Page 22 of The Mechanics of Broomstick Racing

Zephyr closed her eyes and fell back into the grass. “I know it’s hopeless. I just…”

“Hey.” A shadow fell over her, and when she fluttered her eyelids, she found Neil leaning over her. He hesitantly brushed a thumb down the side of her cheek, erasing the single tear that had formed there. “Are you sure you found all the pieces?”

“What difference does that make?” she sniffed, sitting up and gently pushing him away. She grabbed her box and stood up. Her old racing broom, reduced to splinters and broken straw, rattled as she closed the flaps. She didn’t want to look at it anymore. “I was being stupid,” she said to Neil.

“Hang on,” he protested. “Let me take it to the shop and just have a better look—”

“No. It’s over. It’s done.” She brushed him off, taking the path back to her cabin alone. She didn’t look back, and every step she took sank her heavier into the earth. Once she reached her driveway, she dumped the box on the ground next to the already full trash can.

Chapter 12

Pumpkin Hollow was the only town Zephyr knew that threw parties to celebrate the fact that there was about to be an even bigger party in the future.

The bonfire wasn’t as organized as the Pumpkin Festival would be, but it was just as fun. As soon as the sun set, witches, shifters, vampires, and more walked to the center of the woods surrounding the Hollow. The nature witches built a towering stack of logs and twigs, while a flame witch created sparks at the base. Since Zephyr had arrived uncharacteristically on time, she helped the sparks catch with a gentle flutter of air and watched the kindling catch. An inferno grew, but thanks to the barrier that hid their supernatural town from the humans, the resulting billowing smoke would go unnoticed.

When Zephyr was young, she had missed so many of these events. All for racing. What else was she going to miss out on? As soon as she asked herself that silent question, one face appeared in her mind. It was a very scruffy face.

A week had passed since she had lain in the grass with Neil, revealing a little of how broken she was. She had seen him every morning since then, but she kept their conversations short and shallow. She had thought it would make her feel better. But all it did was force her to realize she had a big, stupid crush on Neil Finnegan.

Which didn’t make things any clearer. Just messy. But maybe she needed messy?

“Well,” she muttered to herself. “If it goes terribly, you can do what you do best and run.” As depressing as that realization was, it helped her make her decision. And once she knew what she wanted, nothing would get in her way.

Zephyr stalked around the bonfire, a steaming cup of cider her only companion until she found Karah and Levina sitting in a pair of folding chairs. “You two came prepared,” Zephyr said with a hesitant smile.

Levina’s face was half-hidden with a scarf, so Zephyr couldn’t guess if things were still weird between them after the box incident. Unaware of the awkwardness, Karah rapped the armrests of her chair with a grin. She suddenly pointed at Zephyr. “So did you. Look at that jacket. It’s huge.”

Zephyr flushed. After Neil had walked her home, and Dale had chased him off, she had been left with his jacket. Why she still hadn’t returned it, she couldn’t exactly say. When she saw him tonight, she could use the jacket to start…well, she wasn’t sure what she was ready to start, but she hoped he’d help her figure that out.

“Right. I accidentally stole this, actually. It belongs to your brother.”

“I know.” Karah’s smile grew even wider.

Levina said, her scarf muffling the single word, “Gross.”

“Have you seen him?” Zephyr asked with a huff.

“Oh, he’s at the shop.”

That really put a wrench in things. “I thought he went to all the town’s events?”

“He goes to all the boring ones,” Levina corrected. “The town halls, the committees, the park cleanups—”

“Don’t call the cleanups boring,” Karah interrupted.

“He’s not here,” Levina finished.

“Oh.” Zephyr rocked on the balls of her feet. “Well, I guess I should find Tawny or Lyle or—”

“You don’t have to pretend you’re not going directly to Neil,” Karah said.

“You didn’t bring your broom,” Levina added. “You better start walking. His bedtime is nine-thirty. Embarrassing.”

She tried, she really did, but curiosity won out and Zephyr quickly checked the time on her phone. She swore, spinning away from the giggling mother and daughter and running back into town.

“THE ENTIRE TOWN IS HAVING a party, and yet you are here, drinking beer that doesn’t even have a label. It just has a strip of masking tape with a date on it.” Zephyr ducked under the half-open garage door and interrupted Neil’s solitude. She pushed the garage door button, closing it completely.

Neil glanced up from the workbench, an assortment of gears and tools all neatly laid out in rows. The mantle clock he had torn apart shimmered sporadically, its magic sorely in need of repair.