AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A moment later, he came on the line. “Amelia. I was just thinking about you.” He sounded out of breath. “Your mom looked upset. You okay?”
“Fine. I’m almost finished with my history homework but wanted to read you this poem I saw in a magazine.”
She flipped to the page she’d marked and read him the lines about a boy chasing a lightning bug...only to realize it was really his dreams all along.
He said softly, “That’s beautiful, Amelia.”
“It made me think about how you want to help the poor instead of manage the rich.”
“You hear me,” he whispered.
“You see me,” she answered.
They talked for hours and Amelia climbed in her bed, pulled the blankets over her chilled body, and warmed up while the most important person in her life gave her attention he probably didn’t have time to spare.
Leo was her lightning bug.
* * *
The next morning, she struggled to get out of bed and get ready for school. Barely remembering her books, she was floored when she thought to grab a juice on her way out the door. Reopening the fridge door, she grabbed a second one for Leo.
Some of the flavors weren’t bad but a couple left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth.
In the back of Leo’s car, she handed it to him. She started to drink hers and he put his hand on her wrist. “I had Baylor stop for croissants and that yogurt you like. Save the shake for lunch?”
Grinning, she said, “Okay! I’m starving. I just realized I didn’t eat dinner last night. I must have forgot.”
“Here.” He held out the box of fresh pastry and she sighed as she bit into it. “I’ll drink my juice later, too.”
Leo was always taking such good care of her. She might be pretty but his soul was breathtaking.
* * *
Later that day, Amelia was called to the office. She was surprised when she entered to see her parents standing with the principal. Beside them was someone she didn’t know.
“Hi. Dad, is everything okay?”
As usual, her mother answered for a man who barely managed to utter a sentence in his home. “No, Amy! The school nurse said this juice fell out of your bag.”
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t get a chance to drink it this morning…” The principal watched Amelia’s face intently. “Why? I normally drink it before I get to school but…”
“Where did you get it, Amy?” the principal asked.
“Oh, I think my mom…”
“Who knows where she got it?” Augusta shouted over her. “Instead of harassing my daughter, why don’t you go catch the kids here dealing drugs to other students?”
Suddenly, Amelia realized something was very wrong. She looked at the juice bottle in the principal’s hand, up at his face, and then at her mother with a frown.
“What’s wrong with the juice?” she asked softly. “I’ve been drinking them for two weeks.”
Augusta’s face was red. “Nothing! I’m sure you just got confused, sweetheart.”
“I got confused…? What did I get confused about?” She looked at the principal. “What’s wrong with the juice?”
He turned the bottle around to the label. “These were ordered from a company in South America. They contain an ingredient that isn’t approved in the U.S.”
Eyes wide, Amelia asked, “W-what? Like a drug?”
