Page 44 of Chasing Fireflies

“Remember when Sky and Johnathan got pretend married out on the dock?”

“Yep. She had on her mother’s old wedding dress, and they jumped into the water after. She was grounded for a month.” I laugh, remembering how brown the dress was when she got out of the water.

“Over there is where I first kissed you,” he says.

“And it was the best kiss I’d ever had.”

“I hope you didn’t have many.”

“Nope, that’s why it was the best.” I grin, nudging him. He rolls his eyes.

“You planning on seeing your parents while we’re here?” I ask.

He looks down and shakes his head. “Nah.” I look away and watch a flock of ducks fly over the lake. Cash and his parents haven’t spoken in a while. He doesn’t think I know, but I realize they weren’t too happy with his decision to marry me. I was too messed up for the sheriff’s boy. I am messed up, but we make it work.

*

After we let the sun dry us, we get back on the bike and drive down some roads that haven’t had our tires on them in more than a while. Sunlight does its best to shine through the woods, but the trees are thick. I wrap my arms around Cash’s waist, wishing I could kiss his neck, but these dang helmets are in the way. We head into town just to ride by the old grocery store parking lot where we all used to hang out. No cars are there now, but on the weekends and sometimes after school, it was packed and everyone walked from car to car talking and cutting up. Nothing else to do in a small town. We circle back and head toward what we now call home.

Chapter Thirteen

Sara

I sniff and a sneeze comes out worse than the one before. “Bless you,” Maci yells from somewhere I have no idea. It’s cleaning day at the library, and I’ve never seen so much dust.

“When is the last time you did this?” I yell back.

“Last summer.”

I turn when I see her standing in the row I’m seated in. Her red hair is piled up, and like always she wears jeans and a blouse. She laughs at my makeshift facemask. It’s an old rag with loose strings, which just so happens to fit perfectly behind my ears.

“Don’t laugh. I’m just trying to prevent a major sinus infection.”

“Well, from the way you’ve been sneezing, I don’t think it’s working.”

I remove it. “I think you’re right.” I sigh and run a hand through my hair. I hear the library door open, and Maci looks that way. Her eyes grow wide, and I see her swallow. I stand.

“What the fuck is this?” I hear and walk closer to Maci and see Lucas. He looks from her to me and then back to her.

“Lucas, I need you to leave.”

“Leave?” he says. “I’m gone for two days working, and I come home to fucking divorce papers? Where is all of your shit, Maci?”

“Don’t worry about that,” she says. I can see how tired of this she really is. He walks closer to her, but she doesn’t move. Either she isn’t scared or she just doesn’t give a shit anymore. I think it’s both. He looks mad, crazy in fact, and I can smell alcohol on him from here.

He looks over at me. “You got something to do with this?”

“Leave her out of it.” Maci turns to me. “Sara, go on home. I’ll call you in a little bit.”

“No,” I say. “I’m not leaving you.”

“You think you can protect her or something?”

“I think that if you try anything, you’ll know we were there.”

He laughs and shakes his head. Tossing the papers down, he gets in her face. “This isn’t over. You know I’m not letting you go.” His eyes search hers. Lucas reaches his hand up, and I see her flinch when he runs a finger down the side of her face to her neck. “I’m never letting you go.” He steps on the papers and turns to leave. Once the door shuts, Maci lets out a big breath of air I had no idea she was holding. She leans down and picks up the papers before looking over at me. Tears are in her eyes, and she glances back toward the door.

“What happened?” she asks no one. “When did everything go to shit?”

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