Hiding From Us

24. kim

I was honestly not prepared for Liam when he arrived with Shain. 

     Shain had described him as a crazy, fun-loving kid with red hair and multicolored eyes. She also said that he would probably be tall and have a low voice and be as awkward and clumsy as he was before. She said that he liked hockey, trading cards, fantasy books, and video games. 

     I didn’t picture him as the guy who had his arm around Shain in a brotherly way, laughing ridiculously and unconsciously brushing his fiery hair out of his eyes and tugging at the strings on his hoody. He was tall and rather well-built, although he hid it pretty well with loose jeans and a baggy T-shirt that said CLASS: Come Late And Start Sleeping. 

     I’d kind of expected him to be a bit of a stoner, actually. 

     ‘‘Okay,’’ said Shain. ‘’So. This is everyone, pretty much. Everyone, this is Liam.’’

     Liam flashed a smile. ‘’ ‘Sup?’’ 

     Beside me, Grace said, ‘’Hi, Liam.’’ Robin grinned. Adrian waved slightly. 

     But Shain wasn’t finished. ‘‘God, who am I kidding? They’re not just everyone. They’re my buddies. Um, this is Kim, who loves skiing and gymnastics and Bob Marley and doggies. And this is Robin, who is just, uh, cool and crazy and can really kick my butt in karate. She can probably kicks yours, too. And this really smart and awesome girl over here is Grace, and this is her boyfriend—wait, you guys are officially together, right? Okay, just checking—this is her boyfriend Adrian, and he’s German and he’s Grace’s boyfriend.’’ 

     Shain stopped. She caught her breath and adjusted her toque. 

     Liam said, ‘‘Well, you’ve been busy.’’

     She gave him an annoyed smile, but it was grateful, too. It said, I’m so so so so so glad you’re back. 

     Outside Jita’s, a car honked, loud and strong. Robin glanced out the window, laughed, and said, ‘‘Shain, come here. This is crazy.’’

     Shain went to the window. Something between a laugh and a yell escaped her mouth, along with, ‘’Oh my God. No. How’d he get that?’’

     ‘‘What is it?’’ Grace said. 

     Looking for an answer, I went outside and got one: beside the sidewalk was a huge Toyota Sequoia the color of charcoal. Sitting inside it was Erick, a euphoric smile on his face. 

     Shain came out, still laughing. ‘’Oh. My. God. Is that yours?’’

     ‘‘Yeah,’’ he called back. ‘‘Sold the Tercel for it. It’s old, but it’s awesome. Wanna go for a ride?’’

     ‘‘God. Yes,’’ Shain said, charged with glee. 

     Robin said, ‘‘Are we still going to play Truth or Dare or whatever?’’

     ‘‘Yes. Yes, totally. Yes yes yes yes yes but just give me, like, three minutes.’’ Shain put her hands in front of her, pleading at Robin with her gray eyes. ‘‘Three minutes. That’s all. Then we’ll come back and we’ll drink coffee and eat cookies and we can play Truth or Dare for the rest of eternity, okay? Okay. Okay. I’m out.’’ 

     She ran to Erick’s new Sequoia and threw herself inside it. Erick put his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her for a long second before they drove away. 

     Robin looked like she’d been asked a really tough question. She said, ‘‘Wow. She’s really hyper.’’

     ‘‘Isn’t she always?’’ Grace replied.