Chapter 2

The joke’s on her, really. I don’t have half

as much of Riley as I want. He doesn’t know what I’m thinking when

I look at him, what I feel for him when we touch. Once Charlene

questioned who was Riley reallydating, her or me, and it

pissed him off so much that he broke up with her for a week until

she apologized. When he told me about it, I laughed along with him,

then later bloodied my knuckles by pounding them into wall beside

my bed. If only it wasn’tfunny. If only it didn’t hurt so

damn much.

* * * *

Tonight we drove around for a bit, one last

spin through town before Riley has to board the bus for boot camp

in the morning. Then he mentioned the beer and we headed for the

turn-off, a local hangout down by Swift Creek where kids go to

drink and make out. Past the high school, the main strip peters out

to a dirt road and the town gives way to waist-high grass full of

chiggers and ticks and snakes. The road runs straight to the creek,