Lost Roads by Jonathan Maberry

Author:Jonathan Maberry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

55

ALICE CHUNG FETCHED BUCKETS OF water from the stove three times to keep the bath hot. Each time she sank back into the tub, soaked a washcloth, and lay back with it over her eyes.

Their house was just inside the wall, and workers had built a gigantic scaffolding of pipes as a platform for repairing it. She could hear men and women climbing and clanging. There was a huge boom crane up there and she had no idea how they’d managed to get it to the big flat wooden deck. Wouldn’t they need a crane to lift it? Alice smiled, thinking that Gutsy would probably know how it was done. Gutsy knew stuff like that. She was so nuts-and-bolts. Always had been.

Alice smiled, re-wet the rag, and sighed.

Thinking of Gutsy Gomez made her smile, but even as she did so, there was an odd feeling to it. As if the smile did not quite fit. Flirting with Gutsy the other day was fun. A lot of fun, really. She’d had her eye on Gutsy for a long time, and had hoped the girl would nerve up and ask her out. But, tough as Gutsy was, she never seemed to find the guts to try.

Then there was that kiss. The first one. Alice knew that if she hadn’t made the first move, then the sun would burn to a cold cinder before Gutsy ever did.

There was a heavy caroooom as the boom crane placed another crushed car onto the wall. It made the whole house shake and sent ripples across the surface of her bathwater. Alice understood why they had to work all day and night, but it annoyed her too. Mom was hurt and resting, and this wasn’t going to exactly rock her to sleep.

For a moment Alice sat up and looked at the closed bathroom door, chewing her lip, debating whether to dry off and go check or let Mom sleep. She listened for a sound, a word of complaint, a call.

There was nothing.

The house was silent and the only noise was from the work outside.

She settled back into the water, refreshed her rag, found a comfortable angle for her head, and thought more about Gutsy Gomez. Were they an official thing? It was impossible to tell. Not with everything going on. Alice liked Gutsy but was far from being in love. Flirting with her—kissing her—had been almost a whim. Gutsy’s response, though, surprised her. The way Gutsy looked at her, the way she held on to her hand with so much strength. Did that mean Gutsy was farther along the path to something serious?

Maybe.

Alice wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Even if things were normal in town, she was the furthest thing from impulsive. She didn’t want to rush anything. Not romance. Not relationships. Not anything.

Not even her bath.

She smiled and let out a long sigh.

Alice was asleep in minutes, and she slept a long time. She slept for much too long.

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