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Annie eyed him sharp and keen the next day.

“You didn’t used to smoke,” she said. “I saw you yesterday, through the window.”

Walt shrugged.

“This is a steel town. Almost everyone over forty does it. Plus, I got these off Jorge, so consider them victory cigs.”

Annie pulled her backpack strap tight.

“They’re saying you knocked him out in one hit. That’s pretty wild.”

Mouth.

“Pretty lucky.” Hollis laughed. “It was a very ‘knees weak, arms are heavy; there’s vomit on his sweater already, Mom’s spaghetti’ sort of scenario, Annie. I didn’t even go there to do that; I was looking for you the whole time, but Clementine distracted me and then Timothy manhandled me down the stairs.”

Annie hummed, “I heard she’s still pissed at you. She wanted to ask you out.”

Gross.

Be kind.

“Yeah, that was never going to go the way she wanted. I’m not even slightly interested in her. Anyway, it’s been days, why are you asking me about this now?”

Annie scraped the heels of her boots against the sidewalk as they walked, kicking up little puffs of ice dust.

“Someone recorded it. Didn’t see it till now. You looked cool, Hollis, like someone in a movie.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

It felt strange thinking about that moment with Annie. It felt private now, like telling her about a hookup or something.

For the first time in over seven years, their walk to school was awkward.

Worse than the very first time, when they didn’t know each other at all.