Chapter Sixteen

Rod, Max, Sammy, Emily, Grey and I sat down at a table, our trays heaped with a variety of junk food. I nibbled quietly at a slice of pizza. They discussed what shop to go to next. I kept a distance from the conversation. "Alice, where would you like to go?"Rod questioned.

"Nowhere."


He looked taken back, but returned to the conversation. Grey kept glancing over at me, made eye contact quickly then looked away. It was annoying. The group ditched their trays and headed, laughing, to the next shop. I slowly put my trash in the bin. Grey stopped to tie his shoelace again. This was annoying me. His shoelace didn't even need tying.

I walked ahead. The group had already gone on, the boys telling dumb jokes, the girls giggling just as stupidly. Grey caught up to me. "Smile."

"What?" I shook my head, questioning this demand.

"Smile." My lips curled up slightly, but my eyebrows furrowed at him with a look that said, "This is stupid."

"That's not a smile."


"Okay?"

I glanced at his tall frame. Then suddenly, his hands were around my waist, and I was in the air, upside down, my hair hanging loose and waving gently against the floor. I didn't notice the quizzical stares that took in a tall boy holding a shrieking girl upside down. "PUT ME DOWN! GREY!"

Ahead of us, the group turned around. "Grey!" Emily giggled, "What are you doing? Put the poor thing down." He smiled. Grey put a hand under my back, cradled me for a quick second. Had I been madly in love with him, I would have kissed him, right there, nesting in his strong arms. However, I was not madly in love. And anyway, I wasn't nesting in arms. In fact, I was shrieking. He let go of my legs, set me gently on the floor.


"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" I was on him instantly. The group had already headed toward the next shop.

He grinned, "I sure turned that frown upside down didn't I?" I couldn't help it. My lips slowly formed a smile, and before I knew it, for the first time in five years, I was laughing. Laughing because something was funny, laughing because laughter felt right.