Free The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder Page A

glanced at the empty backseat.
    â€œLacrosse,” said Ryan.
    â€œIs he coming?” Lily persisted.
    â€œNope.”
    â€œRy-an. Why didn’t you tell me?”
    â€œIt’s not a big deal, Lil. Come on,” Ryan said.
    â€œAt least let me go get a book or something to entertain myself,” Cam begged. She tried to turn back toward the house, but Lily pushed Cam’s skinny butt into the backseat.
    Ryan had curly red hair, ivory skin, and freckles. He was, in fact, a tiny bit pimply, but nothing too repulsive. Everything about him seemed new, nascent, hairless, like he’d just hatched from some alien egg and arrived onto planet Adulthood. Everything except his voice. He had a deep, booming actor’s voice, and when he said, “Cam, it’s nice to finally meet you,” Cam could see how Lily could let herself get sucked in. Even so, she wished she had just stayed home and gone to the movies with her mom and Perry.
    At the park they climbed to one of eastern North Carolina’s few hills. Cam mourned the loss of her quadricep muscles with each tiring step, but the air was cool and just refreshing enough to fuel her and to bring some color to Lily’s cheeks. They got to the overlook, a cliff with a view of the entire “lake,” which was mostly a man-made reservoir of sorts, an Army Corps of Engineers marvel, a flooded soybean field. Still, it was beautiful with the sun sparkling off of it and the clear voices of the loons and boaters echoing all the way up to them at the top of the hill.
    Ryan spread out the checkered blanket and insisted on a little prayer before helping Lily set out the food. He made sure she ate something before he would touch a morsel.
    â€œYou have to eat, Lily. Come on,” he said, creating for her a perfect bite of cracker with pimento cheese and a slice of pickle, Lily’s favorite snack.
    He had been chivalrous and entertaining during the entire hike, lugging all of their stuff and starting friendly, small-talk conversations. He must have taken the same southern etiquette classes at the “club” that Lily had growing up, which made them a good couple, Cam guessed.
    Lily took one bite and then covered her nose and mouth with a napkin. In seconds the napkin was bright with Lily’s blood. A nosebleed. “Shit!” said Lily.
    â€œSqueeze it.” Cam reached over to hand Lily a cloth napkin and searched through the cooler for an ice pack. She helped Lily tilt her head back and pressed the ice pack to the bridge of Lily’s nose. Even Lily’s front teeth were red with blood. “Is this happening a lot?” Cam asked. Aside from Lily’s frail appearance, this was the first sign Cam had seen that Lily was not totally in remission.
    â€œYeah. It’s my new thing.”
    â€œNice. Well, I had a seizure in the dollar store parking lot, if that makes you feel any better.”
    â€œAwesome,” said Lily. “I’ll be right back.” She made her way to the cabin of outhouses that was about a hundred yards behind them in the woods. “You two get to know each other,” she said, still holding her nose.
    Cam sat down on the blanket and washed the blood off of her hands with some water from the water bottle. She and Ryan stared out at the lake. “So.” Cam was still feeling a little fidgety. “I’m to get to know you,” she said as if she were in a Jane Austen novel.
    â€œWhat do you want to know?” Ryan asked.
    â€œHonestly?”
    â€œI’m an open book,” he said.
    â€œI want to know your intentions,” Cam said, keeping with the Jane Austen vocabulary.
    â€œIntentions?”
    A sibilant breeze whispered its way through the pine needles overhead, and in the distance Cam could hear the knocking of a woodpecker.
    â€œYeah. Like with Lily. She thinks you love her,” said Cam. Ryan sat up straight and crossed his legs. Probably feeling shifty at