Buried Truth Sample
Longacre High’s annual junior class beach bonfire had once again lived up to everyone’s low expectations. I stepped back from the blistering heat and watched the crackling sparks fly upward like disappearing flashes in the night sky. Beside me, Brianna jabbed a gooey marshmallow stick near my face.
I jumped and knocked into Courtney Phillip’s elbow. “Sorry, Court.” I turned to Brianna. “Watch out.”
Being Bri’s friend was like serving combat duty. Duck, hide, defend yourself. You’d need to do it all.
“Ooo, sorry you guys. Mags, did I poke you?” She plunged the marshmallow stick into the sandy dirt at my feet.
“No, I’m fine.” Through the shadows, the stick vibrated back and forth like it was alive. “No one will want to use that anymore. Dirty s’mores aren’t exactly appetizing.”
Her dark eyes widened, and she pulled the stick from the ground. I grabbed it before she flailed it in somebody else’s face. “I’ll take it. No worries.”
I needed an excuse to walk over to the picnic tables anyway — Andrew was over there. Nobody surfed on this stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but Andrew still had the body of a surfer and a smile that made my legs turn to gummy worms. I held the stick point down and drifted over.
Andrew saw me coming and looked me up and down. At his half-smile, my knees went weak and my breath quickened. I put the stick on top of a wobbly stack of campfire supplies. To prolong my stay, I fussed with some graham crackers and chocolate.
“Not much of a s’more without the marshmallows.”
Andrew’s deep voice rolled easily above the joking and laughing around the fire. I opened my mouth, hoping for a smooth reply, but my voice stuck to the sides of my throat. I slapped some broken squares of chocolate onto the crackers and kept my eyes down.
“Are you getting s’mores ready for the entire junior class?”
One sentence and a question. Even though our school wasn’t massive, Andrew and I had never really talked, never really become friends. The most I’d ever gotten from him was a hey or a what’s happening — not that I kept score.
I raised my gaze to his and even in the flickering shadows, I saw the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. I stifled a strange impulse to reach up and touch the rugged stubble on his face, but thank God, I kept my hands on the chocolate and crackers.
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I jumped and knocked into Courtney Phillip’s elbow. “Sorry, Court.” I turned to Brianna. “Watch out.”
Being Bri’s friend was like serving combat duty. Duck, hide, defend yourself. You’d need to do it all.
“Ooo, sorry you guys. Mags, did I poke you?” She plunged the marshmallow stick into the sandy dirt at my feet.
“No, I’m fine.” Through the shadows, the stick vibrated back and forth like it was alive. “No one will want to use that anymore. Dirty s’mores aren’t exactly appetizing.”
Her dark eyes widened, and she pulled the stick from the ground. I grabbed it before she flailed it in somebody else’s face. “I’ll take it. No worries.”
I needed an excuse to walk over to the picnic tables anyway — Andrew was over there. Nobody surfed on this stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but Andrew still had the body of a surfer and a smile that made my legs turn to gummy worms. I held the stick point down and drifted over.
Andrew saw me coming and looked me up and down. At his half-smile, my knees went weak and my breath quickened. I put the stick on top of a wobbly stack of campfire supplies. To prolong my stay, I fussed with some graham crackers and chocolate.
“Not much of a s’more without the marshmallows.”
Andrew’s deep voice rolled easily above the joking and laughing around the fire. I opened my mouth, hoping for a smooth reply, but my voice stuck to the sides of my throat. I slapped some broken squares of chocolate onto the crackers and kept my eyes down.
“Are you getting s’mores ready for the entire junior class?”
One sentence and a question. Even though our school wasn’t massive, Andrew and I had never really talked, never really become friends. The most I’d ever gotten from him was a hey or a what’s happening — not that I kept score.
I raised my gaze to his and even in the flickering shadows, I saw the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. I stifled a strange impulse to reach up and touch the rugged stubble on his face, but thank God, I kept my hands on the chocolate and crackers.
Thank you for reading!
Click Here to Purchase
Return to Ocean Mist Series
Return to Brenda's Books