The Thrashers(43)

Suddenly, Julian jumped up, jarring her. “I bet I could still beat Lucy around the field.”

Snorting, Paige said, “Yeah, what’s a few broken ribs?”

“I’m serious.” He ran down the bleachers to the grass. “You down?”

Lucy smiled at him, slow and mischievous. “You’re setting yourself up for pain and humiliation.”

“This may be your only chance to beat me,” Julian heckled, stretching his quads.

Lucy was up off the bleachers and jogging down to the grass in a heartbeat. “Jo, check to see if I have my inhaler,” she called up to her.

Shaking her head at their dumb theatrics, Jodi unzipped Lucy’s clutch and confirmed that her inhaler was there. Paige agreed to time them, and Lucy and Julian set off, both sets of Converse keeping a steady pace before they started to break.

“Who’re the likely homecoming winners?” Jodi asked, as Paige sat on the bench in front of her and Zack. “Or would you rather not talk about it?”

“No,” Paige said, waving her hand. “It’s fine. Reagan is campaign ing hard. She’s probably very excited to take as much away from us as she can. And Jake Flynn is tied with Hugo Vargas, that kid who filmed a movie this summer.”

“Oh, him. Mrs. Calloway talks about him all the time. She locked herself in her office when she found out he wasn’t going to audition.”

“What’s the play this year?” Zack picked up the forgotten joint and opened Lucy’s purse for her lighter.

“Our Town.”

“Hm. Is it good?”

“I dunno. I’m currently painting ‘a town’ on the backdrop with Oliver Burns.”

The pot made her head feel light, like there was too much air being pumped in.

Lucy and Julian were halfway around, neck and neck, but she was sure Lucy was saving her energy for the final turn.

“That’s so weird that he’s talking to you again,” Paige said. “Is he the same as he was in middle school? Just like, on drugs?” She laughed.

Jodi forced herself to do the same, even though she wasn’t sure it was that funny, seeing as Zack was currently inhaling a used joint and Paige was nursing the vodka like a newborn.

“He’s still funny. We don’t have too much in common except art now, but he’s in two of my classes. It’s nice to have someone I know seeing as we don’t do a lot of stuff together anymore.”

“We do stuff. We’re doing this.” Paige looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, and Jodi just smiled back. No point in reminding her that they hadn’t been together since the drive-in. That their group chat only popped off when Jodi instigated. That outside of English, she didn’t see Paige at all.

Julian and Lucy rounded the final turn. Paige jumped down to cheer on Lucy, who was breaking ahead. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Jodi thought she could see Julian grimacing.

Lucy slapped Paige’s hand first, barely five feet ahead of Julian. They panted on their way back to the bleachers, Julian challenging her to a rematch in two weeks, with proper footwear.

Jodi’s mouth was open to tease him about blaming his shoes, but there was a flicker on her shoulder. She turned around. No one was there.

But up above them, the safety light that stayed on day and night fluttered. And went out.

Jodi stared at the bulb, waiting for it to flicker on again. A wheezing drew her focus back.

Lucy was coughing, still trying to catch her breath. “Jo. My purse,” she breathed.

Jodi grabbed the clutch that held her inhaler and walked it down the steps. When she got to the bottom, she found Paige staring up at the dark lamp, looking pale in the moonlight.

Paige’s focus snapped back, and she took the purse from Jodi with a smile, opening it and riffling through for Lucy.

Julian was lying down in the grass on his back, catching his breath. She watched his ribs move quickly. Shallowly. Fucking idiot.

“Where…”

Jodi turned back to Paige. Lucy was sitting on the front bench, wheezing. Paige was digging in the tiny bag. “You said it was in here?” she said to Jodi, eyes wide.

“Yeah.” Jodi moved closer. “It was right on top.”

Lucy coughed, hacking and hollow.

“Zack!” Jodi looked up to the fifth row of seats where he was stretched out, looking at the stars. “Did you grab her inhaler when you went for the lighter?”

He sat up. “No. It was in there on top.”

“Are you sure?” Paige’s voice was shrill. She dropped to the grass, turning out Lucy’s bag. Out fell her Juul, ID, ChapStick, two twenties. Nothing.

Lucy put her hands on her knees, bracing herself and lowering her head. Her throat sounded like there were rocks grating together inside it.

The bleachers rocked as Zack ran down. “It was right there. I saw it. I promise I saw it.”

Paige and Jodi looked up at him from the ground, and behind his head, the emergency light blinked on. Then off again.

Paige got to her feet, like she’d seen a ghost. “Emily…”

“What?”

“It’s…” Jodi braced a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “We just need to find it. Paige, stay with her.”

Jodi darted underneath the bleachers as Julian finally came over to figure out what was going on. Maybe it fell between the slats. She climbed between the bars, weaving through their favorite spot, and looked up. Zack joined her.