Chasing Fireflies by Chloe Fowler

Author:Chloe Fowler [Jeeves]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chloe Fowler

LIAM

Rainey felt warm and solid against my back. Her breath was soft against my neck, and I could feel the gentle thump of her heart. Her feet swung out in front of me, bouncing with each step I took, her toes covered in dirt. I carried her as gently as I could, as if I was carrying the most precious thing in the world.

I knew better than anyone that high schoolers could be assholes, but stealing someone’s clothes from the locker room was a social crucifixion I found viciously unsettling. The fact that it was Rainey raised my hackles and made me want to punch whoever was responsible.

“I haven’t been at the school this late in years,” she said suddenly, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “It’s strange seeing the halls all empty.”

“I like it,” I admitted. It was probably the only time I liked being here.

“It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet.”

“It does?” I failed to draw the connection. “How?”

Rainey shifted on my back. “It’s sort of embarrassing.”

More embarrassing than being caught wearing a garbage bag? I thought it but didn’t say it; I didn’t want to remind her of such a recent trauma, not when she sounded so happy. I was surprised at how happy she seemed, as if she’d completely forgotten about it.

“Do the hallways somehow remind you of the streets of Verona?” I asked, coaxing an explanation.

Rainey laughed softly. I felt the soft reverberation of it and wondered if that was what joy felt like. I couldn’t say, having never felt it before.

“No, it’s not that.” She hesitated. “Promise you won’t repeat this.”

“I promise.”

“Back in ninth grade, my parents made me join the drama club. I think they were worried I wasn’t making friends and figured it would help me gain some confidence. I had to stay after school on Thursdays, but I was way too shy to participate in the group. I’d sneak into the costume room and hide out until Mom came to pick me up. Sometimes I got bored, so I dressed up as Juliet and acted out the scenes. I was a total sucker for tragic love stories.”

I lurched to a stop. I couldn’t believe it.

“That was you?”

“What?” Rainey stiffened like a startled hare and slid off my back. “What do you mean?”

“I remember you! I was in the costume room one day and heard someone reciting the death scene.”

“No!” Rainey gasped, burying her face in her hands. “No, that’s not possible. I was alone.”

I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “I didn’t want to interrupt, so I ducked behind a box of old coats. I never saw who it was.”

“Oh my God.” Her cheeks were red behind her hands.

“Your performance was excellent. Very committed.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious.” I was, too. “You should consider a career in acting.”

“Now you’re just making fun of me.”

“I’m not.” I pulled her hands away from her face so she could see the sincerity in my face. I was smiling, but not because I found it funny. That day had been terrible.

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