Page 99 of Fun and Games

A beadof sweat rolled down my temple, soaking into my hair. I grunted as I lifted the cardboard box and carried it down the front steps and out into the car.

For someone who traveled light, I sure had picked up a lot of junk along the way.

I dropped the box into the trunk with a whomp and winced when I thought I heard a cracking sound. I hoped whatever it was hadn't been breakable.

It was a game of real life Tetris as I shifted the moving boxes and bags back and forth, trying to make room for all of them. When I had collected so much stuff?

I still had two more boxes to try and fit inside the trunk when my phone rang. It was Sheila. I took the excuse for a break and leaned against the car as I pulled out my phone.

"Today's the day?" my sister asked me when I answered.

"Yup." I glanced at all the boxes, bags and the one large suitcase. "Funny how much stuff you pick up when you move around."

"I wouldn't know," she said. Sheila had never left our hometown. "Are you excited about life's next great adventure?"

My sister sounded oddly sad underneath the bright tone. Even though she'd just visited, it hadn't been long enough, and I knew she still missed me.

"I'll come visit soon," I told her.

One of the moving boxes started to slide sideways, and I hurried to catch it before it toppled over.

"I never was good at Tetris," I mumbled to myself, juggling the phone in my one hand and the box in the other.

"What?" Sheila asked.

"Nothing," I told her. "I'm just—"

"Bree."

I froze.

My mouth was still open, in the middle of forming words.

I slowly turned around to face the voice. The box fell to the ground.

* * *

Mason stood in front of me.

"Bree—" He also looked at a loss for words, his hands dangling uselessly at his sides, flexing his fingers unconsciously.

"I gotta go," I told my sister, and hung up before she could respond. I put my phone back into my pocket, keeping my eyes on Mason the entire time.

He looked better than the last time I'd seen him. There were no longer purple bags under his eyes. He'd taken the time to style his hair.

But the anger in his eyes, that dark look of betrayal and pain… it was gone, replaced instead by a sort of wild desperation.

We stared at each other. He took a deep breath, as if ready to say something, but simply let it out instead. I took my eyes off him and reached down to pick up the fallen box. He rushed forward to help me.

"Let me get that," he said, taking the box from my hands. He went to put it into the trunk and found no space for it. He stood there, stymied, confused and even a little despondent.

I took pity on him and pushed aside a bag to make room. He set it down in the freed space.

"I never was good at Tetris," he mumbled.

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh hidden behind my hand.

Mason looked at me, wary, unsure of my reaction.