Twenty

Cole

Since Brian was back and feeling better, things were mostly back to normal. I could focus on customers and restocking while he took care of the receipts and the schedule. Since basketball season was ending and baseball season would soon begin, the store was busy with parents and students buying new shoes and workout clothes.

My mind had been mostly silent so far today, and I hoped that continued. I had just helped one young man who was playing on the baseball team for the first time, so I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed to play and be confident. He was more than a few inches taller than me and obviously athletic, so I hoped he had enough talent to have a great first season.

"Thanks, Cole, you've been very helpful," his dad said as I rang them up and packed everything into a bag.

"You're welcome, and good luck this season," I said as I handed it across the counter to them just as the bell at the door sounded. There stood Bobby. He slid his sunglasses off and gave me the sexiest grin as he stepped around the family that were just leaving and walked closer to me.

"Hey," he said, before leaning in and kissing my cheek. My eyes met Brian's where he was at the back of the store fitting someone for hiking boots. He smiled before shaking his head and getting back to the boots. "Are you almost done?"

"Yes, I just need to clock out." I turned back to the computer I'd used to check out the last customer and clocked out. After waving to Brian, we walked out of the store.

"How was wor—" Bobby started to say before I pulled him in for a kiss.

"Sorry, but I've been thinking about you all day."

"Don't you ever apologize for kissing me," he said and rested his hand on my hip.

"You're all I've thought about since last night." I wasn't the type to chase another guy, but everything felt different with Bobby.

"What time are we supposed to meet her?" Bobby asked.

"Now." I laughed after checking the time. "Come on, let's go see what we can find out from Miss Avery. Oh, her name is Anna. I guess I still call her the same thing I did as a kid."

"Anna, got it. Did you want me to drive?"

"Actually, why don't you follow me to my house then I don't have to leave my car here," I said, and the two of us walked to our vehicles. His was parked out front so he waited while I pulled out from the back parking lot, and he stayed right behind me until we pulled up in front of my house. He hadn't been here since the day we met, and I hoped this time Mom didn't stop by unannounced again.

"Is it okay to park here?" he asked, and once I nodded, he turned off his engine.

"Let's go in my car," I said, and he moved over to the passenger door. As soon as he was in the seat, he leaned over and kissed me again.

"Just checking that it felt as good as it did earlier," he said and grinned before pulling his seat belt on. "Are we ready?"

In that moment, I could have thought of at least a hundred things we could do together that didn't involve going to talk to Miss Avery. "Not yet," I managed to say before leaning in for another kiss. For a while we sat in front of my house and made out like teenagers. Not me when I was a teenager. But the popular kids who had no trouble flaunting themselves in front of the kids who had no chance of meeting someone in this fucking town. Kids like me.

Bobby took my face in his hands and met my eyes. His thoughts were a swirl of emotions, and I opened my mind to see if I could read his thoughts. But there was a heaviness that made it hard for me to focus. "We should probably go, I don't want to keep Anna Avery waiting," he said.

"You're right let's go. Do you have to work tomorrow?" I asked and put the car in gear.

"Nope, I have tomorrow off."

"Funny thing, so do I," I said and turned to find him staring at me.

"Maybe we can go to dinner or something when we're done."

"Or maybe we can order pizza and watch a movie at my house," I replied as I drove out of town toward the small goat farm owned by Anna Avery.

"What movies do you like?" he asked.

"I'll watch anything, but I love action, science fiction, paranormal, comedies. Like I said, pretty much anything."

"Well now I'm intrigued. How about if I choose the first movie, and you choose the second," Bobby said, and in his thoughts, I sensed amusement but nothing clear. The whispering was quiet today and I was thankful.

Hearing Bobby say was he wasn't in a hurry to go home and that was music to my ears. "I love that idea. Now I'll have to think about what to choose."

For a few minutes neither of us spoke as we drove along the same road I'd jogged on that morning. I'd avoided it since then and stuck to either jogging around town or at the track of the high school. It wasn't the same as being out in the middle of nowhere, but it worked for now.

"Right there is where you got hit," Bobby said, and pointed out the exact spot as I slowed down. I could still see the charred spot on the road and a rush of emotions hit me. I wasn't sure if it was my own or Bobby's, but I needed to pull off the road. There was a narrow gravel strip that I swerved onto and took a deep breath when the car lunged to a stop.

I could hear Bobby talking to me, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. There was so much going on in my head: static, a rush of wind, sirens, and noises I couldn't identify, then softly at first, it started.

With a flash of blue—

The words were whispered, and they were all I could hear over the tempest of noise screaming in my brain. I grimaced in pain as Bobby leaned over to me but all I could focus on were the words getting louder and louder in my head. "Stop!" I screamed.

"Cole!" Bobby shouted. That broke me out of whatever was happening. It was like snapping awake after falling asleep at the wrong time in the wrong place. I was instantly alert and aware of him near me. "What happened?" His eyes were mad with worry as he smoothed my hair back from my face before pulling me into an awkward hug. Everything stopped then.

"There was a lot of noise in my head, but mostly the voice was there again." He leaned in to look at me closer before cupping my cheek.

"We don't have to go speak to Miss Avery today," he whispered.

"We have to. This might be the only chance we have to warn her."