Page 92 of Rules for Rule Breaking
Winter laughed. “I made you realize you were unhappy? Great.”
“You know what I mean.” He cradled her against his body. “You going to be okay without me in Boston?”
She didn’t have time to respond. Kai and Emmy cut in. Kai got Bobby in a headlock, ruffled his hair, and gave him a rough kiss on the forehead. Bobby wiped it off, and the two broke into a contactless boxing match. Emmy took Winter by the hand and twirled her. The four of them danced like idiots in the middle of the room with their arms in the air while the strobe lights hit them and disco music blared.
Truthfully, Winter didn’t know if she’d be okay in Boston without her friends and family, but the prospect of having them to come home to filled her with an immense joy.
Winter Park
45. WE WILL NOT MAKE IT WEIRD
Hour Three
The room had thinned out considerably. It was past midnight, so it was far beyond some of the seniors’ bedtimes. It was after Winter’s bedtime too, if she was being perfectly honest. When she stayed up, it was only to sit outside and watch the stars. She decided to do just that for a moment.
Looking through the windows of the senior center, her eyes fell on Bobby. He was back-to-back with Kai as Emmy stood on a chair to compare their heights. Kai was very obviously at least five inches taller than Bobby, so she didn’t know why he needed to hear it from Emmy’s mouth before he accepted the truth. The three of them laughed, and Kai scooped Emmy off the chair and placed her back on the floor.
Winter enjoyed a few minutes of peace, breathing in the thick, humid air that smelled of mown grass and moist earth before she heard Emmy call, “Winnie!” Emmy made her way outside and locked Winter in a protective back hug. “What are you doing out here?” They swayed with the trees as the warm wind blew them back and forth. “Are you hiding from a certain well-dressed Lactaid ad who is completely obsessed with you?”
“I freaked out on him in Boston. I don’t see why he isn’t furious with me.”
“Easy. Because that boy is clearly in love with you.”
“Oh, shut up,” Winter said with an airy laugh.
“I’m serious,” Emmy said, flipping Winter around and holding her by the shoulders. “Bobby swore me to secrecy, but you’re my best friend, not him. He called me yesterday and told me about how you seemed really scared of losing me as a friend, so he bought us plane tickets to Nascar Kuja... Kullajeq? Umm... I don’t know how to say it, but it’s somewhere in Greenland.”
Winter blinked, confused. “I’m sorry. What?”
“ ‘Narsaq Kujalleq,’ ” Emmy said, reading it from her phone. “I don’t know. He said something about you meeting me halfway? I zoned out when he started listing off coordinates.”
The conversation Winter had with Bobby on the balcony their first night in a hotel came to mind. He told her she needed to meet people halfway. Why was he so literal? At least he wasn’t sending her to the middle of the ocean.
Winter looked pleadingly into Emmy’s eyes. “Emmy, I want him... like, bad,” Winter said, clenching her fists.
Emmy nearly choked. “Girl, you’ve been giving him mixed signals all night. What are you so afraid of?” she asked, smoothing out Winter’s unruly hair.
“I don’t know! I’ve never felt like this before. And now he said he might be moving to California next year. Is there even a point? There are plenty of other fish in the sea, right?”
“Yeah, but you’ll never catch any of them if you don’t grab a pole.”
“Emmy!”
Emmy laughed. “You need to relax and let him know what you’re feeling. I’ve seen the way he’s been looking at you. I don’t even think he realizes there’s a party going on.”
“I can’t. It’s too weird.”
“Ugh. Come with me.”
She pulled Winter back inside, down the hallway, into the supply closet where the bingo cart was kept. Kai and Bobby were sitting on the floor with a few bottles of champagne. Winter turned around to leave, but Emmy pulled her back inside by the collar. She grabbed the nearest bottle, took off the cage, and the cork hit the ceiling.
Winter sat next to Bobby. They briefly made eye contact but quickly looked away. Her body warmed like she was sitting under the sun on that beach in Maryland again.
“It’s been a while since I was in a good cuddle puddle,” Kai said. He was using Emmy’s stomach as a pillow.
“I wish you could all come to Europe with me,” Emmy said, her head in Winter’s lap.
Winter stroked Emmy’s hair. “Didn’t you threaten my life recently for saying I didn’t want to go to MIT anymore?”
