Lucy Writer: Vivian Xu Editer: Jiaqi (Julia) Peng Designer: Wyejee (Sara) Jung
A curl of heat slipped out the crack in the concrete and climbed up Lucy’s leg, which continued running unbothered across the playground. The less pleasant signs of early July—hot sun, scent of mulch, hungry mosquitoes—hardly dampened the energy that poured freely from the little people of this town, a flat lot populated by slides and swing sets and secrets which never lasted long. When Lucy told Patrick she liked him, he only scratched the back of his head and mumbled, “Okay?” But it was enough to send her squealing to her friends, fueling the whispers and giggles of the girls sitting under the oak trees. Everything was something to laugh about, talk about, dream about, to twist and pinch into a perfect story behind closed, smiling, flickering eyelids. Lucy didn’t know what exactly she liked about Patrick, but he gave her a new feeling, and she liked that.
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