“Joe? Yeah—he’s great! So smart and all,” I say, and then find that I cannot. Stop. Talking. “Incredible, really. But, um, you already know that.”
A nervous laugh burbles from my lips. Oliver gives me sidelong stare that’s equally unperturbed and cool. Is it weird that I miss his laugh? Because I do.
“I guess we’ll see how it goes after I take this te—”
Clang!
A rumbling under our feet causes us to sway into each other. Our shoulders bump. When we restabilize, my eyes jump to his just as the lights flicker.
The elevator does not move.
The doors do not open.
And, most importantly, I do not panic.
But Oliver does.
“Wha—what was that?” His hand leaps to his chest, and his voice sounds airy and flustered. “What’s with the lights? Why did we stop?”
I jam the Lobby button again. “Oh, don’t worry. This elevator is old. It does weird stuff all the time.”
Oliver pales. “Weird stuff?”
Huh, usually that works. Now, I punch a series of buttons, tapping them in curt repetition. Come on, elevator. Not today. I can’t miss this test!
“It’s not working because you keep doingthat,” Oliver snaps, gesturing to the control panel. “Stop!”
“You’ve got to trust me.” I move my finger from theLobby button to the Door Open button. “I’ve gotten stuck in here a bunch of times before—”
“Stuck?” Oliver’s back hits the wall and his arms are spread wide, one hand still grasped around his granola bar. “No,pleasedon’t tell me we’re stuck.”
Perspiration beads along his temples. His chest rises and falls in rapid succession. I’ve never seen him this nervous.
I turn back to the panel. If I press the Emergency button, it’s gonna take service forever to get here, and then I’ll for sure miss my test. I know I can fix this. I just have to keep Oliver calm while I do.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I reassure him. “Are you claustrophobic?”
Instead of answering, he gives me a terrified look.
Okay, so that’s a yes.
“Just pretend you’re at the beach and leave the rest to me—I know some good tricks. You have to keep pressing this combination.” I use the heel of my shoe for extra pressure, then shift to my other foot to give the button a swift kick. “Like this.”
The elevator jounces. With a heavy lurch, we continue our final descent and, a second later, the doors open. Freedom!
“See?” I spin toward Oliver. “All good!”
Oliver’s still backed into the corner, frozen in timid panic. Perhaps he needs a minute.
I leap from the threshold, exiting. “All right, well, gotta run! Wish me luck on my test!”
There’s no time to wait around for his reply, so I rush toward the double doors. But just as I’m approaching them, I hear him call, “Good luck, Sara Lin!”
Pivoting around, I find him standing on the other side of the elevator doors, which are rattling closed behind him. His tousled golden hair flops across his forehead as he tips his chin, a hint of a smile gracing his lips. Shy, but it’s there. Oliver believes in me!
“Yes! Time to pass this stupid test!” I holler, my voice echoing through in the empty lobby.
Who cares if I’m loud? I’m about to seize these numbers by the ankles and shake them until the correct answer appears on the page.
