The Odds of Lightning by Jocelyn Davies Page A

before.”
    â€œYou’ve never invited me.”
    â€œI didn’t this time either.”
    Lu stared longingly back toward the kitchen, and Will followed her gaze, his expression bemused.
    â€œNot that you’re not welcome anytime,” he kept going. “But here you are tonight, of all nights. It’s the magic of Stormpocalypse. Where are all your theater friends? Couldn’t make it?”
    â€œYou put a party invite up on Facebook. I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t in the mood to study tonight.”
    â€œKeebler,” he said. “Come on.”
    â€œIt’s Lu now, thanks.”
    â€œLu . . .” He trailed off, getting a look in his eye that Lu hadn’t seen in years, and definitely had not thought she’d see ever again. Her stomach flopped over on itself like a humongous pancake.
    â€œWill,” she said, and by this time she was backing and twisting her way through the crowd—Will behind her every step—and into an empty little alcove behind the spiral staircase. “As hard as it may be for you to believe, I’m not actually here to see you.” It was stupid of her to come, she realized for the first time. Impulsive. It was totally like her, to just do something like this without thinking it through first. What had she thought was going to happen? Had she been thinking at all, other than of a way to lure Tiny out on the night before the SATs with the promise of some fantasy moment with Josh that would never happen? She felt a pang of guilt, and fleetingly wondered where Tiny even was.
    â€œSo you say.” Will seemed almost amused—delighted even—as he strode effortlessly to keep up with her. God, he had long legs. He had gotten really freaking tall.
    His smirk had widened into this full-blown grin, and he had a bounce in his step she was sure she’d never seen at school. Totally weirded out, she ducked under his arm and made a beeline up the stairs.
    â€œWhy are you following me?”
    â€œWhy are you running away from me?”
    â€œDon’t you have more important things you could be doing? Where are all your groupies? Where’s your precious team ? Aren’t you like so embarrassed to be seen with me?”
    â€œCome on.” He paused mid-staircase, serious. “Hey. Luella. Don’t be like that.”
    â€œIt’s Lu. And I really don’t have time for this. I have to go to Central Park to meet my boyfriend. He’s a musician.”
    The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about them. As usual.
    For a minute the look on Will’s face betrayed his confidence.
    â€œWho?”
    â€œIt’s none of your business.” She paused. “Owen Hoffman.”
    â€œThat guy in that band? He’s a pretentious dick,” Will said with a snort.
    â€œYour mom’s a pretentious dick!” Lu snapped.
    But Will was grinning, and Lu felt something drop to the pit of her stomach. It had been so many years. It felt like no time had passed at all.
    â€œI can’t do this,” Lu whispered. And even through the noise of the party, she knew Will had heard her, because he didn’t say anything to stop her.
    She turned and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. She didn’t even know where she was going, other than away from him. She’d come to the party, yeah. She’d accepted the dare he’d thrown out into the cosmos. Maybe some part of her knew if she came, something like this would happen. Maybe she’d wanted it to.
    At the second-floor landing, Lu paused. She was slightly out of breath, and it wasn’t from running as fast as she could up the stairs.
    The hallway was deserted.
    She was about to double back, when she heard a noise clattering up the back stairs at the opposite end of the hall, and seconds later Will came barreling through the door. She had forgotten there were stairs off the kitchen. The place was basically a