Marty Smith was born in Accident, Maryland, and his whole life reflected it: he missed the game-winning free-throw junior year, got chicken pox twice in grade school, even lost his mother to cancer. To break this supposed curse, he fled Accident as soon as he graduated high school.<br><br>Now, ten years later, Marty must face his past when he's forced to care for his suddenly-immobile father. Marty knows his close-minded hometown hasn't changed, but seeing an old classmate named Colten Williams makes him wish things were different. The more time he spends with Colten, the more he wants to stay. Accident isn’t so bad when viewed through Colten’s eyes.<br><br>Or is it just the curse lulling him into a false sense of security before it pounces again?

The Accident Curse

Colten and I stared at it in silence, standing close to each other, hands clasped together.


“Marty,” Colten said. He put his mouth right next to my ear so I could hear him over the noise of the water. “I had a crush on you in high school.”


I turned to him, studying the lines of his face, the curve of the smile on his lips, the sparkle lingering in his eyes.


He nodded. “That was the reason I showed you all my pictures. I thought it would be an easy way to strike up a conversation with you. Something common and ordinary that wouldn’t raise suspicion.”


“It definitely didn’t raise suspicion. I never realized.”


“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see you again. To be with you like this.”


My heart thumped in my ears, louder than the crashing of the falls. “I’m happy too, Colten.”


I pulled the Tundra out of the parking lot, all thoughts of souvenirs pushed from my mind by the promise glimmering in Colten’s brown eyes.


Chapter 22