Page 79 of The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1, The Music Box

“Yeah.” I swallow the sour taste in my mouth, and all of a sudden, I just feel exhausted. “Yeah, I’m here.”

Not that you need me.

“Where are you exactly?” he asks.

“I’m at the shop,” I reply, staring at my mother’s shop not far down the alleyway ahead of me.

“Oh, okay. Well, I’m sure you’re busy with work or research, but good news, we averted the almost apocalypse.”

He thinks I mean I’m at my shop. That I didn’t come to help them, and he doesn’t even sound mad about the idea that I let them down.

“That’s…that’s good, then.” I swallow back the tears and try to sound normal. “Well done, you.”

“Well, it was a team effort. I mean, we’re all covered in Chaos goo from where all these weird black tentacles exploded. Dusty keeps switching outfits. You should see what she’s wearing right now. She looks like an extra from Flash Gordon. She calls it her saving-the-world outfit. I have to say, being around a dead drag queen is never dull.”

“Right, well.” I clear my throat. “Um, it’s sounds like you all did a good job, so I’ll just let you get back to it.”

“Get back to what? Prickles, are you okay?” he asks, and his concern hits me somewhere I don’t want to be vulnerable.

“I’m fine, just busy.” I work to keep my tone brisk.

“Okay. Well, Chan has decided to throw a high-five-we-prevented-the-apocalypse party.”

“But I didn’t prevent the apocalypse,” I snap, trying to not show the hurt of once again being on the outside looking in.

“Uh, yes, you did,” he argues.

“No, I didn’t.” I scowl. “I didn’t do anything at all.”

“I beg to differ, you did plenty. You helped with all that research, and you made all those hex bags and helped protect Tristan’s dad. You’re part of this team, Prickles.”

“No, I–”

“Come on, Prickles, quit arguing. You’re coming to the party if I have to drive to your place and pick…” he pauses. “Oh no, wait. I don’t have my car.”

“Why? What happened to it?”

“I had a bit of an accident with it when we were racing over to the bookshop to save the world.”

I frown in concern. “A bit of an accident?”

“It’ll be fine, I’m sure,” he says breezily. “After they bang out some of the dents, anyway, I can Uber over to yours and pick you up.”

“That really isn’t necessary.”

“I think it is,” Sam says seriously. “We all want you there. In fact, I—wait a moment.” There’s a muffled voice talking to Sam and a conversation I can’t make out, then Sam comes back on the line. “Tristan says, if you don’t show up, he’s sending Dusty over. Apparently, she’ll keep you up all night by singing the entire soundtrack to Cabaret to you—including encores,” he adds.

I sigh loudly.

“Does that mean you’ll come?”

“I don’t know,” I murmur.

“But–”

“Look, Sam, I have to go. A customer just walked in.” I hang up the phone before he can say anything further, then go one step further and switch my phone off completely.

I need some time to process everything that’s happened today, so I head back out onto the main road, but at the last moment, I pause and look back.