Someone jostled me, separating me from Nikki.
“Wyatt!” Her voice sounded panicked, yelling for me, not her brother. I reached through the crowd. I’d taken off my gloves because of the heat, and I felt for her nubby wool coat. My hand brushed another hand. “Is that you?”
I felt her fingers grip around mine. She squeezed hard.
I couldn’t see Tyler. There was someone separating us. I moved closer to Nikki. Finally, I shoved past and found her. “You want to leave?” I asked.
“How can we? Besides, Tyler really wants to stay, but all these people are making me dizzy. Can you just . . . hold my hand? It makes it easier to breathe.”
“Maybe if you closed your eyes,” I said, “or looked up? Maybe if you didn’t see everyone.”
“I’ll try that.” She tilted her head back and looked straight up. I did too, so I could see what she saw. The sky was clear but starless. The buildings cast too much light. She squeezed my hand harder, then looked me in the eyes. “That’s way better. Thanks.”
I squeezed her hand back, and in that moment, I knew something had changed. She wasn’t the girl I’d grown up with. She was someone else.
But the next day, when I’d asked her out, she’d said no.
“I don’t want to complicate things. I like what we have. I don’t want to ruin it.”
It made sense, of course. I was friends with Tyler, and Nikki was his sister. Awkward didn’t begin to describe it. Still, it felt like a rejection.
Not that it mattered now.
Josh was picking me up, good since no way could Mrs. G’s car navigate the hills in the dark and snow. Still, I figured I should clear it with her. I mean, maybe she’d wanted to watch New Year’s Rocking Eve together.
But when I asked her, she said, “Oh, no. You get to a point, at my age, where one year seems pretty much like any other. I’ll probably just go to bed early.”
For some reason, rather than making me feel better about ditching her, I felt worse, like I should be the thing that made this year different. She’d been alone so long. Of course, I wasn’t her kid anyway. I said, “You know, I was thinking, if you wanted to get a dog, I could walk it or something.”
“Oh, you’ll only be here a bit longer.”
“I guess. I don’t know. I sort of like it. Maybe I’d go to college up here.” It was the first time I’d thought about it. A lot of my friends would go to the same college, room together, make college more like thirteenth grade. I wasn’t sure I’d want that.
The old woman smiled. “You must miss your mother, or maybe your friends.” She stopped. She knew about Tyler.
I shook my head no. The only friend I missed was Tyler, and he wasn’t on Long Island. I wondered if she felt that way about Danielle. “Sometimes, it’s good to make a fresh start.”
Josh picked me up around ten. I was the eighth person in a car that would have been crowded with seven. “I don’t see how we’re going to get up the hill with all these people,” one of his friends, a guy named Brendan, griped.
“Some of us will have to get out and walk,” Josh said. “Or you could walk now. It’s my car.”
That shut him up. I squeezed in, trying not to sit on anyone’s lap.
“Everyone, this is Wyatt,” Josh said. “He’s from Long Island.”
“You’re staying with Old Lady Greenwood?” said a girl I could barely see under her scarf and hat. “Creepy.”
“What’s creepy about her?”
“Oh, I don’t know. That old house. We used to dare each other to ring her doorbell on Halloween night, then run away.”
That was sweet of you . But I said, “She’s okay.”
“So you’ve actually been inside the house?” Brendan said. “Are there any secret passages? Jars marked Eye of Newt , stuff like that?”
“Well, I did find this one closet she wouldn’t let me into. I think it’s where she stores the skin of her victims before she uses it.” I noticed the car had gone sort of silent. “Hey, she made me an
“Wyatt!” Her voice sounded panicked, yelling for me, not her brother. I reached through the crowd. I’d taken off my gloves because of the heat, and I felt for her nubby wool coat. My hand brushed another hand. “Is that you?”
I felt her fingers grip around mine. She squeezed hard.
I couldn’t see Tyler. There was someone separating us. I moved closer to Nikki. Finally, I shoved past and found her. “You want to leave?” I asked.
“How can we? Besides, Tyler really wants to stay, but all these people are making me dizzy. Can you just . . . hold my hand? It makes it easier to breathe.”
“Maybe if you closed your eyes,” I said, “or looked up? Maybe if you didn’t see everyone.”
“I’ll try that.” She tilted her head back and looked straight up. I did too, so I could see what she saw. The sky was clear but starless. The buildings cast too much light. She squeezed my hand harder, then looked me in the eyes. “That’s way better. Thanks.”
I squeezed her hand back, and in that moment, I knew something had changed. She wasn’t the girl I’d grown up with. She was someone else.
But the next day, when I’d asked her out, she’d said no.
“I don’t want to complicate things. I like what we have. I don’t want to ruin it.”
It made sense, of course. I was friends with Tyler, and Nikki was his sister. Awkward didn’t begin to describe it. Still, it felt like a rejection.
Not that it mattered now.
Josh was picking me up, good since no way could Mrs. G’s car navigate the hills in the dark and snow. Still, I figured I should clear it with her. I mean, maybe she’d wanted to watch New Year’s Rocking Eve together.
But when I asked her, she said, “Oh, no. You get to a point, at my age, where one year seems pretty much like any other. I’ll probably just go to bed early.”
For some reason, rather than making me feel better about ditching her, I felt worse, like I should be the thing that made this year different. She’d been alone so long. Of course, I wasn’t her kid anyway. I said, “You know, I was thinking, if you wanted to get a dog, I could walk it or something.”
“Oh, you’ll only be here a bit longer.”
“I guess. I don’t know. I sort of like it. Maybe I’d go to college up here.” It was the first time I’d thought about it. A lot of my friends would go to the same college, room together, make college more like thirteenth grade. I wasn’t sure I’d want that.
The old woman smiled. “You must miss your mother, or maybe your friends.” She stopped. She knew about Tyler.
I shook my head no. The only friend I missed was Tyler, and he wasn’t on Long Island. I wondered if she felt that way about Danielle. “Sometimes, it’s good to make a fresh start.”
Josh picked me up around ten. I was the eighth person in a car that would have been crowded with seven. “I don’t see how we’re going to get up the hill with all these people,” one of his friends, a guy named Brendan, griped.
“Some of us will have to get out and walk,” Josh said. “Or you could walk now. It’s my car.”
That shut him up. I squeezed in, trying not to sit on anyone’s lap.
“Everyone, this is Wyatt,” Josh said. “He’s from Long Island.”
“You’re staying with Old Lady Greenwood?” said a girl I could barely see under her scarf and hat. “Creepy.”
“What’s creepy about her?”
“Oh, I don’t know. That old house. We used to dare each other to ring her doorbell on Halloween night, then run away.”
That was sweet of you . But I said, “She’s okay.”
“So you’ve actually been inside the house?” Brendan said. “Are there any secret passages? Jars marked Eye of Newt , stuff like that?”
“Well, I did find this one closet she wouldn’t let me into. I think it’s where she stores the skin of her victims before she uses it.” I noticed the car had gone sort of silent. “Hey, she made me an
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