Page 126 of Nothing Like the Movies

“She’ll be right back,” I said to the cupid, who tilted his head but didn’t say a word.

That’s right, Cupid—shut up.

We walked through the door, but as soon as it closed behind us, I couldn’t find a wall switch. And it wasdark.

“Wes,”she exclaimed, jerking out of my hands. “What thehell?”

“I just need a minute without Cupid butting in. Where are the lights?” I said under my breath, moving my hand over the surface of the wall.

“Oh, this is perfect,” Liz muttered, and then her phone’s flashlight lit up the darkness. She gasped, “Oh my God!”

“Oh my God, indeed,” I agreed, freezing as my eyes took in all the creepiness of the rickety staircase in front of us, of the boxes of God-only-knows-what that were piled beside the steps.

“You shoved me into an attic?” she said in a whisper-scream, as if she thought someone was in there with us.

“I didn’t know,” I said, reaching for the doorknob. “This is spooky as hell.”

“Understatement of the year,” she agreed.

But the doorknob wouldn’t turn. I applied pressure, but that thing wasn’t budging.

At all.

“Okay, don’t freak out, Buxbaum, but we’re kind of maybe locked in.”

“What?”Her hand covered mine and tried turning the doorknob, but it was very stuck. “Oh my God.”

“It’s okay,” I said calmly, taking off my ski mask. “I’ll text AJ, and he’ll come let us out.”

“I’ll text Campbell, too,” she said, pulling off her ski mask and swiping into messages.

We each sent a text, our screens bright in the creepy darkness, but I wasn’t freaked out. I mean, the party was so loud that noone would hear us if we started knocking, but we had fully charged phones, and I was with Liz.

Even a terrifying dark attic seemed like a perfect place, all of a sudden.

There were butterflies going wild inside me as I stood next to her in the darkness.She’s so close.It was the last thing I should be thinking about, but my body was hyperaware of the smell of her and the way those tall black boots were close enough to touch.

My phone lit up when AJ responded:I’m on my way.

“So is Campbell,” she said as her phone also lit up.

“I’m sorry I dragged you in here.” I wasn’t sorry to be locked in the dark with her—that was a total lie—but I was sorry ifshewas unhappy to be in the dark attic with me.

I expected a snappy comeback, but all she said was, “Why do college guys even have an attic that looks like this?”

She held out her phone, illuminating the cobweb-covered boxes and blurred shapes that were packed in the small area.

“Because they’re serial killers, obviously,” I said, but my eyes were stuck on the way her hair looked in the darkness, the perfection of her profile in the dim light of the phone.

“Obviously,” she agreed, watching me watch her before quickly looking away.

There was a noise, like someone was messing with the doorknob, but I set my hand on it and it wasn’t turning. At all.

“Powers?” I yelled, putting my mouth next to the door.

I could hear male voices, but there was too much noise for me to make out what they were saying.

My phone lit up.AJ: There’s a tiny problem.

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