Page 54 of Places We've Never Been

“What secret?”

“That’s the point, I have no idea. It just makes me feel like something is going to be sprung on me.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.” And I really didn’t. “I’m trying to figure itout.”

“I’m really good at snooping,” Paisley said. “I’ll help you.”

“Deal.”

***

The blisters on my heels that night proved we had walked way too much at Olympic Park that day. We were staying in Park City for two days, which meant no driving that night. Which meant the Huttons were in their own RV.

I sat on the couch, putting Band-Aids on my heels, when my phone buzzed beside me. It was from Willow and my heart seemed to leap to my throat when I saw it was a picture. Was I about to see what medicine my mom had in her cabinet? Or what suspicious mail had been delivered recently?

But when I pulled up the pic, it was of a girl I didn’t recognize standing by a lake and laughing at the camera. She wasbeautiful. The sun was going down and she had the ethereal glow that only the last drops of sunlight could create.

Who’s that?

Riley?Willow texted.Or maybe this is Riley.

The next picture she sent was one of a guy wearing a hat and eating a massive M&M’s cookie.

Are you stalking Skyler’s social media??

Who? Me?

Stop!

Oh, please. Don’t tell me you haven’t done it.

It had actually been a while since I’d looked through his social media.I haven’t!

How is the hot demon anyway?

Back and forth.

Between?

Indifferent and punkish.

Hmm. Maybe he’s still trying to decide if you’re in love with him or not.

He better not be. Pretty sure I’ve proven that I’m not.The quiz we’d taken the night before and my reactions to some of the questions made me cringe now. Maybe Ihaddug that hole deeper. Maybe that’s why Skyler hadn’t wanted to answer the question about how he used to make me feel better. Was he worried I would think him hugging me meant something more than it had?

Have you really proven you’re not in love with him though?Another picture came through.

This one was a candid shot of me and Skyler. We were in mybackyard by the pool staring at something on the towel between us. Our foreheads were touching and this didn’t seem to faze us at all.

I racked my brain trying to remember what was on that towel. A bug? A frog? It could’ve been anything. That was kind of the point. This picture could’ve been taken almost any day of any summer we knew each other, that’s how often a scene like this occurred.

Pretty sure little Norah adored little Skyler,Willow texted.

Where did you find that?Was it on his social media? Why would he be posting childhood pics of us?

In that scrapbook in your living room.