Chase darts a quick glance at Andrew, as if he’s trying to figure out what to say, as if he needs help. “What the hell, Danielle?” This is probably the first time a girl has ever spoken to him like this—Chase Brosner, star of the basketball team, the hockey team, and the lacrosse team. He’s been everyone’s crush since sixth grade.
“What?” Danielle asks, bringing a hand up to examine her cuticles.
“You’re being crazy.”
“I’m not being crazy,” she says. “I’m just saying something you don’t like.”
“Fine,” he says, his tone sharp. “We can be friends. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Good, I’m so glad you understand.”
“Cool.” He shakes his head and pulls his backpack up over his shoulder, and then lumbers out of the cafeteria. When he’s out of sight, her gaze hardens. Andrew turns to Danielle, looking at her like she’s a puzzle he’s trying to solve.
“But I thought you liked him.”
“He was clearly about to screw me over, and I’m not going to let him get away with that twice. So I did it first.”
“You couldn’t have done that in private?” I ask.
“I needed witnesses,” she says. “Now he can’t make up a story. I dropped him and you both saw it.” She takes another bite of salad and sighs. “I win.”
SIX
HANNAH AND I meet in the student parking lot after school. She’s agreed to take me job hunting, per my parents’ notion that teaching me responsibility will make me stop attending any of Andrew’s parties; as if he would ever let me.
“Ready to face your punishment?” she asks. “Firing squad or electric chair?”
“Definitely poison,” I say.
“That’s how the cowards do it.”
We walk together across the parking lot to Hannah’s Jeep. She got it used for her sixteenth birthday, and at this point, I’ve ridden in it almost as many times as she has. It’s stopped snowing now, but there’s still a light dusting on the ground. The sun is out and the parking lot is white and glittering. For the first time in months, it almost feels like I don’t need a coat.
I take off my woolly mittens—a gift from Hannah—and stuff them into my pocket. She knitted us each a pair for the holidays this year, and mine are scratchy and lumpy and I love them.
“So, where am I taking you?” she asks. “Do you know any places hiring? Would they hire you back at Green Mountain Grocery?”
“I’m not working at Green Mountain again,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “Those were dark days in my life.”
“Where’s Andrew gonna work? He’s in this too, right?”
She pulls open the driver’s-side door and I climb in on the other side, knocking the snow off my boots. As usual, the floor by my feet is littered with trash—dirty plastic coffee cups stuffed with napkins, old school folders and binders, papers spilling from the sides. Knowing Hannah, there are probably some essays from sophomore year down there, forgotten and disintegrating. I’ve learned to ignore the trash problem, which is saying a lot, for me.
“Yeah,” I answer, shrugging. “You know how his uncle works at the fire department? He’s gonna help there.”
She starts the engine and turns on the fan. “Wait, as a fireman? Are we okay with him doing that?”
“Just in the office,” I say. “Are you kidding? I would kill him if he got anywhere near a fire.”
“Does he get to wear a uniform?” She side-eyes me, grinning.
“Hannah, no. We’re not in a porno.” This is a new low, even for her.
“Fiiiine,” she says, stretching out the word with a sigh. “Can’t you help? His uncle is basically your uncle too, right?”
“Apparently it only takes one person to make coffee and sort mail.”
Andrew and I loved Uncle Leroy when we were kids because he’d sometimes let us climb up into his fire truck. But one time, I ate too much fried dough and threw up on the front seat. I’m not sure I’ve ever been forgiven for that.
“That sucks,” Hannah says. “Andrew throws a party and gets a glamorous job out of it, and you get stuck with the electric chair.”
“Poison,” I correct.
She pulls the Jeep out of the parking lot, tires spraying slush onto the sidewalk, and heads in the direction of the university. As we drive closer to campus, cresting the hill on Woodhaven, the same bright Dunkin’ Donuts sign from yesterday comes into view.
“Here are some stores that have employees,” Hannah says, her voice deadpan. “If you’re lucky, they might need some more.”
She turns into the lot and slides the Jeep into a parking spot. I look at the stores spread out in front of us, feeling depressed at the thought of working at any of them. At the end of the lot is an old sad Chinese restaurant, aptly named “Chinese Food Restaurant,” the once bright letters of the sign faded to a sickly yellow. It’s the mecca for Prescott stoners because the all-you-can-eat buffet is only $5.99. I went there once with Andrew and Hannah in tenth grade, and we all got food poisoning and spent the rest of the night sprawled out on the floor of Andrew’s room in pain, taking turns running to the bathroom.
Another reason I can’t wait to get out of Prescott: better food. Last year, I went with Hannah and her parents to New York City to check out NYU. We all already knew she was going to apply—her parents pretty much never stop talking about it—but we wanted to see the campus for ourselves. We ate at so many cool places—breakfast burritos at a corner bodega, lunch at her mom’s favorite secret ramen spot, and dinner at this amazing Indian restaurant with food so spicy it made me sweat. That’s what I want more of. Green Mountain Grocery doesn’t even sell hot sauce.
Next to Chinese Food Restaurant is an old video store Andrew and I used to love when we were kids. I’m actually kinda surprised to see it’s still in business. A while back, it started stocking textbooks to sell to students and then opened a cafe in the front of the store. I guess coffee and cookie sales have kept it afloat, but the new Dunkin’ Donuts will probably put an end to that.
“I’m leaning toward prostitution,” I say.
“Look! The video place is hiring.” Hannah grins. I think at first that she’s kidding, but sure enough, when I squint my eyes I can just make out the red hiring sign tacked to the front of the store.
“No.”
“Let’s at least go check it out.” She pulls open her door. “This could be the start of your glorious film career.”