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“You never ride in the afternoon.” Rachel moves to her knees, resting her arms on the back of her seat. Her eyes dance with excitement, and she blows a large pink bubble before sucking it back into her mouth with a loud pop. “You’re not sick again, are you?”
She moves her head back, eyeing me suspiciously.
I laugh at her expression. “No, I’m fine. No practice today. It’s Halloween.”
“Oh, you don’t have to remind me of that.” She reaches over and ruffles her seat mate’s blond strands. “Isn’t that right, Parker?”
Parker. Parker’s in my seat… and is spending Halloween with her?
What the heck is going on?
“Big plans tonight?” I hate that I have to ask. I should’ve made plans for Halloween with her. She’s my best friend and it’s her favorite holiday.
Rachel opens her mouth to answer, but Parker cuts her off, turning to face me as well. “Ray and I are having a scary movie night. I’m bringing my big projector screen over to set up in the barn.”
Ray—her nickname now? To go with her new piercings.
“In the barn,” I echo, the mental image painfully etched into my mind now of the two of them snuggled up under a blanket. Rachel’s a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to scary movies, and the idea of Parker comforting her rubs me the wrong way. “Wait, is the maze and everything closed tonight?”
Rachel’s smile slips, her eyes losing some of their sparkle, and Parker shoots me a protective glare.
“Dude, for real?” He shakes his head. He moves to wrap an arm around her shoulder, but she shakes her head no.
“My, um, papaw is in the hospital, Jack. He had a heart attack Monday, and we closed early for the season.”
Shit. Why didn’t I know that? I rack my brain for our conversations every morning this week and can’t recall her ever saying anything. But—
I cringe. I talked about me all week and never really asked how she was or what’s been going on in her life.
“Rachel, I’m so sorry.” I cover her hand with mine, rubbing my thumb over her soft skin.
She turns her hand, letting my fingers intertwine with hers. “He’ll be okay. He’s home now. We just… it was scary. I was there.” Her lip trembles, her eyes filling with tears as she stares somewhere over my shoulder. Her breathing quickens then, and I don’t move yet, but I prepare myself to.
“Ray?” Parker waves his hand in front of her, and my instincts kick in.
Her breath comes in spurts, eyes staring somewhere over my shoulder. Without knowing how, I’m on my feet.
Donnie calls over the speaker, “Sit down, Anderson.”
But I ignore him, focusing on Rachel and bringing her back to earth. I glance at him in the huge mirror and nod toward Rachel. He sees her frozen and doesn’t say another word. He’s been here before.
As my hands cup her cheeks, I can’t believe how cool her skin is despite the warmth of the bus. “Rachel,” I whisper. “I’m right here. It’s okay, I promise.”
Her frantic eyes find mine, her pupils so wide that her blue irises are barely visible, but I focus on her, as if by pure will I can transfer calmness and safety from me to her.
Her lips part, and while no words come out, I can read them and begin reciting the months with her. It’s been ages since we’ve done this, but as always, by the fall months she’s calmed some, and when the song ends, she releases a rush of air. She lays her head to the side, nuzzling against my palm, and I trace her skin with my thumb. She’s calm, and she’s okay.
But I’m not.
Because what if I hadn’t been here? What if she had panicked and no one had been able to calm her down? I glance toward Parker, his skin even paler than usual and his lips pursed in a thin line, as if he’s about to panic himself. I may not like it, but apparently he’s going to be around, and if he cares about Rachel, maybe it’s time he learns how to help her calm down as well.
Seventeen Years Old
“Will you go to prom with me?” Jack’s question catches me off guard as I’m getting into his car.
I close the door, buckle up quickly, and turn my body toward him. Certainly I heard him wrong. “What?”
“Prom, Rachel. It’s in a few weeks. You know, you wear a fancy dress, I get you a corsage, and we take cheesy photos, then dance the night away.” His smile is teasing, but then his teeth tug at his bottom lip, and it hits me that he’s serious.
