Burning by Elana K. Arnold

Author:Elana K. Arnold [Arnold, Elana K.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780449810767
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2013-06-10T22:00:00+00:00

I headed through town and out onto 447. Lala hung on to my waist, her arms clenching me tight and her thighs, too, tight around my hips. I felt the press of her against the back of me and I tried not to get hard.

As soon as we passed Freesia I opened up a little, picking up speed. I’d given my helmet to Lala and so I took the blast of hot air straight in my face, my hair puffing up like a Brillo pad. The bike had a little shimmy to it once I really got going. The road stretched out in front of us so straight and flat, I imagined for a minute that we’d never stop, that we’d just ride like that, Lala tucked behind me, forever.

I had hardly believed it when they’d all pulled up in front of the store. When the first load of them got there I’d been just hanging out, watching Pete fool around on the bike. He pretty much sucked on it; even James handled it better than Pete, and Hog Boy was getting a kick out of pointing out every time Pete screwed up.

Then a car pulled up in front of the store, blocking my view of Pete, and people started climbing out of it. Even if I hadn’t recognized the Jeep from when I’d been out at their camp, I’d have known these people were Lala’s family. They were unmistakable.

This thrill of excitement had zinged through me when I first saw the dark-haired girl in the back of the Jeep next to an older lady who must have been her mother. I thought it was Lala, and that maybe I’d get another chance after all.

But when she turned to climb out I saw that even though she had Lala’s same wild mane of hair, she wasn’t Lala. Her hard, round belly was a clue, but even more than that, it was the way she looked at the guy who gave her his hand to help her down.

Adoring. That was the look. She stared up at him with big doe eyes, not even watching where she put her feet, as if she knew he would never let her fall.

I hadn’t seen Lala look at Romeo that way, engaged to be married or not. I hadn’t glimpsed even a fraction of that intense … I don’t know, connection, I guess, between her and Romeo.

I wanted her to look at me that way.

So when the Jeep pulled up again a little while later and I saw that this time it really was Lala in the backseat, with a couple of younger kids, I wanted to do something. Something … big, some gesture that she would be able to interpret.

Then that fucker Romeo kicked my helmet into the gutter, and I guess I got distracted.

I spent the next couple of minutes just breathing, calming myself down.

“Let’s rush the fucker,” said Hog Boy. I wasn’t the only one who appreciated a good fight, and I guess Hog Boy saw this as an opportunity for a little fun.

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