Free Island Girls (and Boys) by Rachel Hawthorne Page A

breeze blowing my hair around my face. I gathered my hair, holding it in place off one shoulder.
    ï¿½Why did you decide to join the army?� I asked.
    ï¿½No reason in particular,� he said.
    But he said it in a way that made me think there was a particular reason. We simply didn�t know each other well enough to share the reason�whatever it was.
    ï¿½So you don�t have a boyfriend?� he asked quietly.
    ï¿½No.�
    ï¿½That�s hard to believe.�
    ï¿½I had one for a while, but it didn�t work out.�
    ï¿½How come?�
    ï¿½I don�t know. Do you have a girlfriend?�
    It seemed a little late to be asking. I wondered if it would make a difference to me if he did.
    ï¿½I did a couple of years ago.�
    ï¿½Why did you break up?�
    ï¿½I don�t know.� The same answer I�d given him.
    ï¿½You miss the guy you were dating?� he asked.
    ï¿½I never think about him unless someone asks me about him.�
    ï¿½Same here. But I�m not looking for a girlfriend.�
    ï¿½I�m not looking for a boyfriend.�
    ï¿½That�s good,� he said. �It would be a real bummer for me to have a girlfriend when I�m going into the army.�
    I wasn�t sure why he was harping on not having a girlfriend, unless he thought I was interested and wanted to make sure that I knew he didn�t want anything permanent.
    ï¿½Do you play pool?� he asked, abruptly changing the subject to something safe.
    ï¿½Yeah.� I�d gotten pretty good last summer.
    ï¿½What time does that game room at the campground close?�
    ï¿½They lock the doors at midnight.�
    He lifted his wrist, pushed a button on his watch that illuminated the face. I could see it was one with all the fancy gizmos that guys seemed to like.
    ï¿½It�s almost midnight now. Hardly worth going back over there,� he said.
    ï¿½Well, actually, I have a key.�

CHAPTER 11
    W e returned to the house to see if anyone wanted to come with us. But they were watching a Vin Diesel movie. So we left them to it.
    I hadn�t really considered how we were going to get to the campground until Dylan and I were back outside, and he handed me his helmet.
    ï¿½I�ve never ridden on a motorcycle before,� I confessed.
    ï¿½Guess we could walk.�
    I laughed. �It would take us all night.�
    ï¿½Bad plan. Put on the helmet.�
    ï¿½You should wear it,� I said.
    ï¿½I live on the edge.�
    I pulled the helmet down over my head, buckled it, and climbed onto the back of hismotorcycle, right behind him. He reached around, grabbed my hands, and pulled me forward, tucking my arms around him.
    ï¿½Hold on tight,� he called back.
    And I did. Because I was terrified that I�d fall off or we�d topple over. I nearly left my stomach behind when we turned onto the main road. The bike tilted slightly and I thought, This is it! We�re going to crash!
    I tightened my hold on Dylan, and thought I heard him laugh. The bike straightened and off we went, up the road. I tried not to close my eyes, but they kept closing anyway. I was sure we weren�t breaking the posted speed limit�.
    Except, I wasn�t sure. Because it certainly felt fast. Maybe it was the roar of the engine and the rush of the wind. I wished that I didn�t have the helmet between us.
    I wondered if he would stay long enough to break my heart.
    Where did that crazy thought come from? Just because I was with him tonight didn�t mean we�d have anything more than this.
    He began to slow down. I opened my eyes, and recognized everything around me. We werealmost at CCR. My stomach dipped right along with the bike when he took the turn to the campground. I was sorry to realize that I�d soon be letting go of him.
    He slowed. Regretfully, I straightened away from him.
    He parked right beside the Beach Hut and