But by the time I make it through the crowd, Maeve is gone.
***
I’m on my way to the firehouse the next morning—tired, grumpy, and still plagued by the scent of Maeve around me—when my mother calls.
I knew I should have taken my bike this morning. Then I would have an excuse to ignore this call. Likely, Annette said something about me ditching her last night, and my mom is reaching out to rip me apart for doing something so rude and careless.
“Hello?”
“Felix!” she says, a laugh in her voice that tells me this is not ayou’re in troublecall. “Your father and I just heard about what happened last night.”
My mouth goes dry. Maeve and I in the elevator?
“I can’t believe you were trapped in that elevator. Poor Annette had no idea. She thought you were trying to avoid her.”
I swallow down my answer, knowing that if I sayI was,it’s not going to go over well. I’ve already tried telling my mother in a million different ways that I amnotinterested in Annette. She just doesn’t want to hear it.
Or, maybe she just thinks she knows what’s best for me. I’ve never been great at making responsible decisions.
“Oh,” I say instead, because that’s neither a lie nor the truth.
“Anyway, have you asked her to the wedding this weekend?”
“This weekend?” I come to a stop, blinking against the bright sunshine and putting her on speaker so I can open the calendar app on my phone.
I have the wedding scheduled. I just somehow managed to forget about it, thinking of it as something very far in the future. Until, all at once, it’s not far in the future at all.
I’m already trying to think of a way to get out of it—I could be sick, I couldstarta fire to fight—when my mother says, her voice relaxed, “You don’t have to worry about it. I know you’ve been shy with Annette. I have a spin class with her tonight. I can talk to her about it.”
“No, Mom, that’s okay—”
“Felix, youhaveto go with someone—”
“I am.” When I say it, the line goes quiet, and I can practically hear the gears turning in my mother’s head as she tries to figure out who I could possibly be going to the wedding with. “It’s all settled. You don’t have to talk to Annette.”
She’s silent for a moment. “Okay,” she says, “but I’m serious about this, Felix. Your father and I are going to be embarrassed if you’re coming to these weddings on your own.”
I feel a twinge of guilt, knowing that I’ll probably be skipping the weddings altogether. My parents are good people, and I know they’re just thinking of how the pack is going to look at me—mostly through their dated lens of pack politics—but I just can’t bring myself to go with Annette.
“I know,” I say, knowing I sound more confident than I feel. “You can trust me, Mom.”
Chapter 7 - Maeve
I’m in high school again, and this is a dream I know well.
Anticipation builds as I walk down the hallway, which is mostly dark and empty. Bays of blue lockers loom on either side of me, some of them decorated with pictures and little clippings. A janitor’s cart sits pushed to the side of the hallway ahead of me.
I’m heading to see my group—the group of girls I’ve been meeting with for weeks now. Outside the windows, the snow is melting, and we’re just on the cusp of tipping into weather that is warmer than not.
As usual, I’m wearing something unflattering, a too-big sweatshirt and pants, which make me sweat. My mountain of curls sticks to my forehead and the back of my neck, and as much as I want to pull them up on top of my head to relieve the heat, I know it’s just going to expose my neck and the top of my back, which I’m also insecure about.
The longer I walk, the more the anticipation builds. Teenage Maeve may not know about it, but I’ve seen this entire scene a million times before.
Just like every time, and just like what really happened, when I pass the bay of drinking fountains on the right, Felix’s arm darts out and grabs my bicep, hauling me into an alcove, his face bright and mischievous as he looks down at me.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, fear and adrenaline pumping through me at the contact with him.
He clamps his hand down over my mouth, looking left and right. “I thought it was you,” he says breathlessly. “I didn’t know you were back.”
