Page 78 of Better Than Revenge

“Do you want it?”

It wasn’t the one I wanted, but why not? It could be fun to try. “Do you think we can get it out of here?”

“Yes, I just need to move the boxes you didn’t let me move before climbing them.”

“I was too excited.”

He shook his head, but a small smile snuck onto his face as we began shifting things. The second box I attempted to move was heavier than I anticipated, and it fell to the floor, its contents spilling onto the cement.

“Ugh,” I said, squatting down.

“They’re pictures,” Theo said, joining me in the cleanup.

I collected a stack and flipped through them. They were old pictures, some warped and yellowed but many well preserved. Iflipped through them, changing from a squat to a sit on the ground. I had just planned on depositing them back into the box, but when they looked like they were from the same time period as the ones I saw in the yearbook, I kept flipping.

“What did your grandma look like when she was a teenager?”

“I don’t know if we’ll find my grandma in these, but maybe a picture of the board?”

I was wrong; after going through several piles of pictures, I found something that made my heart jump to my throat—my grandma with what I could only assume was the painted board. She was standing on the beach in the cutest bikini, the board upright, it’s bottom stuck in the sand and her practically hugging it, a big smile on her face. Tears pricked my eyes and warmth spread throughout my body.

“Did you find something?” Theo asked.

I passed him the picture.

“This is amazing,” he said. “Your grandma was a babe.”

“I know.”

“You look like her.”

My cheeks went hot because Theo basically just called me a babe. “Not really,” I said.

“You do,” he assured me. “And this board. It’s awesome. Now I want to find it even more.” He passed the picture back to me.

The board was an eye. A huge sideways eye running the entire length of it. Not just any eye, my grandma’s. The color on the picture was faded, but I knew if we found the board, it would be the vibrant greens and browns that made up her eyes. I swiped at a tear that had escaped down my cheek.

“What’s wrong?” Theo asked.

“Her friend is dead, and she’s going to fade and seeing her like this”—I held up the picture—“it’s hard. Amazing, but hard.”

“I get it,” he said.

“I can’t wait to show her this picture.”

“Should we look for more?”

“Do you have time?” I asked.

“I came here for you,” Theo said suddenly, an intensity in his voice. He pointed to the picture. “Your grandma’s story is interesting and I know how much it means to you, but…I came here foryou.”

Chapter

twenty-six

WE HEADED THROUGH THE YARDback toward my car. Theo held the surfboard. I had the pictures tucked into my bag. Before we reached the gate, Theo pointed to a hose snaking through an extra-long patch of weeds against the side of the house. I immediately felt the dirt on my skin again at the thought of being able to wash it away.

After Theo’s confession earlier, I had met his stare with what I could only assume was a terrified expression. It was really just a reflection of feeling my heart explode in my chest. I’d nodded and said thank you or something equally stupid, and we finished looking through the pictures. I’d found a couple more. Then we’d freed the surfboard, and now we were heading to the front of the house to talk to Alice. But not before using the hose.