Page 32 of Fireworks Flame
I smile, liking the person he sees me as: someone trustworthy and without fear.
“Speaking of the elephants,” I say, “I don’t hear them anymore.”
“They left a few minutes ago.” He gets to his knees and unzips the flap, peering outside. “Probably to get some sleep, which we should do as well.”
I nod despite my disappointment at the sight of him crawling out of the tent. I didn’t mean to imply that I had no more need of him now that we weren’t under siege. Still, he’s probably right. We don’t need a repeat of the other night, with one of us passing out on top of the other.
“Thanks,” I say as he begins to zip up the tent behind him.
“For what?”
For trusting me with your secret. For saving me from a panic attack. For making it feel okay to leave my job and attempt to strike out on my own.
“For showing up,” I say simply.
He winks at me for the first time since freshman year, the day we met on the lawn. “That’s what friends arefor.”
THEN
Phoebe was never one to pass up a dare. Still, I didn’t think she’d do it. I didn’t think shecould. Slate Devers was standing no more than ten feet away from his precious skateboard, an energy drink gripped tightly in his hand like he was scared it might jolt into the air and pour its power into someone else’s mouth. Little did he know something much more important to him was about to be yanked away.
I would’ve felt sorry for him, but he was an asshole. There was no other word for him. I imagined the girls he dated convinced themselves he wasedgy, but I’d heard him yell at enough of them to realize he was truly awful, that the ripped clothes and ornate tattoos were a deliberate shield to distract people from looking any deeper. My smile widened as Phoebe pulled his skateboard out of the grass and onto the paved path.
“Hey!” The energy drink must have done its job because Slate whipped around with the reflexes of a snake. “That’s mine!”
“I know.” Phoebe grinned, putting one foot on the board and taking off.
The laughter bubbled up, bursting out of me as he began to run after her. Next to me, Simone’s hands had gone over her mouth, trying to hold it in, but Deiss and Mac had given in to loud guffaws. There was something about the way Phoebe rode, her arms waving all around her like she was having a party, while Slate ran desperately after her, shouting for her to stop. I kept expecting her to yell back at him, to explain that it was just a dare and she was bringing it right back, but she didn’t. Her left leg just kept pumping against the pavement, pulling her farther away from him and out of sight.
“Ride-ola free-ola!” Phoebe hollered as she zipped away.
“You said you talked to her.” Deiss tried to scowl at me, but the corner of his mouth tilted up, betraying him. “I refuse to be a part of a group that has its own secret language. Especially one that just addsolaon the end of every word. It’s like living with Oompa Loompas.”
“I-oladid-ola talk-ola to-ola her-ola.” I smiled serenely. “In Ola-Speak.”
Deiss shook his head but grinned at me in a way that looked almost like admiration.
“Who’s next?” Simone asked when she finished cheering Phoebe on.
“The Ice Queen,” Mac said.
“Truth or dare?” Deiss asked.
I didn’t know why they were looking at me so expectantly. I always picked truth, and they were always disappointed.
“Truth,” I said.
Simone groaned.
“Ask her something embarrassing,” she ordered the guys. “Something filthy.”
Deiss nodded, and my heart sped up.
“What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you?” he asked.
“Deiss!” Simone glared at him.
He shrugged innocently. “Maybe the worst thing that ever happened to her was really dirty.”
