Prologue

PROLOGUE

Huck

"Time to get up, Huck. If you snooze any longer, you're going to be late."

A frustrated groan escaped as I rolled onto my back and peeled my eyes open. My mom was standing in the doorway to my bedroom. "I can't wait for the day I no longer have to do this."

Her face lit up, something I thought should be impossible—perhaps, even illegal—at this hour of the morning. "I'm sorry to say that today is not that day, kiddo. But on the bright side, you've only got seven months left until you graduate."

"I could just stop going, though," I suggested. "There are a lot of people who've dropped out of school and still become wildly successful."

"That's wonderful for them. You aren't going to be one of them. And considering you've come this far, you should want to stick it out," she reasoned. "You don't quit when you've done all this work and are right at the end."

"I'd rather sleep in," I grumbled.

It was my mom's turn to let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Huck. You've got to go to school. And your breakfast is going to be ready in five minutes, so like I said before, it's time to get up."

The last thing I wanted to do was get out of my bed, but if I didn't do it, my mom would continue to stand in the doorway and give me crap about it. So, I sat up. "Alright, I'm coming."

My mom's voice was entirely too cheerful when she returned, "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

After she walked away, presumably to the kitchen to finish preparing breakfast, I begrudgingly tossed the blanket from my body and got out of bed to get myself ready. I knew I probably shouldn't have given my mom such a difficult time when it came to getting up for school every morning—as a single mom, she worked her tail off to provide a good life for the two of us—but I was ready to be done with school.

I was in my senior year at high school, but it was only November. Nothing sounded less appealing than having to wake up every morning to learn things I never intended to use in my life. I was ready for the real world.

Unfortunately, my mom saw things differently, and she pushed me every day to keep going. I loved and respected her enough to limit my complaining to the morning.

Once I'd gotten myself ready, I met her in the kitchen, where she made another attempt to get me excited about school while I ate breakfast.

"Look, I know you've had enough of school, but I promise you're not going to regret this, Huck," she said. "You just have to stick it out for a few more months."

"I know. I just wish I could sleep in or take the occasional day off," I explained.

"I'm really surprised at your lack of enthusiasm. I thought you would find ways to be excited about everything this year, since you aren't going to have this experience again. Maybe, instead of looking at it as something dreadful, you could go to school today and find something that excites you. In fact, I'm going to challenge you to do that very thing. Tonight, at dinner, I want to hear all about one positive thing from school today outside of your friends that you believe you could just hang out with while not in school. Deal?"

I groaned. This sounded torturous. Even still, I promised, "I guess."

My mom smiled brightly at me. "I can't wait. Alright, finish up, so we can get you there on time."

Feeling starved, I didn't hesitate to honor her request. While I ate, she finished packing lunches for both of us, and before I knew it, we were out the door. I was still working to save up for a car, and since my mom had to go to work, she would drop me off at school on her way there.

Since I'd promised my mom I'd try hard to find one positive thing about school, I attempted to make that happen as quickly as possible. Sadly, homeroom left a lot to be desired. Worse, I didn't think I was going to find what I was looking for in my first period class, either. Aside from having two of my closest friends, Sam and Mikey, in that class, there wasn't going to be anything else enjoyable.

My physics teacher, Mr. Lewis, started the class with an announcement that proved my suspicions to be accurate.

"It's the first day of the second marking period, so I've decided to switch things up," he began. "There are going to be three different projects I intend to have you all complete between now and the end of the year, one every marking period. You'll need to do these projects with a partner, who may or may not remain the same throughout the remainder of the year. That will depend on how things go for each of you on this first project. The project will count for sixty percent of your grade."

Initially, while I felt aggravated about needing to do a project, I thought it might not be so bad that I'd be able to complete it with a partner. I'd pair up with one of my friends, and we'd try to make the most of it.

Once again, my hopes were shattered.

"I've already taken the liberty of pairing you up, and I'll share those in a moment," Mr. Lewis revealed. "Once I've given you the name of your partner, I'm going to pass out envelopes to each group. Each envelope contains a different project, and the two of you will need to work together to have it completed before the end of the marking period. I will provide time once each week, likely on Friday mornings, for you to work together while in class, but depending on how you choose to tackle the project, you might need to find time to meet outside of class, either after school or during study hall periods. Now, with all of that said, here are your partner assignments. Jessica Adams, you're with Deena Stewart. Katrina Andrews, your partner is Michael Powell…"

Mr. Lewis continued sharing the names of the partners in each group, moving through in alphabetical order. After he got through those who came before me in the alphabet, I braced myself for my pairing. Because the reality was that I'd noticed Mr. Lewis had been putting people together who wouldn't have necessarily chosen to work together if we'd been given the option to select our partners.

"Huck Davidson will be with Josie Day," he finally declared, before continuing to the next pairing.

I didn't pay attention to anything after he'd named my partner, because I was simply annoyed.

Josie Day.

Of all the people he could have paired me with, Mr. Lewis had chosen the one person in the classroom I hadn't ever communicated with, not even once. I'd known Josie since middle school. She was a bit of a loner, and she always wound up sitting behind me in any of the classes we'd had together. She never talked to me, though. In fact, I wasn't sure I'd ever seen her talk to anyone.

How was this going to work? Would we even be able to accomplish this task together, and do it successfully? I couldn't stop myself from wondering what was going through her mind. How did she feel about needing to do this project together?

Once Mr. Lewis got through all the pairings, he said, "Alright, I want you to huddle up with your partner, and I'm going to come around with your envelope containing your specific assignment. You'll then spend the rest of this class brainstorming ideas and coming up with a game plan for attacking the project."

Since she was sitting right behind me, I spun around in my seat and found her looking rather nervous. I offered a smile, wanting to appear friendly, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Her cheeks flushed, and she shrank back in her seat.

Great.

I hadn't even said a word, and she was already uncomfortable.

"Huck, Josie, here's yours," Mr. Lewis said, holding an envelope out to us.

I took it from him, returned my attention to her, and asked, "Do you want to open it?"

She shrugged. "You can do it."

I slid my finger beneath the sealed flap, opened the envelope, and pulled out the small square of paper. After reading it, I looked at Josie and said, "The topic is to demonstrate, through a real-world application, how to convert potential energy into kinetic energy."

Josie offered a slight nod and reasoned, "That shouldn't be too difficult."

"Do you have any ideas on how we could do it?" I questioned her.

She considered her answer in silence a moment before she returned, "I guess it depends on how we want to handle the project."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you think we should just do some research and write a report, or should we actually attempt to demonstrate the concept by doing a project, sort of like a science fair project?"

My mom's words from the morning rang inside my head. I needed to find something to be excited about. Sure, this was a project, but it seemed we were going to have our first period of the day on a Friday free from actual instruction. Plus, even if I didn't know much of anything about Josie yet, at least she seemed to think this project would be simple. I could have wound up with a partner who would have left me to do all the work. Maybe I could get excited about this.

"Considering this project is going to count for sixty percent of our grade in this class, we probably shouldn't skimp and just do a written report," I said. "I think going above and beyond in this case is going to be worth the effort."

Josie nodded. "I agree, and I'm glad you feel that way."

"Alright, so how do you think we should tackle this?" I asked her.

Surprisingly, even if Josie had seemed incredibly shy when I first turned around, she didn't hesitate to give me a detailed response. "I think we need to come up with a list of real-world applications for the project. We should make a list of all the instances where we'd be able to demonstrate the conversion of potential energy into kinetic. Once we do that, we can narrow them down to the one that'll do the best job of proving we understand how the concept works and is likely to get us the best grade."

My brows shot up so high, it was a wonder they didn't become part of my hairline. "Wow. Okay. That's a really great idea."

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Thanks."

For the remainder of our time together in class, Josie and I brainstormed ideas for the project. While I came up with some options for the project, I was impressed by how many great ideas she had.

And by the time I was sitting down at the dinner table with my mom, there was something I was able to talk to her about that I was excited about at school.

"We can't leave here until we decide."

I stared across the table and noted the determined look on Josie's face. Clearly, she meant business.

"Works for me. I have nowhere else to be today," I told her.

Nodding furiously, she returned, "That's good. Coming here was an excellent idea, Huck."

A confident smile formed on my face. It felt good to receive that kind of praise from a girl who was as smart as I was learning Josie was, but I especially liked hearing her say my name. For someone I'd believed was a loner and weird for the longest time, the reality was that she had been quick to open up and be friendly enough with me for us to work on our project.

It had been just over two weeks since Mr. Lewis had paired us together. We spent that first day a week ago and yesterday in class simply brainstorming ideas for our science project. Before class was over yesterday, I had suggested to Josie that we get together outside of school to continue working on it. She agreed, and now we were at the Steel Ridge Public Library, something she felt keen on praising me for suggesting.

"Thanks, Josie. I just figured it would be easier to not have the limited time or the distraction of everyone else in the class," I explained.

"Alright, so what do you think of what we've got so far? Do we have enough options to choose from, or should we allow ourselves to brainstorm for just a bit longer before we decide?" she questioned me.

I glanced down at the list of ideas we'd come up with and believed we'd done a great job of coming up with some concepts. "We've got a good list already, I think. Is there one you like best?"

Her eyes roamed over the sheet of paper, scanning the list, before she declared, "Well, I certainly think we can make one of these work. I really like the water behind the dam. It could be the perfect project. Obviously, some of these other ones are great, but they might be difficult to turn into an actual project—like the ripe fruit on the tree before it falls."

"So, you want to do the water behind the dam, then?" I asked.

Josie chewed on the inside of her cheek, almost as though she was worried that she'd give me the wrong answer. "I don't know. What do you think?"

I shrugged. "Honestly, except for the fruit one, which I agree might be difficult to demonstrate with a hands-on project, I don't think we can go wrong with any of them. I'm good with whatever one you want to do."

"Hmm." Her eyes narrowed slightly with concentration. "I like the idea of the dam, but I wonder if it could get messy during the testing and final presentation."

She had a point. I liked the way Josie didn't just settle for anything and wanted to be sure we selected the best possible option.

"Okay, so if we didn't do that, is there another one that might work better? What about the slide? Maybe we could build a model size slide and use a figurine to demonstrate it?"

As soon as I presented that option, Josie leaned forward with a sparkle in her eye and asked, "Or, what if we take it a step further and do something similar but in the scope of an amusement park?"

My brows furrowed. "Like, a roller coaster?"

Smiling brightly and sitting up taller, she confirmed, "Exactly like a roller coaster."

The idea was excellent, but I needed to a take a minute before I could respond. I'd never seen Josie smile like she'd just smiled at me. I didn't even think I'd seen her smile like that in our yearbook pictures. Even though I couldn't recall what her picture looked like, I had to believe I would have remembered it if she'd been smiling like that.

Eventually, I nodded and returned the smile. "I think we just figured out our project."

"Me, too. This is perfect. Okay, so now we just need to come up with ideas on how we want to build the coaster."

I started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Shaking my head, I said, "Nothing. I just… I hadn't anticipated you'd want to dive right into the next step immediately."

Josie shrank back in her seat, the bubbly demeanor gone. "Oh. Oh, well, I, it's just that, I mean, well, I thought since you said you didn't have anywhere else to be today that it would make sense to continue working on it for a bit."

Instantly, I felt awful.

I hadn't intended to make things awkward and quickly realized it was on me to fix it. "I'm sorry. That didn't come out right. I only meant to say that I'm impressed by you. I think it's great that you're motivated for the project. It's clear you want us to do well."

She tipped her head to the side, studying me. "I believe it's important to do well and learn everything I can. Don't you?"

Even if I'd spent the better part of the beginning of this school year wishing I could have just quit, I was realizing now just how bad of an idea that would have been. I was so embarrassed; I couldn't bring myself to admit that truth to Josie. Instead, I offered a slight nod in return. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Following a beat of silence, she asked, "So, you're okay with continuing to work on this today?"

"I am."

With that, Josie and I got to work, and I hoped she felt I was putting in just as much effort as she was.

"Jeez, Huck, you scared me."

"Sorry, Mom."

"What are you doing up so early? I was just about to start breakfast before I came up to pry you out of bed this morning."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess my body's getting used to waking up early."

My mom sent me a look that indicated she didn't necessarily believe what I was telling her to be the truth, but it was clear she didn't think this was a fight worth starting. She likely believed it was better to count her blessings that her son woke up on his own on a Monday morning, eager to go to school.

So, she jerked her head to the side and said, "Grab yourself some juice. I'll have your breakfast sandwich ready in a few minutes."

I smiled at her before moving toward the refrigerator. "Do you want any?" I asked.

The silence stretched between us for a moment before she finally answered with a bit of surprise in her tone, "Sure, kiddo. I'll have a glass, too."

I poured each of us a glass.

A few minutes later, just as she promised, my mom had my breakfast sandwich made. And before we walked out the door, so she could drop me off at school, she held out a brown paper bag and said, "Don't forget your lunch."

"Thanks, Mom."

Before I knew it, I was in my first period class, and Josie was already there in her seat. I smiled at her and said, "Hey, Josie."

"Hi, Huck."

"Have a good weekend?" I asked.

There was no smile on her face as she lifted her shoulders toward her ears and murmured, "I guess."

Just as I was about to press her for more information, Mr. Lewis said, "Okay, class, I hope you enjoyed your weekend, but it's time to get back to learning. Take out your books and open to page eighty-six."

I had no choice but to spin around in my seat and pay attention to our lesson for the day. Or, well, I tried to pay attention. The Josie that was sitting behind me seemed so different from the one I'd spent the morning and early afternoon with at the library on Saturday.

And unfortunately, Mr. Lewis taught us right up until the bell rang, so by the time I got my textbook and notebook put away, Josie had already walked out of the classroom. We didn't have any other classes together, leaving me feeling disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see or talk to her until tomorrow.

But a few hours later, I walked into the lunchroom and made my way over to the table where my friends always sat. That's when I noticed Josie sitting several tables away. She had her books out and was alone.

Did she always sit by herself?

"Hey, Huck. You've got to hear about Mikey's weekend with this chick he met at this restaurant we went to after the movies," Sam said.

I tore my gaze away from Josie, looked at Mikey, and said, "It sounds interesting, but can you fill me in next period? I've got to take care of something."

"What do you mean?"

I jerked my head in the opposite direction and explained, "Science project stuff."

"Look at you being all scholarly," Mikey joked.

Rolling my eyes, I turned and walked away. As I made my approach, Josie never looked up from her books. Only when I sat down on the opposite side of the table and placed my lunch on top of it did she notice.

"Huck."

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm just working on some homework I got in my math class earlier today," she answered.

"Aren't you going to have lunch?" I pressed.

Josie grew visibly uncomfortable. "I… I forgot it."

Much like my mom had been with me earlier that morning, I got the feeling Josie wasn't being entirely truthful. Instead of questioning her, I decided to take another approach. "Oh, man. That sucks. Lucky for you, my mom always overpacks for me. I can share with you."

"You don't have to do that, Huck."

I pulled out my sandwiches—my mom always packed me two—and held them out to her. "There's ham and cheese with mayo or turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayo."

"Huck, I can't take your food," she argued.

"Of course, you can. Which do you want?"

Her eyes dropped to the sandwiches, lingering on the turkey in a way that felt a lot like longing.

To save her from having to admit it, I said, "I'd prefer the ham and cheese, if that makes your decision easier."

She returned her attention to my face. "You really don't mind sharing?"

I shook my head. "My mom would be so mad if I didn't."

A small smile was back on her face as she took the sandwich from me. "Thank you, Huck."

"You're welcome."

For the first few seconds, I didn't say anything. I simply took my time eating as I watched Josie. She ate the sandwich like it was the best thing she'd tasted in her whole life, like I would have eaten if it had been hours since I last ate. I wondered if there was something she wasn't telling me.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

She nodded, chewed, and swallowed. "It's delicious. Please give your mom my compliments."

"Oh, if you think that's good, you have to try one of her breakfast sandwiches," I told her. "Eggs, bacon, and cheese on a toasted and buttered bagel. There's nothing like them."

"That sounds wonderful. I bet they're good."

Doing my best to remain nonchalant, I said, "I can bring one for you tomorrow."

Josie had been lifting the sandwich to her mouth, but at that statement, she stopped the movement of her hands and replied, "That's okay. Don't trouble her with that."

"She's already making one for me," I reasoned. "I mean, unless you don't like bacon."

Josie's eyes widened and practically fell out of her head. "I love bacon. Are you joking?"

I laughed. "Then don't worry about it. I'll bring it to class tomorrow morning. You know Mr. Lewis doesn't care if we eat in class when we're taking notes during a lecture."

"That's very kind of you to offer," she said softly.

I pulled out the bag of grapes my mom had put in my lunch, set them in the middle of the table, and said, "Help yourself to some grapes. And hey, it's the least I can do to show you how grateful I am that I got a good partner for this science project. I keep thinking about how awful this would be if I got stuck with someone who wouldn't put in the effort that you do."

Josie reached for a couple of grapes and smiled at me. "Yeah, I'm glad I got the partner I did, too."

For the remainder of lunch, Josie and I kept our conversation casual, mostly talking about school and upcoming tests or assignments we each had. All throughout, I shared my food with her, noting the way her entire demeanor had changed from earlier that morning. Had she merely been hungry? Was her family struggling?

I didn't want to ask and embarrass her, but I kept that thought in the back of my head and resolved myself to the fact that I was going to make sure I always had enough with me to share with her.

"I'll call you as soon as we're done."

My mom was smiling brightly at me. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was on the verge of tears.

"What's going on?" I asked, my hand on the door handle.

She lifted her hand to the side of my face and stroked her thumb over my cheek. "I'm so proud of you, kiddo. You've turned things around tremendously this year, and it makes me so happy to see you so eager for school again. I'm happy you've met this girl."

"She's just my partner for science class," I maintained, even though I'd have been lying if I said I wasn't starting to feel something else for her.

"I know. But that doesn't mean she isn't a good influence on you. I'd love to meet her."

I looked out the window and saw Josie had just approached the library. She happened to look in my direction and lifted her hand to wave at me. As she moved my way, I returned my attention to my mom and said, "She's right here. I'll introduce you."

After opening my door and getting out, I glanced up to see Josie slowing her steps to a stop. My body froze. "Whoa. What happened to your lip?"

As though she'd just remembered there was something wrong, she lifted her hand toward her mouth. "Oh, that. Yeah, I was rushing around the house yesterday after school, and I accidentally tripped and fell. My lip got cut on the edge of the doorframe."

That sounded awful. "Are you okay?"

"It bled for quite a while, but it's okay now," she assured me. As quickly as she shared that, she looked at the car and asked, "Is this your mom?"

"Yeah."

Without needing the introduction, Josie bent down, looked inside, and extended her hand to my mom. "Hi, Mrs. Davidson. I'm Josie. It's lovely to meet you."

My mom shook her hand. "Likewise, dear."

For a brief moment, I was jealous of my mom. She got to hold Josie's hand before I could.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you, because I wanted to say thank you for sending those breakfast sandwiches with Huck every morning," Josie told her. "They are so delicious."

"Oh, you're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying them."

"I am. Very much," Josie insisted.

As Josie stood back up, I leaned down and saw the massive grin on my mother's face. "I'll see you later."

"Have a good time, kiddo."

"It's the library," I reminded her.

Nodding, she returned, "Yep. And I bet you're going to have a blast."

I laughed as I grabbed my backpack, stood, and closed the door. Then I walked with Josie into the library, where we spent the next few hours working on our project. And when lunchtime rolled around, I pulled out two brown paper bags and held one out to Josie. She looked like she wanted to jump over the table and kiss me.

Sadly, I wasn't that lucky.

It was the last time we were meeting before the holiday break.

My mom didn't have any additional errands to run today, so she'd given me the keys to her car and told me to drive safely.

I was so eager to spend another morning and afternoon with Josie that I left the house and arrived earlier than necessary to make it to the library on time.

But I thought I'd use the time to practice for what I intended to do today. It had been weeks since I'd been paired with Josie, and it was safe to say I'd really grown to like her. She wasn't like the so many of the other girls in school—she was quiet, smart, and so sweet.

Somehow, being around her had changed my whole mindset surrounding school and what I needed to do to be a guy she might like just as much in return.

So, today I was going to ask her.

I was going to tell Josie that, as much as I enjoyed spending time with her at the library while we worked on our project, I wanted to spend time with her doing something else. I wanted us to go on a couple of dates. My hope was that I'd be able to ask her to be my girlfriend eventually, that I'd be able to kiss her, too.

No matter how enthusiastic I was about it, my plan went down the tubes when I saw her pull up in a car. I was standing off to the side, unsuspecting, and Josie was in the passenger's seat. The man behind the wheel—I could only assume it was her father—was angry and shouting at her. Even if the windows were up and I couldn't hear anything, it was clear he was mad.

I wanted to look away, so I wouldn't have to lie to Josie if she asked me if I saw him yelling at her, but something made me keep my eyes on her.

She was leaning away from him, cowering. She was terrified.

And a moment later, I understood precisely why.

Because that man swung his hand out and backhanded her.

I was stunned. Shocked. I didn't know what to do.

In an instant, everything seemed to fall into place. Josie's cut lip, the fact she never had lunch with her in school, and the often downtrodden mood I witnessed from her whenever she didn't think I was paying attention.

Now that I knew what was happening, I wondered what other things I might have missed.

Her father yelled at her again, and as quickly as she could, Josie exited the vehicle. She'd barely stepped out and closed the door when the car sped off.

I took two steps in her direction, feeling confused and horrified.

Josie's hand was pressed against her face, and when she looked up, she noticed me standing there.

If I thought I felt horrified, it didn't compare to what Josie felt.

I hesitated for all of two or three more seconds before I moved toward her. When I came to a stop just a few feet away, I asked, "Are you okay?"

Tears had filled her eyes, and she shook her head.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her, and Josie's body bucked with the sobs that overtook her.

For the next several minutes, all I could do was hold her close and try to comfort her. Eventually, she calmed down and pulled herself back from me.

"I'm sorry," she lamented. "I didn't mean to?—"

"You didn't do anything wrong," I insisted. "Why don't we go somewhere to talk?"

"Wha… what about the project?" she stammered.

"We're way ahead on the project. I couldn't focus on it right now, no matter how hard I tried."

Recognizing it was essential to address this, Josie's shoulders fell, and she acquiesced, "Okay. But how are we going to go anywhere?"

"I have my mom's car." The next thing I knew, Josie and I were in the car, and I was trying to decide where to go. "Did you have breakfast this morning?"

"No."

Glancing at the clock on the dash, it was past breakfast time and still a bit too early for lunch. I decided to take her to a café located in a shopping plaza. I might have been saving up my money that I made from my summer job to purchase a car, but I was prepared to delay that purchase if it meant spending some of it on food for Josie.

By the time we got inside and sat down, I sent an expectant look her way. I didn't quite know what else to do; I'd never experienced a situation like this before now.

Josie dropped her gaze to her lap and inhaled deeply. After releasing that breath, she returned her attention to my face and said, "I only have a few more months left before I graduate, get a job, and can leave."

"It's your dad, right?"

She nodded. "He wasn't always like this."

"When did it start?"

"A few years ago. I mean, he used to yell a lot when I was younger, but the physical stuff started in ninth grade. It's gotten progressively worse, but he never does too much damage, because he knows I have to go to school."

I asked what I thought was the obvious question. "What about your mom? What does she say?"

"She's dead. She died during childbirth. My baby sister did, too."

"I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. There was a medical complication that should have been found when she went for ultrasounds, but it was either neglected or simply overlooked," Josie shared.

For several moments, we sat there in silence. I was still trying to come to grips with what I'd witnessed. I hadn't expected any of this was happening in Josie's life. Finally, I said, "I'm sorry if this is insensitive, but I really don't know what the right thing to say is. Is your dad intentionally trying to starve you, too?"

Josie's cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson, her embarrassment evident. "I don't know if that's his intention or if he merely no longer cares, but he doesn't keep much in the house, and he won't pay for me to get lunch at school."

"How does he eat?"

"He gets himself what he needs, and when he's feeling generous, I get lucky."

I felt sick to my stomach thinking about Josie having to return to this man's care, if it could even be called that. "Why don't you tell someone?"

She shook her head. "No. No, it's only going to make it worse. Even if I get taken out of his home, I'll end up in foster care, and who knows where I'll wind up. I just want to graduate and start my career. Please, Huck. Please, you have to promise me that you aren't going to say anything to anybody about what you saw."

I didn't think I should be making her that promise. She needed help. She couldn't stay where she was.

And what if what she said was true? What if she wound up in the foster care system and had to move to a new school?

She'd hate me.

I didn't want to do it, but I thought if Josie needed anything, she needed a friend. She needed someone she could trust.

"I promise."

Relief swept through her, and she slumped back in her seat.

Our food was brought out to us, and for the next several minutes, we simply ate together. Sure, my mom had packed lunches for the both of us, but I decided I'd send that home with Josie instead.

"So, what is it you want to do?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you want to start your career after you graduate. Do you know what you want to be?"

Nodding, she confirmed, "I do. I want to become an obstetric sonographer."

"What?"

"Remember how I said my mom died because someone missed something when doing her ultrasounds?"

"Yes."

"Well, I want to do my part to make sure that what happened to my family doesn't happen to another family," she explained. A beat later, she asked, "What about you? Do you know what you want to do with yourself after you graduate?"

I dipped my chin. "I want to enlist in the military."

Surprise washed over her. "Really? What made you decide to do that?"

"My dad." Josie's expression changed, but I couldn't quite read the look on her face, so I added, "My dad was a Marine, and I want to follow in his footsteps."

"What does he do now?"

"He died two years ago."

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. What happened?"

I sighed. "He was a firefighter, and he battled in a blaze that consumed a warehouse that handled plastics. It burned for hours and fire companies from all over the county came to assist. In the end, three firefighters lost their lives, and my dad was one of them."

"I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you."

"And I can't imagine how difficult every day must be for you."

"They're not always bad," she insisted.

God, I hoped so. I didn't want to think about her enduring every day what I'd witnessed in her dad's car.

For the next little while, Josie and I focused our efforts on finishing our food. When she was done, I asked, "Do you want dessert?"

"Oh, no. I shouldn't."

"I think we should. Come on, what do you like?" I pressed.

She licked her lips. "Well, I saw they had that coconut cream pie. That sounded delicious."

"Ew, gross. You like coconut?"

"You don't?"

I shook my head. "I can't stand it."

"Oh. Okay, well, I don't need the pie."

Laughing, I insisted, "Just because I hate coconut doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. I'll have the chocolate mousse pie instead."

The next thing I knew, I was watching Josie as she ate her coconut pie. She savored every bite, and all I could do was feel something squeeze painfully in the center of my chest. How could anyone, namely her father, ever put their hands on her? How could someone who was supposed to love and protect her ever want to hurt her?

Once we finished eating dessert, I said, "I think we need to go have some fun."

"What?"

"There's an arcade at the opposite end of the shopping plaza, and I think we should go play some games for a bit," I told her.

"Huck, this is a lot," she noted. "I don't have any money, and you've already purchased this food."

"I worked over the summer, and I saved a lot of money. I want to go have some fun with you, Josie."

She held my stare for a long time, and I thought she was going to turn me down. But a moment later, she said, "Okay. We can go play."

With that, we got up and left.

Maybe the day hadn't gone exactly like I had planned—I certainly hadn't indicated to Josie how I felt about her—but I couldn't say I was disappointed by the time we wound up spending with one another.

And by the time I went home, I realized how grateful I was for my mom and made sure I hugged her a little tighter.

It was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

In so many ways, it was.

At this very moment, there wasn't anything I would have rather been experiencing than exactly what I was.

Josie's body was pressed tight to mine, her arms wrapped firmly around me. I was hugging her back just as tightly.

We'd just graduated.

After months of getting to know one another, working together on science projects, eating breakfast and lunch together, and occasionally doing something fun when we were supposed to be working on our projects, we had gotten here.

The moment felt bittersweet.

Because I'd been looking forward to this day from the moment I started my senior year. The only reason I'd wanted it to slow down was because I'd met Josie and didn't want this time to end. Of course, I also realized that the sooner we graduated, the sooner she'd be on her way to getting out from under her father's thumb. And I wanted that more than anything else. I wanted her to be free, to be safe.

"I can't believe we're already here," she said.

"I know. I feel the same. This whole school year just flew by."

"And now we're off to bigger and better things."

My eyes roamed over her face, wondering if she truly believed that. "I wish I didn't have to leave so soon. What if… what if you need something?"

She smiled at me, the look on her face indicating she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I'm going to be okay, Huck. Honestly, I've got a plan, and within the next few weeks, I'm going to be out on my own. Things are going to get so much better for me, and I'm going to have the life I've always wanted."

While there was a part of me that was happy she believed that was the case, there was the other part of me that selfishly wondered how she could think that was possible if I was no longer going to be around.

"I'm going to miss you, Josie."

Tears filled her eyes, even as she smiled at me. "I'm going to miss you, too, Huck."

"Hey, you two," my mom called from a few feet away. "How about you stand together and let me take a picture of you?"

Josie swiped at the tears threatening to roll down her face. Then we turned to face my mom and smiled for a picture.

"Do you want to join us for a celebratory dinner?" I asked Josie, certain my mom wouldn't mind.

"Oh, Huck. I'd love to, but I can't. I've got to get home."

My shoulders fell, and I hugged her again. "Be safe, Josie."

Her arms tightened around me. "You, too."

Begrudgingly, I released my hold on her. My hand found hers and gave it a squeeze before I let go of her completely.

And as Josie walked away, I tried to remember the confidence she had about finding the life she always wanted.

I just wish when I finally lost sight of her and turned around to see my mom with tears in her own eyes that I would have realized that letting Josie walk away like that was the biggest mistake of both of our lives.