He had his dad give him a once-over to make sure he looked presentable. Daniel adjusted his tie with a tug.
“That’s better.”
“Thanks, Dad,” William said.
“What time are you going to be home?”
“Probably a little after midnight,” he replied. “Unless I meet up with my friends after I drop Casey off.”
“It might be better to come straight home,” his father said. “There’ll be a lot of kids out drinking tonight. Not everyone has a designated driver.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And no drinking either,” his grandmother chimed in from the recliner.
William jumped—he hadn’t realized she was there.
“I won’t, Grandma. I promise.” Then to his dad, “I’m heading out. I think Casey’s mom wanted to take some pictures before we leave.”
“Oh, ask her to give us a copy,” his grandmother said.
With forty-five minutes to kill, William stopped by the Video Coop. Saturday afternoons meant a quiet store, and as usual, Dave had dimmed the lights. The neon glow from the new releases flickered faintly across the walls. Something about it felt off—like the store was holding its breath.
“Well, look who it is,” Dave said, nudging Ed’s arm. “Is that the Penguin? Enemy of Batman?”
“It’s William,” Ed replied.
“I don’t see an umbrella. No monocle. No top hat! He’s a little taller than I expected.” Dave hopped onto the counter. “Did you decide to ditch prom and hang with the cool kids instead?”