Saving Hamlet by Molly Booth

Author:Molly Booth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2016-09-09T04:00:00+00:00

The ride over was a teensy bit awkward—I barely said anything, and I laughed too much at everything Brandon said. But he was relaxed, and it was starting to feel like it used to, before the play got so…Hamlet-y.

We parked in the big lot downtown. Halloween lights and decorations on the shops cast an orange glow all over the pier. Luckily it was busy and noisy, with everyone walking around in their costumes, so I didn’t feel I needed to say anything. I went to open the door to the Outerspace Café, when I realized Brandon was still walking. I hurried to catch up with him as he opened the door to the other coffee shop a few stores down. Lulu, Stanley, and I avoided this place—the drinks came in sizes that we couldn’t pronounce, and the color scheme was sophisticated and bland.

But there must be something good about it, I thought as I trailed after Brandon. Or he wouldn’t have brought us here. A few tasteful green and yellow gourds were their only Halloween decorations.

“Why don’t you grab a table by the window?” Brandon said. “And I’ll get our drinks. What kind of coffee do you like?”

None. Because I’m a nine-year-old. “Um…I think maybe I’ll just have tea?” I scanned the menu, but I was so nervous it might as well have been written in Elizabethan English. “Something black, but with a lot of sugar.”

Brandon looked bemused. “Leafy sugar water, coming right up.”

I laughed nervously, and then grabbed a table by the window. I hopped up onto the sleek, high silver chair. From my seat, I could see the Outerspace Café, sparkling with purple lights, a big, toothy jack-o’-lantern sitting on the stoop outside the door. I longed for a cushy booth and, if I was being totally honest, for someone I felt more comfortable talking to.

But I was with Brandon, who I had liked forever, who was buying me tea, whose butt I could check out as he stood in line.

This is actually finally happening. I forced myself to appear relaxed and smile as he brought over our drinks. He looked so good in his black V-neck, jacket, and tight jeans, his hair pulled back into a curly ponytail. With his overall cool factor and my short hair, I couldn’t help thinking: We probably totally look like a college couple.

“Here you go, tea with extra sugar.”

“That’s a lot of tea,” I said as Brandon set down a huge mauve mug in front of me.

“Yeah.” Brandon slid onto the chair across from me. “This place recognizes the need for bowls of caffeinated beverages.”

I laughed. He took a sip from his equally huge cappuccino, and when he brought the mug down, foam covered his top lip. I imagined kissing it off, like they do in the movies, and felt shivery, and then repulsed at my own cheesiness.

Okay, okay, now what?

Take a sip of your tea, Emma.

TOO HOT TOO HOT. NOT ENOUGH SUGAR. GROSS.

I managed to swallow without coughing.

Good. This is going to be fine.

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