IT’S THE LAST day of November and so freakin cold I don’t bother taking off my in-class-Siberia-layers when I’m walking to the van after school. I’m about to hop inside when I notice Julian standing totally still at the top of the back steps.
“Hey! Julian!” I call. He looks up like he’s been snapped out of a trance. I wave him over, and he approaches, slowly. “You miss your bus?”
He makes the suspicious face he makes sometimes, like he’s trying to come up with a story. “Yes.”
“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”
“It’s okay,” he says. “You don’t have to. It’s not that far.”
“Where’s your house?”
“Wicker Street. By the water tower.”
“That’s like ten miles. Get in.”
“No really. It’s—”
“Julian, get your ass in the car.”
He quickly hops into the front seat, then looks around in awe. “It’s a spaceship.”
I’m chuckling when Charlie rips open the front passenger door and orders, “In the back.” I consider protesting, but Julian’s already climbing out. As soon as Allison, Jesse, Camila, and Emerald pile in back next to him, I peel out of the parking lot, and we all start talking about the birthday party Emerald’s having at her place tomorrow.
“Exactly who’s coming?” Camila wants to know.
“Well, us, of course,” Emerald says, “and Kerry and Mason and that group, and—”
“Wait, theater kids?” Camila sneers.
“Careful, Camila.” Charlie laughs. “Adam was almost a theater kid.”
“Yeah, maybe if I wasn’t so lazy.” I glance in the rearview, catch sight of a very pale Julian, and shit, I didn’t exactly forget about his car phobia, but I guess I thought he didn’t have it anymore.
“Julian, would you like to come?” Emerald asks.
He flat out doesn’t answer, and the van goes quiet.
I check the mirror again to find Allison watching him with a concerned, motherly expression—the same one she gave me when I twisted my ankle.
Finally, I hear a small voice say, “Yes.”
The girls whisper something about adorable, which probably embarrasses the hell out of him. Lucky for Julian—but no one else—Jesse plugs his phone into my car, and the speakers start to shake with screaming guitar.
When we get to Julian’s street, I’m happy to have an excuse to turn the music down. “Which one?” I ask.
“The fifth house on the right.”
“This one?” I ask, surprised.
“Yes.”
“Wow. It’s really nice.”
It’s a huge white stone two-story with two long rows of square windows, and tall peaking points at each end like towers. It’s nice, but it seems weird. You just assume that anyone who owns a house like this could afford to buy a kid a cell phone and clothes that fit.
THE COLD METALLIC taste of winter is in the air, the kind that excites your senses and snaps away the haze. I pedal my bicycle faster, skidding over patches of ice. Sometimes I’m tempted to ride it to school, but I know people would make fun of it since it’s so small, and that would kill me. My dad gave me this bike.
Wide-awake and freezing, I knock on Adam’s door, holding a small box wrapped in pink paper. He lets me in, and we walk into the living room where Emerald, Camila, and Allison are talking.
“You brought me a present?” Emerald asks.
“It’s your birthday,” I say.
Her smile is gentle as she carefully peels away the tape. Everyone is watching, and I’m embarrassed. I thought mine would be one present among a hundred others. She looks happy and expectant, and it makes me even more anxious, because it’s not a great gift.
“I love it!” She smiles down at the ceramic butterfly. “How did you know?” I’m not sure what she means. “Thank you, Julian.”
Someone turns up the music, then the three girls force Adam and me to sit. They disappear down the hall only to reappear wearing different clothes.
“Take mental notes,” Camila orders. “Tell us which outfit’s the hottest.” After a few spins, they run off to change again.
“It’s like they’re all on drugs.” Adam laughs.
Catherine comes in the living room while the girls are gone. She smiles when she sees me and gives me a cookie that tastes like fresh-cut grass.
The girls return and demand opinions. I can’t remember what they were wearing a few minutes ago, so I have to lie. After four outfit changes, they sit on Adam’s yellow couch and stare at me.
“Julian,” Emerald says delicately, “we need to talk about your wardrobe.” I glance over at Adam to find him watching with amused sympathy. “Take this…ensemble, for instance.”
There’s an embarrassing sting at the back of my eyes. I really tried to dress nicely for her party. I even snuck into Russell’s room to borrow one of his button-down shirts.
“You’re fine,” Adam says to me, while shaking his head at Emerald.
Camila hops up. “We’re taking you shopping!”
My stomach tightens. I can’t just go out and buy clothes, but I can’t tell them that. “These fit so—”
“We’re not taking no for an answer,” she interrupts, and the girls start scanning me up and down.