Page 46 of How (Not) to Conjure a Boyfriend
“Zach,” Kaitlynn says a little louder than I’d like.
“Huh?” Zach asks.
Dammit. He heard her.
“Nothing, just getting used to the name,” Kaitlynn says.
I press my lips together and beam at her. When she meets my eyes I mouth,I will end you. She giggles and steps back, coordinating with me, while Zachary lifts the other end on his own. I’m fine with this. I don’t mind that he can lift it with ease. Makes our part easier.
“How far back was it?” I whine.
“Rule number one,” Kaitlynn whispers next to me where Zach can’t hear it. I ignore her and roll my eyes. Not like anyone else is here to see. Just like they won’t see me when I die crushed under a massive school carpentry project.
“Dunno,” Zach says, leading the way with his back to the bookshelf and fingers under it like a tow hitch. “It’s not super far though, right?”
“Define super far?” I say, reminding myself not to attachbitchto the end of it because it’s not Kaity, and remembering thatI’mthe one who should know how far it is. Luckily it’s not as far as I thought. After an excruciating ten minutes, and four—no five—rest stops, we deposit the shelf next to the fence in a spot Kaity found where the ground rises a little. Every inch counts, right?
Between the bars, the house’s brick structure is barely visible through a light fog. It coats everything.
“Gross.” Kaitlynn frowns.
The wood sinks an inch into the dirt. The smushing noises are atrocious. Like, I didn’t knowthatcould soundthatbad.
“Yay.” Zach eyes the mud.
I lift a foot and examine the bottom of my shoe. It’s caked in wet dirt and grass. I look up and show Zachary a cheesy toothy grin.
“God,” he sighs. “If this stains, I’m blaming you.”
“Fair.” I keep grinning. “You first?”
I figure he should have the honors of ruining his project first. He grumbles, plants the messy bottom of a boot—that probably cost more than all the clothes on my body combined—on the first shelf and climbs to the top. Mud gushes between his boot and the wood. I’m so sorry. He’s committed though. He pushes himself up, and his waist is now level with the top of the fence.
“This might actually work,” Zach says.
Good. Now I don’t feelasbad. He plants a foot between the spikes. There’s just enough room, but it still has me worried.
“Careful,” I urge. The last thing I need is to be the reasonthisbrother gets impaled.
“I got it.” He waves me off and starts to push off the steel fencing. He jumps, and for a moment he’s airborne, like Hayden going in for a layup, graceful and intentional, but slow motion this time because instead of waiting for a basket, I’m hoping to Odin he doesn’t fall back onto the spikes or face-plant in the mud. Then it ends. His feet plop into the thick mud, and something wet smacks my face. I wipe my cheek and dirt smears along my finger.
“Really?” I sigh.
“So glad I was behind you,” Kaitlynn laughs. That’s when I notice the splats of brown on my jacket and jeans.
I huff and roll my eyes. “Thanks.”
“Who’s next?” Zach giggles and I jump up before Kaitlynn can so that I’m not the one splattered again.
“Me!” Peering over the top, the entire house comes into focus behind the foggy veil.
It’s an old place, probably early to mid-1900s and walled entirely in brick, including its two chimneys jutting from a white roof on either end. I think the barn is farther away. It’s too dark to make out much more detail beyond the wraparound porch. The fog’s too thick.
I plant my foot on the fence top, carefully positioning my sneakers between spears of iron.Just remember, Kenzie, this was your idea.I sling my weight over, never letting go of the fence, and let my grip on the bars slow my descent. My feet hit the ground and sink an inch into the mud as I let my grip on the fence loose. I did it—oh shit! My right foot slips and I stumble backwards. My leg collapses and gravity yanks me toward the earth. I yelp, but I collide with Zachary’s chest and his arms wraparound my waist before I can fall. I look up to find his steel eyes inches from mine. His Adam’s apple bobs.
“I, uh… Are you okay?” he asks, pushing me up to my feet and quickly pulling his arms away, stepping back.
I nod frantically, eyes stuck on the mud. “Yeah.”
