Mr. Calloway helps himself to some more bacon. “From QB one to Ivy Leaguer, ay? Gotta hand it to the girl, she’s got taste.”
My mind hums.
It’s Rafe.
It has to be Rafe. He told me himself he was taking a sabbatical from Yale, and now he’s seeing Lainey Sikes? This must have been the reason he went to the football game. To watch Lainey cheer.
“Speaking of love lives,” Kate croons. “Did your boyfriend get you a birthday present?”
“Boyfriend?” Dad says.
Kate gives her egg roll another swirl in the sauce, her eyes meeting mine with a friendly tease. “Jude Vandenberg.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I say, a little too emphatically. I could kill my cheeks for how hard they’re blushing right now. “We’re not even dating.”
“You eat lunch together every day.”
“Twig eats lunch with Jude every day, too, and they’re not dating.”
“Jude doesn’t look at my brother like he looks at you.”
My face goes even hotter.
Kate shoots me a wink. “Okay, fine. Did yourfriend, Jude Vandenberg, get you anything for your birthday?”
“He couldn’t have,” Twig says. “Selah didn’t tell him it was her birthday.”
I kick him under the table.
“Why wouldn’t you tell him?” Mrs. Calloway asks.
“Because,” I say with a shrug. “It’s just … another day.”
“Nonsense,” Kate declares, slapping the table. “This is the overture to the great production that is another year of Selah Whitlock’s magnificent life. A tale of mystery, adventure, and, most importantly … the strangest assortment of food you will ever find.”
Everyone laughs as Mr. Calloway lifts his beer with a hardyHear, hear!Then they blow their silly party horns.
“To Selah!” everyone choruses.
It’s a ridiculous moment, but a happy one, too. And for just a little while, the ache in my chest relents.
20
ACCOUNTS OF THE UNCANNY
SEASON 2, EPISODE 12
SUPERNATURAL OR SUPERNOVA?
OCTOBER 1, 2025
SELAH: Welcome, seekers of the strange. We’re coming to you from good ol’ Foggy Hollow, where the weird never sleeps and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Today, we’re wrapping up season two with a doozie of an episode. But first, we’ve reached October. Which means …
TWIG: Spooky season has officially arrived.
SELAH: In my humble opinion, it is the best time of the year, and there’s no better place to experience the vibe than right here in our town.
TWIG: We kick things off with a bonfire at the quarry, where the water is said to be bottomless and has swallowed entire things whole.
