Freestyle

20

I've been to New York a bunch of times, mostly with my grandma and step-grandpa Howie. So I've done all the touristy stuff before, like the Ripley's! museum and Niagara Falls. My grandma's real thorough about these types of things: every vacation I get means I see everything.

This time feels different though. The city still smells of pee and stale barbecue and there's way too many cars and people like always, but there's something in the air that I can't put my finger on. Something new, exciting, fresh. Maybe it's because I'm older, or because I'm not with a parental figure. Whatever this feeling is, I don't know if I like it yet.

"So. Good news." Chloe says as soon as she picks up her phone. "I've got Monday off."

"What's the bad news?" I ask, sharing a look with Hannah. She pulls a face but then goes back to taking photos. We're standing by my car in one of those overpriced New York parking lots.

"I can't leave until four." Chloe says. "And my boss is in a bad mood, so I don't think it'd be a good idea to have you guys over here right now."

I look at my watch. It's just past one in the afternoon and I was hoping we'd get to meet up for lunch or something. The way Chloe was going on yesterday morning made me think that she was free as a bird.

"That's okay." I decide. "We wanted to get some sightseeing done anyway, visit Central Park or whatever so we'll see you later."

"I can meet you in the park! It's not too far from my building, just one train."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan."

I wave Hannah over from the other side of my car as I say goodbye to Chloe. She waits patiently but as soon as I'm done she pulls a face, wrinkling her nose up until her eyes disappear.

"You hate the Knicks, right?" I ask. She nods. "Good. I don't wanna be seen caught dead in one of their t shirts, and if you made me buy one I don't think I'd talk to you until we got back down to at least Orlando."

She laughs. "Just for that, I'm getting you a Knicks sweatshirt for your birthday! And you'll have to wear it at your fancy college."

I open my car door and get my baseball cap. "I'll just burn it."

We start gathering stuff to take to Central Park after I promise her I won't actually burn the sweatshirt. Hannah grabs one of her blankets and we pack a bunch of snacks in both her purse and my backpack. Before we leave, I send a text message to my mom telling her we're in New York. She replies with a thumbs up.

I haven't spoken to my mom in almost a week, and the only thing she's said in that time is a cool thumbs up. What?

Annoyed, I push the thumbs up out of my brain and try not to think about what it means. I busy myself with teaching Hannah about what I can remember of the New York public transport system instead. She keeps mentioning BART and it takes me a while to realise she's talking about San Francisco's public transport instead of The Simpson's character.

"Do you miss it?" I ask her once we're on the train. "San Francisco, I mean."

"Totally." Her face goes thoughtful for a few seconds. "I miss my friends, the weather, everything. But it's fine. I'll be going back for college at the end of summer anyway."

"I'm going to college near San Francisco too." I frown. We visited the city when we went to Berkley last year, but I wasn't paying too much attention. Seemed like a cool place anyway.

"I've never asked – what college are you going to?"

"Berkley. This is our stop." I stand up early. She just stares at me. "Hannah get up, the doors are about to open."