Free Burning Up by Sami Lee

done a head count and was satisfied she hadn’t lost a student along the way that she turned and saw smoke was billowing out of the science building.
    “Oh my God.” It wasn’t some kid trying to cut out early on Friday. There was actually a fire at the school.
    Pam searched around the crowd until she saw Erica’s face. She rushed over to her friend.
    “Do you know what happened?” Erica asked.
    “I was going to ask you that,” Pam said. “I thought it was some kid setting off the alarm.”
    “Me too. I hope everyone is out of there.”
    Pam’s stomach pitched at the thought of a student or teacher being trapped in that smoldering building. A moment later, a siren could be heard making its way through traffic. Less than a minute after that, the fire truck pulled into the school car park with its lights flashing. Four men dressed in yellow rubbers and wearing helmets piled out. With all that gear covering their bodies, it was difficult to recognize any of them, but Pam thought she caught a glimpse of blonde hair curling out the back of one of the helmets.
    Rob. Did that mean Steve was here? Last Sunday, Rob had told Steve he’d see him Tuesday. Were they on day shifts together all week? Pam stared at the men as they worked. One of them hooked a thick hose from the truck up to the hydrant closest to the science building. He had the same build as Steve. It could be him.
    Erica covered Pam’s hand with hers, and it was only then Pam noticed she was holding her friend’s forearm in a death grip. “Sorry.” She forced herself to loosen her hold. “What will they do now?”
    Erica said, “They’ll go in and put the fire out.”
    They’ll go in there? Pam had no idea why she was shocked. She knew what a firefighter’s job was. But the thought of Steve going into a burning building made her feel panicky and stressed. She didn’t want anything to happen to Rob or any of the other guys either, but the thought that Steve was about to risk his life was almost too much to bear.
    She was such an idiot. He didn’t want anything to do with her. He wasn’t interested. The knowledge didn’t stop her worrying about him.
    “It’ll be okay.” Erica put her arm around Pam’s shoulders. “We can only see smoke, not flames, which means the fire isn’t out of control. And the guys are trained to deal with this stuff. They’ll be fine.”
    “How can you stand it? Corey and Griff do this all the time.”
    “I try not to think about it too much. And Steve does this all the time too, you know.”
    “Don’t remind me,” Pam groaned and put her hand to her roiling stomach. The idea of Steve being in danger was so preoccupying it took her a moment to comprehend what Erica had said. Pam frowned at her. “Wait, what made you think I was worried about Steve?”
    Erica smiled knowingly. “You’ve had a thing for him for ages, Pam.”
    “I have not.”
    “Yes, you have. In the way that Elizabeth had a thing for Mr. Darcy even though they argued. Or like Sally couldn’t help being attracted to Harry even when he was being obnoxious.”
    “Oh, stop with the comparisons. My life is not a movie.” Except for last weekend when it was an adult movie. Heat infused her face. She lowered her voice so the kids standing nearby wouldn’t hear her. “You know I wasn’t just with Steve last week.”
    “I know.” Pam had admitted the threesome to Erica but had given no further details. Being a private person herself, Erica hadn’t pushed. “I know Rob’s attractive too. But it’s Steve’s safety you’re obsessing over right now. It’s Steve you have real feelings for.”
    There was no point denying it. She’d realized it last week, moments before he’d walked out her door with the clear intention of never returning. She’d been ignoring the knowledge of it ever since, because she knew she really would cry if she faced the fact the one guy she could have something real with had been standing in front of her the whole