Free Please Don't Die by Lurlene McDaniel Page A

care if it capsized. Kissing Josh was worth getting doused. “Let’s go for a walk,” Josh urged, shoving the canoe into soft mud along the far shore and climbing out.
    “We’ve got to get back for the fireworks,” Katie remindedhim. “It’ll be dark before long, and we’ve got a long way to paddle back across the lake.”
    “We won’t be late,” he promised, helping her out.
    They walked back into the woods, where the air was still and the occasional sound of laughter from the other side of the lake broke the quiet. “I’ll never forget today,” Katie said. “I’m so glad you came to see me.”
    He held her close. “Me too. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Katie. Whenever I think about last summer, about how you were so close to dying …”
    She didn’t allow him to complete his sentence. “Every day is new, every morning, Josh. I’m glad I got a second chance at life. And after meeting the people here at Jenny House, after making friends with Amanda, Chelsea, and even Lacey, I want all of us to live forever.”
    He grinned. “Forever’s a long time.”
    She returned his smile. “All right, then at least until we’re all old and wrinkled.”
    Suddenly, Josh silenced her. “Do you hear something?” Katie listened. From nearby, she heard the sound of whispering, but the shadows lengthening through the trees obscured her ability to see who was talking. “Maybe we’d better split,” Josh said.
    “Maybe we’d better check it out,” Katie countered. “Just in case someone needs help.” She listened closely, but the whispering had stopped.
    “Doesn’t sound like anyone’s in trouble to me,” Josh said.
    “We’ll just peek,” Katie insisted, really curiousnow. She sneaked toward the sound of soft giggling and rustling leaves. She rounded a tree trunk and saw two figures in the muddy light. The couple were wrapped in one another’s arms and kissing. She felt Josh come up behind her and press against her back.
    The couple broke their embrace just as the waning rays of the setting sun shot one final burst through the leaves. Katie’s eyes grew wide, and her heart wedged in her throat. For there in the red-gold shimmer of dusk stood Jeff with his arms locked lovingly around Lacey Duval.

T
welve

    K ATIE FELT GLUED to the ground as shock, disbelief, and anger swept over her.
How could Lacey do this to Amanda?
Josh tugged on the back of her shirt. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him motion for them to slip quietly back into the woods. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t simply walk away and pretend that she’d seen nothing.
    She resisted, and Josh became more insistent. A branch snapped beneath his foot, causing Jeff and Lacey to break their embrace and turn toward the noise. “Who’s there?” Jeff demanded.
    Feeling like a peeping Tom, Katie cleared her throat and came out from behind a tree. “Don’t panic. It’s only me and Josh.”
    Jeff grinned and pulled Lacey closer. “At least it’s not a bear.”
    Lacey stepped away and straightened her clothes. “We … um … we thought we were alone.”
    “Surprise,” Katie said, none too kindly.
    Josh looked apologetic. “We didn’t mean to barge in.”
    “It’s getting late anyway,” Lacey added. “We need to start back.”
    “We have a canoe down by the lake,” Josh said.
    “We walked around,” Jeff replied.
    Katie wanted to wipe the silly grin off his face, but felt powerless. Hadn’t he been trying to get Lacey to notice him for weeks? Suddenly, she turned to Josh. “Why don’t you guys take the canoe, and Lacey and I’ll walk back together.”
    Jeff and Josh looked as if she’d lost control of her senses. “Why would we want to do that?” Jeff said.
    “I don’t think it’s a smart idea for us to come out of the woods with lipstick all over our faces,” Katie replied, thinking quickly. “We’re leaders, and Mr. Holloway might not approve. I don’t think we should offend him.”
    Jeff