Page 36 of Light Up My Life

“We didn’t think you knew this tradition,” Fiona said. I wanted to smack her. She was only reinforcing the idea that we talked about him a lot. That we’d discussed the possibility of him being here.

“The whole neighborhood knows about this tradition.” He looked between me, Fiona, and Nova, then added, “Hi, I’m Ryan.”

“Oh, I’m Fiona, Jasmine’s best friend. We go to school together.”

“Yes, I’ve seen you around campus.” He pointed to Nova. “I don’t know you, though.”

Nova was a sophomore. They had a different lunch schedule from us.

“I’m Nova.” She framed her face with her hands. “The Ghost of Christmas Future.”

“Really? Can you tell me mine?”

She gestured to the open seat next to me, and he sat. He had a bag of food, which meant he’d already stood in line and ordered. He’d been here awhile. What else had he heard? What else had we said about him? Something about how his family threw money at their yard.

“Your future…” Nova started. Her eyes shot to me and then back to Ryan. I tried to give her a look that said, Don’t you dare say anything stupid. Even though I spent a lot of time at their house, Nova didn’t know how to read my looks as well as Fiona did, or maybe she didn’t care as much, because she said, “I think it involves reindeer.”

I kicked her leg under the table.

“Ouch,” she said through a laugh. “I mean, because it’s almost Christmas. All of our futures involve reindeer. You know, helping Santa deliver our gifts.”

I held back a sigh and gave Ryan an innocent face.

“He hasn’t found reindeer yet,” Ryan said to me, obviously not buying Nova’s cover-up or my innocence.

“It would be cool,” Fiona said.

“Would it?” he asked with narrow eyes. “Who do you think would be cleaning up the reindeer poop?”

“Probably your yard guy,” I said without thinking.

“Oh!” Fiona said, not helping at all.

“Sorry, I just … I mean … will you really clean up reindeer poop?” I asked.

“I do actually have chores,” Ryan said.

“Sorry,” I said again.

“You don’t believe me?”

“No, I didn’t say that. I’m apologizing for what I said.”

“But you don’t believe me?”

“You’re reading into my words. Getting defensive.”

“Because you think I’m spoiled.”

“Well, yeah,” I said. “Eat your food. It’s getting cold.”

He let out a single laugh. “Jasmine likes me to eat when she’s tired of me talking.”

I had almost forgotten the Triscuit incident in the pantry. “Not true,” I said. “I’m worried about your food. I’m being helpful.”

“So helpful,” he said, but he opened his bag and pulled out some sort of stop-sign-shaped menu item that I’d never eaten before.

I caught Fiona’s eye, and she was giving me a knowing look. She’d never seen me interact with Ryan. She probably thought I was being mean. No, she was smiling and elbowing her sister, who was also smiling. Ryan bit into his stop sign.