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“I should probably get home,” I said. “My moms might look at my location and wonder where I am.”

“There’s not great service up here, but yeah, let’s go.” He readjusted himself in his seat, put the car in reverse, and moved to look over his shoulder. Our eyes collided.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” I said, because even if I was one of many, this was a view I’d never seen before and I loved it.

“Anytime,” he said, and it seemed like he meant it.

Chapter 15

I was scrounging around in our pantry the next morning when Marcus poked his head inside. I was studying the expiration date on some canned chicken.

“What are you doing? It’s time to go.”

“Food drive assembly today,” I said.

“You’re going?” he asked.

“Why is everyone surprised that I’d go to an assembly? I’ve been before.”

“Who else is surprised?”

“I-uh-Fiona,” I spit out. Speaking of Fiona, I’d have to talk her into going. She would definitely want to sit in the art room, probably work on her project. I needed to do that too, but for some reason, I wanted to go to the assembly. Fine, not just some reason. Ryan. He noticed when I was there. He was nervous.

After we’d gone to the lookout the night before, Ryan had driven us back to Taco Bell. We talked the whole way. He was easy to talk to, which surprised me. I didn’t think I’d have that much in common with my student-leadership-participating-country-club-going-fancy-car-driving neighbor. And maybe we didn’t, but we laughed a lot and conversation flowed.

By the time we got to Taco Bell, it had mostly cleared out. But I’d ducked down when we turned into the parking lot, just in case. When he told me all was clear, I’d sat back up while he parked. He got out of his car and walked me to mine, even though I told him that he didn’t have to. But when we got to the driver’s-side door, I fumbled with and then dropped my keys. We almost hit heads as we both bent down to pick them up. Then we both laughed, and I gave him an awkward shoulder pat instead of the hug I really wanted to give him and climbed into my car.

Back outside my house that night, Buddy, the hot-chocolate-selling elf, was packing up as I got out of my car, and he called good night to me. I waved and rushed into the house, where I thought I would get the third degree about where I’d been and who I’d been with, but I just got a rushed acknowledgment as Mom was trying to convince Harris to go back to bed and Momma was loading the dishwasher with Marcus.

“You want to turn in some cans?” I asked Marcus now, trying to get the focus off me.

“I do not. Let’s go. I have a test first period.”

“Geez, fine. I’m coming. Bye, Mom!” I called up the stairs.

Momma was already at work at the hospital. Mom was a real estate agent, but December was a slow month. And she mostly worked on the weekends unless she was closing a deal.

As we opened the door, we saw something had been slipped under the mat. Another red flyer.

“Is it about the music again?” I asked.

“No,” Marcus said, bending down to pick it up. “‘Walking night tomorrow ends at nine p.m. sharp and the streets reopen for cars. Signed, Mandy O’Leary.’” He turned the flyer toward me.

I took it and read the same words he’d just said aloud. “More complaining? Our neighborhood is whiny this year.” I frisbeed the flyer inside the house to pick up later and closed the door.

We walked to the car, and I put the cans in the backseat along with my backpack and then climbed into the passenger seat.

“Are you frustrated?” Marcus asked.

“What do you mean?”

“About the flyers. Are they taking the fun away for you?”

“No. Not at all.” It was the bigger thing looming over the holiday that worried me more—the lawsuit. “What about you? Are you having a good season so far?”

He chuckled a little. “You know you’re not in charge of my holiday joy, right?”

“I know … but do you have it?”