Page 3 of Cross My Heart

“I’m Noah,” The boy says, his eyes trailing me up and down.

“So what are you into, Noah?” I ask him, ignoring Scarlett completely. “Do you like football?”

“I do like football.”

“Good,” I reply, trying to think of what else to say, and because I get nervous when I meet someone new, I blurt out, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I don’t know what possessed me to ask such a question, but I’m suddenly interested in everything he has to say.

“So, we’re getting straight to the important questions, huh?” He chuckles, and my stomach does a weird little flutter at the sound.

This is awkward.

“Guess so.” I smile shakily.

“Okay.” Noah shrugs, and I can’t help but notice he looks beyond his age. My mom told me we’re the same age, but he could easily pass for sixteen with those abs. I guess he plays football too. My eyes linger on his chest for a moment, and he raises one eyebrow at me, making me look away as heat rises to my cheeks. This was a terrible idea. “If I could be anything in the world, I’d be an Army Ranger—just like my dad.”

My nose wrinkles. “What the hell is an Army Ranger?”

“A highly specialized soldier.” He smirks. “Aweapon.”

“And why would you want to be a weapon, Ranger?”

“To get rid of our enemies, of course.” He doesn’t say it in a patronizing tone, instead, he says it like he has all the patience in the world and is ready to explain to me why this is so important to him. “I would be part of a unit called Ranger Regiment, and I would protect our country.”

I nod slowly, sitting at the edge of the pool across from where they’re standing in the water. “Okay.” Noah wades through the water, then comes to sit next to me, his muscular arm brushing against mine. “So you want to protect the world.”

“Exactly.” He grins, then bumps me with his elbow. “And let me guess—you want tochangeit.”

I beam at him, but I hear Scarlett scoff, and Noah narrows his eyes in return. “I want to be a teacher,” I tell him, looking away.

“What kind of teacher?” he asks like he’s actually interested.

“English,” I reply shyly, and Scarlett laughs.

“Boring!” she yells, and I huff.

“It’s not!” But a little voice in my head tells me maybe I am too boring for them. “What’syourfavorite subject?” I ask with an attitude, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Science.” Scarlett shrugs. “I want to work in a hospital.”

I scoff. “And you sayI’mboring?”

“You are!”

“Fuck off, Red,” Noah growls, and she raises her hands in defeat. “That’s cool.”

“Why do you call her that?” I ask him.

My face heats as he reaches out, twirling one of my frizzy curls around his finger. “Because of her hair.” I nod slowly, “Yours is pretty too.”

“T-t-thank you,” I reply nervously, and I look up to see Scarlett rolling her eyes.

“Come on, Ty.” Noah grins, then pushes me face-first into the water. I cough and sputter as I come up, the water’s temperature is a stark contrast to the heat of the summer day. Somehow, even with the sun shining right on it, it’s still freezing. “Let’s see what you got.”

I grin back and push him under the surface until he struggles, and then he tosses me aside as if I weigh nothing. And that’s how I spend the day with my two new friends.

Maybe living here won’t be so bad after all.

Chapter 2

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