The first one was just a reply talking about how if he ever got to run his own group home, he’d allow the boys to do chores to earn money for themselves to buy things instead of relying on state-funded clothing donations. Then, he replied to Sasha’s email with: YAY ANOTHER ONE! And then: WHERE ARE YOU, CHICKA?
And finally, fifteen minutes after the first email, he wrote:
Looks like someone fell asleep at the wrong time! Halloween bash, eh? We had Halloween parties in the group home for a few years, and then it was taken over by a religious organization and that was nixed. Never dressed up, though. Sounds fun. I’ll leave the couple’s costume ideas to you, the smart one. Let me know if you need money for it, okay?
Sweet dreams, Raquel.
— E
As promised, a package arrives a couple days later. The return address says it’s from the PCHS Summer Internship Program — a thing that totally doesn’t exist. I guess this is Sasha’s way of making sure my parents don’t intercept a gift from the afterlife.
I have to leave for a shift at Izzy’s in a few minutes, so I take the package into my closet and rip it open. Fluffy turquoise, gold and white fabric fills the box, all satin and soft to the touch. On top is an envelope with a long letter inside. I pull out the fabric first.
Soon, there’s a full Jasmine and Aladdin costume set spread out on my closet floor.
Puffy pants and a tiny purple vest are all that make up Elijah’s costume. I can practically see his drool-worthy abs already.
Mine is really cute, nearly identical to Jasmine from the Disney movie, with a chunky fake-gold necklace and earrings. It comes with a long beautiful wig to cover my shoddy excuse for hair.
I snap a photo, and then tuck them away in my closet for further perusal later tonight. Leave it to Sasha to pick out the perfect couple’s costume for us. She was always the best at costume ideas, and romantic couples from history or storybooks were her favorites. We always took turns playing the boy role each year. This year, I’m the girl, and I’ll be going with a real boy. It’s like Sasha made sure I’d have a fun time this Halloween instead of being forced to sit through this holiday without her.
A shiver runs up my spine, and I’m grinning so hard it hurts as I email a photo of our costumes to Elijah. I’ve already made a list of ideas for us, but obviously Sasha’s is better. Plus, it’s free.
I start a new email.
Sasha picked our costumes for us! See the attached photo. Here’s a link to the park where the Halloween bash is held. Want to meet me there, say around 7?
A few minutes later, the chat feature pops up just as I’m getting in my car to go to work.
Elijah0Delgado: I will pick you up at your house. 7 still a good time?
RockiBoBocki: No … meet me at the park. My parents will be home.
Elijah0Delgado: Good. I want to meet them. This is a date, remember? Sasha’s rules, not mine. I’ll be there at 7.
RockiBoBocki: … But … That’s scary! And awkward! And … ahhhhhhh.
Elijah0Delgado: That’s dating. :p
RockiBoBocki: *sighhhhhh*
Elijah0Delgado: Sigh all you want. I’m excited. Be there at 7!
Halloween is in two days. This might be the longest forty-eight hours ever.
***
Okay. I lie to my parents. Again.
With trembling hands and a speech that comes out entirely too quickly since I have it memorized, I tell Mom and Dad that a guy I met at Izzy’s has asked me to the Halloween bash. I say it’s just a friendly thing, nothing serious.
Dad asks a few questions about the integrity of this boy, but overall, they handle it well and don’t ask to perform a background check. I guess they’re happy I’ve moved on from Zack, but the lie burrows into my subconscious and makes me feel sick. I really like Elijah. This isn’t the right way to start out … whatever this is between us. But it’s not like there’s another way. Sasha pushed us together and then told us to keep it a secret. A tiny, unforgivable part of me is a little mad at her for that.
The doorbell rings and my heart leaps into my throat. “I’ve got it!” I call out, almost plummeting into Dad as I race to the front door. It’s still too early for trick-or-treaters, so that means he’s here. All the warm fuzzies I get near Elijah are currently locked in the dungeon of Parental Proximity.
Elijah stands on the other side of the door — at least I think it’s him. He’s wearing a full-faced werewolf mask, the cheap rubber kind that doesn’t exactly look real. It’s also not part of our costumes tonight.
“Trick-or-treat,” he says, his voice like warm honey on a summer night.
“We don’t give candy to weirdos,” I say, rolling my eyes as I step back to let him inside.
“You make a really cute Jasmine.” He says it so softly I almost don’t hear it. My throat feels like it’s full of cotton, so all I can do is shake my head like he’s full of crap, because he is.
As if by some kind of daughter-protection magic, both of my parents appear. Mom’s wearing her signature witch costume, complete with green hair and a pointy hat. “Hi,” she says a little too cheerfully. She holds out a hand. “You must be Elijah.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, shaking her hand. “That’s me.”
Dad does not dress up for the holiday, but if you didn’t know any better, you might think he’s wearing an award-winning Overprotective Father costume.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Dad says, extending a hand. “I’m Luke Clearwater.”
“Elijah Delgado.” He shakes Dad’s hand and then points to his hidden face. “I found this at the gas station on the way over,” he says, the werewolf’s mouth bobbing as he talks. “Three bucks. I couldn’t help myself.”
His little icebreaker seems to set both of my parents at ease. I grab his elbow. “That mask does not match your costume.” Still, I give him a look that I hope he interprets as gratitude. This mask, silly as it is, hides that one part of Elijah that I’ve been scared to reveal to my parents.
“Your costume is in the guest room,” Mom says. She scratches the place where her gnarled witch nose is glued over her real skin. “Can’t wait to see you two together! I always loved when Raquel and Sasha went as a matching couple. It’s nice to see part of the tradition continue.”
Dad snorts. “They’ll match even better if one of them isn’t a shape-shifter.”
I get the hidden meaning behind Dad’s comment. He wants to see the boy who is taking out his daughter tonight. I figured it would happen, but it still sucks. Elijah chuckles and pulls off the mask, revealing a head of messy hair and those gorgeous, gorgeous lips.
Mom inhales sharply. She punches at Dad’s arm. “Those eyes,” she murmurs, putting a hand over her mouth.
Elijah glances at me, his expression unreadable. Dad draws his brows together, little lines forming in his forehead as he studies my Halloween date. “What’d you say your last name was?”
Elijah’s Adam’s apple bobs. “Delgado, sir.”
“Hmm.” Dad looks like he’s about to say something else, but I begin the damage control as soon as possible.
“We have to hurry,” I say, taking Elijah’s arm and pulling him into the hallway. I shove him into the guest room, where I’ve already laid out his costume, and then pull the door closed behind him. To my stunned parents, I say, “We’ll be back before curfew, don’t worry.”
Dad nods, getting lost in the television again. Mom just stands there in the foyer, a quizzical look on her face that only goes away when our first trick-or-treater arrives a few moments later.
Elijah emerges dressed as the sexiest Aladdin in all of existence. I was right about the abs. I was so right.
“How do I look?” he asks, cocking his head. “Like a real-life cartoon character?” His poufy satin pants hang low on his hips.
“Better than a werewolf,” I retort, turning toward
the front door. I can’t let him know how much seeing him shirtless affects me. I mean, that’s Dating 101 right there.
“You think your parents made the connection?” Elijah asks as we step outside into the cool October air. Anthony’s car is parked on the curb, and I realize he probably borrowed it to make a better impression on my parents.
“They noticed the resemblance, that’s for sure.” I resist holding his hand as we set off on the three-block walk to the park. At least until we’re far enough away from my house. “They’ll think it’s impossible that you’re related to her, but no one could miss that you have Sasha’s eyes.”
His jaw flinches. “Maybe I should have left the mask on.”
“I’m sorry Sasha is keeping you a secret.”
He reaches over and takes my hand. “Let’s not talk about sad things tonight. This is a date, after all.”
I look over at him and he winks. “Do you go on a lot of dates?” I ask playfully. As much as I want to know the answer, I kind of don’t.
“This will be a first.”
“Really?” I look over so quickly my fake hair slides an inch to the right. “You’re twenty. How did you go so long without dating?”
“This is my first date, not my first dating,” he says with a wry grin. “You know, all official and stuff. The few times I stayed at a coed group home, the girls were all over me.”
An uncomfortable feeling crawls over me, but then he squeezes my hand. “So much drama with those girls. I didn’t really dig it. And lately, I work so much I don’t think about dating. Except when I think of you.”
“I guess that makes me a happy product of coincidence.”
We stop at an intersection next to a group of kids in superhero costumes. Elijah’s eyes sparkle under the glow of the streetlights. “The happiest.”
Peyton Colony’s Halloween bash takes place in the park in the center of town. Surrounded by the historic buildings of old downtown, the park glows in orange and purple strands of lights that line the perimeter. There’s a ton of food, games for the kids and a stage with a dance floor and a live band. This older couple in the town always hosts a haunted house they make from a small mobile home that’s moved in just for Halloween every year.
Sasha’s parents are gold-level contributors to the city’s parks department, so this yearly Halloween bash has been a huge part of Sasha’s life. I didn’t have to ask Mrs. Cade to know they wouldn’t be attending this year. It’s still too soon for something like this, although being here tonight doesn’t feel like a punch to the gut to me. There are too many goblins, ghouls and foam-muscled superheroes running around reminding me that Halloween should always be celebrated Sasha-style.
Elijah holds my hand as we walk into the fray. I choose a park bench that’s empty, and we sit to read Sasha’s letter. This one is mostly for Elijah’s benefit. She tells him all about attending the celebration as a child and then discusses — at length and with no regard to mortifying me — how scared I get in the haunted house. Elijah laughs at this, and I purse my lips and finish reading the letter.
“We are not going in that stupid haunted house,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.
He looks to the right, at the creepy mobile home that’s painted black. An older couple dressed like mummies usher a group of kids through the front door while smoke machines pump a creepy fog through the windows and loud music plays the sounds of nightmares.
“We’re totally going in,” he says, leaning over and bumping me with his shoulder. “You can hold on to me if you get scared.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I tuck my long artificial hair behind my ears and gnaw on my lip. I have no doubt that Elijah would protect me from the monsters lurking in that smoky haunted house. The very idea almost makes the whole event seem romantic. Still.
“I’d rather cuddle without the haunted house joining us.”
Elijah slides his arm around my shoulders, his skin warm even in the chilly night air. His other hand tilts my chin up toward his, and he places the softest kiss on my lips. My insides melt. I inhale a jagged breath and slowly open my eyes.
“I guess we could cuddle before the haunted house,” he says, pulling his arm tighter around me. I sink into his embrace, my hand on his bare stomach while we gaze out at the carnival. “I never did any of this as a kid. Candy, costumes and running wild for one night? That would have rocked my little-kid world.”
He presses his lips to the top of my head, and even though there’s a whole wig between his skin and mine, a shiver of delight runs through me. I reach up, taking his hand that’s around my shoulder and lacing my fingers through his.
“Let’s get out of here,” Elijah says.
“You’re bored?” Or maybe he’s just tired of talking about everything he missed.
He shakes his head and stands, straightening his poufy pants. “We saw what Sasha wanted us to see, so the rest of the night should be for ourselves.” He reaches for my hand.
“I like that,” I say, joining him on the sidewalk. And it’s not just because he’s dropped the idea of going into the stupid haunted house. It feels like we’re finding our footing, slipping into a relationship that is all our own, one not orchestrated by Sasha. We feel real now. Not just two people shoved together by circumstance.
Just as easily as he takes my hand, a darkness settles over him as we walk away from the park. I think I’m imagining it, like maybe he’s just thinking about Sasha or something, but after we’ve walked a couple of blocks, the vibe around him is so thick it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Hey,” I say, nudging him in the shoulder. “Are you okay?”
He nods slowly, his gaze on the ground. “There are things I want to tell you, but maybe when we’re farther away.”
I glance around. “No one can hear us. What’s up?” I’m glad he feels he can open up.
“It’s not the people, it’s the location. We’re still on Sasha’s adventure so I don’t want to talk about my personal stuff.”
Maybe I have him all wrong. “You’re being weird,” I say. “The park is way back there. Talk to me.”
“I need more time with you. You are the best thing in my life now. The only thing.” His words are rushed and he gives me a smile that disappears as quickly as it had appeared.
“Is that all you wanted to say?” I dare to ask. My nerves are on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Not really, but it’s still true.”
“Elijah …” I stop just a few driveways away from my house. “Please. Just tell me.” Maybe I don’t know him as well as I thought I did … yet.
His black hair is shaggier than when I first met him, and he doesn’t brush it out of his eyes as I stare him down. “Walk me to my car?”
He starts without me, and now I’m totally unsure of what to do. I want to rush up, grab his arm and demand that he talk to me, but that kind of thing never works. I don’t know what it takes to piss him off. Or lose his trust.
“If we can’t talk tonight, then when can we talk?” I reach up and adjust my Jasmine wig and realize how stupid we look, two troubled teens cosplaying as a couple in love.
Elijah leans against the hood of the car. “Tomorrow? I’m sorry, Raquel. I do want to talk. I just —” He runs both hands through his hair. “I need more time.”
I am trying very hard not to freak out. This thing between us, it was starting to feel solid. Now it’s back to being a cloud of fog.
Anthony’s car is filthy. Blankets and clothes in the back seat, a backpack and shopping bags in the front. I heave a sigh and change the subject. “Anthony should really clean out his car.”
“It’s not his car anymore,” Elijah says. “I traded him for the motorcycle.”
“So … you’re the one who needs to clean out your car?” I survey the contents through the windows. This is not just some
guy’s dirty vehicle. It looks like a bedroom in there. “Elijah, what is going on?”
“Tomorrow,” he says, taking my face in his hands. His lip trembles just a bit and I realize he’s nervous.
“You work tomorrow.” I remember his usual schedule. “You work in the day and I work in the evening. We never see each other on Tuesdays.”
“I don’t work tomorrow, Raquel.” He lets go of my face and his whole body seems to slump. “I don’t work at all. I quit.”
“But … you don’t have a new job yet.” How will he support himself? How will he save for his future?
He shakes his head. “I’ll get a new job. I’ve been wanting to quit that place forever and you gave me the push I needed.” He meets my gaze. “This is a good thing.”
The lump in my throat tells me everything. Elijah kept his job as long as he did because it came with an apartment. Quitting it would mean …
“Are you living in this car?”
His lack of an answer is all the answer I need. “Elijah! You can’t do this. You have to go back.”
He shakes his head. “Raquel, that place was toxic. You said it yourself — I need to do something better. That’s what I’m doing, starting now. I’ll find a job soon and it’ll be fine.”
“No. Living on the streets is not better.” I can’t erase the mental image of Elijah sleeping in the back seat of this old car, freezing in some abandoned parking lot just waiting to get mugged. “You can’t do this. Sasha wanted you to fix your life.” Or she wanted me to fix your life, I suddenly think. “This is just ruining it. What about college?”
“I don’t care about Sasha’s plan!” Elijah growls. “I care about you! You helped me see that living in Austin was a bad idea. You made me realize I could do better. That’s exactly what I’m doing. This is my life, and these are my choices.”
Tears spring up in my eyes. “No, Elijah. You can’t live in your car. It’s dangerous. It doesn’t help you get ahead, either. You have to go home.”
He throws his head back and exhales. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. I wanted to tell you at the right time. Dammit, Raquel, I thought you would want this.”
The Last Wish of Sasha Cade Page 16