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

I called a taxi. It arrived in ten minutes.


“To the airport,” I told the driver, putting my freshly packed suitcase beside me.


At the ticket counter, I bought a one-way ticket for Pittsburgh. It left in two hours. I had to hustle through security. I was flagged for a pat down, but I made it through with time to spare. I called Dad to let him know I’d be landing in Pittsburgh at five in the morning. He promised to be there.


Once in the air, the internal heater broke and the plane was freezing. The woman beside me requested the last blanket and bought the last hot meal.


I tried to sleep but a child kept crying in the back.


Groggily, I followed the crowd to the exit after we taxied to the terminal. This time, I was ready to shove my way through to get off.


Chapter 50