Page 50 of My Return to the Walter Boys
Cole laughed as he drew his keys from the ignition. “I promise you’ll like this.”
As I followed him out of the car, more than one possibility of what the Rift could be ran through my head, each one more ridiculous than the next—an outer space–themed arcade bar; a sketchy money-laundering front; a tear in the fabric of reality that led to an alternative universe—but a thrift store wasn’t one of them. A bell above the door jingled as we stepped inside, and my first impression was that we’d stumbled onto a quirky movie set instead of an actual, real-life place. The shop was poorly lit and narrow, with only three long aisles that stretched backward into the gloom. In my initial scan of the room, I spotted a bust of Shrek, an old aquarium filled with stuffed animals,and a collection of fishnet-stockinged leg lamps. Lounging beside the register was an orange tabby cat, and a second one slept peacefully on top of an old grandfather clock.
“This way,” Cole said, taking me by the hand and dragging me into the depths of the clutter.
There was no rhyme or reason for the way the shelves were organized; books transitioned into household goods, then turned into electronics. Finally, we reached the end of the aisle, which opened up into a musty apparel section with racks of clothing, tables of accessories, and bins overflowing with shoes.
“Perfect,” Cole said, propping his hands on his hips and surveying the room with the satisfaction of a forty-year-old dad observing his freshly mown lawn. “Nobody’s here yet.” He glanced over at me. “What do you think?”
“That this is the strangest kidnapping ever,” I responded, still uncertain about why we were here.
“Did you happen to receive an invitation today?” he asked offhandedly.
My mouth parted in surprise. “How did youknowthat?”
At lunch, Chase had made an appearance at my friend group’s established cafeteria table. This wasn’t unusual—he and Skylar started dating a week before the dance—but his distribution of black envelopes closed with real wax seals was definitely different. The one he’d handed me had my name written across the front in perfect, gold calligraphy. Inside was an invitation to a costume party.
“Chase takes Halloween very seriously,” Cole explained, starting toward a table display dedicated to the very holiday he’d just mentioned; a wide range of masks, wigs, and props were laid out across its surface. “His party is the only one that comes close to rivaling our end-of-the-year kegger, but that’s because his parents are loaded, and they let him go all out on decorations and catering. I’ve only gone once, but he usually deals out invites after homecoming.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, even though he’d skirted around the answer to my question. Knowing Cole’s history, some old hookup probably texted him today to see if he wanted to go. “Why are we here?”
He picked up a feather boa and wrapped it around his neck with a flourish. “To find our costume, obviously. I wanna get a head start before everything is picked over.”
“Ourcostume?” Even though it was awfully presumptuous of Cole to assume my plus-one would go to him, my heart thumped. His assumption was one hundred percent correct, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t give him a hard time. “What if I want to take Nathan instead?”
“Do you?”
“No.”
“Then why—”
“Because,” I said, shooting him aduhlook, “I don’t remember us having a conversation about it.”
With a dramatic sigh, Cole unwound the fluffy scarf, discarded it on the table, and turned to me, his eyes wide and imploring. “Jackie,can I pretty please come to Chase’s party with you? I’ll let you choose whatever cheesy couples costume you want.”
Leaning in, I plucked a feather out of his hair. “Anything?”
He hesitated, then nodded.
“Well, how can I possibly say no to that?” I grinned and brushed the feather across the tip of his nose. “Thanks for asking, Cole. I’d love for you to be my plus-one.”
He swatted my hand away. “You know, when I first met you, I never expected someone so prim and proper to be such a menace.”
“That’s because I wasn’t,” I said with a sniff. “It’s a reflex developed from spending so much time around you and your family. I’ve been corrupted.”
A low chuckle escaped him. “You say corrupted, but I think we’ve brought out the best in you,” he replied as he gave my ponytail a gentle tug. “I love your sass.”
I blushed. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for a costume?”
“You’re right.” He turned back to the Halloween display, and after a moment of consideration, he picked out a silver, foam helmet and a matching shield. “I’m sure we can find a tiara around here somewhere. What do you think about being a princess? I can go as your—”
“Knight in shining armor?” I finished for him. “Don’t make me laugh. You’re more the pompous prince type.”
But Cole wasn’t listening. He’d caught sight of something that made him perk up and toss the helmet and shield aside. “Hey! Alex had one of these when we were kids,” he said, seizing a green lightsaberfrom a box of plastic weapons. He bent his knees into a fighting stance, then gave the sword a wave. “I think I ran over it with my bike and broke it,” he added. “We should totally go as Luke and Leia. You can wear that sexy gold bikini.”
Oh,hellno.
Cole must have clocked my reaction. Before I could open my mouth to tell him off, he beat me to it. Squaring his shoulders, he held up a finger and, in a bad mimicry of me, said, “First off, I refuse to wear an overtly sexual outfit that will result in me being objectified like a piece of meat. Second, the party is in October, Cole! Do you want me to freeze to death? And third—” He stopped ranting and frowned, but after a few seconds, he continued in his own voice. “Actually, I can’t think of a third thing.”
