about starting any lockdown activities to pass the time?”
“Activities? I can think of a few we could do together…”
She scoffed. “I’m talking about something productive or creative. I don’t know—knitting or origami or something.”
I struggled not to smile as I imagined myself actually sitting down and trying to fold pieces of paper into animals. I’d probably get a load of paper cuts. “Do I look like a knitting or origami kind of guy to you?”
“No,” she admitted. “But it doesn’t have to be knitting or origami. I was just giving examples. Like Zoey says she is doing puzzles with her parents.”
“I don’t do puzzles either.”
Clary stared at me for a moment before she responded. “Sometimes, I wonder if you’re difficult just because you can be.”
“Sometimes, I wonder if you like it.”
Clary smiled and shook her head, but she fell silent as I pulled onto her street. The lighthearted look on her face slowly lowered as we stopped outside the front of her house. There was concern flickering in her eyes, and I knew she was thinking of her parents. I hated she had to worry about them, but I felt powerless to help. Not even making her laugh again could hide the hard truth. Her parents still had no way home.
She took her phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen. She seemed to check it every few minutes, and there was a brief flicker of hope in her eyes whenever she brought it out. As soon as the screen lit up, the optimism in her gaze dissolved, her shoulders sank, and she quickly put the phone away. I assumed there was still no good news from her parents.
“So, do you know what mailboxes you want to put your cards in?” I asked, hoping to pull her from the sadness that appeared to have taken hold of her.
Her eyes were distant for a moment until they gradually seemed to focus on me. “Yeah, I have an idea.” Her expression turned more determined as she hopped out of the truck and set off down the street. There was no more joking around after that.
We spent about an hour on our little expedition, and I was sad I couldn’t somehow make it drag on longer. I didn’t particularly like the idea of returning home so soon. I hated being trapped inside the house, but I knew it was against the rules to remain loitering on the street.
We had just about reached my house again when I noticed someone standing on my front lawn. Her white-blonde hair was fluttering slightly in the breeze, and my gaze was pulled to the letterman jacket draped across the back of her shoulders—my letterman jacket.
“Is that Shelly?” Clary asked, leaning forward to get a better look.
A tight knot formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down. “Um, yeah, I think so.”
“What’s she doing on your front lawn?”
I shrugged. I was as confused as Clary, but the fact Shelly had my jacket on made me feel distinctively uncomfortable. She hadn’t noticed us approaching, but the moment I pulled my truck to a stop, she turned and her face lit up.
I hesitantly opened the door and left the safety of my truck, not sure I was ready for what was about to come.
“Hi, baby!” Shelly squealed as she ran toward me.
I jumped back and lifted my hands up in front of her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shelly, what are you doing?”
She was a few feet from launching herself into my arms, but she came to an abrupt halt. Confusion flickered across her eyes.
“Sorry, we should be social distancing, right?” I added, lowering my hands, which were still raised in defense.
“Oh, I really don’t…” Her voice trailed off as she noticed Clary climbing out of the truck, and her eyes flashed with betrayal. “What are you doing with her?”
I wasn’t sure why she sounded so upset. “Clary and I were just running some errands,” I explained.
“So, what, are you two dating now?”
A snort escaped Clary’s lips as she came to stand near us. “Um, no. I’m just staying with Aiden’s family because my parents are stuck overseas.”
Shelly’s gaze softened slightly at this. “Oh, that sucks.”
“Tell me about it,” Clary muttered. From the way she glanced in my direction, I got the feeling I was a big part of the reason why.
“What are you doing here, Shelly?” I asked, focusing on her again. “You know we’re all supposed to be staying at home and keeping away from