Page 38 of The Lies We Tell Ourselves

The rough planks of the front steps bit into my legs as I waited for Jamie. It had been two days since we’d seen each other, because his parents had dragged him out of town for some unknown reason. I knew he’d gotten back last night, because I’d seen their truck out front, but he hadn’t been allowed out. When I’d turned up, his Dad was yelling, so I crept around the back and knocked on his window to see if he could sneak out. His red-rimmed eyes had said everything he couldn’t, but he promised he’d come and see me today.

Light footsteps made my head snap up as he approached, and a wide grin lit up his face as he sat down next to me. “Hey,” he said softly as he bumped my shoulder.

“Hey.” I chuckled. “What do you wanna do today?” I looked down at him expectantly, waiting for his answer as he toyed with a piece of rye grass between his fingers.

“I dunno. How about we play at the abandoned house? See if we can find anything worth keeping?”

“You just want to see if there are any treasures you can add to your hoard,” I joked as his cheeks stained a pretty pink. I shook off that thought, jumped to my feet, and held out my hand. His soft palm slipped into mine, so much smaller—delicate really—and I hauled him to his feet.

Jamie scuffed his shoe in the dirt and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Can we take your bike? Mine is, well…”

His voice sounded small and sad so I did what I always did. I tried to make him smile. “O’course we can.” I smirked. “The question is whether you can balance on the seat and not topple us this time.”

Jamie laughed so hard, he clutched his stomach and bent over. “That was one time?—”

“And we ended up in the creek!”

“I know, I know.” He wiped a tear from his eyes. Even though tears swam in them, they sparkled brighter than I’d seen in weeks.

“Race you to the back.” Before I’d finished speaking, I ran to the garage and pulled my bike out. Jamie hopped on behind me. The ride to the abandoned house took us about twenty minutes through the winding back roads that no one really used anymore. We spent most of our time dodging the growing pot holes and laughing every time I had to swerve when the road broke beneath my tires.

“This place will never not be cool,” Jamie said with wonder in his voice. He loved this old building even though I thought it would make a better bonfire. “One day when I’m older, I’m gonna build us a house like this.”

I turned to look at him with a funny feeling in my chest. Us? He’d said us. I wondered what that meant to him. Did it mean the same to him as it did me? Jamie was my everything, the center of my world. But was I his?

“That sounds cool,” I said as the porch boards crumbled beneath our feet. “Just promise me it won’t fall apart like this one.”

“Like I would design us a bad house?!” The affront in Jamie’s voice had me cackling as he shoved me through the open front door and into the wide open entryway covered in dry leaves and trash. Graffiti covered the walls, and an old mattress was dumped in one of the front rooms.

“Well, I won’t know till I see it, will I?” I said.

“That’s true.” He snickered. “It’ll be a surprise. I’ll just say one day, ‘Oh Dil! I’ve got something to show you,’ and bam! There’s our home.”

My heart skipped on the word home. That’s what he was to me. Home. “Sure, can’t wait. Hey, wanna play hide and seek?”

“Okay. I’m hiding first though,” Jamie called to me as he ran past the stairs. I shook my head and started counting. By the time I’d gotten to thirty, the house was silent save for the wind whipping through the broken boards. Even though the windows had been white washed, I could still make out the dark clouds swelling across the sky as the temperature started to drop. I could taste rain in the air as a storm rolled in.

“Ready or not, here I come,” I shouted as I strode through the house and out to the back deck. Jamie had an affinity for nature—he’d be outside surrounded by trees or water as often as he could. I didn’t know if he was trying to escape something or just loved being outside more than anything. He might be my best friend and tell me almost everything, but I knew he kept secrets from me. Just like I kept some from him.

“Jamie, where are you?” I called after half an hour of searching for him. His small frame made him a master at this game. It frustrated me no end, but all I wanted was to see him smile. “Jaammmiee?”

A faint giggle carried on the wind as I headed back toward the house and searched every room. Where is he? The only place I hadn’t looked was the old storm shelter under the house. We’d both been a bit freaked out when we checked it out the first time we came here and had never gone back.

I grabbed the rotten door and pulled it back, staring into the darkness beyond. “Jamie?”

“Ahhhh, crap.” His voice floated up from the dark depths. “Dil, I’m stuck.”

“I’m coming!” I shouted and jumped right in, the old wooden beams groaning when I landed. I blinked a few times, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the near darkness before moving. “Where are you?”

“Over here.” Jamie’s voice sounded pained as I followed it farther into the extensive shelter. Old shelving units were toppled over, and piles of old clothes gave the damp air a musty tinge that tickled my nose.

“Little crow?” I whispered as I saw Jamie sitting in the corner. “I’ve found you.”

“Well, I kinda gave it away when I called you,” he whined. “My leg’s stuck Dil. The floor gave out.” Just as the words left his mouth, a cracking groan rendered the air and the board beneath my feet crumbled.

“Shit, Jamie,” I screamed as the corner he sat on shattered, and he disappeared. I threw myself onto my stomach, trying to find him. “Jamie? Jamie? Please answer me.”

“I’m down here,” he cried. “I’m… I’m okay.” Sure enough, about ten feet down, Jamie was wedged under broken planks. “I can’t get out Dil. You need to get my mom.”

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