Page 144 of Wicked Dreams

“That’s great, Margo,” Robert says when I suck it up and join them. “It’s hard to go to the dances alone, but from my time as a chaperone, the kids always have a lot of fun.”

“Are you chaperoning this year?”Please say no, please say no.

He shakes his head. “I didn’t volunteer this time. Lenora gets a little pissy if I’m out partying with the high schoolers past our bedtime. Besides, she doesn’t like to give candy out alone.”

Caleb laughs. “I’m sure you’re a reckless partier, Mr. Bryan.”

“That I am, my boy.”

My boy. Jesus.

“Wait, give out candy?”

Caleb eyes me. “It’s on Halloween night. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to find a dress.”

Bastard.

“Right…”

“Lenora would love to help,” Robert offers. “We never got to go dress shopping with…”

I look at my shoes. With their dead child, he means.

Robert clears his throat. “I don’t mean to bring up the past.”

Caleb goes over and pats his shoulder. “It’s okay, Mr. Bryan. I understand.”

I glance at Caleb.

My foster dad nods and pats his shoulder. “I know you do. But anyway, I’m sure you two have better things to do. It’s Margo’s first day of freedom, after all.”

“It’s only been a week of being grounded,” I point out.

“Just go with it,” Caleb murmurs. “I was actually going to go run an errand in the city. You don’t mind if I take her, do you, Mr. Bryan?”

New York City is about an hour and a half away. By a stroke of pure luck, I didn’t end up in the NYC foster system. That would’ve been… significantly harder.

Because I lived in Rose Hill, which is part of Hillshire County, I got looped into that foster system. There are enough homes and group housing around here to keep me within an hour radius.

And that meant I avoided New York City.

“What errand?” I ask, perking up. “I haven’t been?—”

“Since you were a kid?” Caleb finishes with a nod.

Robert tuts. “We could plan a day trip, Margo. I didn’t realize it was something you might want to do.”

“I used to watch all the holiday events on TV. The tree lighting and the parades…”

“I was hoping you would come with me,” Caleb says. “It’s still too early for the Christmas vibe, but…”

“Can I go?” I ask Robert.

“After that spiel?” He chuckles. “How can I say no?”

Yes.

I run upstairs and change into nicer clothes. We’re going to thecity. Manhattan, maybe? I didn’t ask the borough. Either way, it all seems luxurious and daunting. I’ve heard horror stories about people getting mugged, pickpockets, insane taxis. But over all of that is the shiny appeal of Times Square. Central Park. Horse-drawn carriages and huge, floppy slices of pizza.

---