Page 71 of Where We Belong

“Then let’s make you fearless.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“You want to win or not?” Finn asks.

“That’s totally unrelated.”

“Is it?”

“Finn, come on,” I say, pointing at the ominous train track behind him. It’s currently empty, save for the few snowflakes blown from the neighboring trees onto the rusty metal. The sky’s a soft gray this afternoon, blending with the pale, icy ground. Yet, even with no train in sight, the tracks screamdangerfrom a mile away.

“You want to stop being scared of death?” He tips his head to the side. “Then you need to actually face it.”

“I did face it. Very closely, in fact.” Falling onto one’s neck is an easy way to say goodbye to your life.

“But you need to face it again,” Finn says.

“How are you still alive?” I ask.

He shrugs, an irritating smirk on his lips. “Guess death doesn’t want me yet.”

“Not funny.” I don’t like imagining him being reckless. Not caring whether he lives or dies. I want my friend around for a long time.

When I see he starts moving backwards, I say, “Where are you going?”

“Where do you think? Facing death.”

Then, the dumbass goes smack dab in the middle of the tracks and lies down.

“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss. “Get up.”

“Nah,” Finn says with a smile like everything’s fine in the world.

“Finn, I’m being serious. Get up.”

“Come on, Lex. You gotta do this.”

“No.” My arms are crossed in front of my chest like a petulant child, but I don’t know what else to do. Even with no train in sight, seeing him lying there is giving me hives. I scratch the back of my hand.

He pushes himself into a seated position and goes for the killing blow. “Do you trust me?”

I grind my teeth so hard it hurts. For maybe thirty seconds, I stand there while he stares at me, his face never transforming into irritation, only calm happiness.

“I hate you,” I mutter as I come to a lying position next to him.

He lies back down. “That why your face got all red up there?”

“Shut up.”

For a while, nothing happens, and my thundering heartbeat calms down. That is, until I jerk and say, “You hear that?”

“Yep,” Finn says, popping the P.

“Then let’s get up!” I move to do as I say but his hand on my arm stops me. “What the hell?”

“You haven’t faced it, Lex.”

“Finn, there’s a train whistle that just sounded maybe a mile from here.”

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