Book of Praan: Volume 1

Chapter 1

I dropped the box unceremoniously in the middle of the living room and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I sighed and turned my face toward the ceiling fan, trying to feel the cool air. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a streak of dirty blonde headed upstairs. That was my cue to leave. See, Alexis and I had telepathically worked out a system to avoid being in the same room at the same time for longer than two seconds. That way, the awkwardness of three years of estrangement didn't have time to settle.

I headed back outside in the cheerful summer sun, trying my hardest to look enthusiastic and not drag my sneakers down the path and to the moving truck. Once there, I outstretched my arms and waited for another box.

"It's okay, Erica," Susanna said, hopping out of the truck. "This is the last one." She held it up for emphasis.

When her back was to me, I mouthed "Thank God."

"Heard that." Right. She, like all teachers, had that magical hearing ability they seemed to use at all the wrong times.

I laughed a little. "Of course you did."

Just before Susanna stepped inside, Mom poked her head out of the second-floor window.

"Hey, Su!" she called down, looking around for her.

"Yeah, Helen?"

When Mom's eyes settled on her, she said, "Richard said he'll get started on the furniture if you want."

Susanna tried to shrug and almost dropped the box in the process. "That'd be great," she called up instead.

Mom smiled in response and disappeared from the window. Susanna turned to me and we both shook our heads good-naturedly at my mother. Susanna tried again to enter the house and almost knocked into Dad.

"Sorry, Su," he said with a small smile.

"It's fine, Richard," she said with the slightest hint of exasperation. Shaking her head again, she finally entered the house.

Dad shrugged and walked over to me.

"I feel gross," I said when he was close enough to hear. "Like, drowning in my own sweat, gross."

He just laughed. "Yeah, well, you just had to move boxes, At least you don't have to pretend to understand schematics and manuals and crap."

I snorted in laughter. "Comes with being the man of the house, I guess."

"The man of both houses, actually." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

I put a hand on his shoulder gently. "You gonna be okay? Seeing all his old stuff, I mean?"

He nodded and rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine." He paused. "Didn't see you having this conversation with Alexis."

I stiffened, leaning away from the truck behind me. "She's strong. Doesn't need me."

Right on cue, a white convertible pulled up in front of the house. A honey-blonde girl lifted her shades and smiled from the driver's seat.

"Hey, Erica," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Hey, Danika," I said with an equally grand smile. "What's up?"

"The girls wanna meet up at Little Arturo's and hang." She glanced at the truck and Dad. "You busy?"

"Well, actually –"

"Oh. My. God, is that who I think it is?" She looked past us at the house, making Dad and I turn to see what she was talking about. "Alexis Livingston?!" Danika hopped out of her car and dashed over to Alexis, who was now standing on the porch.