Page 53 of Valley Girls
Both girls immediately snapped to Rilla.
Adeena raised her eyebrows. “Um, do you have things to tell us?”
Rilla grinned the cheesy grin she’d been trying to keep inside since she’d taken out the trash. “I know!” she squealed. “It wasn’t like that, though. Just friendly. Nothing remotely illicit. God, I want to be very illicit with Walker.”
Petra adjusted her backpack and laughed.
“He’s too average-white-boy for my taste. I like that Lahore businessman look,” Adeena said with guttural vowels and her walk shifted into something like a mockery of masculinity.
Rilla laughed at the obvious joke without having a clear picture of what the joke even meant. It made her realize, somewhere deep down, that Adeena had a life before this no one knew the rhythm of and jokes no one understood.
“Blasphemy. He’sclassicwhite boy,” Petra said. “And what are you even talking about, Dee? You love the All Nighters.James.”
Rilla snorted. James? The so-pretty-it-hurt one from the famous British boyband the All Nighters?
“Stop weaponizing my love for James,” Adeena said. “He’s perfect. I shall not hear anything to the contrary.”
“I mean yes. You could say Walker’s a little boring,” Rilla conceded.
“Walker or James?” Petra asked.
Adeena glared.
“Walker,” Rilla said. “Except he’s not. So ...” She trailed off dreamy-eyed.
“You just can’t see anyone other than Hico,” Rilla said, elbowing Adeena. “And James.”
Adeena laughed. “We’re friends. Me and Hico. Obviously, me and James are soon to be married.”
“Mm-hm. Hico asked me out like a year ago,” Petra said. “But I don’t date climbers.”
There was an awkward beat in the conversation and Rilla didn’t dare look at Adeena. Petra was competitive on every level—even in silly conversation, she often threw those kinds of things out. It was just how she was. It never seemed like she was trying to be mean, just that she always needed a game to win, a race to beat, or a war to fight. Everyone seemed to ignore it, so Rilla followed suit.
Adeena shrugged. “Well,no oneis dating Hico. And anyway, how can you eliminate a whole group of boys like that? No climbers?”
Petra mimicked the sound Gollum made inThe Lord of the Rings.
Adeena busted out laughing. “Okay. Okay. Some of them are kind of Gollum-y,” Adeena said. “You don’t know this, Rilla, because all you’re thinking of is Walker. Who is not that. Neither is Hico,” she said. “Imagine this short—they’re always short—”
“Always,” Petra laughed.
“With long arms, and a bit bent ... kinda ...” Adeena stooped a little, widening her shoulders in an imitation.
They laughed.
“Yep, so sexy.” Petra laughed and Adeena straightened and caught up.
“There’s that, and then there’s the guys who do better at organizing their gear than doing ... anything ... else.”
“And the bros,” Petra added.
Rilla made a face.
“I still contend you’re painting with a very broad, United States–specific brush,” Adeena said.
“The point is. I’m attracted to independently wealthy men who like the idea of adventure more than the execution,” Petra said. “And consider funding my worldwide climbing trips part of that adventure. I need to be the star.”
Adeena rolled her eyes. “Okay, while we watch for independently wealthy fantasy men, I want to hear every detail of this Walker thing.”
