Free Falling by L C Smith Page A

grab it.
    “Hey what was that?” I ask, feeling guilty for being caught in his room.
    “Nothing important,” he says holding it behind his back. He leans forward and touches his lips ever so gently to mine.
    Wow.
    “Nice try,” I say, trying to recover my breath. I reach behind him to the photo, pulling myself closer to him. He just smiles down at me as I pry it out of his hands.
    I twist around as his arms circle mine. “Don't look at it,” he says with his mouth to my ear. I lift my hands slightly, his arms block mine, but only just. “You know I was with her, you saw her, why would you want to see us together.”
    “Can't be that bad, you still have it next to your bed.” He keeps his arms there but I pull the photo up anyway. It's weird, he is holding her just like this. They are looking at the camera laughing as he pulls her toward the water at the beach. She is wearing a tiny white bikini and a cowboy hat. He looks happy.
    He yanks it out of my hands and tosses it in his rubbish bin, shattering the glass like it is nothing.
    He holds my face in his hands looking down at me, it’s odd having someone look at me so intently, like he can see right through me. Like… we’re connected.
    Oh no.
    “What the hell?” Keller says startled. I surge out of his chest, controlling the look on my face and shoving my hands into my pockets to hide the shaking.
    “Where did you go?” His eyes are huge.
    “Nowhere.” I laugh, but my voice shakes along with my hands. “You must have closed your eyes.”
    “No, you were gone. You left my hands, then you fell away from me. What happened?” He asks softly.
    “I just turned around like I was before. But you got a fright at something so I jumped too.”
    He stares at me. He knows there is no other explanation than this, but he knows it’s not the truth.
    “Okay,” he mumbles after another minute of staring at me.
    “Keller? You here?” His dad calls out. “I'm coming up the hallway, so you know.”
    I step into of the doorway, clothed and untoussled from not getting up to anything. “Hi again,” I say brightly pushing away our weird moment, everyone is going to have to speak really loud because I can’t hear anything over my heart thudding in my chest. I fell into him. Keller steps out of the room behind me and leans against the wall.
    “Either you’re home early, or we have to go,” Keller says to both of us.
    “It's quarter to six.”
    “Argh,” I say pulling a face to cover the fact that I’m not really sure what he just said. “Time to go back.” I guess.
    “See ya then,” his dad says as we walk past him to Keller's car.
    “You really don't have to keep driving me around you know,” I say once we are in the car.
    “I don't mind.” He says quietly.
    We drive back to school in total silence. It wasn't like this afternoon. I have to figure out a way to make it better because I can’t tell him.
    We pull up at school with twenty whole minutes to spare. “Thanks for taking me out again. I don't get out of here much, as you heard earlier.” I roll my eyes, trying to lighten the mood.
    I push on the door to get out when he doesn't answer, but he pulls me back, holding onto my face like before, looking into my eyes. I smile and quickly kiss him, so I don’t have to look into his eyes again. “See you later,” I whisper dramatically, putting my hand on his chest like Megan did.
    Finally his face softens when he realises I didn't disappear. Hopefully he will think he just imagined it. “Bye.” He laughs. “I’m sorry that you have to see her now.” He says seriously.
    I run up to the front door and wave before I force myself to go inside.
     
     

Chapter Six
     
    “Great to see you yesterday, Reid.” Megan leans against the wall. Sara raises one eyebrow at me, and Megan slips in between us, linking her arm in mine. “You should come sit with us for a change. You don't need to hang out with juniors all the time.”
    “Yeah, I'm good. Thanks