Free Fire Always Burns by Krista Lakes Page A

figured that was where he would be. I found him sitting at the main table with yearbooks scattered haphazardly around him. He smiled as I walked in and closed the door behind me.
    "My mom was telling me stories about her and Ray when they were in high school here, and I got an idea. You would not believe the stuff they did. Come here and look at these old yearbooks," he said pushing the chair next to him out. I walked over slowly, eying him carefully. I wasn't sure where we stood exactly, but I knew I didn't want to leave.
    "You wouldn't believe some of the things I've found out. The pieces are finally coming together," Andrew said.
    "I've already heard more than I ever thought I'd find out about them, so I'm not sure what you're going to say that you think will surprise me," I said.
    He smiled and opened one of the yearbooks he had out on the table. He flipped through the pages until he found a picture...
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    Ray had been a quiet kid in class, much like Tyler was now. His older brother looked out for him for his freshman and sophomore year, but had gone away to college himself when Ray entered his junior year. Where Tyler drew his confidence from his acting, Ray had thrown himself in a different artistic direction: music.
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    I couldn't help but laugh as I saw the picture. "That's Ray all right. Looks a lot like Luke did our junior year. I had no idea he could play the trumpet!" I said.
    "It gets better," Andrew said. "Take a look in the flute section."
    It was hard to make out in the twenty-five year old yearbook's grainy photo, but I scanned over the picture. "Is that...your mom? She's so cute!" It was true. She looked about twelve years old in the picture, even though she would have had to have been about sixteen.
    Andrew laughed. "She's always looked younger than her age. I looked up the names on the list and recognized one in particular, Mr. Watson."
    "You mean Mr. Watson, the photography guy?" I asked curiously. Andrew nodded.
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    "So how did they get together?" Andrew asked.
    Mr. Watson laughed. "No one was ever really sure. One day, on the way back from a football game, it was dark on the bus. All of a sudden, someone saw them making out. We made fun of them, but soon enough they were inseparable."
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    "So they were each other's first loves. Pretty much what we knew already," I said.
    Andrew closed the yearbook and opened another one. "There's a lot more in this one," he said, opening to a page. There was a picture of the two of them in their dress clothes with the caption "Voted Most Likely to Have Beautiful Children". It looked like it had been taken at prom.
    "I agree with that caption," Andrew said.
    I looked at him and he made a model pose, and I laughed. "It's got one part right. You are a child!"
    He grinned. "It's a sweet picture of the two of them, but I was really surprised when I saw the next one."
    I turned back to the yearbook as he turned through the pages. As he settled on one in particular, I gasped.
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    "Were you there for the big moment?" Andrew asked.
    "Oh yes," Mr. Watson said, looking wistful. "It was a beautiful moment. I was in on it, of course. Someone had to take the picture. The drum major was in on it too. At the end of practice one day, he kept stopping the routine and telling Audrey that her tempo was off. Finally, he got off his podium and walked over to her. I remember him calling over to Ray, asking if he could please show his girlfriend the right way to mark time. Ray marched over to them, playing "Your Song" by Elton John on his trumpet the whole way there."
    "I bet Mom was mortified," Andrew said.
    "Most certainly. When he arrived he continued to mark time in front of her, playing the trumpet, not in her face but right next to her. When the song finished, he got down on one knee and pulled a ring from his pocket. That's when I snapped the picture."
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    I stared at the blurry picture. Ray, down on one knee.