Page 54 of The Dangers of Daydreaming

Lucy sighed. “Do you think she knows that she created a world better than reality?” she asked as we turned to walk back to the car. It seemed rhetorical.

I was answering anyway.

“She created an incredible world. But she based it off the real one.”

She waved me off. “And made it better.”

“I don’t know about that. There was plenty of heartache in her stories. You can’t tell me you didn’t cry when Matthew died.”

“Absolutely sobbed. My mom came up to my room to see if I’d broken a bone or something.”

“So, what makes them better than reality?” The group was again back at the van, but Lucy and I weren’t quite there. I clicked the unlock button and stopped at the side of the parking lot, waiting for Lucy’s answer.

She paused at that. “The happily ever after.”

“There are a lot of happily ever afters in life. It just depends on when you end the story.”

She sighed, scrunching up her nose. “You just can’t convince me that real life holds a candle to fiction. That’s why it’s fiction.”

“I think you’ve got it backwards. Fiction doesn’t hold a candle to real life.”

She opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it shut. “Agree to disagree.”

I wanted to continue disagreeing actually. Maybe it was because my dad’s text had me feeling antagonistic. Maybe it was partly because I really liked this girl and was actively trying to get her to reciprocate—or realize that she reciprocated—those feelings. But it felt like I was personally offended by her outlook on life. As if she was standing there telling me I could never measure up to Gilbert Blythe.

Sure, I probably couldn’t, but having it said to you stung. And it was ridiculous to measure reality against fiction. They were dinner and dessert. Both great in their own right, but welivedin reality—weneededdinner.

And frankly, why couldn’t reality be dessert too? I—

I needed to stop having a metaphorical discussion in my mind. Lucy had her head tilted and was watching me strangely.

“Sure,” I grumbled. “Agree to disagree.”

“Hey,” I said, as we pulled back in front of the hotel and everyone started to get out. Lucy turned to me in the passenger seat, eyebrows lifted.

Gemma called a goodbye, and I waved over Lucy’s head. The van door shut, leaving just Lucy and me.

“I want to show you something.”

“Okay.”

“We’ve got to go somewhere first.” I hadn’t turned the car off yet and was hoping she’d buckle back up and we could go.

“Where?”

“Do you trust me?”

She pressed her lips together. “Depends, are you trying to trick me into a date?”

“Lucy, when I take you on a date, you’ll be very much aware.”

Her cheeks went rosy. “Okay fine, I trust you.”

“Perfect. Buckle up.” I put the van into gear and pulled out of the lot. It was only a few minutes to our location.

“An amusement park?” Lucy asked, looking up at Sandspit with surprise in her voice.

“A small one, but the best this island has to offer.” I parked, unbuckling. “I have a proposition for you.”

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