Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman

Author:Michelle Adelman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

19

I RACED TO OPEN THE DOOR, BUT THERE WAS ONLY HARRY and darkness. Nate wasn’t back yet, which meant I had time to relax a little first, which was perfect—until I heard him.

“I think we have some beer left in the fridge,” he called from the doorway.

I wanted to make a break for the bathroom, but the trunk got in the way of my foot.

His friend Byron caught me rubbing my toe. His hair was slick, his shirt fitted, and his jeans fancy; they hung loosely from his waist and draped over his shoes at the perfect angle. Every piece of him was in place.

“You okay?” he said.

I examined my toes. No blood. Did they notice the blood on the cushions? It didn’t seem like they did. I wondered when they’d realize the lamp was destroyed.

“I hope we didn’t wake you,” Byron said as Nate entered with beer.

“No, I wasn’t sleeping.”

“Then you should hang out,” he said.

He cracked open a can and handed it to me. It was cold and light in my hand.

I watched the lamp and made a move for it while they were talking about some “asshole bartender.” If I could just somehow hide it—

But I wasn’t subtle enough.

“What happened here?” Nate said, eyeing the pieces on the floor.

“Nothing. It’s just a little— it was an accident. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.”

He sighed. “With what? Your tool kit?”

“I have an extra one at my place,” Byron said. “You guys can have it.”

We thanked him, and then it was quiet for a minute.

“Damn,” Byron said to me as I chugged.

This reminded me that I was still visible to them, and that you weren’t supposed to drink alcohol as fast as soda.

“Rough night?” he said. “I’ll get you another one if you promise not to pound it.”

“Sure,” I said. “Why not?”

Nate glared at him. Maybe the beer was expensive, or he was worried I’d get drunk. There was that one time in Mexico. That was last summer, our last trip together, the only time we’d left the country. At first Dad had wanted to take us to Israel, somewhere with spiritual significance, but Mexico was closer and cheaper, and ancient civilizations all had something in common, he told us, before he promised that we’d end up seeing the rest of the world eventually, that we’d start by making a bigger trip the following year, which would have been this year, which probably wouldn’t have happened since we didn’t have any money for trips. But we didn’t know that then, which made all of the stories about the Aztecs and the pyramids and the iguanas and jalapenos all the more exciting.

On the boat ride to Isla Mujeres, Dad and Nate sipped cervezas while a man in a cheap Superman costume came around to our table and insisted on squirting shots of 7 Up and tequila into each person’s mouth.

Superman stayed with me for a while because I kept closing my mouth too soon, and the shots kept dribbling down my chin and onto my shirt.

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