“Mary lives over on Red Oak.” She gestured back the way she’d come. “I was on my way home, and saw you.”
Her voice took a big upswing at the end, as though seeing him had been the best thing to happen to her all day. It was actually a nice thought. Almost made him smile for real.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He pointed at the garbage can, and she blushed.
“Oh. So, nothing cool.”
“No,” he agreed. “Nothing cool.”
“Still no news from your sister?”
“No.”
“But you’re pretty sure she’s okay?”
“Pretty sure.”
Ariel made a sympathetic face. “Must suck though, still. Not knowing. I bet your parents are clamping down on you pretty hard. Are they really worried?” She exhaled and smiled. “Sorry. Stupid question.”
“It’s okay. I should get back inside. Before Lux starts drooling all over your door.”
“I don’t mind. He seems sweet. He didn’t jump up or anything.” She reached out again, and the dog whined. She looked back at Henry. “I’m not upsetting you, am I? When I stopped I didn’t mean to ask about your sister. It just popped out.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He shrugged. “It would’ve been weird if you hadn’t mentioned it. But why did you stop, then?”
“I don’t know.” She looked away, down at her steering wheel and the front of her jacket. “Do you want to … go get something to eat or something?”
Henry blinked. He hadn’t expected that. But she was pretty. And seemed cool. And it had been a while.
Ariel giggled nervously. “What? If you’d rather not—”
“No. It’s just that I just realized I haven’t been on a date since Jennifer Sanford this fall. And before that, the two—”
“—week thing with Melissa Miller,” she finished for him.
“You’ve been paying attention.” Between them, Lux whined and twisted away to bark at an approaching car: Andie’s silver Saturn. She pulled up and flipped on her blinker, but Ariel was blocking the driveway.
“I guess I should get going.” Ariel smiled. “Maybe some other time?”
Henry nodded. “Sure.”
Andie honked once, long and loud. Ariel waved at her as she drove past.
“Who was that?” Andie asked once she’d parked and gotten out.
“Ariel Moreau. She’s in my class.”
“Oh.” She scrunched her face. “What’d she want?”
Henry snorted. “Nothing. What do you want?”
“Nothing. I was just over at Hermes’ place. Stocking the shelves, as they say. Hey, I was thinking about trying to get some assignments in advance. For after spring break. In case we don’t get back on time. Are you going to?”
Henry looked down at Lux, who leaned heavily against Andie’s legs. The longer he stayed silent, the more Andie talked.
“I mean, who knows how long it’ll take. Or how far we’ll have to go. Hermes says it’ll take days just to find Demeter, and then if she’s not sure where they are—let’s face it. We could be talking summer school.”
“I don’t think I should go.”
“Noted. So are you going to get your homework or not?”
Henry sighed and stared down the road.
“You have to go,” Andie said. “We have to find them. Besides, you can’t stay here by yourself. We don’t know where Ares is, or that asshole Achilles.” Her fists clenched when she said his name.
“Andie, will you shut up for five minutes?”
“Not effing likely.”
Henry took a breath to quell the urge to throw her in a headlock and roll her around the yard.
“I’m pulled in a lot of different directions right now, if you haven’t noticed,” he said. “My parents, school, the parts of my life that aren’t freaking insane.”
“You’re not the only one. But we have to go. There isn’t a choice.”
“There’s been a choice this whole time. Just nobody’s made the right ones. I’m not going.” He frowned. It was a shitty situation they were in. That they were all in. “I’m sorry. My parents would worry themselves to death. With Cassandra missing … and then me…”
Of course, they’d forgive him if he could bring Cassandra home.
Andie’s glare made him hold his breath.