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“I’m not,” I hurried to say, unsure if I was busy or not. I didn’t know and I didn’t care. All I knew for sure in this moment was that Iwas goingto his birthday party. “I’ll be there.”
“It’s a fancy dress party.”
“Oh.” I scrunched my nose up. “I don’t like dressing up.”
“Yeah, me either,” he sighed. “But my mam makes us because of my birthday being on Halloween.” He offered me an apologetic smile. “Some of the lads in my class will have pound shop masks and bin bags on, so don’t worry about fancy costumes,” he added before bursting into laughter.
“What?” I grinned and shifted closer. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m just thinking about my friend,” he explained, still chuckling. “He’s dressing up as Peter Pan.” He choked out another hearty laugh, and this time a snort escaped. “He has green tights and everything.”
His laughter caused me to laugh along with him, and I shivered when a rippling feeling settled in my belly. “What are you dressing up as?”
“Dr. Grant fromJurassic Park.”
“Dr. Grant,” I repeated to myself, tucking that information safely away. “So, no tights then?”
“Definitely not,” he mused, brown eyes twinkling with amusement. “You really don’t have to dress up.” His tone wasgentle when he added, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He looked at me for a long time before he shook his head and stood up. “I better go back to my friends.” Reaching for his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and offered me a smile. “See ya later.”
“See ya,” I replied, even though I wanted to tell him to come back.
Hugh shook his head and turned to leave, only to swing back around and lean in close. “I think you’re right,” he whispered, breath fanning my cheek.
I turned to ask him what he meant, but he was already walking away. Pulling up on my knees, I rested my chin on the back of my seat and watched Claire’s brother join a group of boys wearing the same uniform as him at the back of the bus.
Grinning, I watched Hugh take a seat next to a dark-haired boy who wrapped his arm around his neck and put him in a headlock. They both started laughing and wrestling each other, while the other boys cheered them on.
When Claire’s brother broke free from his friend’s headlock, he craned his head up and looked in my direction.
When his eyes landed on mine and he grinned, my heart flip-flopped again. I quickly sank back down on my seat and exhaled a shaky breath. Feeling my face burn with heat, I clutched his invitation to my chest andsmiled.
THISIS LIZZIE?
Hugh
OCTOBER 28, 1994
WHENIBOARDED THE BUS AFTER SCHOOL ONFRIDAY, IFELT LIKE A SOLDIER BEINGsent on a dangerous mission. Because I justknewthat anyone my crazy sister attached herself to was going to be a menace, and I had to invitefourof them to my party. To theirfaces. Worse, Joe picked Gibsie up after school, so I didn’t have him on the bus to back me up, and Feely was enjoying my embarrassment too much to step in and help. One of her friends didn’t take the bus, so Claire had taken her invitation to school with her this morning to hand over, but that still left three of them.
I spotted Pierce’s twin sisters sitting with Claire, so with a grim expression on my face, I trudged down the aisle, stopping when I reached them. They turned to look at me at the exact same time, smiling the same smile and speaking the same words at the same time.
I knew they couldn’t help being identical, but it creeped me out so bad.
Jesus, I was so grateful I didn’t have to live withtwoClaires.
With three down and one to go, I had every intention of finding the last girl, handing over the invitation as fast as possible, and then booking it back to my friends. What Ididn’tintend on was freezing up in the middle of the aisle when my sister pointed outher.
Holy crap.
Thiswas my sister’s friend?
This is Lizzie?
I used to think my sister had the lightest blond hair I’d ever seen, but this girl’s hair waswhite. Likesnow white. Her skin was so pale it was almost see-through, like one of Claire’s porcelain dolls. She didn’t have a single freckle on her face, either. Not even one.
