Free Walking in the Shadows by Cassandra Giovanni

“He’s right , Tad.”
    “You’re a keeper? I kno w that, ” Tad teased .
    “That we should keep this teacher — student until the end of the year and then if you feel the same—”
    “If I feel the same? I can guarantee I’ll feel the same . ”
    “I will too.”
    “I don’t know if I can wait.”
    “This goes both w ays—I’ll make you, ” I said , looking over at him.
    “It’s that easy for you?” He asked , stepping back from the sink.
    “That’s not what—”
    “I love you Vera , and I know you don’t want me to say it and maybe you don’t feel the same—”
    “Are you k idding me?” I cut him off and pain shot though my h and. I looked down to red water . “Crap ! ” I lifted my hand out of the sink to fi nd a good size g ouge from a knife .
    Tad dragged me to the bathroom . “She cut herself!”
    “She okay?” George asked from the couch as Tad shut the bathroom door behind him.
    “Yeah,” Tad yelled , sitting me on the toilet while tears stream ed down my face. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet , causin g bottles to fall into the sink . “ Here it is . ” H e wrapped my hand in gauze bandages and then looked up at me . “ I t ' s okay ; not too deep . ”
    I tur ned my face away as he tried to wipe away th e tears. “Are you okay?” h e asked as he used his hand to turn my face to his own.
    I swallowed . “How could you think,” I choked as I sho ok my head trying to calm down , “t hat I don’t love you? I love you , Tad ! F rom the moment I saw you I knew there was no one else in the world besides you.”
    “That’s why you’re crying?” h e asked , pulling me into his arms . “ I’ m sorry , Vera . I just… it’s just so hard.”
    “Am I really worth it?”
    “Don’t be silly, you are and my Dad knows it. That’s why he said what he said, ” Tad replied , brushing my hair out of my eyes.
    “We should probably watch the game with him; let him know I didn ’t cut my hand off or something, ” I suggested with a weak smile.
    “Geez, you are a ccident prone, huh?” George asked as I showed him my bandaged hand.
    “Yup, Tad keeps saving me , though.”
    He nodded towards a photo on the TV stand . “Are those your parents?”
    “Yeah . ”
    “They look very familiar,” George observed with a frown.
    “We’ re from Norfolk County—Tad didn’t tell you?”
    “I didn’t feel it was my place to tell, ” Tad said as we sat on the couch.
    “Norfolk County, i sn’t that where…oh…” George stopped before carefully saying , “The Martins?”
    “Abigail Martin,” I nodded as Tad wrapped his arm around me.
    “I see…wow…that’s…I’m sorry Vera —I mean Abigail, ” George responded in confusion.
    “Don’t worry about it and you can just call me Vera …no o ne knows except Tad, my friend Kirsten and her family and now you…”
    “Football is boring, ” Tad observed .
    “Sure is, ” I seconded with a smirk . “I got a new book on my e-reader.”
    “E-reader?” Tad asked . “You finally got yourself one?”
    “Want to see?”
    “You two are me ant for each other, ” George commented , stretching out on the couch as I slid open a drawer on the coffee table and pulled it out.
    “Sweet, ” Tad said , and I leaned back into his arms . “ W hat’s the book?”
    “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow . ”
    “You haven’t read that yet?”Tad asked .
    “Only the Wishbone version.”
    “You really are adorable, ” Tad laughed.
    “I know.”

Chapter 2 0
     
    It seemed that as I got older each holiday came quicker than the last. This year was no different, and it hollowed me out to know it was one less that I would have with my parents, and one more that I would spend alone—that I had decided I should spend alone. I was organizing a rack of jeans by size when Kirsten came in the door.
    “Hey girl! So how was your C hristmas?” Kirsten asked, and I didn’t know what to say. She continued when I was silent . “Did Tad