Page 37 (1/2)

"Well, that’s not necessarily bad You’ll see He probably just wanted it more romantic Or maybe he’s sorry he didn’t have the cojones to kiss you first"

"Maybe," I said But I’d heard the regret in his voice and seen it in his eyes

"Don’t worry too er looks at you, I have no doubt he’ll coht, but not daring to believe too strongly It would hurt less if I never truly hoped

"So, is he picking you up tonight?"

"No He’s taking care of so The O’Connells are really big into hunting," Penney said, picking up her half of the garbage bag again "They use the abandoned uns echo clear over here soer is a perfect shot and the army tried to recruit hihteen And the CIA, too But I don’t know if that is true"

A wave of unease washed over uns or hunting to me before"

"Are you serious? He and his dad seeer was in elee clothes every day, and at recess he had the other students pretend to be wild animals and he’d pretend to shoot them Kind of creepy, if you ask me But I suppose, if you have a buttload of money, you can afford to be creepy" She dalena, I’ is"

I ser’s creepy"

When the restaurant was put back to rights, I got h the kitchen

"Is your boyfriend picking you up tonight?" José asked jovially, glancing up fro

"He’s notdalena," Naalyehe said

"I will," I proaer, evenher Scrabble tile onto the board "But there’s nothing like spending tietting so good at Scrabble, you er comes back"

On Thursday afternoon, I went to the park an hour before I was scheduled to work and watched the guys play Ultier would be there He wasn’t Walt seeh to see me and said if they were ever short a player he’d put er suddenly removed from my life I wondered, at tireat dream and I’d just nooken up to reality

But then I’d think of Kat’s icy blue eyes watching me, or take one look at the clothes crammed into my closet, hardly worn name-brand clothes, and kneas for real Plus, I couldn’t have dreahly that any tirocery store, at the park, or in the restaurant, li in a city populated with Hispanic and Navajo h the Navajo guys I’d played Ulti into the Navajo Mexican every day for lunch, I never saw Bridger

Since I had discovered what life was like with a friend, life without one felt even lonelier, as if Bridger had increased the depth of loneliness I was capable of experiencing It sucked big ti

27

I could feel the pull of the full moon when I rolled out of bed Shash looked at ot to ed his tail and spread out in my bed