AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Interesting.” She taps her finger on her chin as I fight to hold back a smile. The way the light hits her face is mesmerizing. “I guess I should consider myself special for being the first.”
I stare out at the town below. Everything looks so small. It’s how I imagine my mom feels when she watches over us.
“My mom brought me and my brothers up here when I was, like, eight or nine. She said it was her special place, where she’d come to clear her head.” Elodie’s face quickly goes from joking to serious as I open up for the first time about my mother. “After she passed away, I came here every day for weeks. As time went on, I started coming less often. This is my first time here since summer.”
I reflect on the anger I felt the last time I was here. How I yelled about the world not being fair. The way I kicked dirt off the side of the mountain and debated jumping off just so I didn’t have to feel the weight of everything on my shoulders.
Elodie puts a hand on my back, moving her fingers slowly and making me realize just how much things have changed since then. “What was she like?”
A smile tugs at my mouth as the memory of her face comes into focus. “She was beautiful—inside and out. She had this way about her of making the whole room smile just by walking in. Her laugh was contagious. Everyone loved her.”
Man, I miss her.
I probably shouldn’t allow myself to be vulnerable with Elodie, given our past as enemies and our present as stepsiblings, but there’s just something inside me that says I can trust her. I’ve held in a lot of shit over the last year, and I’ve desperately needed to get some of it out.
“I have no doubt she loved you more than anything in this world.” Elodie takes my hand, squeezing it. “She’d be proud of you, Rome.”
An airy breath escapes me. “Yeah, right.”
“Hey,” Elodie huffs, straightening her back. “Don’t think like that. She would be proud. We all make mistakes, Rome. But you’ve learned from them and that’s the most important part. I’ve seen the change in you over the last few days, and I know it’s just the beginning. You’re going to do big things.”
I turn and look at her, seeing the sincerity on her face, loving the way she believes in me. “Why are you being so nice to me after everything I’ve done to you?”
She moves her hand from mine and starts picking at the fuzz on the blanket. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”
Celia said the same thing to me. It must be some motto for their family or something.
“I’ve never been good at giving second chances,” I admit, “and I have a hard time forgiving people, but I’m learning…because of you.”
I place my hand on hers and she turns her palm up. Our fingers intertwine—a perfect fit—sending a surge of warmth through my entire body.
Staring down at our hands, emotions surface again. There’s this feeling inside me and I’m not sure what to make of it. No matter how much time I spend with Elodie, it’s never enough. Every time I touch her, I crave more. This has never happened to me before. I was starting to think it wasn’t possible for me to have feelings for a girl. But being with her is proof that I’m not completely broken.
“Rome,” she whispers, and my eyes shoot to hers. “I really should get home. I’ve got a lot of homework.”
I gulp, not wanting this to end. Not yet.
“Is there ever a time you don’t think about school? It’s okay to let loose and have fun once in a while.”
She chuckles. “I tried that last weekend and look what happened. Besides, studying is fun for me. You know that feeling when you throw a winning pass? That’s what it’s like for me when I see a big A on my tests. Or when my GPA goes up a point.”
“I guess I can understand the feeling, because you’re right, nothing compares to the feeling of being on the field and passing the ball for that winning touchdown.” I look down, my head hung low as I admit this next part. “As for school and grades, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand that. In fact, my grades are going to shit right now.”
She jolts, straightening her back like a rush of adrenaline just shot through her. “Let me help you.”
“Help me with school?” My brows pinch. No one has ever helped me with studying before, I’m not even sure it would work.
“Yes!” Her excitement is enough to make me want to try though. “I live for this stuff, Rome. I’ve tutored students in the past. I was class president at my old school. I was even a mathlete.”
“You were a mathlete?” I laugh. “Why am I not surprised?”
She dusts her shoulders off with her fingers, grinning from ear to ear. “Best in three counties.”
I shake my head, unable to hold back the smile that her excitement brings to my face. “You’re something else, Freckles.”
Folding her hands in prayer, she leans closer. “Please let me help you.”
I said I couldn’t get enough of her, and now's my chance to have her all to myself for a while. So of course I say, “Fine. Teach, Ms. Astor.”
