Is there a script for this?
Nope, there are too many variables to predict the conversation. I e-mailed you a few conversation starters, but for the most part, you’re alone. Anyway, are you ready to go?
I glance at my phone. It’s 6:05.
We’re meeting at 6:30, Kaylee.
So? You’re a Nice, you need to show up early. Now get that fine body of yours out there and wait like a proper gentleman!
I ruffle the shirt to show off my chest. My man-cleavage. I snort as I step into the hallway. I stop, and then turn around and grab my iPod, figuring that if I’m going to wait, I may as well listen to music. Plus, the right songs will be like a last-minute pep rally for myself. I tuck the iPod into my pocket and leave my room.
In the living room, M and D are sitting in front of the TV watching the news. The sight of M makes me wonder about female Love Interests. We were kept separately, obviously, so I don’t know much about them. My guess is that they’re pretty similar to male Love Interests, only they were trained to attract men, not women.
D turns in his seat. “Where are you going?”
“Juliet invited me over.”
“Use a condom.” He scratches his chin, which is covered in prickly regrowth. A river of dried pasta sauce runs from the corner of his mouth to his jaw. “Or don’t. Knock her up for all I care. That’ll probably force her to pick you. And that’s all you want, isn’t it?”
M doesn’t even look up from the TV.
I stop in front of the door and wave. “Bye.”
They ignore me.
Outside, I tuck my hands into my pockets, protecting them from the slight chill in the air, and jog through the front yard. She’s not here yet, obviously, so I sit down and lean my back against the streetlight outside my house. The metal is cold and the grass is damp. I pull out my iPod and put my still-slightly-tangled headphones in. I go straight to pop Nicki, because while I like her other stuff, I need something upbeat and energetic right now. The song I choose is “Va Va Voom,” because the beat is so fast and it’s so good and it always makes me feel unstoppable. It’s a hit of sugar, a sip of soda. It’s sweet, delicious musical candy.
The chorus hits and I lean my head back. So this is it, my first maybe-date with my Chosen. My whole life has been leading to this moment. All my training, everything I’ve gone through, it’s all been to turn me into a guy who can sweep Juliet off her feet. I …
Hang on.
Across the road, about five feet away, are three sleek black vans. I’ve never seen them here before. I stand up and glare at them. Something shiny catches the streetlight, drawing my eye. I tilt my head and peer through the gap between the vans. Oh no.
Behind them is a motorbike.
This is it. This is Dyl’s big entrance.
SHIT!
I take my headphones out, then jog across the road to the vans, imagining Dyl and Judy huddling inside one of them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
“I see you,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “Get lost!”
The vans remain still. In the distance I can see Juliet walking down the street. She has headphones in and is looking down at the ground, so, thankfully, she hasn’t noticed me yet.
I sprint back across the road to my position. But I don’t take my eyes off the vans, and my clammy hands are balled into fists. This is it!
Juliet reaches me and waves. Her face is pale and her hair is slightly frizzy. She’s dressed in a knee-length jacket, tight pants, and brown boots. A royal-blue scarf is wrapped around her neck, and a brown handbag is slung over her shoulder. I’m not a robot or anything; I can tell that she looks überpretty. Yet my heartbeat remains steady, and nothing even remotely primal pumps through my blood. Why?
She stops in front of me. A vanilla-like scent fills the air. “You’re early.”
I shrug. “What can I say, I was excited. And I was thinking that maybe I could drive. It’s dark, and it could be unsafe.”
“Dude, it’s barely even dark and I walk by myself around here all the time. We’ll be fine. Come on, it’s not far, and it’s exercise! Plus, I frigging love the way the town looks at night.” She looks past me at my house. “Is that your place? It’s…”
Did she just say frigging? My favorite fake swearword? Be still, my beating heart.
“It looks like shit,” I say. “I know.”
She shakes her head. “I was going to say it’s quaint. I like it.”
“So are you ready to go?”
Don’t boss her around, Caden. She’s in charge, remember.
Luckily, she nods. “I am. Let’s go.”
The streets are quiet and empty, so we walk in the middle of the road. Her shoes click against it. Our path is lined by parked cars. The moon and the stars are out in force, and the houses give off a golden glow. She was right, the town is beautiful at night. I frigging love it.
Every now and then I peer over my shoulder, checking on the parked cars.
“I’m really glad you’ve come back, Caden.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Just this walk, I guess? It’s not a big deal or anything, but before you came back I’d accepted the fact that you weren’t a part of my life anymore. I didn’t like it, but I’d accepted it. So this … um, it’s hard to explain, but it feels like a bonus? Like the movie of our relationship ended, and now I’m in this weird little future-bubble that includes you. And I like it. I’m so happy that I get to have small moments with you again.”
“I like being back too. I finally feel real again.”
“What do you mean?”
“I always wanted to come back. Always. Everything that happened between saying goodbye to you and now doesn’t feel like it really happened. Like the boy who did those things wasn’t me.”
“Do you ever think about the last time we saw each other? It’s sort of immortalized in my things-I-think-about-before-bed bank.”
I nod. “I think about it all the time.”
You’re digging yourself into a hole.
She places her hand in her pocket, then pulls it out and scratches her arm. “What do you remember about it? Like, what’s the image you think of when you think of it?”
“Uh …”
Up ahead, a black van screeches around the corner and starts speeding toward us. Juliet grabs my wrist and pulls me forward. Together, we leap from the road onto the grass.
“What the hell?” Her face is scrunched up. “What a dick!”
The van reaches us and slams on the brakes. Torrents of gray smoke billow from under the van and the smell of burning rubber tickles my nose. The door swings open, and three rough-looking guys clamber out. Their faces are narrowed in identical sneers, and their hands are tight fists.
One of the guys steps toward us. He’s bald, and his compact body is dressed in a leather jacket. He cracks his knuckles. “Well, hello. That’s a lovely bag you have there, miss. It’s worth a lot, am I right?”
Juliet grips her bag tighter. I step in front of her and shield her with one arm.