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The neon Pizza Love sign glowed across the parking lot and the tantalizing smell of melted cheese, bread, and garlic flooded through my nose.
Warm comfort washed over me. “Man. I haven’t been here inyears.”
Sam took my hand. “I can’t wait to see what it’s all about.”
Something uncomfortable squirmed inside me. “It’s not about the taste of the food. It’s more about what it represents.”
Noah tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Are you worried we’re gonna judge you or something? We’ve both been here before. I think everyone in Watervale has.”
I looked up at Sam. “You’ve been here?”
“Well, yeah. Of course.”
“But you just said you can’t wait to see what it’s all about.”
“I can’t wait to see… what this place means to you,” he said. “Even though it’s a run-down pizza joint on the edge of town, it means something different to you than it does to me. It’s got different feelings and memories imbued in it. I find that very…interesting.”
Noah chuckled. “You’re a weird dude.”
“Says the guy who irons his t-shirts,” Sam snapped.
“Hey, we’ve all got our quirks,” Noah said.
I withdrew into myself.
I wondered what ‘quirks’ they noticed about me…
Sam squeezed my hand. “Just ignore him, Gracelet—”
CRASH!
I jumped and screamed.
Noah and Sam darted in front of me, protective.
Noah pulled his phone out of his pocket and shone his flashlight down the alley nearby.
A garbage can lid danced on the ground, circling furiously as it lost its inertia. A pair of bright yellow eyes glowed in the dark.
“Raccoon,” Noah said.
The creature turned and merged with the shadows.
I brought my palm to my chest. “That scared the shit out of me!”
“Me too,” Sam said. “I forgot they like to hang out in this part of town.”
Noah chuckled. “Trash pandas.”
I smiled. “I always thought they were cute…”
“They’ve got all the features of cuteness,” Sam said. “Big, round eyes, rotund, fluffy body…”
“Tiny hands, tiny feet,” Noah added.
I smiled as we walked away from the alley, trying to ease into the lightness of the conversation. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
Sam looked at Noah. “Have you ever thought of getting one as a pet?”
