Art, Sass in the City ..........................................Anaezi Nwokeji ’22

not say. “I’m sorry.” “For what?”

“That it didn’t work.” I blow out a candle, and she protests, so I stop. “Or, at least, that it didn’t work the second time.”

She curls in on herself, arms wrapped around her stomach like a hug. Her expression stings with the same sour disappointment. I pat the space beside me, letting her curl up in my lap. We stay like that for a while, chests rising and falling in unison. I rub circles on her back, and she takes her hand into mine.

Our eyes follow the sunset, as the last rays of light fall behind the mountains. The clouds pulse

continued next page

Sass in the City , Anaezi Nwokeji ’22, digital

like heartbeats, watercolor streaks across the sky. She’s warm beside me, and it’s enough.

A drop of rain hits the roof. The sound ricochets off the metal plating, water rushing through the gutter and splashing onto the ground.

She sits back up, and I mourn the loss of warmth. “We should head back.”

“You think?” I say, smiling, and stuff the ouija board back in the cupboard.

Taking her hand, she guides us back to the house. I can’t smell anything but rain. When we reach her doormat, the cuffs of my jeans are thoroughly soaked in mud.

I stumble inside, my jacket snagging on the doorway.

“Need a hand?” She bends down, her smile soft and real.

The light collects in her palm. And, steadfast, I take it.