Andrew looked around the high school. It seemed like everyone he had ever known was there, milling around the gymnasium and talking in hushed tones. He looked around for Holly, wondering what he was going to say when he saw her. There was no way she was going to leave him alone if she saw him first. She had texted him the same thing everyday: I'm sorry. Please call me. He had ignored every single one.Andrew felt a little guilty at ignoring her. The initial anger of finding out that she wasn’t who he thought she was had finally faded, but it was left with a cold apathy. The girl he loved was sweet and innocent, not some tramp who would sleep with anything that had a penis. She had changed in his eyes, and he didn't like the new girl he saw.Andrew sat down with his back against the gym wall and watched as people moved and greeted one another. Ray waved to him as he sat down at a table and began talking with the other locals. Despite Audrey and Ray's fight, Andrew still liked Ray. He k

It was easier to breathe down low to the ground, but the smoke still made my lungs hurt. I pulled my shirt up over my nose, but I still had to concentrate on not coughing, breathing only through my nose. My eyes watered with the soot, and I could feel tears tracking down my face. Shadow kept with me, whining gently and pulling me toward the house. I just had to get to the garage.I was so tired. It didn't seem like crawling would be that much more effort, but the incline, the rocks, the slip of the pine needles and the pain in my ankle were taking their toll. I pulled myself to a tree and leaned my back against it. It hurt to breathe, but my lungs begged for oxygen.Shadow whimpered and pulled softly, her eyes looking past me. I followed her line of sight to the edge of our property. A faint glow was starting to creep into the trees. The fire was coming. I felt a surge of adrenaline push through me, my ankle and the pain forgotten. I had to get to the garage. My pink bicycle. If I cou

A cheer went up. The fire was retreating, forced to consume itself instead of the landscape. Tears of joy from the townspeople mixed with the ash still raining from the sky. The fire wasn't defeated, but hope glowed in the eyes of the people. A renewed energy, a promise of success gave energy where there was none before, powered the hoses and shovels. They would be victorious.***"Thanks, Aunt Heather, we'll be there soon," Andrew said into his phone. He turned and smiled at me, pushing the wheelchair toward the exit. "Aunt Heather is all ready for us to come stay with her. She has a bed made up for you on the ground floor so you don't have to go up the stairs."I smiled as he pushed through the doors and out toward the car. Andrew helped me hop into the passenger's seat, gently guiding my leg into the car. The doctor had put a cast on my ankle and I had to check with an orthopedic specialist in a week, but I was able to go home with pain medication. Since I no longer had a house to