Wishing Season by Anica Mrose Rissi

Author:Anica Mrose Rissi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

24

An Unexpected Invitation

On the second day of thunder and lightning, Lily sat at the kitchen counter and moped. She pushed the soggy bits of cereal around in her leftover milk, and hit the sides of the bowl with her spoon in a way she knew would annoy Anders if only he were around to hear it. Clink, clink, clink went the spoon for the forty-sixth time when, outside, she heard a crunch, and an unfamiliar car pulled into the driveway. Someone jumped out the driver’s side and ran up the path, holding a sweatshirt over their head for cover. A second later, there was a knock at the back door. Lily opened it, and there stood Quinn.

“Hi,” Lily said.

“Hey,” Quinn replied, slightly breathless. Water poured down behind her, so Lily stepped back to let her inside. Quinn stood on the doormat and glanced around, but her eyes returned quickly to Lily. “Get your stuff. I’m kidnapping you. I need someone to play board games and drink hot chocolate with,” she said.

Lily stared at her in surprise. “Where are your normal friends?” she asked before she could think better of it.

Quinn ticked the answer off on her fingers. “Sara’s at camp, Mads and her dad went to Bangor to run errands and see a movie, Nolan and I hung out yesterday, Avery’s working as a dishwasher at Haystack, and Payton’s essentially grounded all summer. Not that I’d call any of them normal,” she added. “We wouldn’t be friends if they were.”

“And you’re . . . you’ll be driving us?” Lily said. She wasn’t stalling on purpose. It just was taking her brain a minute to catch up to this turn of events. And she didn’t think it was wise to drive with someone who didn’t yet have a license.

“My mother’s in the car. She’s probably moved over to the driver’s seat by now. Don’t worry; we’ll keep you safe. This isn’t that kind of kidnapping.” Quinn lifted both eyebrows. “Any more questions?”

“I have to come home if it stops raining,” Lily said, thinking out loud. Quinn nodded like that seemed reasonable. “And I need to tell my mom where I’m going.”

“Of course.”

Lily ran upstairs to get her backpack, which would keep the notebook dry.

Climbing into the back seat of the light blue hatchback in the driveway, Lily said hello to Quinn’s mom, who introduced herself as Ellen, and slid over to make room for Quinn. Quinn didn’t follow her into the back though, the way a friend her own age might have done. Instead, she buckled into the front passenger seat and cranked up the song on the stereo. Ellen caught Lily’s eye in the rearview mirror and winked before turning the car around and steering them on their way.

It was a brief ride to Quinn’s house—just long enough for the pop song to end—but by the time they got there, Lily’s anticipation and curiosity were so big, she thought she might burst. Being allowed inside Quinn’s home—inside her bedroom too,

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