Page 21 - My FlipBook

TWO

It felt weird walking home without Ash. Greta had hovered
outside his math classroom while he finished an exam, before
finally giving up and catching a bus alone. An old woman with
a knitted scarf sat next to her, and Greta felt a breeze every
time the woman coughed. Greta pictured her white blood

cells rushing to meet the invasion. But at least the woman got
the seat and not the college-age guy standing next to them in
the aisle, glancing in her direction. Greta knew how carefully
she’d have to hold her body if he sat next to her, so her thigh
and arm wouldn’t bump against his. She zipped her parka
higher and tucked her chin inside.
As the bus rolled toward her stop, Greta rang the bell,
stood and dodged to avoid brushing against him as she moved
closer to the exit. On the sidewalk she paused, waiting to see

his shadow behind her. He didn’t get off. She exhaled. The air
stilled for a moment, the cold fresh in her chest after the drafty
heat of the bus, which made her body sweat while her feet
went numb. Then the wind whipped her, stinging her eyes.

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