Page 27 of Keeping London (Flawed Heart)

“I knew you would.”

We head back out into the water, and I’m able to ride two more waves in. Though I desperately want to, I can’t manage another. I’ve never been so sore in my entire life.

Once again, Loïc urged me to do something that I would never have done without him, and I ended up loving it. I thought my life was perfect before Loïc, but the longer I’m with him, the more I realize that it was lacking in so many ways. He brings a zest for life that I didn’t have on my own. He helps me push my limits, and because of that, I’m a better person, a more fulfilled one. I was cruising through life on autopilot, but with Loïc, I’m actually living it, and it’s awesome.

“Oh my God, you have to try that, George. It’s so fun,” I say as I fall on the blanket. “You can use my wet suit. Loïc will teach you.”

“I know. I love surfing,” she replies.

“I didn’t know you surfed.”

“Of course. I live in California, Londy,” she says by way of explanation. “I’m good though. We should pack up and go get something to eat before heading back. I don’t want you to be running late for your flight.”

“Stupid flight,” I grumble.

Loïc and I are taking the red-eye back to Michigan tonight. I wish we didn’t have to. It would be great to hide away from life in California with the ocean and warm sun. Back in Michigan, we’re going to be stepping off the plane into coldness—in more ways than one. Not only is the weather freezing, but the looming date of Loïc’s departure also gives me a chill. I can’t even think about it.

I just want to flee reality and get lost here in paradise, but unfortunately, that’s not an option.

Loïc

Age Fifteen

Amarillo, Texas

“Because of everything I’ve lost, I can’t lose Sarah, too.”

—Loïc Berkeley

I wake with a start. My back pushes into the gravel beneath it before I jolt up. I reach my arm out to the side, patting the spot beside me, and I immediately notice that Sarah isn’t there. Her comforting warmth is unmistakably missing.

Something’s wrong.

I’m surrounded by darkness, save for the tiny tease of light rising from the horizon in the distance, indicating dawn’s impending arrival. It’s early.

Sarah would never just leave me. She wouldn’t.

“Sarah! Sarah!” I call out.

A sad echo of my voice bounces back from the metal above me.

We’ve been staying under this overpass for about a week now. I found some temporary work in town that pays me cash to sort and load produce onto trucks. It’s long hours and tiring work, but I can’t turn down money. Plus, I’d rather be working than standing on a street corner, holding up a cardboard sign, begging for handouts, even though the latter scenario has been more familiar as of late. Not too many people are willing to hire a teenage boy with no identification and a less than desirable appearance. I’m hoping my current employer will keep me around long enough, so I can afford to get a few clean sets of clothes and some newer shoes for Sarah and me from the Salvation Army, and we could each use a haircut. I’m sure I could get more work if I looked better.

Sarah and I try to stay clean. Every day, we brush our teeth and wash up at gas station restrooms, and at least twice a week, we pay to take showers at truck stops.

Maybe she had to go to the bathroom?I walk to the edge of the overpass. The loud traffic sounds overhead, and the metal shakes as large trucks zoom across.

“Sarah!” I call out.

Nothing.

I pace around, continuing to call her name. There’s no response.

Where could she be?

Sarah and I are very careful. We don’t split up often, and when we do, we make specific plans as to when and where we will meet up. It’s not like I can just call her. She’s never just left without telling me before.

A vague memory from when I was young surfaces. My dad and I were standing in front of an amusement park of some sort, and he was going over what I should do if I got separated from him. I remember him telling me to stay put, that if I stayed right where I was, then he could backtrack to all the places we’d been until he found me.

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