He opens his mouth to speak just as a vibrating sound comes from his pocket. Sighing, he pulls out his phone. “It’s my coach. He asked me to run here to give a message to Ms. Crenshaw. He wants to know what’s taking me so long.”
Noah takes two steps away from me. I hate those two steps.
Even though he has a girlfriend, I hate those two steps.
Even though he’s a Sutton and not the kind of guy I should like, I hate those two steps.
“Ember,” he says, eyes burning as brightly as my name. “Meet me tomorrow. After school?”
I’m stunned, and it ties up my tongue until all I can say is “Uh…”
“The lake… That can’t be it for us.” He shakes his head quickly. Another step back. I hate that one just as much. “There’s more to us, Ember. When I’m with you, it feels like…” He trails off, a faint pink appearing on his cheeks. “You feel it too. I know you do. There’s no way you couldn’t.”
I swallow hard.
“Five o’clock. At the same spot at the lake. Okay?”
He looks so hopeful that I say yes.
His grin is worth the lie.
I watch him jog out the front door, then trudge back to the computer and shut it down. On my way out I pass Ms. Crenshaw. She waves at me, and the stack of books held against her body by her left arm wobbles.
Sky better nominate me for sister-of-the-year after all of this. I deserve a medal. Possibly a plaque.
One sheet of scholarship opportunities. The price? Me lying to the only boy who’s ever taken my heart and put it somewhere below my knees.
Sky had better go to college.
4
Noah
I stoppedby the library today after school, just to see if she was there. She wasn’t. Disappointed, I hustled to practice.
I knew I was going to see her at the lake in a couple hours. I just… I don’t know. I guess I wanted to see her sooner than that.
I managed to focus during practice, but my stomach has been twisted in knots since I stepped under the spray in the locker room shower. I’m the first person cleaned and dressed today, and I nod at Brody as I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk out to my car.
Brody will probably chalk up my odd behavior to me telling him about my breakup with Kelsey. I’ll let him think that was it. How can I explain to him about Ember? I barely understand it myself. How could one person,one encounter, hit me with the force of a freight train?
My fingers tap the steering wheel the entire drive to the lake. When I get there, I park and climb from my car, following the path through the trees. Last night’s rain soaked the aspens and cottonwoods. My shoes press into the ground with each step, imprinting it with the design of my tread. I step from the trees and onto the sand, looking first to the rock where she sat. She’s not there, so I turn my gaze to the lake, making certain she didn’t decide to dance in the water again. The water is still, the only movement the brilliant prisms of light glittering on the surface.
I go to her rock and sit down to wait.
I wait, and I wait, and then I wait some more.
Pulling out my phone, I decide to see if I have any detective skills. I tap the Facebook icon on the screen and type in her name. I don’t know her last name, but how many people can there be who are named Ember?
Turns out, a lot.
Scrolling through the tiny pictures, I search for her, and try not to look at the time on the top of the screen.
After a few minutes and no reward for my efforts, I shove the phone in my pocket and gaze out at the lake. Ember is twenty minutes late. Will she be a no-show? I’ve never been stood up before. To distract myself, I go over what happened last Monday. The day before Ember came dancing into my life. I think I would’ve rather not known about Kelsey. Her cheating on me stung more than her breaking up with me.
Looking back on it, I’m happy Kelsey did what she did. She didn’t have to cheat, but I’m glad she broke up with me. If I’m being honest, her cheating makes it easier to think about Ember as much as I want to. Without it, I might feel guilty for spending so much time thinking of someone with red hair, when I’m supposed to be mourning the demise of a certain blonde. And what would’ve happened if I’d met Ember, but Kelsey hadn’t confessed what she’d done? I would want Ember no matter what, because magic doesn’t happen often. Thankfully things will never have to get that messy.
A very small part of me wants to thank Kelsey. I could return one of her teary voicemails, cut through herI’m sorry’sand saythank you.Kelsey made getting to know Ember an option for me. It’s an opportunity I want to have.
