Page 29

Blue cocked her head over her shoulder, giving me a death stare. “I snuck out of the house, I was gone all night, and worst of all, I was with a boy.”

“A Henry boy of all people too.” Chuckling, I started to smile, but quickly drew it back in when I realized she wasn't smiling with me.

“I'm glad you find this funny. Do you want him to lock me inside forever?” She wasn't looking for an answer to her question, so I kept my mouth shut. “I'm going to be grounded for a year, I know it.”

“Maybe if you sneak in while they're not paying attention, you can pretend you've been home the whole time.”

“Are you serious? That's not going to work. I'm just going to have to face him, that's it.”

Raking my hand back and forth over my head, I quietly spoke under my breath. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you sleep, I should have taken you back home.”

Blue looked at me from over her shoulder, scrunching her brows as she reached back and touched my cheek. “If I wanted to go home, I wouldn't have fallen asleep to begin with. This was my choice, not your mistake.”

Blue stood up straight, squaring her shoulders and elongating her neck. Taking a step forward, I grabbed her wrist, trying to hold her back. “Wait, don't, I'm sure we can think of something.”

“Jay, there's nothing we can do. Let me go, I'll take my punishment and be done with it.”

“Let me go with you, I'll talk to your father, I'll explain that this is my fault, that it was my idea and I convinced you to come along.” Squeezing her hand, I pleaded with her. “We didn't do anything wrong, we spent the night watching bugs.”

“He's not going to believe that.”

“Why not? We'd be telling the truth.”

The corner of her lip curled as her thumb ran over my knuckles. “Would you believe your daughter?” Arching a brow, she slipped her hand free from mine. “Don't come after me, it'll only make it worse.”

Staying crouched in the stalks, I watched her as she walked towards her house. Her father and mother were pacing back and forth on the front porch as a police officer was writing down notes in a small notebook.

There were some people I recognized from town standing around the yard, they were members of her father's church, with worried faces, ready to spring into action to help.

Holding her head high, Blue walked out into the open. Her mother looked up, blocking the sun with one hand. Cupping her mouth, she darted off the deck, jogging to her daughter, and reaching out to yank her in.

I could see Blue talking, her mother listening intently as her father came to her side with a look of relief on his face. But that relief didn't last as anger swept in, causing his arms to flail over his head and his lips to turn down into a harsh frown.

It was hard to make out what he was saying, his voice was lost in the wind that blew in the opposite direction. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear him anyway. He was probably cussing about me in the nicest, most sinless way a pastor could.

Everyone else was hugging each other, smiling and wiping tears away from their eyes. The police officer gave them a few minutes, finally stepping to the huddled family so he could jot down her story and close his case.

Blue kept her eyes on the ground, simply nodding with each word he said. Her mother stood by her side, wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her tightly as the gravity of the situation was still too much to process.

Her father threw his hand up, pointing to the door. Looking over her shoulder briefly, Blue hung her head and went inside. Gregory followed her gaze, searching the cornfield for what she was looking at.

Dropping down lower, I pressed my palms into the dirt, doing my best to stay hidden. I wasn't sure what story she had told, or how many details she may have left out for my own safety.

Blue's father squinted, his eyes trying to pierce through the field. “Stay away from her! You here me?” Baring his teeth, he took deep breaths, his nostrils flaring wide. “Stay away from my daughter!”

Ducking, I forced my face into the ground, unsure if he had spotted me in the slew of leaves. But as I watched him, his eyes scanned from side to side, looking above, behind, and in front of where I actually was, the police officer put a hand on his shoulder and said something to him.

He can't see me.

Turning, her father walked backwards, his brows angrily dipped into the bridge of his nose as thick lines creased his forehead. “I'm warning you! Stay away from her!”

I waited until no one was outside, long enough for anyone who might have been watching out the window to lose interest and wander off.

Crawling through two inches of loose soil and dried up leaves, I backed away from her house on my hands and knees. Once I felt I was far enough away, I climbed to my feet and headed home.

There was no way for me to know how long it would be before I saw Blue again. But I would try every single day, not missing a chance to see the girl I loved.

Young love was a crazy thing. It invaded your brain, it spread over your body and through every blood vessel, every muscle strand, every inch of your being.