Page 70 of Cemetery Boys

Luca searched the empty air, squinting, even venturing to take a step closer. “Can he hear me?”

“Yes, he can hear you,” Yadriel said softly.

Hesitantly, Luca held out his hand. “Can he touch me?”

Julian’s expression was slack, his spine bowed and eyes dull as they studied Luca. He stepped forward and reached out. His hand hovered just above Luca’s. Yadriel held a breath as Julian’s face pinched in concentration.

Julian lowered his hand, and his fingers slipped right through Luca’s palm.

Luca shivered, his arm quaking inside the large sleeve, but otherwise didn’t react.

“It doesn’t really work like that…,” Yadriel said as Julian stepped back and turned his head away.

Pink bloomed in Luca’s cheeks. He dropped his hand to his side and rubbed his arm. He gave that apologetic little smile again.

“Fine.”

Julian’s voice was so small, at first Yadriel wasn’t sure he’d heard right.

“Really?” Yadriel asked, trying to get a look at his face, but Julian kept it turned away. Instead, he gave a jerky nod.

“What?” Luca asked, looking around again. “What’d he say?”

“He said yes,” Yadriel said. The relief crashing over him felt so good, he smiled.

Luca smiled back. “I could meet you guys tomorrow morning, give you the night to think it over?”

“It would need to be the afternoon, we’ve got school.” Yadriel nodded toward Maritza.

“Oh, right. Afternoon, then.” Luca nodded. “Where should I meet you? Do you live nearby?”

“Yeah, I live there,” Yadriel said, motioning through the large gate. The lights were on in his house. The church loomed on the other side.

Luca’s eyes went wide. “You live in there? Whoa, no wonder you can see ghosts.”

Maritza laughed.

Yadriel grinned and bit back the urge to correct him.

“I’m Maritza, by the way,” she cut in. “And that guy is Yadriel.”

“Oh.” Luca’s eyes did that quick little dart to Yadriel’s chest.

On instinct, Yadriel curled in on himself, tightly crossing his arms as heat crawled up his neck. He hated that glance, and he hated the mix of embarrassment and shame that came with it.

“I’m Luca.” His lips tugged in a lopsided smile. “But I guess Jules told you that already?” He laughed. “Okay, well I’ll meet you guys here, then, tomorrow afternoon.”

Julian straightened as Luca hopped onto his skateboard. “He can’t walk back on his own, it’s dark out—”

“Do you need somewhere to stay the night?” Yadriel asked quickly. He was already housing one boy in secret, he didn’t think he could handle another, but Julian was right—it was dark out, and if someone was going around picking off kids from the street—

“You could stay at my place,” Maritza offered, toying with her rosary. “I bet if I talked to my parents—”

“Oh, no, that’s okay!” Luca waved her off, rubbing at the back of his neck. “My parents live a few streets over—”

Yadriel saw Julian tense.

“I’ll just stay there tonight.”