back again, multiple times an hour during the morning and evening and then tapering off to once an hour during the less-peak times, finally stopping service for good at two a.m. The Old Stanwich station was closest to Teri’s, and Stevie and I had arrived there early enough to get actual paper tickets from the machine. The platform wasn’t that crowded yet, but it was still early. I knew from other trips that in a few hours, both sides of the platform would be packed—with people going into the city for the night on one side and commuters returning back home for the weekend on the other.
It was the same train as ever: maroon-and-white leather seats, two-seaters running along one side, three-seaters on the other, an aisle in between. There were posters by the doors, advertising an online MBA program and a condo development going up in Hartfield.
We’d gotten seats a few rows back from the door. The train wasn’t that full—the car we were in was just half-occupied, with lots of empty seats. Stevie sat by the window, and I was in the aisle seat, and as the doors slid shut and the conductor announced the next station—Stanwich—I let out a long breath.
We were doing this.
I’d been so focused on convincing Stevie that it would be no big deal—and then getting my parents to believe that we were just staying at Teri’s—that the enormity of what we were embarking on was just now hitting me. I was going to go into New York City by myself for the first time ever. I tried to keep my face impassive—if Stevie saw that I was even a little bit anxious, I knew she’d start to get nervous, maybe even change her mind, and I needed this all to work out.
I looked around for my purse to take out my phone until I remembered I didn’t have one—all my essentials were in Stevie’s clutch. “Can I see your phone?”
Stevie nodded and reached for her bag, but I was already unsnapping it. “Just…,” she said, keeping her eyes on Ophelia, looking concerned as I held the phone up to her to unlock it.
“I’ll be careful,” I promised. I didn’t have the best track record with my own phones. In the last year I’d dropped two, shattering both screens, and accidentally sent a third through the wash cycle, resulting in a waterlogged phone that was beyond the reach of even the biggest bag of rice. My parents had told me if anything happened to this one, I was on my own in terms of replacing it.
As the train slowed down for the East Randolph stop, I scrolled through Stevie’s Stories, even though there wasn’t anything new since the last time I checked—just one that Teri had posted from my account. It was a picture of snacks out on the coffee table, and her TV in the background, with a blurry picture on it—it looked like a girl climbing the side of a building. Teri had captioned it Just a quiet night in with my fronds! Snacks and movies!♥!—Kat. I knew I shouldn’t be picky when she was doing me a favor, but I thought it might be good to mention that she didn’t need to sign my Stories, since that wasn’t something I normally did, or that any sane person would do.
I’d just pulled up Stevie’s messages and was starting to write to Teri when three texts came in, one right after the other. And it wasn’t like I wanted to read them, but I also couldn’t help myself, since they were right there in front of me.
Beckett
Hey—nice to chat today
Hope you have a great time in NYC
And happy belated birthday—hope it’s the best one yet.
“Kat?” Stevie asked, and I glanced up from her phone to see her looking at me. “What is it?”
“Beckett,” I said, holding out her phone to her. “He texted.” I watched Stevie’s face as she read the texts. A smile flashed across her face quickly and then was gone, like someone flicking a light switch on and then off again. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“What’s that look about?” Stevie asked with a half laugh, tucking her hair behind one ear. I could see the S and star earrings I’d bought her for her birthday in her double-pierce.
“I just don’t like how he seems to want to pretend he didn’t do anything wrong. Like he thinks he can invite you to plays like everything’s forgiven?”