Tracy Flick Can't Win (Tracy Flick #2) (50)

“Can I help you?” She was shifting her weight from foot to foot, trying to keep her heart rate up.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “It’s just… I used to know the people who lived here.”

She stopped moving her feet. “The Morrisons?”

“Yeah. Do you know them?”

“Not really. I met Mrs. Morrison once, but… you know, we didn’t talk that much. She seemed like a nice lady.”

“You wouldn’t know how to get in touch with her, would you?”

She pursed her lips, sorry to disappoint him.

“I think she moved into an assisted living place, but I’m not sure which one. And that was four years ago, so…” The woman smiled sadly, not wanting to complete the thought. “Maybe some of the older neighbors would know.”

“I’m trying to find her son,” Vito explained. “He was my friend growing up. Great football player. Really good guy.”

“I’m sure he was.” The woman nodded vaguely. This was more information than she needed. “I really have to—”

“I owe him an apology,” Vito said. “I’m in a twelve-step program, I’m trying to make amends to people I hurt.”

“Well, good luck with that.” She backed away from the threshold. “You have a nice day.”

The door closed politely in his face.

Vito stood there for a few seconds with his mouth hanging open. He felt a weird urge to ring the bell again, like maybe this time the universe would realign and Reggie’s mom would appear, or maybe even Reggie himself, so he could say what needed to be said and get this weight off his chest, but it wasn’t gonna happen—not today, maybe not ever.



* * *



Before starting back to Kyle’s, he took a picture of Reggie’s house and texted it to Paige.

My best friend used to live here.

I miss you.

He felt a little queasy as he slipped the phone back into his pocket, but he shook it off and started down the street towards the condos. It was chillier now, and a light rain had begun to fall.

He stopped and studied the new building. Some of the condo units were gray and some were yellow, and they all had balconies. The sign out front read Meadow Branch Commons: A Unique Experience in Residential Luxury. The words made no sense. Something buzzed in his pocket. He had a question, at least it felt like a question, but he didn’t know what it was, and then it was gone, and there was nothing in his head but radio static, and then that was gone too, and his mind was a blank.





- 26 - Nate Cleary




Kelly was up in her room, all set to go. The blackout shades were down, the ring light was glowing, the webcam was mounted on its tripod. I handed her the cookie tin without breaking into frame.

“Is this for me?” Her voice was a startled whisper. “You’re so sweet. What did you bring me?”

She took her time undoing the ribbon, making a project out of it. She was really good at stuff like that. Unscrewing. Untying. Uncapping.

“Something smells really good, TapTapTap.”

She pried off the lid, slowly and cautiously, as if there might be a bomb inside. She waited a moment, letting the camera linger on the cookies inside.

“Mmmm. White chocolate chips, red M&M’s, and walnuts. You know me so well.” She made a sad but sexy face. “I’ll have to save them for later. I put on some special lipstick just for you, and I don’t want to mess it up. Is that okay?”

I nodded yes. That was my whole job. To stand behind the webcam so she could look at me while she talked. She said it helped to keep her focused.

“I’m so lucky to have you in my life,” she whispered. “You knew I was feeling a little down, and you baked my favorite cookies for me. From scratch, TapTapTap. You’re so thoughtful and caring.”

And then she did the thing I loved, licking her lips in slow motion, all the way around, just the pointy tip of her tongue. It was a thrill to watch her do it in real time, knowing that thousands of people would watch it later on YouTube.

“You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

It never failed, the way her voice went straight into my bloodstream, like a drug. She knew it too. Sometimes, when we were hooking up, she’d whisper TapTapTap into my ear, and it always sent me right over the edge.



* * *



It was raining when I left her house. Not hard, just a misty drizzle. I got into my car and sat there for a few seconds. I had that feeling you get when you go to a movie in the afternoon, and the world seems unreal when you come out. It was always that way after I helped Kelly with a video.

It was nice, being told over and over again what a great boyfriend I was. But it was also a little weird, because I wasn’t really that great. I was just following instructions. She told me what cookies to bake and how to wrap them, and that’s what I did.

But that was okay. I liked making her happy, and I liked being part of her work. It felt grown-up in a way that none of my other relationships ever had.

I liked her so much that it made me a little sad about graduating and heading off to college. I still didn’t know where I was going, but there was a decent chance that I’d end up at Hamilton or Washington University or Davidson, and that would be the end of me and Kelly. I tried to talk to her about it a couple of times, but she just shrugged it off, like September was a million years away, and there was no point worrying about it. It made me wonder if she’d even miss me when I was gone.