Page 41 of Monsters

Chapter 16

THEN

The sun warmed our skin, the slight breeze carrying the first trace of Fall. Lucas and I shared the boulder near the stream on the last afternoon at the cabin. Our pinkies hooked together while we watched the clouds float past forming shapes and characters we invented. We were in a short-lived state of bliss. A moment when we could pretend the last few months at the Carter house hadn’t been the hardest of their lives.

A week had passed since the explosive feud erupted, and Lucas still wore the purplish bruises as a sickening reminder. The wound on his cheek was healing the best it could, but it would permanently mark him. The violent boyfriend had once again taken off leaving Mrs. Carter bedridden with grief.

Shortly after, Mason packed a bag, and without so much as a word to his fractured family, he left. It had been almost a week, and he hadn’t yet contacted home. The Carters’ lives had been turned upside down, but for the briefest moment, Lucas wanted to forget everyone and everything from the world that was crumbling around him.

“No way,” Lucas exclaimed in disbelief. His laughter lit up my heart.

“Yes way,” I insisted. “Mr. Wilkins went in with his tie perfectly knotted, and hair gelled back and came out with it mussed up and his first two shirt buttons undone.”

More laughter, his pinkie tightening around mine. I had been telling Lucas about this week’s class excursion to the city’s research facility. Mr. Wilkins, my science teacher, had struck quite the affection with the lead female researcher. After exchanging coy smiles and flirtatious glances all day, my teacher and his mutual admirer had disappeared. We were outside waiting for our buses’ arrival to return the class to school when Mr. Wilkins excused himself and casually, yet with a suddenly awkward swagger, walked back into the facility. When the bus arrived, and we boarded sans our teacher, we were left waiting for fifteen minutes until Mr. Wilkins returned looking unusually disheveled. There were giggles and innuendos thrown into the mix, all of which he expertly ignored. There was no denying the small smile on his lips for the rest of the journey home.

“Truth or dare?” Lucas asked, suddenly serious.

“Truth.” He knows I would always choose truth, but this was the game.

“What do you think life will be like when we finish school?”

A cloud in the shape of a duck slowly crept above us creating a shadow, absorbing the last of the heat.

“Scary,” I finally said.

“What’s scary about it?”

A hard lump formed in my throat. “I’m scared that when we graduate we’ll be sent in opposite directions and we’ll never see each other.”

“It doesn’t matter what we both end up doing, we’ll always be in each other’s lives, Gem.”

I dropped my head to the side to study his profile. “We have totally different interests, Lucas. We can’t guarantee that.”

This time, his eyes met mine. “You’re my rock, Gem,” he said, voice shaky with emotion. “Nothing and no one will ever tear us apart.”

“Do you mean that?”

“With all my heart.” Lucas smiled before returning his gaze to the sky. “Besides…” he said, a small smile playing on his lips, “… you won’t even remember me a month into college.”

“Oh! And why is that, Mr. Carter?”

“You’re beautiful, Gem. Smart, witty. You’ll be every guy’s dream girl.”

My heart both melted and shattered, tears prickling my eyes. “By the time we see each other on break, you’ll already have a rock on your finger.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

There was a pause before he finally spoke, “I don’t want it to be true.”

“Then let’s make a promise,” I said, turning on my side and facing him. He did the same, and we got lost in each other’s eyes.

“And what would that be?” he asked, playfully.

“If we’re both still single by the time we’re thirty, let’s marry each other.”

“I don’t think I can wait till we’re thirty, Gem.”

My heart exploded.

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