Page 4 of Torn

My face fell, and my chest felt heavy. He didn’t even remember my name properly. Was this what heartbreak felt like?

“It’s Jolie,” I said softly.

“Sorry. I have a shitty memory.”

“Stop cussing,” Marie hissed, swatting him on the arm.

I smiled awkwardly. “I’ll get you another beignet.”

I stepped away, but a heavy hand on my shoulder stopped me a second later. “Hey, wait up, Jolie. I’m coming with you.”

My heart lifted and mended itself immediately. It was Mason. He remembered my name this time, and he actually wanted to hang out with me! This was the best day ever.

“I figured I can carry more of those things than you. Besides, you live here, right?” Mason went on, loading up a napkin with beignets as we arrived at the table.

I nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“So do you know any cool spots around the place?” he asked. He leaned down to my level and adopted a quiet, conspiratorial tone. “Somewhere we can get away from all this weird crap, I mean. These people kinda creep me out, but my parents want to hang around just to be nice.”

Even though I found some of my father’s church stuff quite boring sometimes, it still rubbed me the wrong way when other people insulted it. This time, however, it simply made me giggle. I was too lightheaded with excitement to care about Mason’s ignorant comments. Besides, I could teach him. Maybe he and his family would join the church one day, and then I could see him all the time.

I knew my father had warned me about boys and said I was too young to think about them or hang around them, but this was different. He told me to keep the Ashwoods entertained, so really, I was just doing what I was told, wasn’t I?

“I can take you to my favorite pond around the other side of the house,” I replied. “I’ll show you how far I can skip stones.”

“I bet I can throw ‘em farther than you.” Mason flashed me a grin.

I smiled back. “I bet you can’t.”

I led him away from the marquee and around the other side of the mansion. Then I skipped ahead on the grassy path that led toward the pond I liked to play around whenever I was outside. It was big with a glistening surface and thick green reeds along the outer edges. On one side, a live oak tree provided shade for part of the water. It was a nice spot to sit and read sometimes, but the place we were standing right now was the best part to skip stones from.

“Okay, watch,” I said confidently. I picked up a flat rock and skipped it across the water, watching the ripples disrupt the flawless reflection of the oak branches.

“Hm. Not bad.” Mason nodded approvingly. “But watch this.”

His stone barely skipped before sinking into the pond. I giggled, and he looked at me with an embarrassed grin. “Guess I’m actually pretty shit at this, huh?”

I crossed my arms. “You aren’t supposed to curse.”

“There’s no adults here. So who cares?”

“He can hear,” I said.

“He who?”

I pointed into the sky. Mason nodded knowingly. “Right. Got it. Well, I’ll stop doing it when I’m around you as long as you show me how to skip stones. Deal?” He held out a hand.

“Deal.” I held my right hand out and let him shake it. It was tiny in his grasp, and as we touched, I felt like a net of butterflies had been released in my stomach. I grudgingly pulled my hand away a moment later and nodded toward the little rock pile I’d gathered next to the water. “The main trick is to pick a flat stone.”

I showed him how to flick his wrist when he threw it. This time, his stone sailed across the water and went even farther than mine.

“That was good!” I said, clapping my hands together. I took a deep breath before throwing caution to the wind and blurting out the rest of my thoughts. “I’ve never really hung out with a boy before. Most of them are gross. But I think you’re cool.”

“Thanks.” Mason flashed me another heart-melting smile and ruffled my blonde hair. “You know, you’re actually pretty cool too. Especially for a little church kid.”

I folded my arms. “I’m not a kid,” I said indignantly. “I turned seven nearly four months ago!”

Mason held up his arms. “Oops, sorry. Didn’t realize you were that old. I better go call the retirement village you escaped from.”

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