The band waved their goodbyes as she snuck through the kitchen’s window.I guess she chose the most straightforward way with no explanation.The window was low to the ground, and the way she hopped into the room was like she had done it hundreds of times before.I wondered if I was friends with Betsy because she reminded me of my sister.I never made the connection, but the image of her easily crawling in with messed up hair from her late-night adventures was similar.They both loved sneaking around because it gave them a rush.Betsy tugged the window down and gestured for us to go.
“That girl sure did talk a lot,” Jesse said.
Thomas nodded.The car ride to Thomas’s home was quiet.Thomas’s parents didn’t care where he was or what he did.As long as he made it home alive the next day, he was off the hook.Most of the time, when Thomas was home, he would stay at Darren’s house because he didn’t have much at home to look forward to.Since I only visited in the summer, I missed out on those moments.I couldn’t imagine Thomas, Betsy, or even Darren wearing winter coats surrounding a Christmas tree or worrying about a big school project.The letters we sent back and forth throughout the holidays could only hold so much detail and perspective.
Thomas nonchalantly got out of the bus.“See you around.”He slammed the bus closed, not anxious about the noise or getting in trouble.He opened his parents’ unlocked door and closed it, walking into nothing.
My grip on Darren’s arm tightened.
Mason started coughing.“I don't know why, but it’s smokey out there,” he said.Mason tried driving through the heavy fog.It was impossible to see clearly.The closer we got to my grandma’s cabin, the thicker it got.
“What do you think is going on?”Tonya asked.
“I’m not sure.Maybe someone’s barn caught on fire, or a campfire got out of hand,” I said.Small fires weren’t uncommon in the dry months.It was only June though, which was early in the season for forest fires to form.
We covered our mouths and noses with the collars of our shirts.It wasn’t good to breathe in that much smoke.
Jesse rolled up the window to avoid inhaling more polluted air.The bus turned onto my street, and we saw the flames—the bright orange monster of a flame.Sheriff Douglas’s car, a fire truck, and an ambulance were sitting in front of my grandma’s blazing cabin.
Chapter Nineteen
Burn it Down
Song: Sailing—Rod Stewart
1:35 AM
I shifted my body forward.I couldn’t comprehend the smoking ceiling falling to the ground.My grandma’s cabin, which I went to every summer, was gone.The former house full of my grandma’s secret junk was completely engulfed in flames.My jaw fell when Darren put his hand on my back.He rubbed his fingers in tiny circles, reassuring me that everything would be okay, even though he didn’t know what was happening.Darren was sweet like that; he knew when to step up and when to back down.
I didn’t know where my mom or James were.I hoped that everyone was safe.James used to joke about setting a match to his mother’s hoarding house, but it was just a joke.Some sort of freak accident had to have happened.I thought that maybe he accidentally didn’t put out his cigarette correctly, or perhaps something electrical caught fire.Unfortunately, my grandma’s collection was the perfect fuel for a fire.Her piles of clothes and books left against the cabin walls made for better kindling than the house itself.
“Let me out!”I screamed.
When I jumped out of the bus, I shoved Fawn’s leash into Darren’s grasp.I knew she would be in good hands with Darren.Sheriff Douglas would know who I was; he would recognize the bus, and we would be in trouble.All that mattered to me was my mom and James’s safety.
I ran up to the blue and red lights with enfeeblement.Sheriff Douglas stood tall, his face conveying wrinkles of seriousness.When he became aware of me, he shook his head back and forth.“Young lady, what are you doing here?Haven’t I seen you enough tonight?”he said with a grimace.
