Page 100 of Places We've Never Been

“Why did you say it like that?” I asked.

“Like what?”

“Like there was some significance to the year we turned twelve.”

“I did?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t mean to. I was just pointing it out.”

“Okay, carry on, Mr. I Make Unnecessary Observations.”

“It’s for context, Norah. Context.”

“Okay, I have the context in my mind.”

He started reading the entry, which was written by him. “We need to think of ways to make money because I want to go to the movies. The theater with the reclining seats and good sound system. Do you think we can talk our parents into some kind of allowance? What other ways are there to make money?”

My laugh grew from a giggle to a full-on laugh as he read.

“What?” he asked.

“I remember that summer. You were so obsessed with going to the movies. Why did you want to go so bad? I don’t even remember what movie you wanted to see. Was it an Avenger one or something? You loved those.”

“I don’t remember,” he said.

“Really? You were so obsessed but don’t even remember which movie was so important to you?”

“All I remember was you did not support this plan so every time you got your allowance, you made us walk to the gas station to buy slushies.”

“An excellent use of funds. Yummm. Coke freezes. Too bad that gas station yesterday didn’t have any.”

He flipped the page.

“Did you ever earn enough to go to the movies that summer? I forget.”

“No,” he said.

“Huh. All that obsession for nothing.”

“Yeah…” He handed me the book because it was my entry and that’s how we’d been splitting up the reading—each reading our own.

I cleared my throat and began. “Do you think people buy teeth? Maybe you can pull out your molars and get something for those. You hardly use them anyway.”

“You were so unhelpful,” Skyler said.

“And super weird.”

“That was the best part.”

I rolled my eyes and kept reading. “You know what I want to save money for? A cell phone. This is the year our parents will let us have them, right? This is the age Austin and Ezra got theirs.”

“Why didn’t we get them that year?”

“Because I had to pay for half and I kept spending my money on Coke freezes, apparently.”

I couldn’t see her but Paisley’s voice came floating into the bunk. “Are you two really going to hole up there all day? You never hang out with me anymore, Norah. Skyler’s hogging you.”