“That’d be cool, I guess.”
Okay, it fuckin’ rocked, but he figured he shouldn’t go and do some kind of celebration in front of his brother.
They continued walking down the road toward their house. It was in a modest neighborhood in a small town in West Virginia. The houses weren’t big. A few were two stories, but most were single. Each surrounded by trees and fronted by green lawns, some overgrown but, for the most part, people took care of them.
Worked hard to keep their families housed and fed and clothed.
The way their mom and dad did every day.
It was the type of neighborhood where kids were always out and about, playing ball or hide and seek or basically running amok.
Which was why Cash didn’t take much notice of the glint of a bicycle coming down the hill from the opposite direction.
That was until he heard a scream, and he looked up just in time to see a girl flying over the handlebars.
Fully pitched through the air.
Arms and legs pinwheeling.
Metal clanged and crashed as the bike tumbled against the pavement, but it was the hard thud and pained cry that came out of the girl that had Cash’s mouth dropping open in shock.
“Oh shit.” He blinked through the surprise before he realized she could be really hurt and went running in her direction.
Matthew howled from behind. “Holy balls, did you see that? That was epic.”
Cash didn’t slow until he was standing in front of the girl who was rolled up in a ball, moaning and rocking back and forth.
Frantic, he knelt. “Are you okay?”
She only tucked tighter into that ball, now fully on her side as she struggled for the breath he was pretty sure she got knocked out of her.
Worry twisted his stomach. “Hey, it’s okay. Tell me if you’re hurt.”
She only whimpered, and when he tried to pry her apart, she flinched.
“I’m here to help you,” he murmured.
“Go away, I’m fine.” It was a mumble buried in that tight ball she was still contorted into.
“I’m not sure your definition of fine, but you don’t look fine to me.”
He could almost see her pout, then something was pressing full at his chest when she finally peeked out at him.
He was impaled by these cornflower eyes. So blue they were nearly purple.
Striking and different and making him stall out.
He didn’t know what it was. But there was something so timid in them that they hit him like a plea.
Matthew whistled from behind. “Dude, she’s wrecked.”
Cash ignored him. “Can you sit up?”
Reluctantly, she did, though she kept tucked tight.
Warm brown hair kissed in wisps of cinnamon was tangled and hanging over her face.
Warily, he reached out and brushed it back.
