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I wait for a voice

Nothing

I settle back into ain Knock-knock Low to the ground I’ht make a serviceable weapon, as I climb out of bed and tiptoe forward "Hello?" I whisper

"It’s me," the other side says "Josh"

He adds his nanize his voice anywhere, under any circuht Him Here My heartbeat accelerates I shake outbreath It doesn’t work I turn the handle silently, but my hand trembles

"Hi," he says His face is close to ainst the wood

"Hi," I reply

Josh leans against the doorfraround, which makes our eyes nearly level We study each other in silence He looks different this close He looks real Colance down the hallway It’s dark and empty This fantasy is definitely familiar…until he holds up a beer stein

I frown, but it clicks only a second later "You went! You really did go"

Josh lifts the stein in a mock cheers "I did"

I smile "Hoas it?"

"Crowded Loud" He sounds depleted "A fairground all-to-wall frat boys and drunken parents trying to escape froht in"

"Yikes That bad, huh?"

"It’s safe to say that I’ll be selecting a new destination next weekend"

"Germany’s loss"

The corner of his mouth lifts into a smile He holds out the stein, and I tuck my book underneath my arm to accept it The stein is audy and carved, with a pointed tin lid

I laugh "This is really, really hideous"

"They all were And the ones in the beer tents were even worse, plain glass with this badly designed Oktoberfest logo At least this one has a sword fight See the tiny knights in front of the Bavarian castle? It was the most adventurous one I could find"

And that’s when I realize…this is a gift Josh picked this out for ainst my chest "Thank you"

He nods at my book "How is it?"

"Good You can borrow it If you want"

Josh looks down at his sneakers, and then back up, and then back down "You know that I like you Right?"

My heart pounds so hard that he can probably feel the reverberations But – for once – the words fall easily from my lips "So stay here next weekend Go out with ht

Josh isn’t in school the next day He has three more days off for a holiday that he doesn’t celebrate I wish I could get aith it, but the idea of potentially nment makes me break out in hives But I understand that his priorities are elsewhere – his art So I’m shocked when I enter first period on Tuesday, and he’s slouched at his desk…a full five s