***
When I slip up next to Robin, I startle her so badly she drops the books she’s carrying and stumbles over the mess. I can’t help laughing as she kneels down to pick them all back up. I’d help her if I could, but that would only make more people stare than are already watching and shaking their heads. Robin doesn’t seem to notice and stands up with a smile.
“So, did you come by just to scare me half to death, or was there some other reason?” Robin asks as we walk toward her car.
“What are you doing right now?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Homework. Why?”
“Just wanted to see if you’d wanna hang out for a while.” I’m sure that didn’t sound nearly as casual as I meant it to, but Robin doesn’t notice. She grins at me in response.
“Sure!” Her eyes dart around the parking lot. “Just us, or should we wait for Olivia?”
“Just us,” I say. “I thought we could head over to the park near my house. Olivia’s dad still doesn’t want us wandering around too much since that guy in the car showed up, but I thought it’d be nice to get out for a while.”
Robin skips the last few steps to her car and unceremoniously dumps everything she’s carrying into the backseat. “I’d love to! Let’s go!”
Pretending to look at something on her phone, Robin lets me slide in through the driver’s door, so no one asks questions about the passenger’s door opening on its own. Once I’m across, she climbs in and throws the car into reverse. A few seconds and one near collision with a group of teens trying to get past Robin later, we pull onto the street and make the short trip to the park.
We repeat the same process getting out of the car just in case anyone is watching, and I start to walk away. Robin doesn’t follow, instead grabbing her backpack out of the backseat.
When I give her a questioning look, she says, “I can pretend I’m doing homework if anyone walks by.”
Knowing her, she really will be doing homework. I shake my head, smiling all the same, and head toward the back of the park where a stand of trees provides a little more privacy. I flop down and stretch out on the grass. Robin pulls out a couple of books and organizes her notebooks and pencils next to them.
“You are a nerd,” I tease.
Robin grins. “Yeah, and what of it?”
“Nothing,” I laugh. “Just thought it needed to be said.”
“Anything else you need to get off your chest?”
I can see the teasing glint in her eyes, but I can also see that she is honestly curious about why I asked to hang out with her today. “I’ve never had a friend that wasn’t family before. I’m not sure family even counts as friends, since they’re family. If they don’t, I guess you’re the only friend I’ve ever had,” I admit. “Which is kinda weird.”
“Weird?” Robin leans back against the tree. “How so?”
Shrugging, I look up at the sky. “It feels strange not to have Olivia or Evie with me. Like I’m exposed without them here as a barrier to protect me.”
“You don’t think I’ll keep you safe?” Robin asks quietly.
“It’s not that.” To be honest, I don’t know if Robin will keep me safe, or not. I don’t really need anyone to keep me safe. I’m invisible, after all. It’s more … “Protect isn’t the right word. It feels good to have them close by, familiar, comfortable. I don’t like being away from them.”
Robin moves away from the tree and lies down on the grass next to me. Her nearness makes my body tense. As she props herself up on her elbow, she smiles. “They’re all you’ve ever had… up until now.”
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