box? I frowned.
We both whipped around when a car with music blaring turned down Wild Rose a few blocks away. I almost cried in relief when I realized it was my brother’s old, blue VW bug. Harriet released my arm, and I turned just in time to see her disappear into a stand of Douglas firs at the back of an empty lot. I stared dumbly after her for a second, trying to figure out how she’d moved that fast.
“Corinne?” Bradley pulled up beside me and turned the music down. “What the hell are you doing?”
I turned around and opened my mouth to answer, but couldn’t think of what to tell him. He put the car in park and got out, leaving the door open.
“Are you okay?” He picked up the bag of lasagna and stared at me.
“Yeah.” I swallowed and tried to steady my voice. “A, um, big dog just ran at me and scared me.”
He twisted around, looking. There was no dog, of course. He eyed me doubtfully, one side of his mouth quirked up. “Well, get in. I’m going home.”
I opened the squeaky passenger door and slumped into the seat with relief. He turned the music up too loud to allow any conversation, and I clenched my hands together in my lap so he wouldn’t see how hard they were shaking.
When we got home, I dashed down to my room and pulled out my phone. There were texts from Hannah and Genevieve that sounded so similar I would have been amused if I weren’t so shaken. They were both dying to put streaks in their hair, and wanted to hang out “ ASAP!!! ”
I hit the shortcut for Angeline’s number, and she answered after the first ring.
“Oh my God, Harriet Jensen practically attacked me on the way home!” I gave her the play-by-play, and we had a mutual freak-out.
We decided that, for the foreseeable future, I wouldn’t go anywhere alone.
I didn’t even consider telling my parents or anyone else about Harriet. That would mean revealing the pyxis , and there was just no way I wanted to do that. I had a strange feeling that I couldn’t do it, even if I tried.
It was like the pyxis belonged to me in an intimate way. Like the way my diary from junior high or the reflection of my own face in a mirror belonged to me.
* * *
Before first hour the next morning, I showed Ang the texts from Hannah and Genevieve.
“I think you should call them on it,” Ang said. “Seriously, invite them over tonight and try to dye their hair. See how they react.”
I laughed. “Okay, if you say so.” I punched in a text message and sent it to them. Seconds later, I got their enthusiastic replies and showed them to Ang. “Guess we’re on.”
Ang and I went upstairs to junior hall to find the two girls who’d taken yellow cookies the day before. We wandered past where they were talking to a couple of junior guys. I tapped one of them on the shoulder—Kristin, I thought.
“Hey, how are you?” I said and gave her and her friend my brightest smile.
She gave me a blank look. “Oh … good, thanks. How’re you?”
“Um, fine. Maybe I’ll see you at the coffee shop again,” I said.
Ang and I moved on.
“Okay, that was like nothing . The other girl didn’t even seem to recognize you,” she said. “You definitely need to get Hannah and Genevieve talking tonight.”
“You’re going to come over and help me, right?”
She looked pained. “No, I can’t. My aunt and uncle are coming for dinner, remember?”
“Oh, crap, that’s right. You’re not working today, either.”
“Sorry.”
That meant I’d have to decide whether or not to give out more cookies and deal with Hannah and Genevieve on my own. Ugh.
We walked through the halls until we found Scott, the guy who’d stuffed a blue cookie in his face at the coffee shop. I caught his eye and fluttered my fingers at him, but he just looked around as if he thought I was trying to get someone else’s attention.
“Great,” I said, deflated. “I don’t think we know any more than I did a few days ago.”
“No, it’s okay,” Ang said.
We both whipped around when a car with music blaring turned down Wild Rose a few blocks away. I almost cried in relief when I realized it was my brother’s old, blue VW bug. Harriet released my arm, and I turned just in time to see her disappear into a stand of Douglas firs at the back of an empty lot. I stared dumbly after her for a second, trying to figure out how she’d moved that fast.
“Corinne?” Bradley pulled up beside me and turned the music down. “What the hell are you doing?”
I turned around and opened my mouth to answer, but couldn’t think of what to tell him. He put the car in park and got out, leaving the door open.
“Are you okay?” He picked up the bag of lasagna and stared at me.
“Yeah.” I swallowed and tried to steady my voice. “A, um, big dog just ran at me and scared me.”
He twisted around, looking. There was no dog, of course. He eyed me doubtfully, one side of his mouth quirked up. “Well, get in. I’m going home.”
I opened the squeaky passenger door and slumped into the seat with relief. He turned the music up too loud to allow any conversation, and I clenched my hands together in my lap so he wouldn’t see how hard they were shaking.
When we got home, I dashed down to my room and pulled out my phone. There were texts from Hannah and Genevieve that sounded so similar I would have been amused if I weren’t so shaken. They were both dying to put streaks in their hair, and wanted to hang out “ ASAP!!! ”
I hit the shortcut for Angeline’s number, and she answered after the first ring.
“Oh my God, Harriet Jensen practically attacked me on the way home!” I gave her the play-by-play, and we had a mutual freak-out.
We decided that, for the foreseeable future, I wouldn’t go anywhere alone.
I didn’t even consider telling my parents or anyone else about Harriet. That would mean revealing the pyxis , and there was just no way I wanted to do that. I had a strange feeling that I couldn’t do it, even if I tried.
It was like the pyxis belonged to me in an intimate way. Like the way my diary from junior high or the reflection of my own face in a mirror belonged to me.
* * *
Before first hour the next morning, I showed Ang the texts from Hannah and Genevieve.
“I think you should call them on it,” Ang said. “Seriously, invite them over tonight and try to dye their hair. See how they react.”
I laughed. “Okay, if you say so.” I punched in a text message and sent it to them. Seconds later, I got their enthusiastic replies and showed them to Ang. “Guess we’re on.”
Ang and I went upstairs to junior hall to find the two girls who’d taken yellow cookies the day before. We wandered past where they were talking to a couple of junior guys. I tapped one of them on the shoulder—Kristin, I thought.
“Hey, how are you?” I said and gave her and her friend my brightest smile.
She gave me a blank look. “Oh … good, thanks. How’re you?”
“Um, fine. Maybe I’ll see you at the coffee shop again,” I said.
Ang and I moved on.
“Okay, that was like nothing . The other girl didn’t even seem to recognize you,” she said. “You definitely need to get Hannah and Genevieve talking tonight.”
“You’re going to come over and help me, right?”
She looked pained. “No, I can’t. My aunt and uncle are coming for dinner, remember?”
“Oh, crap, that’s right. You’re not working today, either.”
“Sorry.”
That meant I’d have to decide whether or not to give out more cookies and deal with Hannah and Genevieve on my own. Ugh.
We walked through the halls until we found Scott, the guy who’d stuffed a blue cookie in his face at the coffee shop. I caught his eye and fluttered my fingers at him, but he just looked around as if he thought I was trying to get someone else’s attention.
“Great,” I said, deflated. “I don’t think we know any more than I did a few days ago.”
“No, it’s okay,” Ang said.
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