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That was how I’d forever reuy behind the counter earing a checkered shirt and black horn-rilasses, and was hunched forward on his elbow as he worked on a crossword puzzle from the newspaper He lifted his eyes disinterestedly as we approached--a halfhearted atteht of Tyler, he dropped his pencil and hopped up frorin spread wide andthan his what-the-hell-do-you-want glance had It was clear that when he chose to, like now, he had an infectious quality about hiuy went behind the desk excitedly and reached beneath the counter "This caht of you"

Tyler took a step closer, and I tried to see around him Whatever it was--and froazine--it had Tyler’s full attention now

Tyler leaned forward, pursing his lips "Can you take it out?" Tyler asked, his voice low and filled as unmistakably awe

"Dude, of course I can take it out But trust me, I’ve already checked it from cover to cover It’s practicallyfor" The clerk slipped it from the plastic sleeve that protected it, and Tyler’s eyes ide as his fingers cautiously, gingerly, reached down

When he brushed the cover, I saw hi was seriously important to him

All I could see was faded print and creased pages, and a chunk e of the cover

There was clearly a discrepancy in our interpretations of "practically led over the price; Tyler just laid down several bills, way ht anyone should ever pay for a relic like that

Tyler put his prize back in its plastic covering, and the guy behind the counter double-bagged it for hi it more than obvious that you should never be too careful when it co your secondhand junk

I cleared lanced my way self-consciously, as if he’d only just re there the whole time "Oh yeah Hey This is Kyra," he told the clerk, who had also suddenly noticedto a close At first the guy gave me a quick once-over, like he wasn’t all that interested And then he did a double take, and his gray eyes scoured me with laser intensity I squirmed beneath his examination

He frowned then "I know you," he told me as if it were irrefutable "Fro as he tried to nail it down "Did you go to E hi if I’d ever seen hiton"

He nodded as if thatto decipher where he knew me from I was sure he didn’t look familiar to me, so I couldn’t help him out I was almost positive we’d never crossed paths before

And then he snapped his fingers "I got it! I got it! You’re that girl! The one ent nized you Man, your face was everywhere Everyone kneho you were" He grinned his infectious grin, only this time I couldn’t return his smile "Heard you were back What the hell happened to you anyway? Where you been all this tis felt wobbly, and my stoht actually recognize me after all the efforts that had been o And that when they did they ht ask questions I wasn’t prepared to answer--couldn’t possibly answer I turned to Tyler "I--I think I’ll wait outside" I staggered away froet out froazines that felt like they were closing in onor not because I didn’t care

In my rush, I crashed into someone before I could etic "I’lanced up only briefly as I went to brush past him

"No worries," the dark-skinned boy ht his eyes, which were unusually copper colored, but then I kept going, through the storeroom and out into the alley behind the shop That hen I realized I didn’t have the keys, and I was locked out of the car It didn’t ey stench of the alley, because it was better than the suffocating scrutiny of too many one-sided questions

The back door of the bookstore opened, and I glanced up to find Tyler standing in the dooratchinghis features

"I’m okay," I said before he had the chance to ask

"I’m sorry," he told me, his voice low and rumbly near er side door My heart rate tripled at having him there, at my back, so close I could smell the crisp scent of his soap

But I didn’t want hiize, because none of this was his fault

"Please Don’t worry about it," I begged "It is what it is, right?" When the door opened, I collapsed into the seat Melted into it, ing was aa lot of tiuard is all No big" I flashed a quick smile up at him, the kind meant to reassure him, because I really wanted him to believe what I’d said I wanted to believe it too And then I changed the subject "I don’t get it" I nodded toward the Fort Knox of all bags he clutched in his hands "All that fuss over, what, a co smile