Page 43 (1/2)

ONE

“Hot or cold?”

“Hot I hate being cold You know that about h it was the middle of summer, which was probably what prompted Cooper’s question It was hot So hot that sas beading on the backs ofin line for the movie on the beach for twentyforward to when the sun went down and the breeze picked up

He shook his head “I do know that, but Ito death or overheating?”

“Morbid” I pursed ht, that’s a different question I’ve heard that dying fro cold is blissful”

“Who did you hear this fro you?”

“Yes Every day Speaking of, would you rather be cursed with seeing ghosts or zombies?”

“Cursed? Cursed?” He gripped one of my shoulders and shook it “Neither of those is a curse inI’ll take them both”

“That’s not how the rules work You have to pick one”

“Ghosts Hopefully they can tell me about my future”

“Ghosts don’t know the future,” I said as we shifted forward in the line, inching closer to the ticket table Sand slid between my foot and flip-flop and I shook it free

“Says who?”

“Says everybody, Cooper If anything, ghosts know the past”

“Well, yours hosts It will be awesome”

The girl standing in line in front of us turned around and s Because he was She was around our age Her hair was pulled up into a purposefully messy bun and I wondered how people made that look purposeful and not just messy

“Hey,” he said to her “How are you?”

“Better now,” she said with a giggle, then turned back around

I shooknext to the boy you’re flirting with”

I was sure by , but Cooper still put his hand overhere Just friends Said guy is totally available”

I freed h the “just friends” part was not by choice I had, in fact, professed o that very month It had been s were not reciprocated So I had to play it off like so with And I let him, because I didn’t want to lose him as a friend He was the best friend in the world

A voice sounded fro out with your best friends one ht for the trip your parents are dragging you on for the entire summer?”

I whirled around, a ss, Rachel My eighty-year-old grandpa uses that word,” I said

Rachel stood there with her hands on her hips and her dark eyes sparkling “That’s where I picked it up And he’s only sixty-eight”

I bu “How did you knoere playing would you rather?”

“Aren’t ays?”

“I thought you weren’t going to ht,” I said

There were four of us in our tight-knit group of friends: Cooper, Rachel, Justin, and one for the summer on atomorrow for a tour around Europe with her parents So for the rest of the summer it would be just Cooper and me

“Me too Now, back toor best friends?”

“That’s a tough one, Rach,” Cooper said “Probably packing”

She shoved his arm “Funny”

We finally reached the front of the line Cooper stepped up to the covered table that served as the ticket booth every Friday night throughout the su behind a cashbox said, “Are you Cooper?”