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Still, I didn’t want to bother them. They were working the tree lot late all week, and I couldn’t ask them to stay up all night with me at some sweaty foundry. Besides, I didn’t want to be distracted, either. And one or more of them present would be ahuge— although happy — distraction.
“Just go,” I told myself quietly. “Get your work done. It’s not like the show’s going to wait for you.”
I felt bad, but I also didn’t. Mostly because Mr. Drumm would never know. I’d bitten off more than I could chew in committing so many exhibits to such a prestigious event. But when I’d been selected to be such a big part of the show, I was too overwhelmed with joy and pride to even think about saying no.
I looked at the clock, and realized time was ticking away. If I was going to do my work, clean up, and get back out of the foundry before morning crews arrived, it had to happen right now.
“Put up or shut up,” I told myself firmly, as I reached for my keys.
Fifteen
SLOANE
The buildings loomed large way before we arrived there: two great brick towers, flanking what looked like the most wicked building in the universe. I had a feeling the guys in the back seat knew exactly where we were. But in the passenger seat beside me, Valerio looked utterly in awe.
“Welcome to the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane,” I declared excitedly.
The road leading up to the building was well-lit with all new streetlights and lanterns. The towers themselves — sinister and dark in every photo I’d ever seen of them — glowed warmly from within.
“Oh man, I’veheardabout this place!” cried Valerio.
“Heard about it?” said Brock. “Back in high school we used to break in and take creepy photos of this place. Back before they fixed it up, anyway.”
Kade nodded. “It was eerie as hell too.”
The Buffalo State Hospital, with it’s Romanesque towers and swooping Gothic architecture was now the ‘Hotel Henry’. As such, the hundred and thirty year-old complex was finally available to the public again, with rooms, convention halls, and even a restaurant.
Much better than that though, they were now doingghost tours.
“Are we staying here?” Valerio asked excitedly.
“No,” I laughed. “Why? Did you want to?”
“Well yeah,” he said, as if the answer were obvious. “If you were staying with us, of course.”
The heat flared again, flowing up from my loins and surging out through my body. I already had some butterfly-inducing ideas of how the night would go. And when it came to the boys, I had definitive plans for them.
“So what are we—”
“We’re taking a ghost-tour,” I cut Valerio off excitedly. “Since they started them I’ve been dying to do one, but Drake always thought the whole idea was silly and ridiculous.”
“Drake?” Brock asked.
“Yeah. My ex-boyfriend.”
“That’s really his name?” Kade scoffed. “Drake?”
“I’m afraid so,” I chuckled.
“Sounds evil,” said Valerio. “Like an 80’s movie arch-villain or something.”
“Totally,” Brock agreed. “Like his parents abandoned him at birth, and he grew up with a vendetta.”
“Drake sounds like a trust-fund child name,” said Kade. “Or a video game character. Someone who’d definitely have a secret lair. Or—”
“Alright, alright,” I conceded. “I only dated the guy, I didn’t name him!”
The guys laughed and I laughed with them. It felt good to laugh. I’d been working double-shifts the entire week; all day at the foundry, and after a brief evening nap, spending my nights back at the foundry as well. Today I’d finally taken the afternoon off, and caught up on some much-needed sleep. I felt rested and recharged. Pumped and excited about our ‘date.’
