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an assistant.”
    “Kinda ran into Ms. Donaldson? She asked about me?” I questioned suspiciously. Ms. Donaldson was our town librarian; she must have been close to eighty years old. I had a hard time believing she even remembered her own name.
    “She was just trying to make conversation. I thought it was nice. Besides, it sounds like the perfect job for you,” she insisted.
    I can’t lie; it was a little weird that Ms. Donaldson had asked about me. It was weird because I don’t think she even knew who I was. She had never acknowledged me by name the few times I had gone to the library. And truth be told, I tried to avoid that place whenever I could. During school, I did most of my research projects online just so I would not have to go down there. The place gave me the creeps. But as the idea resonated, it didn’t sound half bad. It would probably be quiet since it was summer and school was out. I had to admit, it sounded a lot better than working as a waitress or a grocery store clerk.
    “Uh, thanks for the heads up, Aunt Rose. I will go down there and apply this week,” I promised.
    “Great! Well, that was easy.” She smiled and patted me on the back. “I’m off to work. Someone called in sick, so I will be pulling a double shift, which will leave you on your own for dinner tonight. Call the hospital if you need anything,” she shouted while on her way out the door.
    “Will do!” I shouted back as I heard the door slam.
    On my own for dinner tonight ? I was on my own for dinner almost every night. When Aunt Rose wasn’t working or sleeping, she was usually with her boyfriend Jack. But it was cool because I actually liked being alone, and I liked Jack. By the looks of it, he and Aunt Rose made a strange couple. Aunt Rose was a petite woman with short, blonde hair while Jack towered over her and wore a pony tail down his back. But I guess in their situation, opposites do attract. Jack and Aunt Rose had been dating for a few years now, and he owned a car detail shop in town. The kind of shop that you bring your car in to if you want to turn it into a flashy one. The kind of car that would draw attention in a crowd. That’s why I respectfully declined each time he offered to fix mine up if I ever got one. It’s not that Aunt Rose didn’t try her hardest to buy me a car for my sweet sixteen; it’s just that I never wanted one. I lived three blocks from school, six blocks from the town center, and a couple miles from the cemetery. Why would I need a car when I could just walk? But just because I didn’t get a car doesn’t mean I didn’t get my driver’s license. It was necessary for emergency’s sake and the occasional grocery trip I made.
    I headed upstairs, peeled off my clothes, and threw my pajamas from earlier that morning back on. I curled back up in bed, hoping that drowsiness would consume me, but no such luck. So much for beauty sleep, I thought to myself. As I lay there, the thought of the party slowly crept into my head and then panic set in as to what I would wear to the dreadful event. The thought turned me into a crazy person. I got up out of bed and began to tear through my closet to find anything appropriate for the Hawaiian theme—something, anything that would allow me to blend in. Go unseen if at all possible.
    But I couldn’t find anything appropriate. I spent the rest of the day picking up the mess that I had made, which led into doing laundry, cleaning out from under my bed, and rearranging my entire room. A part of me was annoyed at myself for starting the process, but another part was thankful for the distraction. Since school had ended, I had been having trouble keeping myself busy. I was actually looking forward to getting a job. Maybe this job at the library would be a good thing. Actually, if it was going to help me buy my ticket out of Marblehead, it was a great thing.
    Before I knew it, it was dark outside, and after popping a TV dinner into the microwave, I parked myself