Page 14 of Room to Breathe

“I might hate both of you after tonight,” Ava teased.

“I’mthe one in the middle,” I said, guiding us toward the side gate that was propped open.

Ava pretended to trip and I hip-checked her.

“This would’ve been even funnier with four,” I said. “Maybe next year we can reprise it with Beau.”

“You don’t think Beau will be doing another couples costume next year?” Ava asked.

My brows drew together. “You think? Harper is endgame?”

“You don’t like Harper?” Caroline asked.

“I like Harper a lot,” I said, perhaps a bit defensively.

“But?” Ava asked.

“I just don’t think she’s the love of his life. They’re too different. She thinks all the things that make himhimare weird.”

“I’ve never noticed,” Ava said. “Like what?”

“Like when he sings songs in odd voices or how he is the biggest know-it-all about the most random stuff or how he remembers every tiny thing anyone tells him.”

Caroline gave me a sideways glance but didn’t say anything. Did she think I was wrong? That he didn’t remember every tiny thing about everyone? Maybe that was just for me. Because we were closer.

The music was loud; I could hear it from the street when we’d gotten out of the car as individuals and pulled the pod portion of the costume out of the trunk, positioning ourselves inside of it. Now it was even louder as we walked through the gate.

I’d never been to Harper’s house, but her yard was big—a lit-up gazebo in the middle, surrounded by cement, which was surrounded by grass. Most of the people standing around had not fully committed to their costumes. There was someone in a pirate hat holding a hook for a hand, but the rest of his outfit was just street clothes. There was someone in a witch hat and a supercute black dress and flip-flops. One person was wearing glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth—I could see them across the yard—but there was nothing else to the costume. The rest of their outfit was just a striped T-shirt and shorts.

And then there was Harper. I couldn’t even tell what she was. She was wearing a purple minidress with a purple headband. My eyes scanned the yard for Beau. I found him adding sodas to an ice chest, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

“I’m beginning to think that Harper pulled a prank on us. Or maybe she wasn’t serious when she said she would turn uncostumed people away,” I said.

“Worse,” Ava said. “I think these people think theyarecostumed.”

“What are they supposed to be?” I asked.

“Which underachievers are you referring to?” Ava asked.

“Beau and Harper.”

“Fred and Daphne?” Caroline guessed.

“From Scooby-Doo?” I asked. “That’s a five-person team!” Why was I so offended that they didn’t want to include us in their costume?

“That’s probably why they didn’t want to tell us,” Ava said.

“Fred and Daphne don’t even exist without Scooby and Shaggy,” I huffed.

“They are independent characters with their own dreams and goals,” Ava teased.

“I would’ve been a good Velma,” Caroline said.

“You would’ve rocked Velma,” Ava agreed.

“Is it too late to go change?” Caroline asked.

“Yes,” I said. “We are here. We are owning this.” When I said the words, I propelled us forward. “Right foot first,” I said when we all stepped at different times with random feet. “Do we need to count steps?”