Free Finding Allie by Meli Raine

my heart sing. Both at the same time. 
    As he closes the door, David’s features come into focus, his footsteps banging on the scarred wood floor. This time of day, with an empty bar, the room seems so stark.
    David and I are friends. Just friends. We’ve never dated, even though half of this stupid town seems to think we did. He’s the opposite of Chase, with dark hair, deep, brown eyes, and a shorter stature that makes David barely taller than me. We almost look like we could be siblings, except he has more Native American blood in him than I do. My mom used to say we were kissed by the Great Spirit, and all I have are high cheekbones and a bloodline so diluted I don’t qualify for Native American college scholarships. David does. He’s going away soon on a full ride.
    “Allie, what’s up?” he asks as he reaches the bar.
    There’s a loaded question. I can answer my normal way, or I can tell him the truth. “Not much,” I say out of habit. “How about you?”
    He seems so happy I’ve asked, his face becoming animated with that geeky excitement I love so much. “I’m doing a bunch of solar experiments out near those old, abandoned adobes. Wanna come?”
    “I have to work.”
    He looks at the clock. It’s 11:32 a.m. David snorts. “The bar doesn’t open until four. I have a car. We’ll be back by two. C’mon. Live a little.” He wears glasses like that Beatle, the one who got shot, used to wear. John Lennon. David’s dark and thin, and he’s always serious. 
    Except when he’s making a new invention or tinkering with science stuff.
    I frown. If I don’t get all the prep work done for the bar opening, Jeff will kill me.
    “You know you’ll be fine, Allie. Trust me.” He looks at me with such an open, eager expression that I can’t help myself. Turning him down would feel like taking a kid’s candy away. I know David is counting down the days until he goes away to college, and this might be one of my last chances to spend some time with him. I have a feeling once he gets out of this god-forsaken place, he’ll never come back.
    And I hope I’m right. For as much as I like him as a friend, he needs to get out.
    So do I.
    “All right,” I say, agreeing. I grab my purse and the bar keys and we head out into the sweltering day. “I need to learn to live a little, don’t I?” 
    * * *
    Forty minutes later, we’re walking along old caves where people dwelled, hundreds—maybe thousands—of years ago. The sun is merciless, and the ground is a mixture of sand and dirt. Climbing up a hill feels like a never-ending gym class circuit. My legs are screaming with pain and it seems like we’re never going to reach David’s little outdoor laboratory.
    “Where are we going?” I whine. This is not my idea of fun.
    “Almost there,” David huffs, pointing. “Just over that ridge. You’ll see. I’ve got one heck of a surprise for you.” 
    I reach into my purse and pull out a bottle of water I’m grateful I happen to have in there. Drinking about a fourth of it, I hold myself back from guzzling the whole thing. When you’re in the desert, you think ahead. You never know what might happen to make you wish you’d held on to some reserves.
    We walk toward the point David mentioned, and as we crest a rock formation I see a dirt bike in the distance, near a bunch of hills, surrounded by enormous cactuses.
    “You’re riding dirt bikes now? When did you start doing that?”
    The vroom of an engine to our right catches my ear. A line of dirt dust streaks along the landscape, the bike’s rear wheel kicking it up like a jet contrail. The rider is moving so fast he (she?) is almost a blur.  
    Within seconds the bike slows before us, and the rider brings it to a halt, shifting the weight of the machine between his legs. It’s a guy.
    Peeling the white bike helmet off, the rider frowns at us.
    It’s not just any guy.
    It’s Chase .
    Without even thinking about it, I rush over and throw myself into his