Page 9 of Four Weekends and a Funeral

Happy Birthday!!

9:03 AM

Alison:

Thanks!

OCTOBER 9:

10:19 AM

Alison:

I’m glad we ran into you at trivia last night. Thanks for your help with the sports questions!

12:37 PM

Sam:

I could tell it thrilled Mara to finally win.

12:39 PM

Sam:

We should do it again. I’ll bring a ringer.

OCTOBER 16:

8:47 PM

Alison:

Tell me this is a joke.

After that, there’s nothing.

I shift my butt on the damp rock and tap on my missed text from Adam.

3:04 PM

Adam:

No.

No? No to what? To whether I can bring something on Saturday? Or is this his way of saying there’s “no” good time for me to come over? Ever? There isn’t even punctuation or an emoji to offer clues. What am I supposed to do with a one-syllable answer to a multipart question?

I stuff my phone in the pocket of my fleece. Minutes pass before Mara clasps her hands together and announces, “I think we can count this as a moderate success and quit while we’re ahead. It’s getting very True Detective–y out here, and I don’t have time to solve a murder today.”

Chelsea pulls her foot into a standing quad stretch. “Yeah, I need to head out soon. Ritter wants me to stay over tonight.”

She at least has the decency to look guilty for cutting our afternoon short, but her excuse being her new boyfriend Ritter—a crypto entrepreneur—is adding insult to injury. I like him even less than Mara’s most recent ex-girlfriend, who shoplifted “for political reasons” and once brought a whole rotisserie chicken into a movie theater.

My head flops backward in defeat. “Fine. You’re both dismissed. Thank you for accompanying me to this future crime scene.”

I didn’t tell them about the iCal alert from Sam or why my need to be on a trail, any trail, couldn’t wait. I wasn’t sure they’d understand. I’m not sure I do.

I fall in step behind Chelsea, who leads us downhill at double speed. “I’ve decided to view this whole ‘fake girlfriend’ business as a good thing,” Chelsea says. I hear Mara snort behind us. “Physically sorting through his belongings will help you mentally sort your feelings. Put it all in literal and metaphorical boxes.”

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