Free Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan Page B

ready. From the quiet, I could tell I was alone in the house. She was probably on her date.
    I kicked off my sneakers and tore at my socks, then pulled my shirt over my head and dropped my shorts somewhere along the way to the bathroom. My urgency didn’t help cool my skin. I turned on the shower and made myself calm down long enough to wash up―and hopefully stop sweating.
    Wrapped in a towel, I scampered out of the bathroom toward my room, and I heard the front door open. Shit. I wasn’t fast enough.
    “I’ll be right…” I started, peering down the stairs. At the same time, the guy at the bottom hollered, “Rach…”
    We both froze and stared at each other. Neither of us anticipated seeing the other―especially me in just a towel. I tightened my hold of the fabric wrapped around my body, water running over my shoulders from my dripping hair.
    “Whoa,” he exclaimed in surprise. “You're not Rachel.”
    “Uh, she’s not home,” I answered, but he’d probably already figured that out. I remained still. My instinct was to rush into my room and shut the door, but I couldn't move.
    “I knocked,” he defended, looking up at me in apology. "Sorry. I shouldn't have just walked in like that." It didn't seem to faze him that I was dripping wet, half naked. He didn't avert his dark eyes. “I’m Jonathan.”
    I widened my eyes, dumbfounded by his casualness. "Emma," I uttered.
    "Well, it's nice to meet you, Emma," he responded with a smile, still looking me in the eye. "I guess I'll just call her. Have a good night." Before I could say another word, he was out the front door. Within seconds I unglued myself from the floor and was right behind him, securing the dead bolt while exhaling the breath I'd been holding at the sight of him.
    It took a moment for me to remember what I was supposed to be doing, and I ran back up the stairs, nearly falling on my face as I slid across the wet boards at the top.
    I heard the knock on the front door just as I was tying my shoes.
    “Hi.” I smiled brightly when I opened the door, finally able to get excited about tonight. “Wasn’t sure what to wear.”
    Evan closed the door behind him, examining my selection. “You look great, except you might want to wear short sleeves. It’s going to get pretty hot, especially near the stage.”
    “Right,” I concurred, turning back up the stairs. Evan was about to follow me when I noticed my abandoned clothes leading to the bathroom. “I’ll be right down.” I stressed, causing him to stop on the second step. I scooped up my sweaty clothes and brought them in the room with me. I re-immerged from my room, readjusting my ponytail after sliding on a black Newbury Comics t-shirt.
    “Much better,” Evan commended. “Are you ready?”
    “Definitely.” I bounded down the steps to grab the jacket he held out for me.
     
    When we arrived at the concert, there was a long line on the sidewalk. We walked to the back, awaiting entry with everyone else. Evan stood behind me, wrapping his arms around me to help keep me warm while we waited. I hadn’t noticed the cold, too distracted by the anticipation. We continued to shuffle forward until we finally reached the guys in the bright yellow jackets checking IDs. We received large black “X”s on the back of our right hands, branding us underage. After our tickets were scanned and we were frisked by blue-gloved hands, we were finally released into the rolling energy.
    Evan held my hand tightly, steering us through the crowd. I let the bottled excitement seep in, accepting it with a grin on my face. Evan looked back and smiled when his eyes connected with mine. I knew he'd been concerned about how I'd react being engulfed by so many people.
    This was different. These people didn’t know who I was, nor did they care. We were instantly bonded by the music blaring on the stage as the opening act continued its set. They were pretty good, although I’d never heard of them before. A group leaning