First and Last (2 page)

Right as this thought crosses my mind, I look ahead and see the worst-case scenario. Up in front of us is a wall of fire with a narrow path through the middle.

“Should we try to go around?” Sam asks.

“Who knows how far it goes. There’s a small opening. We need to hurry and get the hell out of here,” Chick tells us.

Crouching down low, we all start running through this tunnel of fury. The crackling of the burning forest and roar of the blaze is deafening. I feel it at my back, orange and red fingers clawing at me, trying to engulf me, but I keep pushing on.

A loud pop sounds to my left. I stop and look just in time to see a huge tree coming down.

“Watch out!” I shout. I dive out of the way, the tree narrowly missing me. “Son of a bitch,” I mutter to myself. Getting up, I look back and see the tree is blocking my way out of here. Worse, it’s now separating me from the rest of the team.

“You okay, Blake?” Chick yells.

“Yeah, you guys go. I’ll go around and meet up with you at the drop zone,” I say over the flames.

“Okay, watch your ass.”

“Roger that.”

Hurrying back the way I came, I get the hell out of this burning trap and head back west to try to move around this thing. With any luck, it hasn’t spread too far in that direction and I can get back on course soon.

I hike for forty-five minutes before I’m in the clear and can move south again. All looks good headed this way, and I’m thankful for that. The terrain is steep, with numerous cliffs around. It’s hell to traverse with all of my gear and I find myself stepping the wrong way on the loose gravel, losing my footing.

I fall back on my ass and tumble down the side of this hill with no control. My hands reach out for anything to grab hold of to stop myself, but I’m going too fast. When I see the ledge I’m quickly approaching, I go into panic mode. With every ounce of strength within me, I dig my heels and hands into the ground in a desperate attempt to stop. I slow down, but it’s not enough.

Right before I fall over the edge, there’s only one thing going through my mind.

Mia.

April 1998

“W
here’s your sidekick?” Luke, my brother, asks as he raids the refrigerator.

“She’s grounded,” I grumble. Who knew her punishment would bum me out too? I put the last of my homework in my backpack and hop off the stool at the counter.

“Uh oh, what’d Mia do?” Dad asks as he sorts through the mail.

“She got a D in math.”

He looks up at me with his eyebrows pulled in. “How? You’re good at math. Why aren’t you helping her?”

I let out a sigh. “She’s not teachable, Dad. She’s good with words, horrible with numbers.”

He chuckles slightly. “Oh, stop it. I’m sure it’s not that bad.” With a raised eyebrow, I just stare at him. He has no idea.

“The other day she forgot what twelve times twelve is,” I deadpan.

He pauses for a second before saying, “Okay, maybe she can get a tutor.”

“How long is she grounded?” Luke pipes in again. He’s four years older than me. Now that he’s a junior in high school, we hardly see him. In fact, I think this is the most I’ve talked to him all week. He’s either working or with his girlfriend.

“Until she brings her grade up.” I plop down on the couch and flip through the channels.

He bites into an apple. “Wow, her dad isn’t playing,” he says with his mouth full.

“Nope.”

“What’s going on with the two of you anyway? You’re always together. Hell, by the look on your face, you’d think you were the one grounded.” Luke gives me a hard time about our friendship often. I don’t know why it’s so hard for him to understand that I don’t see her like that. Just because he chases after everything in a skirt, doesn’t mean I have to.

Mia and I became friends the first day she moved next door when we were six. She looked so sad, and all I wanted to do was make her happy. So, I invited her over for grilled cheese sandwiches. We’ve been inseparable ever since.

I roll my eyes. “Nothing. For the hundredth time, she’s my best friend. Now lay off.”

“Leave your brother alone,” Dad scolds.

“Geez, everyone is so touchy. I wonder why?” I grab the pillow next to me and chuck it at his face. He dodges it with a laugh.

“Get out of here,” Dad semi-warns. With that, Luke grabs a water bottle and heads out the front door.

“So, what’s on your agenda this afternoon then?” Dad has a seat on the couch next to me.

I shrug. “I think Josh might come over to play video games for a little while.” He nods his head, letting me know he heard me. At that moment, the doorbell rings. “That’s probably him.” I run over to the door, open it, and let him in. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Not much.” Josh is almost as tall as I am with the same color brown hair, but I have green eyes and his are brown.

We both run upstairs and I start up Mario Party on my new Nintendo 64. Josh and I weren’t always friends. Actually, for a while, I hated him. That’s probably because he was mean to Mia in the first grade. Her first week at our school, Josh kept making fun of her at lunch until she cried, calling her a cry baby. Dad always told me to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, so I got up, walked right up to him, and punched him in the nose. Mia wasn’t the only one crying that day.

We’re playing for a while before Josh starts talking. “I don’t know how you do it, man.”

Without taking my eyes off the screen, I ask, “What are you talking about?”

“Mia. How have you not tried to go out with her?”

“What’s up with everyone today? First my brother, now you? Like I’ve said a million times before, I don’t see her that way. She might as well be a dude to me.”

“Are you blind, Blake? Have you looked at her recently? She’s definitely not that nerdy girl anymore. She’s hot!”

“Dude, you’re grossing me out.”

“No, seriously. She’s got a nice butt and some boobs now. I can’t believe you haven’t noticed.” He shakes his head like he’s disappointed in me.

“I will punch you,” I say with no inflection in my voice. This isn’t the first time people have asked about Mia and me. I guess I’m surprised that after all this time, people still find it hard to believe that we’re
just
friends.

“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it.” We go back to playing our video game for a second before he reiterates, “She’s hot.” Rolling my eyes, I push him before focusing back on the screen.

Josh goes home before dinner. I’ve just finished helping Mom clear the table when I run to the front door. “I’m going to Mia’s. Be back soon!” I yell as I try to escape.

“Hold it, mister,” Mom says, stopping me. “First, it’s dark and getting late. Second, she’s grounded. You can’t go over there.”

“I’m going to ask Mr. Avery if I can tutor her in math to help pull her grade up.” Mom gives me her famous “do I look stupid?” look. “No, really. Plus, it was Dad’s idea.” Now she focuses in on Dad. I should probably feel bad for throwing him under the bus, but I don’t.

“Really, Frank?”

He shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but his wide eyes give away his guilt. “I just said that he’s good at math, so it didn’t make sense that she got a D when they hang out twenty-four/seven.”

“I’ll be five minutes, Mom. That’s it,” I plead.

“Fine, but if her dad sends you home, you’re not to go over there again until you’re invited. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I sprint out of there before Mom can change her mind.

Instead of going up to the front door, I run around back. There’s a lattice that goes up the house with green ivy growing up it. Mia’s dad is always getting onto us about climbing it to get into her room, telling us we’re going to break it and hurt ourselves. Well, I guess I’m not going to listen today either.

I do my best to climb this thing as quietly as possible. The last thing I want is to get her in more trouble, especially since she doesn’t even know I’m coming over. Once I’m to the top, I reach over and lightly tap on the window. A minute goes by and I’m starting to wonder if she’s even in her room. I knock again, this time a little harder. The sound of the window latch clicking lets me know that she’s opening it. A second later, she’s poking her head out, looking confused as ever.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“I came by to see you.” My arms are getting tired and start to shake from holding myself up.

“Why?”

I shrug a little. “I’m bored.”

She rolls her eyes and opens the window a bit more. “Come on in.” She moves away and I carefully reach out and basically fall into her room.

“Crap,” I whisper, hoping her dad didn’t hear the loud thump.

“Relax, he’s not here.”

“Where did he—” My brain stops functioning as soon as I turn around and see her. She has on small, cotton shorts that look glued to her butt, and a white tank top that shows a thin strip of her stomach. My mouth goes dry and I’m stunned speechless. This isn’t the Mia I’ve known for eight years. Standing in front of me is someone completely different. Someone who looks way older than the kid I’ve always seen. Josh is right; how have I missed this? When did my best friend go from this nerdy girl who always wore those stupid dresses to this hottie with a killer body?

“Earth to Blake.” She waves her hand in front of my face to snap me out of it. I blink several times and shake my head slightly. “What’s your deal?”

“Uh, nothing. I’m just not used to seeing you dressed like . . . that.” I move my hand up and down gesturing to her clothing. I leave out the fact I really like her dressed this way.

She looks down at herself. “This is what I sleep in. Nothing special.” Thank God she’s clueless to my thoughts and has no idea why I’m stumbling all over myself.

I swallow hard. “Oh, okay. Cool. Anyway, where’s your dad?” Needing a distraction, I sit at her desk and start flipping through the first magazine I can put my hands on. It’s some stupid, girly boy band one, but I don’t care right now. Whatever it takes to keep me from looking at her long, tan legs.

Crap! Stop it now!

“He’s actually on a date.” She sounds surprised.

I look back up at her in shock. “Wow. I don’t think your dad has ever gone out with anyone before.”

“Right? It’s a girl he works with.” She sits on her bed and curls her legs underneath her. “It’s a little weird when I think about it.”

“Are you okay with it?”

Her eyebrows crinkle. “Yeah, I am. I’m happy he’s kind of doing his own thing. I feel like I’ve held him back through the years when my mom decided she didn’t want me anymore. He didn’t have enough time to himself because he was always taking care of me.”

Getting up from my seat, I sit beside her. “You know your dad doesn’t feel that way, so stop it. This is a good thing.” I drape my arm over her shoulders and rub her arm to comfort her.

“Thanks,” she says. She turns to look at me and we’re inches away from each other. We’re both frozen, caught in this awkward moment where neither of us knows if we should stay here or pull away. We share the same air and I can feel her exhale against my face. My green eyes stare into her blues and I think I’ve forgotten how to breathe. Or I’m afraid to. The room grows hot and my palms start to sweat.

It could be minutes or seconds that we stare at each other, I don’t know. But my brain finally triggers common sense to the rest of my body and I look away.

“I better go,” I say after I clear my throat. “I told my mom I’d only be gone five minutes.” I spring up from the bed and walk toward the window.

“You can, uh, go out the front door if you want.” She sounds just as unsure of what happened as I do. This is so weird.

“Nope, it’s okay.” The quicker I’m out of here the better. Before I start to climb back down the lattice, I pop my head back in the window. “Oh yeah, if my mom asks, I was helping you with your math because you suck at it.”

“Shut it, Blake,” she says as she glares at me. And just as quickly as things shifted the first time, they’re back to the way they were. This is the safe zone. The area where friendships don’t get messed up. This is where we need to stay.

With a grin, I climb down and head home. Going straight up to my bedroom, my mind replays what happened over and over. What was that? I’ve never looked at Mia that way and I damn near kissed her. Not once have I noticed anything about her body, but I had a hard time peeling my eyes off of her a few minutes ago. I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to. I know it doesn’t make sense, and the more I think about it, the more confused I get.