Eureka stared at the branches forming a dense maze around them. She could barely see the pond on the other side. From underneath, the tree was magical, otherworldly. She wondered if anyone else knew about this spot, or if the bench had gone unnoticed for generations, ever since the tree tucked it away.
Before she sat down, she looked for the quickest way out. It couldn’t be the way she’d come in.
Ander pointed to a gap in the branches. “That might be the best exit.”
“How’d you know I was—”
“You seem nervous. Are you claustrophobic? Me, I like being cocooned, secluded.” He swallowed and his voice dropped. “Invisible.”
“I like open spaces.” She barely knew Ander, and no one knew where she was.
So why had she come here? Anyone would say it was stupid. Cat would punch her in the face for this. Eureka mentally retraced her steps. She didn’t know why she’d taken his hand.
She did like looking at him. She liked the way his hand felt and his voice sounded. She liked the way he walked, by turns cautious and confident. Eureka wasn’t a girl who did things because a hot boy said to. But she was here.
The place Ander had pointed out did look to be the largest gap in the branches. She imagined herself bounding through it, running for the woods beyond the pond, running all the way to Avery Island.
Ander swiveled on the bench. His knee dragged against her thigh. He quickly jerked it away. “Sorry.”
She glanced down at her thigh, his knee. “Good heavens,” she joked.
“No, I’m sorry I snuck up on you here.”
She wasn’t expecting that. Surprises confused her. Confusion had a track record of making her cruel. “Do you want to add the lawyer’s office parking lot? And your very subtle sneak-up at the stop sign?”
“Those, too. You’re right. Let’s complete the list. The disconnected number. Not being on the track team.”
“Where did you get that ridiculous uniform? That was maybe my favorite touch.” She wanted to stop being sarcastic. Ander seemed sincere. But she was nervous about being there and it was coming out in ugly ways.
“Garage sale.” Ander leaned down and ran his fingers through the grass. “I have an explanation for everything, really.” He picked up a round, flat stone and wiped the dirt from its surface. “There’s something I need to tell you, but I keep chickening out.”
Eureka watched his hands polish the stone. What could he possibly be afraid to tell her? Did he … did Ander like her? Could he see past her sarcasm, to the mosaic of the broken girl inside? Had he been thinking about her the way she’d been thinking about him?
“Eureka, you’re in danger.”
The way he said it, a reluctant rush of words, made Eureka pause. His eyes looked wild and worried. He believed what he’d just said.
She drew her knees to her chest. “What do you mean?”
In one smooth motion, Ander wound up and released the stone. It rocketed impressively through the gaps among the branches. Eureka watched the stone skip across the pond. It dodged lily pads, ferns, and slicks of green moss. Somehow, everywhere it skimmed the surface, the water was clear. It was startling. The stone skipped a hundred yards across the pond and landed on the muddy bank on the opposite side.
“How did you do that?”
“It’s your friend Brooks.”
“He can’t skip a stone to save his life.” She knew that wasn’t what Ander meant.
He leaned close. His breath tickled her neck. “He’s dangerous.”
“What is the deal with guys?” She understood why Brooks had been wary of Ander. He was her oldest friend, looking out for her, and Ander was a bizarre stranger who’d suddenly appeared at her door. But there was no reason for Ander to be wary of Brooks. Everyone liked Brooks. “Brooks has been my friend since my first breath. I think I can handle him.”
“Not anymore.”
“So we had a fight the other day. We made up.” She paused. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“I know you think he’s your friend—”
“I think it because it’s true.” Her voice sounded different under the canopy of branches. She sounded about as old as the twins.