But… I thought he left town.
“You don’t look like you’re from California,” Mara peers up at me. “You look like you’re from here.”
“That’s because she is,” Macey quips, as we step up to the hot chocolate counter. I have my hood up, hopefully making me less recognizable. But honestly, the Groundhog festival is full of people I only somewhat remember, if at all.
And no one has paid attention to me.
You’re just paranoid. Years have passed since Matthew died.
“Here,” Macey turns, handing me a hot chocolate first. “Your fingers are bright red.”
“Yeah, I forgot gloves,” I mumble, wrapping my hands around the warm cup. It sends a shiver down my spine, but it’s welcome. Macey hands another drink to Mara, and then cups her own.
I follow the two of them to a picnic bench, but choose to stand, in hopes of keeping myself warmer. I scan the small crowd, and the entrance into the Groundhog maze through the trees, which seems creepy as fuck with shadows and a lack of attendees…
But whatever. Maybe it’s just because it’s dark.
“How’s your mom feeling?” Macey breaks my thoughts, and as I turn to meet her gaze, the string lights above us cause a glare.
“Um, she feels crabby,” I say, squinting down at my cousin.
“That’s pretty normal for her,” she hums, shrugging her shoulders. “I feel for you, Rue.”
“It’s okay,” I force the words out, my mind drawing a blank as they run right back to those fucking eyes. “I have a question,” I speak before I stop myself. “You know pretty much everyone around town, right?”
Her brows furrow. “I guess so.”
“Is Noah Anders here still?”
Macey blinks. “Who?”
I chew the inside of my cheek, squeezing the cup to stay warm. “You might not remember him. He was two years older than me, and so like four years older than you and Eliza. He lived in the house closest to us… I think… I think I might have seenhim at the Grab n’ Go the other day.” I sound absolutely stupid, and it only gets worse as Macey shakes her head.
“I guess I don’t remember the Anders… The name doesn’t even sound familiar, to be honest. If he’s still around, he must live on the other side of the lake.”
“Maybe.” My lips crack from the cold. “I just can’t figure out where he is or what happened to him.”
“Well, you said you saw him at the store,” Macey points out. “That gives you some direction.”
“Yeah,” I breathe out, and then take a sip of the hot chocolate, burning my tongue. “I guess I’m just curious how his life turned out.”
“Or reconnecting?” Macey’s brows bounce, as she lets out a giggle.
“No,” I shake my head.The last thing I want to do is reconnect. I’m way too fucked up for that.I don’t want to put that evil on Noah.
He’d been through more than anyone should—at just thirteen.
I swallow the memories of us hiding away in the ravine, Noah showing me his bruises. I sip more of the sweet drink, my stomach knotting up.
I should’ve kept in touch with him. But I was too young to know how.
“Can we do the maze now?” Mara interjects my thoughts. “That’s the whole reason I even wanted to come to this thing.”
“Right,” Macey gives her a nod, and then flips her leg over the bench. “We should definitely do that then, before it gets any colder than it already is. It’s supposed to drop into the single digits tonight.”
My mind flickers with the notice from the deputy yesterday.I hope that guy finds somewhere warm to go.I don’t even knowwhy I care. It’s like I try to overcompensate for my fuckery with excessive compassion.
“Come on,” Mara grabs my hand, and tugs me toward the maze entrance.
