He doesn’t blink, doesn’t move, and I’m not sure he breathes either.
I’d call vampire if it weren’t bright out.
“Oh, no, I got it!” I snap my fingers. “Ariana appreciation club. Foo Fighters are an awesome band, by the way.” The intense way he watches me has my cheeks burning. The words won’t stop coming.
“Do you drink coffee?” he asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“Stop. You don’t need the caffeine.”
“You spend a lot of time on your phone.”
“You seem to spend a lot of time watching me.”
Busted. It’s not all one-sided, though. “There’s not a lot else to do.”
He straightens his legs, leaning one over the other on the branch. It’s a dangerous move, I almost fell once doing the same.
“You should be careful,” I say.
“I’m not going to fall.” He turns back so I can see his profile again.
I shrug, smiling and turning away. “Don’t listen, it’ll be amusing for me.”
“Why did you come up here?” he asks. His low voice is the first hint of vulnerability.
“I haven’t been in this tree since Sabi.”
“None of what you just said makes sense.”
I pick at a lump of bark that’s lifting from the branch. “Sabi was my best friend, her family lived in your house. We used to meet up here all the time.”
He nods. “You hate me being here.”
I shake my head but he’s still not facing me. “I don’t.”
“You got up here pretty quick when you saw me. I thought I was getting an eviction notice. Whose tree is it?”
“No one knows. I don’t mind you being up here. I kinda felt sad for the tree the last five months, having no one sitting in it.”
Now he looks. Slowly, his head turns to me. “You felt sad for the tree?”
“Let’s move straight past that one and leave it at you being welcome.”
“At least I’m welcome somewhere. This neighborhood is weird. The chalkboard messages are weird.”
“The chalkboards are amazing; it keeps us close when we have to be apart. The people won’t always be weird. Well, they will, but they’ll love you guys in no time. Everyone looks after each other. We have street parties and parades and you’ll get lots of baked treats. Not even for any reason. They just need to get to know you. It’s all a bit crazy right now because there’s a lot of fear.”
“Of me and my mom?”
“Um, no, the whole pandemic thing. You should come out on your front yard tomorrow evening, after six.”
“Why?”
“Home street party.”
His reaction is silence like he’s trying to figure out if I’m joking or not. “A home street party?”
“Yeah, we’re all decorating our houses and cooking in our front yards. The Ebson brothers who live across from you are playing live music. You and your mom should join in.”
Our drives are opposite sides of the house so there is just grass—and a tree—between us. We could sit on the lawn near each other. I just want to keep talking to him.
He shakes his head. “I don’t want anyone in my business.”
“So don’t tell them the things you don’t want them to know.”
And, wow, do I want him to tell me now.
“Do you wish you’d moved somewhere else? Or not moved at all?” I ask.
His eyes lift from the floor and delve into mine. My heart skips. “No, I don’t think I do.”
I smile, though I’m feeling myself getting a little hysterical at the way he looks at me. The fluttering in my stomach can be more closely compared to a stampede.
“Good.” I clear my throat. “You’re going to love it here. Are you starting school in August? Mom doesn’t think we’ll go back before. This summer is going to be the longest ever.”
I’m suddenly not too unhappy about that. I might not be able to see my friends for a while, but I can see Archer.
“Senior year. Can’t wait.” His voice is laced with sarcasm.
“Of course. You don’t like school either. What do you like?”
“Music.”
“Do you play?”
“Guitar.”
“That’s awesome. I wanted to learn guitar.”
“What stopped you?”
“I really suck.”
He chuckles and the sound makes me smile. I made him laugh! I thawed his icy heart, cracked the tough exterior. I rock.
“Archer?”
We both look back at his house. His mom is calling him from somewhere inside.
I find her at his window. When she looks across and sees me with him, she smiles.
She slides the window up. “Hello, Quinn.”
I wave. “Hi, Mrs. Brady.” So Mom did tell them my name.
“Call me Juliet.”
Well, that’s a good sign. I wasn’t sure if she was going to tell him to come in and get away from me. We’re a safe distance from each other.
“Archer, lunch is ready.”
He nods at her and turns to me. “I’ll see you later, Ace.”
Ace?
He climbs down two branches, then jumps, landing on his feet the way my nan’s dog jumps fences.
I was off with vampire. Werewolf?
“Juliet?” I say.
She keeps her hand on the window but doesn’t shut it. “Yes?”
“Have you heard about the street party tomorrow? Everyone stays in their own front yard. We’re all putting lights up and eating outside.”
She smiles. “Yes, I did hear.”
“It would be cool if you and Archer could come out, too.”
With a smile, she replies, “I think we might. See you later, Quinn.”
I wave again and swivel around, leaning my back against the enormous trunk of the tree.
Being in the tree again feels good. I thought it would be weird. I’ve avoided it for months, but the second my hand touched that branch to climb, I felt happy.
And we spoke. Finally!
Damn, that boy is built to break hearts. I wonder what he was like at his old school. Did he have lots of girlfriends? Did he refuse to let anyone close? That wouldn’t surprise me.
God, I’m in trouble.
I grip the branch and climb down, placing every step without looking. I bet I could get up and down this tree blindfolded.
I get down
