went to the Walmart.
Oh. So he wasn’t ignoring me.
Me: That sucks, I’m pretty much lost without wi-fi
Nathan: Same!!!!!!!!
Nathan: So, I’ll see you tomorrow?
Me: Sure
Nathan: Awesome, good night Benjamin
Me: Good night, Nathaniel
The more I think about what I’m going to wear tonight, the more worried I get. Nathan still won’t tell me exactly what we’re doing, just that it’s something in Pullen Park. He’s also forbidden me from looking at the park’s website for a list of events. I’m not really clear on how he expects to enforce that last one, but I keep to my promise.
Why am I even this nervous? I shouldn’t be.
It’s not like this is a date. We’re just friends. Friends hanging out with each other and not doing anything else. I stare down at my hands, my nails naked now.
“Hey, do you need any money tonight?” Hannah knocks on my door while I stare at myself in the mirror. I’ve changed shirts three times now, finally deciding on one of the button-ups she bought me. Not the floral one. I still think that seems like it’s meant for a more special occasion. Maybe the art show if I decide to do it.
“I don’t really know.”
“Okay, here’s forty just in case.” She hands me two folded twenty-dollar bills. “Unless this is another party that you’re lying to me about.”
I consider turning it down for half a second, but if whatever Nathan is taking me to tonight requires some sort of entry fee, I’ll be shit out of luck without it. “Thank you.” I take the cash and slide it into my wallet. “And it’s not a party, I promise.”
“No problem. What time is he coming over?”
I check my phone. “About five minutes ago.” Shit, I’m already late. I run to Hannah and Thomas’s bathroom to steal some of Thomas’s cologne, because apparently, I’m going all out tonight. I even stop in front of the mirror to try and put some effort into my hair, but there’s really no fixing this mess. Maybe I should ask Hannah to cut it, but I sort of like it this way. Before I leave the bathroom, I take my second dose of Xanax for the day and make sure to jot down the date and time in the little notebook Dr. Taylor gave me.
After triple-checking I’ve got everything—phone, keys, and wallet—I wave good-bye to Hannah and Thomas. They’re watching some reality show and eating takeout in the living room. “Stay safe, kid.” Thomas waves to me.
“No promises,” I yell from the door. “I’ll be home later.”
“Midnight at the latest, please!” Hannah calls back.
Nathan’s just pulling into the driveway when I close the door behind me. “Sorry I’m late, Mom wouldn’t let me leave without walking the dog,” he says after I buckle my seat belt.
“It’s fine. So still no hints about where we’re going?”
“Ah-ah.” He wiggles his finger. “It’s a surprise, but I’ll tell you it involves one of the greatest movies of all time.”
“That still sounds vaguely malicious.” I watch him put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway. “Park and a movie, huh?”
Nathan glances over to me, grinning like always.
Pullen Park is huge. Like huge, huge. I never really made it a habit of going to parks, even as a kid. This one time I saw a needle on a jungle gym, went and told Mom, and we never went to that park, or any park, ever again. Can’t say I blame her after she explained what could’ve happened if I’d picked it up.
“So, what are we doing here?”
We’ve just been walking around now. Apparently, there are no parking spots close to whatever this event is, so we had to park on the opposite side. Which means a lot of walking.
“Ever heard of a little movie called Star Wars?”
“No. Tell me more!” I give him some side-eye and he just starts shaking his head. “That doesn’t explain why we’re in a park. Or why you’re carrying around a basket.”
“It’s a showing. The city does this about twice a month, they set up this stage and project a movie on the screen for everyone to watch.”
“Oh, so why are we here so early?”
“To get the good seats.” He pats at the basket in his arms, and I swear it’s the most stereotypically wicker thing I’ve ever seen. “These things are always wild. If you don’t get here early, you’ll be stuck in the front section. Not fun.”
“So we get to sit here for an hour and wait?”
“They