Page 45 of Wild Card

“You need gloves, and to squat. You’re going to kill your back doing it like that.”

I stood, looking at him, wondering where the happy guy from this afternoon had gone.

The sky turned a shade of navy I was sure I had only seen in that movieTwister. I tipped my head back, and before I could even open my mouth to argue about my weeding skills, a crack of thunder rumbled across the sky, making everything below it shudder and shake. I could feel it vibrate through my body in a way I had never experienced before. Had I ever been this close to—

“Shit,” Decker snapped, interrupting my thoughts on thunder. He didn’t hesitate or wait before grabbing my arm and running like hell toward his house.

I saw why just two seconds later when a blinding flash of lightning ripped through the cerulean sky.

“Oh my god!” I shouted over the hail that started to pour down two seconds after that. Decker deposited me under the covering of the porch before he ran back out to grab the mower. I didn’t see the sense in that, especially when another loud blast of thunder rumbled across the sky, shaking the house.

“Holy shit.” I breathed out as rain slapped against the stones around my feet.

The wind picked up, howling as Decker pushed the mower under a little covering at the side of the house.

“Why are you still out here? Get inside!” Decker yelled, running toward me.

Right—inside, where it was safe. I grabbed my laptop off the patio table, thankful it was covered, and ducked in through the French doors. Decker’s hand landed on my lower back as I made my way in.

We both stood in the safety of the living room while Decker watched the storm unfold outside. Lightning flashed across the sky again, followed by another loud boom that shook the house. I shuddered, retreating toward the couch, where a throw blanket waited for me.

“Well, I guess we’re stuck here, huh?” I muttered uselessly.

“Fuck,” he snapped, tossing his sopping wet shirt to the floor. His scarred hand tunneled through the soaked strands of his hair, the sight of him wet and angry turning my mouth dry.

“I mean…” I cleared my throat, trying to seem unfazed by his hotness. “I can drive if you’re comfortable with that.” I didn’t want to. I really hoped he wouldn’t make me, but I would, because he seemed like he really didn’t want to be here.

“No, it’s not that.”

I curled my legs up underneath me and relaxed into what would probably end up being my bed for the night. I waited, watching him stand there, staring out the back door, totally unsure of what to say or how to help the situation.

Decker finally moved away from the door, bending down to grab his shirt. He threw it across the back of one of the dining room chairs with a loud sigh that was nearly gloomier than the thunder outside.

He disappeared briefly into the laundry room then came back out with a dry shirt and a pair of loose sweats. I busied myself with watching the storm through the large windows. It was peaceful—until the power went out.

“D!” Kyle boomed from upstairs.

“I know, I’ll grab the flashlights.” He gave me an odd look then ducked back into the laundry room right as Kyle ran downstairs.

“Crazy storm, right?”

I smiled. “Yeah, it’s kind of scary. Decker doesn’t like driving in them?” I hesitantly asked. I mean, there was a chance Decker wouldn’t tell me, and I was the kind of curious that would kill a cat nine times over.

“Nah…I think D would be just fine, especially with that fancy truck of his, but our dad died in a storm like this. He was on his way home and got caught up in a big storm about a year ago. There was a tree that went down, and the car in front of him stopped too fast.” Kyle ducked his head, and I noticed his voice started to strain. “It was a six-car pileup, and my dad’s car was the second one in the mix. A semi-truck was the sixth.”

My throat dried up. I remembered that storm. Trevor had wanted to run a big story on it, showcasing and interviewing the student who was affected by it. Supposedly it was because the student was a big baseball player who was being scouted by some of the pro teams. It was a big deal since he was only a junior. According to Trevor, not only was the storm historic, but the spotlight of the player would guarantee us clicks and paper purchases. I was the one who had told him no. I’d almost lost my spot on the paper because of it, and I wondered now if that was the reason the asshole hated me so much, but I couldn’t have imagined seeing my mother’s death splashed across the front page for the whole school to discuss. I had gone over Trevor’s head and made sure the faculty advisors were aware of my concerns. They sided with me and killed the article. It was one of the only times a student had ever gone above the head editor’s role, and Trevor had been out for my spot ever since.

“I’m so sorry, Kyle. I lost my mom to an accident too…it was different, and it’s been longer…, but I’m sorry just the same.”

Kyle’s throat bobbed, but he gave me a sweet smile before nodding and heading toward the laundry room.

The boys were gone for so long that I ended up pulling the blanket higher and letting the sound of rain lull me to sleep.

* * *

The feelof someone’s warm fingers curling into my leg woke me.

The rain was still pelting against the house, along with a raging wind. The lights seemed to still be out, but I could still make out the figure who was sitting down at the end of the couch.

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