The Nightworld - Jack Blaine [9]
“Somebody drank one too many beers,” Brian says, laughing, but he takes the girl’s arm and leads her toward one of the couches. Her group of friends slowly disperses now that there’s nothing to gawk at.
“My brother can be a pain when he’s being overprotective, but he’s a good guy. She’s in good hands. Looks like you are too, Nick. A good guy, I mean.”
It’s Lara, standing close to me. I didn’t see her show up. She smells like some sort of citrus fruit, tinged with vanilla.
“She’s a little wasted.” I shrug off the compliment, if that’s what it was.
“She’s one of Brian’s friends. He’ll watch her, make sure she’s okay.” She looks behind her. “I think I managed to throw Donny off, at least momentarily. He had to use the bathroom.” She winks. “Want to go back out on the balcony before he gets here?”
I feel something flip in my stomach, like there’s an acrobatic mackerel swimming around in it, but I try to look cool. “Sure, if you want.”
Before we get to the balcony, the TV suddenly switches from writhing dancers covered with gold body paint to a blank screen. Lara reaches out and touches my arm as she pauses and hesitates, waiting to see what’s wrong. We hear a high-pitched hum, and then the emergency broadcast system message starts. Everybody in the room stops talking and turns toward the noise. A news anchor flashes onto the screen, rustling some papers and looking grim. He keeps glancing off camera, as though he’s waiting for a signal. Then he straightens up in his chair and speaks.
“We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming tonight to bring you a news update on the unusual weather pattern occurring in our area. Some of you may have noticed the strange cloud formation developing today. The National Weather Service has upgraded its earlier thunderstorm warning risk from slight to severe. Additional information indicates that the anomaly is not confined to the local area but seems to be spreading over at least eleven states at this time, with no evidence of slowing. An advisory to stay indoors, away from windows, has been issued and is in force through five a.m. Sunday. As always, we’ll bring you any updates as they occur.”
The screen blips back into a blank, and then the gold dancers reappear.
Lara and I look at each other and shrug. Nobody else in the room seems too impressed, and the party starts back up as though nothing ever happened. We head for the balcony and gaze out at the skyline.
“It does look bigger now, doesn’t it?”
I nod. It looks really big, and weird—like it’s smooth and dense. Unlike any cloud I remember seeing before.
“Anyway . . . enough about the freaky weather. So, um, my parents are in Europe for a month. Brian’s home from college for the summer, and they figured it was safe to leave.” Lara laughs. “He really is a great older brother, but he’s totally acting like a third parent since they left. Always asking where I’m going and when I’ll be back.” She leans against the balcony railing, looking out at the city.
“Um.” Smooth. I start again. “Do you think Brian would let you go out with me one night? If I got you home at a decent hour?” I’m afraid to look over at her to check her reaction.
“Sure.”
I can hear that she’s smiling.
“I mean, he’d probably put you through the third degree first, but then he’d let us. Where do you want to go?”
“I was thinking pizza?” I hadn’t been thinking anything; asking her out was a spur-of-the-moment thing. But she’s being so friendly, she makes me think I might have a shot. I finally look over at her. She’s smiling, all right, and she’s turned toward me. I grin back and scoot a little closer.
“Listen, Lara.” I’ve only had one and a half beers, but I feel like maybe they’ve loosened me up some. Or maybe it’s just the way she looks right now—like she has a happy secret that she knows no one will ever be able to guess. She’s looking at me like she’s waiting for something, and I open my mouth