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Zoë chuckled. “I don’t think it matters, since he probably won’t come over here anyway.”
“Killjoy. Hey, he’s with that Keith whatzisname you went out with last spring. What was wrong with him? I can’t remember.”
Zoë sighed. “Nothing was wrong with him. I don’t know. I guess I just wasn’t attracted to him.”
“When will you be attracted, Zo, for goodness’ sake? I mean, my God, you’re almost seventeen.”
“I know, I know.” Zoë pushed a pizza crust around her plate, annoyed at having to go through this again. Lorraine seemed to think that everyone should have hyperactive hormones like her.
“Sorry, I’ve pissed you off, haven’t I? I’ll back off.”
Zoë had to admit it was a rare perceptive moment on Lorraine’s part. The girls’ eyes met then in an unspoken peace agreement, and they ate for a while in companionable silence.
Boys, Zoë thought. Why aren’t I as loony about them as Lorraine? I guess people are different. She smiled at how ludicrously obvious that statement was. But they seem to like me, so I suppose I’m not gross or anything, she decided. She remembered suddenly the pale boy in the park—a surprisingly clear glimpse of him, sparklingly sharp in the moonlight. She tried to dismiss her excitement with anger. I guess I was supposed to be flattered.
“Let’s see a movie,” Lorraine said, brushing the crumbs from around her mouth. “They’ve got an el cheapo horror twilight show at the Cinema Three. None left alive for two twenty-five.”
“I’d rather not,” Zoë said a little too fast. She saw Lorraine cringe at her mistake. Feeling sorry for her, she added, “There’s a new French movie there, too, that everyone’s been talking about. Perhaps we could see that.”
Lorraine relaxed. “I try not to talk about things like that. Anyway, whenever I see a movie with subtitles, I come out expecting to see them in real life for an hour or two. It’s weird.”
“What’s the other one?”
“Oh, something based on a Saturday-morning cartoon.”
“Yuck!”
“No kidding!”
They decided to forget about a movie and take the bus back to Oakwood. Zoë was relieved. She didn’t think she could sit through a movie, no matter how entertaining. By the time they got off the bus at Oakwood Village the daylight had fled, and the streetlights come on. As the world became darker, so did Zoë’s mood. How could I go out and enjoy myself? she thought.
As if she had read Zoë’s thoughts, Lorraine tugged at her arm briefly. “Hey, it was good, right? You needed a break.”
“Yeah.” Zoë had to admit that she’d needed it, but now she should
get back to the house. Perhaps she’d missed a vital phone call while she was out. However, now that she was near, she dreaded going home; she dreaded the news a phone call might bring.
“Earth to Zoë! Come in, please.”
Zoë looked up with a start.
“I was saying,” Lorraine continued, “I have to run into the drugstore.”
“Oh, I’ll wait here, then,” Zoë said, stopping outside the bookstore. “They’ve got a new display.”
“Okay.”
Lorraine trotted up the sidewalk to the drugstore on the other side of the alley that divided the row of shops into two sections. There were fewer people on the street now. Everyone was going home for dinner. The autumn wind was picking up, and Zoë thought she felt a drop of rain on her cheek. There was a hint of woodsmoke in the air. It always made her feel vaguely lonely to smell someone’s cozy fire when she was out in the night.
She examined the contents of the window. She loved bookstores: they were an addiction. Even books she would never read held a fascination when arranged in a bright display. A book called The Secret Life of Vegetables caught her eye. It made her unbearably curious. She was wondering if it was about recent botanical discoveries, or a kinky sex novel, when she heard Lorraine’s voice.
She looked up to see her friend talking to a small pale child with white hair who stood at the alley mouth. From his left hand dangled a shabby teddy bear. He looked fragile. He must only be about six, Zoë thought. What’s he doing here alone at this time? She walked to join them. The child said something. Lorraine held out her hand, and he gave her a dazzling smile. Then he saw Zoë. The smile faded.
“S’all right,” he said in a piping voice. “I ‘member now.” And he took off running down the street toward Chestnut.
“Appealing little monster,” said Lorraine, although she looked puzzled. “Said he was lost. Albino, I think. He wanted me to help him find his mother down there.” She pointed down the alley.
Zoë peered into the dark. “Why would she be down there?”
