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“Ora field trip of kindergartners hopped up on sugar and blowing into kazoos.”

“Anyof those.”

“Onit,” she says, andIhave no doubt that she is.

Istart my car and glance in the direction ofMackenzieand her friend as they turn towardInterstate70.Ihope they stay safe.Ilike them.

CHAPTER7

EVASIONS AND PEDICURES

MACKENZIE

Ipull out of the parking lot and without really thinking about it,Iturn in the direction of the freeway.ProbablybecauseIfeel the need to drive faster thanIcan through towns.Betweenthe purse snatching, the lunch withJacewhere we didn’t really get a chance to eat, and the gas leak,Ihave an excess of adrenaline coursing through my body andIneed somewhere to spend it.

Amarathon shopping trip might’ve done the trick, but since that was cut short and our plans for the rest of the day include getting takeout for dinner and a chick flick movie marathon at my apartment,LiviandIhave extra time on our hands. “Whatdo you want to do now?”Iask asInear the freeway entrance, whereIcan either go east towardBaltimoreor west toward home.

Livishrugs. “Let’sfigure it out on the way.”

Igrin and steer the car to the on-ramp leading towardBaltimore.Weare only on the freeway for a few minutes whenInotice that there is a blackSUVbehind me, andI’mpretty sure the same vehicle was also behind me at that stoplight before getting on the freeway.

Likelyscenario: it’s someone who a) was also at the mall and had to leave because of the gas leak and b) just happens to live in this direction.

Thescenario that seems much more exciting and therefore the oneI’mgoing to act likeIbelieve:Weare being followed. (Adrenaline, remember?)

Iglance at my rearview mirror and jerk my head toward the big vehicle. “SeethatSUVbehind us?Whatdo you say we pretend it’s anFBIsurveillance team?”

Fromthe corner of my eye,Isee a smile spread acrossLivi’sface as she glances at her sideview mirror. “Well, if we’re being followed,Ithink it’s only responsible of us to try to lose our tail.”Allweek long,Liviworks with math and machine tolerances within fractions of millimeters.Ithink that’s why she really likes to cut loose on the weekends.There’sonly so much order and exactness a person can have in their life.

SinceI’mnot the only one with an abundance of adrenaline,Imake a few lane changes, but honestly, we are on the freeway— everyone here is going the exact same direction, so it’s not like we are going to lose anyone.

Livigasps as her hands flutter to her right. “Takethis next exit!Thisis the one where the road curves around big and goes under the freeway, then not far after that, the road turns in a giant three-sixty!Rememberit?”

Ofcourse,Iremember.Wefound ourselves on that three-sixty loop not long after we moved here, and there were so many roads to turn off from the main one that we couldn’t figure out if we were even headed in the correct direction by the time we got to the end of it.Boththe curving off-ramp and the three-sixty parts are densely lined with trees, making it hard to see very far in front or behind you.It’sperfect.

Istay in the middle lane until the last possible second, thenIslide over the right lane and onto the off-ramp.Ithink the blackSUVisn’t going to be able to follow us, but then it manages to make the exit, too.Thedriver probably wasn’t paying attention and that’s why they nearly missed their exit, but still,Ifelt a new surge of adrenaline course through me that they got off the freeway, too.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the most effective way to spend some adrenaline.

I’mfollowing the off-ramp as it curves widely downhill when a realization hits. “Notonly didInot get a picture withJace,Ididn’t get his number!”Thistime,I’mnot all zen about it—I’mactually pretty upset, andIdon’t think it’s just because of the adrenaline.Sure, adrenaline is about the exact opposite of… whatever brain chemical is responsible for zen-like thoughts, but it’s more than that.

Ithink it’s becauseIenjoyed myself so much both last night when he helped me out of my date and today at lunch, right after he saved my purse.Beingaround him makes me happy.He’sjust so sweet and thoughtful andnormal.Butnot in a normal way.Ina better-than-normal way, which might not seem to make sense, but wheneverIthink of him, it just fits.

And, okay, he’s also about the most attractive guyI’velaid my eyes on in…Ican’t actually think of a more attractive guyI’veseen in the past, soIcan’t say exactly how long it’s been.Hehas a shape to his face and his jaw that is just so eye-pleasing.Anda look in his eye that says he’ll step in front of a speeding bullet for you.

“Lunchwasn’t exactly a first date,”Livisays. “Youcan get a picture when you actually go on a first date with him.”

Ifollow the road under the freeway and then merge into the right lane.TheblackSUVchanges lanes, too. “You’refocusing on the wrong part.WhatifInever get a chance to go on a first date with him just becauseIdidn’t get his number or give him mine?Howoften does serendipity happen?Idecided to let the universe be in charge of getting the two of us in the same place at the same time, and it delivered.Butwhen those things happen, you have to show the universe that you’re grateful and that you want it bydoingsomething.Likeexchanging phone numbers.HowamIgoing to find him now?”

Itake a slight right onto the road that makes one big circle.Treesline both sides of this road, too, and it’s hard to see very far behind me.Butthere are a lot of cars that are doing exactly whatI’mdoing, soIchange lanes back and forth a few times, getting lost among them, hopefully.Ican see the blackSUVback about four or five cars, but only because it’s a giant of a vehicle.Idoubt it can see me.

“Well, we know his name,”Livisays. “Whatdid he say he does for a living?”

Irack my brain.Itwas something kind of vague-sounding. “Businesssolutions?”

“SoweGoogle‘business solution companies’ and look at the ones within a twenty-mile or so radius.Therecan’t be many businesses like that in all ofMaryland.We’lljust narrow it down by location— if he was at the mall, he probably doesn’t live too far away.”Theway she says it makes it sound like it’ll be so easy.

Isay “Okay,” and then check my rearview mirror again. “Idon’t see the blackSUVanymore.”