AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What?” The toe of my shoe snags on a rusted piece of metal, and I stumble forward, closing the space between us. The heat of his body hits me in a rush.
“It’s just ... I remember how hard it was for my mother after my father died. Everyone had an opinion about everything she did. She just ... let them, even though if they lived an hour in her shoes, they’d see—God, I just wanted her to find her voice, push back, do—” He pivots. The wildness in his expression is impossible to look away from. “I’m sorry. I’m doing the exact same thing.”
“You are. You’re also right.” A thousand moments exactly like the one he described sketch a story of swallowed anger and unspoken retorts. “But you saw what happened at Logan’s wedding. I made a scene. I alienated everyone.”
“Yes,” he says, that wildness sparking. “And you survived.”
“No, I ran away. I ended up alone on a roof-deck.”
“You weren’t alone,” he says. “And you won’t be alone next time. I won’t let you be alone.”
“Hard promise to keep.” My thoughts turn to the unpacked suitcases in the office. Why would Will trade LA for Kingsette?
“Hard promises are the most important ones.” The wildness in his expression recedes, and he’s Will—grounded, slightly disheveled from sleeping in his office, Will. “You know, I know a thing or two about alienating. Back when I left, the varsity basketball coach was so pissed that I didn’t stay for the summer league, he removed my MVP trophy from the display at town hall.”
“What? Where’s the trophy?”
“The bottom of the ocean?” His palms turn up in a who-knows gesture.
“That’s awful,” I say, and he shrugs.
“Nah. I never cared that much about basketball.”
We walk another ten feet and stop in front of a Ferris wheel that’s about twice the size of every boardwalk Ferris wheel.
“This is it. Ready for the adventure part?” he asks.
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
He pushes a button on the control panel, and a thousand tiny lights burst to life. He pushes another button, and the creak of old gears coming alive echoes across the deserted field. A moment later, the Ferris wheel begins to move. The cars scrape past as if in slow motion. Will turns to me, beaming, and glimmers of the little boy who came here with his dad shine in his expression.
“How is that possible?”
Will flashes a sly grin. “Must be magic. Come on.”
“What?”
His hand grips the pole of the passing car, and he throws a leg over to climb in. He extends a hand toward me. “Quick. Before it gets too high. I don’t want to ride this thing alone.”
“I can’t.” The refrain is out of my mouth at the same time my hand grabs his, as if my body knows my brain will overthink and miss the moment.
The car lifts into the air. I’m hardly a foot off the ground, but for a single breathtaking moment, I’m suspended in the air, and Will is my only connection to anything sturdy.
“I’m afraid. I’m going to fall.” Panic beats against my rib cage as the Ferris wheel takes us higher.
“I won’t let you fall. You can trust me.” He tightens his grip, muscles straining against the effort. We fly higher. Dusty earth gives way to blue sky as far as I can see.
“You need to pull yourself up,” Will urges.
“I’m trying.”
“You’re going through the motions of trying. You need to use your legs too.”
“I can’t. I’m going to fall.”
“You’re going to fall if you’re afraid. Use your legs, and stop thinking about what will happen next. Trust me.”
I bend my right knee and search for a grip. Will directs me with his words, and I find enough purchase to rise an inch higher. Then, callingup retired reserves of strength, I rise another inch. Within seconds, I’m high enough to reach a leg over the car the way Will did and drop into the seat across from him.
