“Almost.” Xander pointed at my right leg. “Move that foot back a few inches. Your feet are too close together.”
“Now what?”
“Draw back. Remember you don’t need to have a death grip on the bow. Let your fingers relax.”
I followed his instructions and pulled the string back until my index finger reached the corner of my mouth. Xander moved so he was standing directly behind me, and my pulse jumped when his hand brushed against my hip before reaching up and adjusting my arm.
“Elbow up.” He spoke softly in my ear. “You want it parallel with the ground.”
The feel of his body against mine made it hard to focus. I sucked in a deep breath and stared at the bull’s-eye with all the concentration I could muster, attempting to appear unaffected by his presence.
“Perfect,” he whispered, and the word sent shivers down my spine. “I think you’re ready for an arrow.”
* * *
“I think,” I said, throwing open Stone Creek’s front doors and striding out into the night, “that I’ve found my true calling.”
It was a little over an hour later, and we’d just returned my rental equipment to Carol and said our goodbyes. A crisp breeze urged us toward the sidewalk, mussing Xander’s wig in the process. He shoved the platinum hair away from his eyes with a grunt of irritation before cutting me a look. “You’re a prodigy violinist and kick-ass makeup artist,” he said as we headed for our cars. “I highly doubt you were born to be a professional archer.”
“Whatever. You’re just jealous of my mad skills,” I replied. In reality, I wasn’t a very good shot, but by the end of our lesson, I was able to hit the target more times than not. Once, I’d even struck the outer ring of the bull’s-eye.
Xander snorted. “Sure, that’s definitely it.”
We came to a stop at a busy intersection, and as we waited for the light to change, I glanced over at him. “Hey,” I said, in a tone more sincere than before. “Thanks for taking me. I had a blast.”
“Yeah?” he responded, his brows popping up in question.
I nodded. “To tell you the truth, I was a bit freaked out when I realized you were taking me shooting.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to embarrass myself,” I admitted, “but once we were on the range, I stopped caring about how bad I might be. It was a lot of fun. I get why you enjoy it so much.”
The traffic signal switched from green to yellow, and a bus barreled past us in an effort to make the light. Xander watched it disappear down the street, a contemplative look in his eyes, before turning back to me. “Would you maybe want to come with me again?” he asked, his words spilling out in a rush. “It won’t be anytime soon because of the tour, but I might be able to—”
I cut him off before his ramble could pick up speed. “I’d absolutely love that.”
“Really?” He seemed genuinely surprised.
“Really, really,” I told him as the light finally turned red. On the other side of the street, the pedestrian signal flipped from Don’t Walk to Walk.
“All right, cool.” Xander looked both ways before stepping out into the crosswalk. Tossing a smirk over his shoulder at me, he added, “Just so you know, you’ll regret telling me that.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yup. From now on, whenever I want to practice, I’m dragging you along with me.” There was a gleam in his eyes as he said this, like he found the prospect of whisking me away thrilling. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
My heart thumped against my chest, but I ignored it. “We’ll see about that,” I said, faking a scoff, but the truth was that Xanderdidn’t have to drag me anywhere—I’d happily go wherever he wanted to take me.
When we reached the McDonald’s we’d left our cars at, I gave him Lizzie’s address in case we got separated in traffic. The driveway was packed by the time we arrived at the party, so I pulled over on the side of the road and parked in the gravel, making sure to leave enough room for Xander to park behind me. As soon as I killed the engine, the steady thump of music from the party filled the silence left by the radio.
After checking my makeup in the mirror and grabbing my backpack from the passenger seat, I climbed out. Xander was already standing on the pavement, staring over at the front porch, which was lined with flickering jack-o’-lanterns. A group of football players were congregated on the steps, red Solo cups in hand, rating costumes as classmates trickled into the party. I rolled my eyes when a girl in a sexy Hermione Granger costume earned ten points for Gryffindor.
“Big turnout,” Xander said, twirling his key chain around a finger.
“Yeah, Lizzie always invites the whole school,” I replied, and as if to prove my point, a minivan screeched to a stop on the other side of the road, nearly hitting the curb in the process. The back doors flew open, and a group of girls dressed as characters fromThe Wizard of Ozpiled out. One of them shouted a thanks to the driver, and then they made their way up the front lawn without a backward glance. I jerked my head after them. “Shall we?”
Xander nodded and adjusted the cloak around his shoulders. He was quiet as we crossed the street, and when I looked over at him,I could tell he was deep in thought about something. Just as I was about to ask him what, he spoke. “Hey, what’s the name of your high school?”
