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4.10 Lizzie/Parker

LIZZIE

Sniffling, I winded my arm back and tossed my toilet paper roll at the biggest tree in front of my parent's house. The little white roll fluttered until it hit a branch and clumsily hit a dozen more branches on the way back to the ground. My body ached as I retrieved it to throw it again.

Tonight was quiet.

The stars weren't even out. The inky black cold consumed me, and I shivered for the millionth time. My tears staining my face had frozen over for new tears to ice-skate across. I looked around at the lines of toilet paper fluttering from the trees. My parents didn't own weeping willows, but it felt like they did now. Ghosts had infiltrated our yard.

After this month, I certainly felt haunted.

The image of Parker and Emily hugging wouldn't stop torturing me. I'd close my eyes and there'd be Parker's beautiful face smiling at Emily's incredibly gorgeous face and I'd remember the last time Parker had even seen me was me wearing my stupid orchestra uniform. I sighed with my whole body, losing a piece of my soul. Probably.

Grabbing my roll, noticing there was some empty space still on the left side of the house, I imagined all the ways my parents were definitely going to murder me if they found out what I did. They'll probably figure it out when they get home and start raging about the mess. I know me. I will start crying immediately.

Or maybe I'll still be crying from today.

People will have to pay for tickets to come see the human waterfall display. Luckily, I'll be open year-round.

#

PARKER

"That's my house! That's my house!" Camille shouted, pointing at her driveway. "Oh my god! Is that them?!"

"Are those Lizzie's parents?!" Norah asked as we watched a handful of people walking out of the house, putting their jackets on. One of the cars exploded into life and light and everything inside of me started screaming. The light blinded us as we flew by.

Only a few houses down, Camille suddenly slammed on the breaks. Not even at a stop sign. Just in the middle of the road. "What are you doing?!" I cried. "We can't stop now!"

"Norah," Camille said, unlocking the car. "Get out of the car. Try to stall them."

"What?" Norah reared back. "How? No way."

"It doesn't matter how. Say you've lost your dog. Say you need to borrow a phone. You're a beautiful girl with a limp. And you won best smile in second grade! I think they'll help you."

Norah sat up straight. "You remember that?"

"If you get out of this car right now, I'll kiss your brains out later."

After a beat, Norah jumped out of the car. She quickly started hobbling down the street faster than I would without a sprained ankle. Camille slammed on the gas again and I unbuckled my seatbelt to crawl to the front seat. Settling down, I stared at Camille and couldn't stop thinking about that adorable little promise.

"Shut up," Camille snapped and smacked my arm. I just laughed, my emotions a jumbled mess as I rolled down the window and looked back. Norah managed to stop the car. I could just see her silhouette underneath the lamplight. And then, the Hernandez car lights flickered off.

"Roll the window up," Camille said.

"Wait..." I said and opened her car's skylight. "I've got an idea. Roll all the windows down."