Dreamer Chapter 6

“So…” Rich began.

 

“Don’t say it,” I murmured, trying to ignore his voice. I glanced over at the others, seeing if they were paying attention, and really hoping that they weren’t. Rich could get embarrassingly vocal about his thoughts, and I had a fair idea of what he was going to say. Nothing that Abbie wouldn't know about already- or to be fair, any of the others for that matter- but awkward to hear out loud all the same.

 

He ignored my words and continued, “You and Abbie, huh? Guess I was right. I knew it all along, man. You were asking all about her, and then you two made out in the middle of the cafeteria, and then you broke up, and now you’re back together. You know, you coulda told me about your woman problems. I'm a lady's man, and I coulda hooked you up with somebody else. But hey, don't matter now, 'cause you two're together. I do like a happy ending. Nice catch, too, Dyer. She's pretty fine.” He winked at me suggestively.

 

“So I've heard.” My voice had a definite edge to it. “Several hundred times now.”

 

At this, Ellie gave me a death glare that appeared so lethal that I felt obligated to look away in fear of my life. Geez. What I said wasn't that sarcastic or rude, and what Rich had said was far more offensive. Pretty sexist too. Lucky that Abbie didn't really care, or else Rich's face would probably have been plastered against a wall.

 

Really, I had absolutely no idea what I had ever done to Ellie to deserve this level of antagonism. From the very start, she had been against me, and she had been so happy when Abbie had followed her lead… But, whatever her hidden agendas were, they’d been foiled. We were together, and that was all that mattered now. One day though, in the far future, I'd have to ask Abbie what Ellie's problem was with me. Not that I really cared, but I was known to get curious...

 

We were all back together at our old table, with the addition of Abbie, Lucy, and unfortunately, Ellie. Since I had Abbie and Lucy to be myself around, I wouldn’t have to lie and put up a facade towards my old friends, and our friendships could be rekindled. Only Rich would listen to my apologies- I had tried to apologize to Winnie and Julia, but they wouldn't hear it- they insisted that I had done no wrong. They had all taken me back with open arms, which was more than I deserved.

 

Rich forgave me, blaming the arrows of Cupid for my behavior the last few weeks, and welcomed me back with a bone-crushing bear hug and a huge grin that spread out across his entire face. Winnie had just smiled serenely, having known that I probably would have come back sooner or later- and very glad that I had returned sooner. Julia, to general surprise, had left all reservations aside and kissed me on the lips in her rush of happiness, which Abbie didn’t seem to mind at all. She must have seen in Julia’s mind that she didn’t mean anything by it, or else she would have minded. That was a situation I would not want to negotiate anytime soon.

 

Julia, Rich, and Winnie had no qualms with sitting with the newcomers, although Ellie always looked as if she was about to throw up just from sitting at the same table as me. Really, now. If she hated me that much, surely she could just find a new table to sit at? Was her loyalty to the Randall sisters that extreme? What was she, their lap dog?

 

Lucy caught my bemused expression and barely suppressed her resulting laughter. Inconspicuously tilting her head to the side, she made eye contact with Abbie, who was also unable to hold back a small smile at whatever Lucy was thinking. This one-way conversation was maddening. I really had to wonder how their father put up with it, considering that he didn’t exactly know that they were talking to one another silently. I would really have to meet him and figure out what kind of person he was… For all this, he had to be one interesting being.

 

Abbie snuggled closer into my side, wrapped her arms around me, and whispered into my ear, “Don’t worry too much about Ellie. She’s just jealous.”

 

Although she didn’t hear us talking, Lucy sensed that we needed to talk about something and began talking to the others, who reluctantly looked away from us to discuss the local music scene and the various merits of local bands- Ellie was the last to take her eyes off of us, glowering the entire time. Goodness. Maybe Lucy really could read minds too. There was no possible way anybody's intuition could be that precise. Taking the opportunity, I looked into Abbie’s eyes.

 

Jealous of what?

 

“Don't worry about it right now. Now's not the right time for me to tell you... Maybe later, when we're alone by ourselves.”

 

“What?” Rich seemed suspicious, like he was suspecting that we were talking about things we shouldn’t have been. He was a great friend, but he got the wrong ideas far too often. Product of an overimaginative mind, or just another victim of teenage hormones? “What’re we talking about here? Dyer, Abbie, do you two have something to tell us? Don't tell me that you-”

 

“Nah. We were just messing around. Inside joke.” Lucy’s voice was so persuasive and layered with truth, I would’ve believed her myself. She changed the subject quickly. “So, what about December Meltdown? I think they're a bunch of Radiohead ripoffs, but they've got a few good songs. What do you think Rich? I know you're into grunge, but have you ever heard of them?”

 

Before Rich had a chance to say anything else, Winnie accidentally knocked over her water bottle, causing pandemonium as everybody tried to get their things off the table and find some napkins to mop up the mess.

 

“Sorry guys! I thought I'd put the lid back on!”

Lucy laughed. “You probably did. These cafeteria water bottles are so stupid... Most of them leak too... By the way, Dyer, you got water on your jeans, and it looks like you peed your pants. You might want to go and dry that off.” With that, she turned her back to us and walked away towards her next class, whistling the “Hall of the Mountain King” motif. What a character.

 

Julia retrieved a mountain of paper towels from the bathroom; eying it fugitively, Rich mumbled something unintelligible and left the cafeteria hurriedly. Winnie reached for a paper towel, and halfway through the motion, she suddenly froze.

 

“Winnie? What's wrong?” Julia was by Winnie's side in an instant.

 

“I forgot I was supposed to be at a meeting! Shoot! I'm late! Sorry, I owe you guys!”

 

And with that, she was gone too, leaving me, Julia, and Abbie to clean up the huge water spill. We worked silently, but comfortably; it was kind of like the quiet periods that often occurred when I was talking with Lucy, except that the silence was somehow... Different. Every person has their own distinct voice and manner of talking, and it seems that every person has their own way of being quiet. I helped Julia soak up the last of the water as the bell rang. Shoot. I was going to be late again. Ms. Cooper was going to kill me.

 

A pair of small, warm hands grabbed my waist from behind, and Abbie’s voice spoke in my ear. “Meet me in the shack today after school, alright? Sorry about leaving you, but I've got to get to class... If I'm late one more time, Mr. Green's going to give me detention. And you know how tough he is.”

 

“M’kay. No problem. I’ll try not to keep you waiting today.”

 

Abbie smiled and kissed me gently. She looked Julia in the eyes for a second, and then, unexpectedly, she snickered to herself: loud enough for me to barely make out the sound, and too soft for Julia to hear. I looked at her with a question in my eyes, but she merely started walking towards the door, a teasing smirk on her face.

 

Julia looked at me with something that looked like unnecessary concern as Abbie walked off, and I could tell something was bothering her. Knowing her, she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong unless I provoked it out of her; she was just one of those people. Not secretive, but not exactly an open book either. “Julia? Is something bothering you? Is there something you need to get off your chest? Is that creep Tommy still following you around?”

 

She looked at me with the same concerned eyes- I hadn't noticed before. They were a vivid green, and absolutely stunning. Being around Abbie made me notice things like this more often... “No, it's not about Tommy, although he's still stalking me. Dyer... Well, don't get offended or anything, but you and Abbie haven’t, you know…” Her cheeks turned a delicate pink as she trailed off, and as her words sunk in, I could feel myself flushing as well. Was this how people saw us?

 

“No, of course not! What’d make you think that?” I was honestly confused by her question. Abbie and I hadn’t done anything that would cause people to think in that direction, had we? Not even in private, and certainly not in public. Besides the... Episode in the cafeteria, but that was long past and forgotten. Mr. Hamilton didn't even give me a hard time about it anymore. Julia seemed to hear that honesty in the tone of my voice, and blushed, unbelievably, even harder. Several guys passing by wolf-whistled at her, and she instead of losing her nerve, she let it all out. Typical Julia.

 

“Well, just now, she was talking about meeting up after school in some shack… And maybe there’s something I’m missing, but that kind of makes it sound like… Well, and she didn’t have a problem, a while ago, with you on the cafeteria floor… You've got to understand though, that's what it sounded like to me! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion. I should trust you more than that...” The chagrin in her voice was so strong, it was almost painful to listen to.

 

“Oh, no, no! Of course not. Don't worry about it. It's all chill.” I deliberated for a second on how much detail to give her. “It’s just that Abbie, Lucy, and Ellie all made this little shack house thing from scratch, and we like to hang out in there sometimes, to get away from everything else. Nothing happens that I wouldn’t tell you about, inside or outside the shack.” I grinned at her.

 

Julia’s eyes were ashamed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have automatically thought of that, but-”

 

“No!” I interrupted her. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know, so it would’ve sounded that way to you. I’m not mad or anything. Don’t worry.” My reassurance worked; she smiled, and nodded.

 

But there was something else that was bothering her; that much was written clearly on her face. “Is anything else upsetting you? Do you want me to go have a talk with Tommy? If you'd like, I can get that creep to stop following you around...”

 

“No, it's not about Tommy. Well… He's a problem, but not the problem I want to talk to you about. It’s not really as urgent as the other one was, but…” Again, the same picture of concern flashed onto her face. It reminded me a bit of my mother. And in a way, Julia was like my second mother. A mother that I was best friends with, and one that didn't hover over me at every possible second. Maybe that's also why I couldn't find her attractive in any way that wasn't strictly platonic.

 

“But what? Come on, you know you can tell me anything.” Whether I was consciously intending for it or not, my voice turned out sounding soothing.

 

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” she complained, and blushed again.

 

I nearly smiled. “It’s okay. I'd think anything would be okay after asking your male best friend if he has sex with his girlfriend in some shack after school.”

 

What she had to say must've been serious- she didn't even crack a grin. “Well, Dyer… I guess it's going to sound weird again, but... Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” The layers of her voice revealed nothing but genuine anxiety, and like her last, this question caught me off guard.

 

“What? Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got my best friends back, I’ve got Abbie at my side, and Caroline hasn’t gotten much grumpier… What more could I want?” Beyond anything else, I was bewildered. Had I said something? Was I acting weird?

 

“Your face just looks… Sickly, I guess. Like you haven’t been getting enough sleep at night, or like you’re not eating enough, or…” She smiled in spite of herself. “You’re making me sound like Caroline.” So I wasn't the only one who thought Julia could pass as my second mother.

 

I laughed with her, hoping that she wouldn’t hear the false note of panic; the truth was that I’d been so scared to go to sleep, I hadn’t for the last few days, in fear of losing control of the dreamer powers. As a result, my face looked sallower and thiner than usual. And even before that, I'd noticed that one time that I looked pretty unhealthy, to no satisfactory conclusion of my own. So she was right on about everything, which meant that others might be able to realize that something was up with me…

 

“Don’t worry,” I lied brightly, “I feel fine. A lot better than I’ve been feeling in a while.”

 

At this, her mood whiplashed again, and suddenly sounding rushed, she gushed, “Sure. That’s great. I’ll see you next period. I’ve got to go do something. Run an errand. If Ms. Cooper asks, tell her I’ll be slightly late to biology.” Her eyes flashed an out-of-the-blue anger for half a second, but it wasn't just anger. It was an inferno, a fire that almost burned me with its intensity, and deeply rooted- there was something there. Pain and betrayal. Like a dog who'd accidentally been kicked by its owner. And then, just like that, coolness extinguished the fire. Before I had a chance to respond, she turned her back on me and started running, in the opposite direction from our next class.

 

Things were feeling oddly wrong, for some reason, even though I knew that everything was right, logically. It was just as I had told Julia: Abbie and I were together and I had all my old friends back.. It was almost disturbing how well everything was going for me... But what was wrong with Julia? I'd never seen her act like that...

 

With this mystification, I set out to endure the last two classes of the day, my mind already drifting ahead to the shack...

 

***

 

“So, Julia was being sort of moody today…” I began, looking straight into Abbie’s unwavering eyes, “and I was kind of hoping you know why.” Her body, barely touching mine, tensed uncomfortably, and she bit her lip, staring straight ahead at one of the lamps.

 

Lucy snorted from the other couch, incredulous. “Is it that hard Dyer? Maybe I was wrong when I said Abbie was finally dating somebody intelligent.”

 

Ignoring her facetious grin, I kept looking at Abbie pointedly. “Well?”

 

“Well…” Abbie bit her lip and looked away from me. She let herself be vulnerable, and through her eyes, I could almost literally look into her soul. Worry and self-doubt worked their way into the features of her all-too-perfect face. “Look, don't jump the gun on me, okay? It’s not like she’s exactly jealous of me, but…”

 

As the puzzle pieces came together, there was almost an audible click in the dead quiet of the room as my brain figured it out. I looked up to Lucy's expectant gaze. Abbie was still looking determinedly at a few loose threads on the couch. “She… Likes me. As more than just a best friend.” Something else seemed to turn in my head, and I turned to Abbie with wide eyes. “You're jealous of her too.”

 

“Oh, no, no!” Abbie said, blurring the words together to get them out faster. “You’re still just a best friend in her eyes. Just like you don’t see her as being attractive because you’ve known her so long, she doesn’t see you in that light at all. And...” She hesitated, uncertainty now the dominant emotion. “And even if she did, I couldn't hold it against her. I don't think I could.”

 

The confusion came back, and bemused, I asked, “So where’s the problem?”

 

Lucy spoke this time. “She’s still jealous, naturally. Think of things from a nice and sensitive girl’s perspective, if you can.” She winked at me. “Here’s a best friend, who happens to be male, who’s never felt any serious attraction to any other girls, right? And since he doesn’t have someone to love in a way that's not platonic, she became the most important girl in his life, as a childhood best friend. Suddenly, here comes this random other girl, who’s also a good friend of hers, who just takes her best friend away from her. Suddenly, she’s not the important female in your life anymore.”

 

I was quiet for a minute while I tried to make sense from that, trying to ignore Abbie and Lucy’s unashamed stares and Ellie’s unforgiving silence. Finally, I spoke. “Of all the things she could be jealous of, it has to be this.” Thinking to myself again for another minute, the shack fell into the same tense stillness, until a new thought came into my head. “Oh!”

 

Only Ellie seemed to be unaffected by my outburst, looking out the window, determined not to hear anything I said.

 

“What?” asked Abbie eagerly, acting as if she couldn't see what I was thinking anyways.

 

“There aren’t any other… Potential problems with any of my other female friends, are there?” It was egotistical to think that there might be, but I had to make sure.

 

“Now I know how you felt when I was asking you all those questions from before,” grumbled Abbie in a joking tone, trying to ease the situation.

 

I wasn’t going to get deterred that easily. “Are there?”

 

She cleared her throat. “Winnie’s not a problem, I think. She thinks of herself as a best friend for life, and nothing more. Julia, we’ve already discussed. That's everybody, isn't it? Unless you want me to go through every girl in every class you have?”

 

But I could tell she was holding something else from me, and even Ellie looked up with alarm as the tension elevated to a new level, a strange emotion in her eyes…

 

“And that’s all?” I asked.

 

“Yeah,” said Abbie and Lucy simultaneously.

 

I frowned, and instead of answering, I just wrapped one arm around Abbie, deep in thought. Who could it be that they were all so determined to keep me in the dark? Did they think I would be angry or something? Was Abbie just trying to keep me to herself? There were no answers to these questions, so the most I could know was that it must be somebody important, because even Ellie, who always ignored me, had thought it interesting enough to pay attention to, to even be concerned about…

 

“So, what can I do to make Julia feel better?” All other things aside, she was still my best friend, and if there was anything I could do to make it easier on her…

 

Abbie and Lucy exchanged another quick glance before Abbie answered. “Just make sure she knows that you enjoy being around her, and that you appreciate her. Spend some time with her. Over time, the feeling will probably disappear.”

 

I sighed. “What would you ever do without your mind-reading?”

 

She grinned a twisted and sarcastic smile. “That’s easy. Rely on Lucy’s intuition instead. You'd be really surprised at how much she can pick up from an everyday conversation. She's a master at interpreting word choice, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language. She ought to become a peace diplomat or something.”

 

Lucy laughed from the other couch, and even Ellie cracked a smile from her recliner, although it quickly disappeared behind her usual moody expression. That’s when I knew for certain. There was something here, something that I wasn’t being told…

 

“So, what were you going to tell me in the cafeteria today?”

 

“Later, Dyer. Now's not the time either.”

 

Lucy's eyes began to circle around the room, stopping at each person present.

 

The tension cranked up another notch.

 

Suddenly, Abbie’s eyes lit up, and she stood up, pulling on my hand. Immediately, understanding flashed in Lucy’s eyes, and she darted over to where we were standing, grinning like a manic and eyes flashing.

 

“What-” I was cut off.

 

“Don’t deny it, but you’ve been itching to meet our dad, right?” asked Lucy.

 

“Yeah, but I don’t see a reason why I have to now-”

 

“Neither do we, but it’d be fun, wouldn’t it?” asked Lucy eagerly. “At least, I don’t think we really have a reason,” she added, glancing up at Abbie.

 

“Well,” Abbie stated matter-of-factly, “I think that now’s just a good time as any other time, and he’s been dying to meet you too, Dreamer. Let’s not make him wait a lot longer. Besides, you don’t have any homework tonight, and how often does that happen? I have Coach Hughes for first period, and I know that he always assigns a mountain of homework... Best you take this chance while you can.”

 

Ellie stood up as well, and I could see another flicker of pain before coolness replaced it. “Am I invited?” she asked, and I realized that this was the first time she had spoken in my presence. Somehow, it reminded me of Julia’s voice- soft and unassuming, although Julia’s was more melodic when she spoke- Ellie’s voice wasn’t monotonic, but it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as Julia’s.

 

For a second, the Randall sisters looked puzzled at the question before understanding lit their faces- Lucy understood immediately what was happening, but Abbie had to glance over at Ellie’s eyes, which didn't escape her notice. Ellie wasn't necessarily nice, but she was no idiot. “Of course,” said Lucy, speaking with chagrin. “You’re always welcome, Ellie. You know that.”

 

She just shrugged, and frowning slightly, she stormed out of the door without another word. Questioningly, I tried to meet either of the Randall sisters’ eyes, but they both seemed to suddenly become extremely preoccupied with their fingernails.

 

“Shall we go, then?” asked Abbie in a perfectly unconcerned voice- it made me suspicious.

 

“Sure. Not like I have a choice anyways,” I muttered, feeling a bit annoyed at all the sudden secrecy. What in the world was it to affect everybody so much?

 

“That's the spirit.” She tilted her head to the side and kissed me briefly. “Cheer up Dyer.” She looked around, making sure nobody else was listening. “I'm sorry about having to keep things from you right now, but I promise I'll tell you everything in due time.” Abbie grasped my hand, and pulling me to her, she put her arm around my waist and started walking out of the shack, into the humid and unappealing woods, dragging me along with her.

 

At least I would get to meet her father now.

 

***

 

A five minute walk southwest of Atway High school brings you to a nice little suburban neighborhood, where every single house can pass for one another; the only real difference between any of them is the number on the mailbox. Each house is precisely the same shade of beige, and was constructed using the same set of blueprints, with a few minor compensations allowing for geological differences. This is a great source of amusement to the people living there.

 

“Say, might I borrow a can of soup? We're fresh out, and I'd go out and go shopping, but I have water boiling on the stove.”
 

“Sure! Let me show you to the pantry.”

 

“No, no, it's fine. I know exactly where it is.”

 

“Fancy that.”

 

It is in this area where the Randalls live, and they occupy the last house on the street. Now, this house was plotted to be built on a hill, and so, the blueprints didn't quite work out well for this stretch of land. The construction company was on a strict budget, so they let none other but senior executive architect William Randall draw up and construct this last house. He liked what he had built so much that he decided to buy it for himself.

 

But that's not what makes it stand out from the rest of the houses. William Randall took the liberty of painting his house sky blue, and did it brilliantly- whatever shade of blue he had used, it strongly resembled Abbie's eyes. Due to Lucy's dislike of small, enclosed spaces, he had linked her room to a giant garden in the back, and installed several large windows so that she could simply glance upwards, and see the outside world as it was. Abbie, on the other hand, much preferred a few moderately-sized windows that let in small patches of sunlight that she could curl up in.

 

Because the land for that particular house was much larger than the land given to the other houses, the Randall's house was significantly larger than the others, although you couldn't tell just by looking- William was truly a master of architectural matters.

 

Of course, I didn't know any of this when I first went for a visit.

 

The blacktop was cold and hard- winter was really on its way- and it didn't do anything to help raise my spirits. Yes, it was true that I'd been dying to meet William Randall, but at the same time, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Was he one of those fathers that would shoot a boyfriend over some misspoken words? Or would he be a bohemian-minded hippie? I wouldn't be surprised, considering his children's personalities. Maybe he'd be a bookworm like Abbie.

 

My worrying didn't escape Lucy's notice. “Hey, don't be fretting about anything. Our dad's pretty cool. He's kind of like us. You can be yourself around him. He's not one of those hot-blooded, overprotective fathers who go and follow their daughters to the movies and beat up their boyfriends if they try to make a move on them.”

 

Another classic Lucy-contorts-a-sentence moment.

 

“If you can get used to being around me and Lucy, then you'll feel right at home with dad,” Abbie agreed.

 

“That makes me feel a bit better. What's he like?”

 

Lucy laughed. “Ah, ah, ah. You're not going to get off that easily. You'll just have to meet him and find out.”

 

“Great. I love to be surprised.”

 

Abbie turned backwards to face Ellie. “Come on! You are so slow today! You're practically dragging your feet! In a few minutes, you can go plop down on our couch, but don't hold Dyer back! It's his first time, and he doesn't like suspense.”

 

Although Ellie was a good twenty feet behind us, I could still hear her grumbling, although I couldn't quite make out the words. Abbie rolled her eyes at me, and I barely kept in a laugh. It would hurt Ellie's feelings if she knew we were laughing at her expense, and it wasn't very nice regardless. We turned a corner about a five or six minute's walk from the school, and I found myself in a monotonic sea of... Beige. I supposed that it was one of the prettier shades of beige, but... Still. Was it just me, or did all the houses look identical? Each lawn was mowed to perfection, each window devoid of cobwebs, and the street free of litter.

 

I raised my eyebrow. “You didn't tell me you lived in the perfect Utopian suburbia.”

 

Abbie snorted loudly. “Just wait. It'll get better. Do you see the house way, way, way down the road?” Her eyes squinted to focus on some distant object.

 

“Not really.”

 

“Well, let's put it this way. You'll know that it's our house.”

 

“Does it have little gnome lawn ornaments stuck in the front yard?”

 

Ellie snickered condescendingly, and Abbie gave her a warning glance.

 

“No,” I said, “that's a valid question, considering whose family we're talking about.”

 

Lucy thought that one over. “Dyer's got a point. Actually, I think that's a brilliant idea. It'd scare all the neighbors away too... They're always coming over to borrow our things... I'll have to ask dad to look into it.”

 

Abbie winked at me. “Look at what you've done. You've put Lucy into one of her stupors. She's going to be obsessed with lawn gnomes for the next few weeks now.”

 

“My bad.”

 

Lucy pointed to the house at the very end of the street. “Do you see that blue house?”

 

“The big blue thing down there?”

 

“No Dyer,” she sighed, “that's just a gigantic blue dog that's eaten too much for dinner.”

I disregarded this. “Yeah, I do.” Was that really a house? I squinted to see it better. For some reason, it looked like... I couldn't even describe it. I supposed that it resembled a house, but it looked more like one of those houses that ended up in art books. It had a big upwards hump in the middle, where the ground was raised. Like the people who had built the house hadn't bothered leveling the ground before starting construction. Weird. Was I just seeing things, or was it actually built like that?

 

“That's our house.”

 

Figures.

 

As we drew closer, the features of the house grew more prominent. I had been correct- there was a big lump in the middle where the ground hadn't been leveled out. The paint was a great electric blue color- very bright, but light, but not pale, all at the same time. For some reason, it vaguely reminded me of Abbie. This was her type of color. Matched her personality, and it kind of looked like the color of her eyes. Not exactly- nothing could get that exact shade, but the paint job was pretty anyways. It appeared that there were some huge windows in the roof- a sunroof? Woah. I hadn't been expecting that. Not in the middle of a moderately-sized suburban house. But then again, these were the Randalls...

 

I didn't know much about house design techniques, but I could tell that some seriously unorthodox methods had been used in constructing this house. Whoever had done it did a pretty good job of it though- the aesthetics were somehow pleasant, and the unusual design was accented by the rest of the identical houses. Clashing, but not unpleasantly.

 

We reached the end of the blacktop and stepped onto the driveway. From where I stood to where the cars were parked, every square inch of pavement was covered by various drawings and patterns, creating a dizzying collage of colors and images.

 

“Don't tell me that this is sidewalk chalk?” I asked.

“Nah. Chalk washes off too easily. This is sidewalk paint, covered by a coat or two of varnish so that it'll never fade away.” Lucy pointed to a huge sketch of a bare tree with a number of brightly colored birds on it. “That one's mine.” She gestured towards a darker, moodier one depicting a thinking man, head in hands. “That one's Abbie's.”

 

“I could've guessed that. They match up with your personas pretty well.”

 

Lucy didn't seem to hear this and looked around wildly. “Hey, Dyer? Abbie? I'm just puling at straws here, but I think Ellie's disappeared.”

 

Abbie shook her head and said, “I figured she'd end up going home. She doesn't feel very comfortable around us anymore, you know. Not since-” she gestured towards me.

 

Nodding pensively, Lucy trotted up the step and walked into their house, leaving me and Abbie still walking up the driveway. From inside the house, I heard her calling out to William. “Hey dad! We're home! Guess what we found on the side of the street today?”

 

Abbie turned to me and said, “I hate to say it about a friend, but it's probably a good thing that Ellie's gone. We're going to talk about things that she doesn't want to hear about.”

 

She shot me a loaded look. Was she referring to what she refused to tell me at lunch and in the shack?

 

A lower-pitched voice resounded within the house, and I remembered that there were more pressing issues at hand. My heartbeat grew louder and faster as I looked at the house. I was about to meet my girlfriend's father, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

 

Abbie held my hand tight and grinned her closed-lip smile. “Ready?”