rather a demand.
Kit turns his lip in disgust, making clear he’d rather do anything than drive a “stray” home. But he doesn’t argue and heads back out the way he came, expecting me to follow.
“It’s okay, sweetie. He’s a safe driver. Just make sure you buckle up.”
Her words are hardly reassuring, but with daylight dwindling, I nod. “Thank you again, Mrs. Rivers.”
“You’re welcome anytime, sweetie. It’s nice for Dandy to have a friend.”
“Mom!” Dandy scolds, embarrassed.
But he shouldn’t be.
Dandy and I walk outside to Kit’s red car.
I quash down that little voice inside that demands I stop being reckless and not get into a car, a car that looks like it belongs on a NASCAR track, with a stranger.
When we get to the car, Kit places his arm across the top of the door, stopping Dandy from getting in.
“Hey!” Dandy exclaims, glaring at Kit.
“Since when do you ride in my car?”
“Since you’re taking my friend home,” Dandy retorts, attempting to shove past Kit.
He doesn’t budge.
“Your girlfriend will be fine. Go back inside and look at your planets.”
“She’s not my girlfriend!”
Kit’s eyes sparkle in mischief.
I look between the brothers, and although I appreciate Dandy’s nobility, he’s wasting time. “I’ll be okay, Dandy. I’ll see you tomorrow in class.”
Dandy stands his ground, but eventually concedes, understanding the dire need for me to be home.
Kit laughs as he rounds the car and opens the passenger door for me.
I quickly hug Dandy before getting in. I toss my bag into the back seat.
I do as Mrs. Rivers said and secure my seat belt, testing it to make sure it’s done up tight. Kit gets into the car, and the moment it revs to life, I grip the leather beneath me. Dandy waves at me through the window before we’re tearing down the street.
This was a terrible idea.
“Where to, Cupcake?”
I turn my head to look at Kit, confused.
His attention never wavers from the road. But I soon realize he’s using that nickname because of the clothes I still wear. Mrs. Rivers was kind enough to wash my dress, but I never got around to changing.
I rattle off my address, not interested in talking.
The clock on the dash just cements how late I am. I hate to think of the punishment that awaits me when I arrive home.
“You got a curfew?” Kit asks when he notices me looking at the time.
“Something like that,” I reply, digging my nails into my palms.
I do this when things become too much. The pain balances me out. I don’t understand it, but it seems the more pain I feel, the less regret I have for what I did that night when everything changed.
Screaming from the front seat.
My parents argued about picking me up so late.
My father assured my mother that it was all right. That it was good for me to make friends, and he didn’t mind.
But my mom called me a spoiled brat.
The road had frozen over. It was slippery.
Suddenly, bright lights and a horn, then glass shattering as the world turned upside down.
I don’t remember much after that.
“Superman or Batman?” The question sucks me from the vortex I often get lost in.
“Excuse me?”
Kit casually slouches back in the seat, hands relaxed on the wheel.
“Who do you like better? Superman or Batman?”
“Oh, I haven’t given much thought to it. But I guess Superman because is Batman really a superhero? He’s just a regular guy with money.”
Kit turns over his shoulder to look at me before bursting into laughter. “So true. So Superman it is. Favorite animal.”
“That’s easy. Cats.”
Kit turns up his lip. “Oh, you’re one of those people.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, unsure if I’m supposed to be offended.
“It means you’re one of those crazy cat ladies.”
“If having ten cats makes me crazy, I’m fine with it.” For some reason, Kit puts me at ease.
He doesn’t seem phony like a lot of people.
He seems like he doesn’t care what others think of him.
“What grade are you in?”
“Eleventh,” he replies, bored. “So you’re in school with Dandy.”
I nod, realizing I am no longer digging my fingernails into my palms. Mundane talk, it seems, helps deal with my demons because that’s how I feel most of the time—like demons are clawing at my skin, trying to break free.
“Why haven’t I seen you before?”
“I moved from Florida about a year ago.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Dead.” The word slips out before I can stop myself, surprising me, as I’ve never said it aloud to anyone before.
But it slipped out so naturally, I didn’t even think twice.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry.”
I shrug, not sure how to reply.
We’re quiet for the rest of the drive, but it’s not uncomfortable. I peer out the window, observing things I missed riding the bus to school. When we pull up to my aunt and uncle’s house, it’s dark.
The front porch light is on.
The farmhouse has seen better days. It’s weather-worn and strips of paint fleck away in the punishing wind. I think it was painted yellow in its heyday. The white window shutters bang open and closed.
I gulp, running my sweaty palms on my shorts.
I expect Kit to kick me out of the car, but he turns off the engine. I watch in confusion as he gets out and opens the back door, grabbing my bag.
“You coming?” he asks, peering at me from the back before closing the door.
I quickly jump out of the car and reach for my bag, which he’s slung over his shoulder. “It’s okay. There’s no need for you to walk me to the door.”
He ignores me and walks up the front stairs.
“Kit!” I whisper-yell, not wishing to alert my family.
However, it’s too late, as the front door opens.