Page 75 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
I no longer have to wear a mask to please him, or anyone, for that matter. For all those years, I made choices hoping Noah would be proud of my accomplishments, but Rynn is proud of who I am, not what I achieve. Which is why I need her by my side. Forever.
I hold out a pen and the clipboard. Noah gives a deep grunt, skimming the names as if he knows any of them, then signs at the bottom.
“There ya go. But I don’t see your name anywhere.”
“It’s at the top.”
“That says Elias Miller.” His mouth scrunches tight in disgust. “You took Kurt’s last name?”
“Yup, been in the works for a while now. Paperwork just came in. Ya know it’s also Mom’s last name. And Zee’s. He is my brother, after all. We should share a last name.”
“That giant boy is a nuisance to society. The other day he?—”
My fist collides with Noah’s cheek. Ouch. He rears back, heels tripping against the road.
“That’s the thank you I get for signing your damn form? Forget it. Forget about you,” he spits.
“Sounds right.”
Noah turns his back and walks into the sunset. Alone. There’s no telling whether we’ll ever meet again. For now, I have higher priorities to focus on. Only two signatures left.
“Elias Miller doesn’t sound so bad,” Kurt says.
My head snaps up to see my stepdad turning the corner. Kurt starts a slow, dramatic clap with a smile on his face. He wraps me in a hug, and I melt into his arms. Never has an embrace from him been so comforting. I lean into his shoulder and squeeze.
“You can do better than that, son. Break my bones. Release all that toxic energy he gave you.”
I do as he says and clench his back so hard he grunts and groans, then taps out.
“Nice,” Kurt says, pulling away. “I’m surprised you still have that strength in you after taking such a long break from rowing.
“I’ll take you out on the water soon.”
“I’m counting on it.” Kurt watches Zanther hang the festival decorations across the street.
The lanterns flash on as the skies darken.
“Your mom gave me permission to put her name down the last time we called. Need another signature, or are you finished?”
I could kiss him on the lips. “Yes! Please!”
“Oh, and thanks for selling Zee the store. I think that was the right choice. I could tell your heart wasn’t in it. You better not move away, though.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
After he signs Daniela Miller, I practically sprint to the police station and burst through the front doors.
The cops behind the counter both chuckle. “We heard all about you running around town collecting signatures, Elias, but there’s nothing we can do. Rules are rules. You need ten thousand bucks or Ms. Pozinne stays.”
My chipper demeanor is squashed. “But I scrounged up two thousand. Can we do payments for the rest?”
“That’s not how it works, sir.”
A bell dingles behind me, followed by a swoosh of wind as the door flies open. A man I’ve never seen charges into the station. Something about him feels familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. With a worried expression, brows knit together, he rushes to the desk and slaps his hands down on the counter.
“Is Rynnlee Pozinne here?”
“Who’s asking?” Officer Hudson rounds the corner.
