Lover of the Light by Sydney Taylor

Author:Sydney Taylor [Taylor, Sydney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 39706721
Published: 2018-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

July 4th, 2012

8:15 p.m.

Bright reds, yellow-whites, and mixed shades of blues screech as they jet through the air, an explosion of colorful lights becoming a waterfall in the dark blue sky. Beside me, Chase laughs and hugs his girl close to his side, and I stare at mine.

Twenty feet away, Brightside sits on a checkered picnic blanket, wedged between her mom and her brother; a bag of organic Teddy Grahams tucked between her legs. The wires connecting her earbuds are wrapped around her hand as she hums along to a song on her iPod, gazing back at me out of the corner of her eye.

It's the movement of her coral-colored lips that makes me smile without even trying. Turning her head to me slightly, she mouths, “love you” before blushing and averting her eyes back to the fireworks show. It makes my heart hurt. I just want to run over there and steal her.

Yesterday she had an early doctor's appointment. I offered to come with her as soon as I finished my route, but she kept telling me that she'd be fine with her mother there.

I wanted to be there.

I want to be there for everything, even if I just stand there like an idiot and hold Audrey's hand the whole time.

"You should ask if she can come sit with us. I'm sure her mom won't mind. She seems cool." Hailee brings her knees up to her chest as she leans back against Chase. "She's been grounded for a long time."

Forever.

But that hasn't stopped me from seeing her.

Nothing can stop me from seeing her.

This is my best friend, and she always knows. She just does. She's carrying our consequence, our life. I know how she feels; we're one and the same.

I break the rules because she needs someone who knows.

Someone to make her smile.

Love her.

Maybe our parents know that.

Melissa meets my eyes and notices me staring at her daughter. I quickly turn back to Hailee, feigning nonchalance. "She's with her family. That's rude."

Involuntarily, my eyes find Audrey’s again. I don't mean to look, I just do. My eyes always find her when she’s near.

Audrey is still as magnetic as ever to me. She’s still the girl who makes me want to be better, and I don’t ever see that changing. Her light always draws me in, she’s convivial, and mood-mollifying. Even with this dark cloud overhead, which seems to expand with time, she smiles like this and it makes all the anxiety disappear.

"She's our family, too," Chase utters beside me. "We like her."

Using the sleeve of my tee, I wipe at the beads of sweat pooling on my forehead. I blink, trying to resist the urge to chortle at his comment. "You don't even know her."

"Neither did you," says Goldie Locks.

How can I argue with that?

Hailee’s grin widens, her eyes sparkling with sudden excitement. I open my mouth to ask her what the hell she's smiling about, but am stopped as the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and my shoulders stiffen.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.