Page 12 of Stone

Raising a hand, I rubbed my chin contemplatively. “You think he’s that snaky?”

Steve’s lips thinned. “I can’t shake that feeling. There’s more to him than meets the eye. Only time will tell whether it’s good or bad. Until we find out, we shouldn’t underestimate him.”

“Agreed,” I told him. “While I’m away, the club’s there for you, Steve. If you need anythin’, you go to Abe, got me?”

“Yeah.” He smiled broadly. “I can protect Elise better with the club behind me. Your pop’s got sway over Rob’s dad, so if any shit goes down, at least Bandit can get involved.”

Something stabbed in my chest, but I tamped it down. I couldn’t go there. I was enlisting in a few hours. If I let what Steve was saying affect me, I’d never wanna leave.

“This is all speculation,” I muttered. “Rob’s not actually done anything wrong. Until something happens, I gotta keep on keepin’ on.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Ignore me. I’m probably reading too much into it.”

I leaned forward, resting my hand on his shoulder. “We both are. Jesus, we need to chill the fuck out and enjoy the damned summer. It may be my last one for a while.”

“You’re right,” Steve said before launching into an anecdote about a house he’d shown last week, which he didn’t know had a leak in the bathroom.

As I nodded along and smiled politely, I couldn’t help noticing the uneasy feeling I’d felt minutes ago had settled inside the pit of my gut, and to my chagrin, it wasn’t going away.

Chapter Three

Elise

The bell pealed through the classroom, signaling the start of the weekend.

My heart jumped excitedly as chairs scraped across the tiled floor, and my classmates jumped up from their desks, chatting animatedly as they filed into the corridor.

Closing my textbook, I placed it in my bag and rose from my chair, chest aching at the thought of what I was about to do.

My boyfriend was about to go to Rock Springs and enlist in the Marine Corps, and my job was to support him, even though the thought of him leaving me behind made my stomach hurt. I’d been dreading this day for months, pushing it to the back of my mind because every time I thought of it, I just wanted to cry.

Being a Marine was Johnny’s dream. He had the next ten years of his life mapped out, though the next three didn’t include me. Still, I loved him enough to want him to achieve everything he dreamed of, even if it would take him away from me.

Someone calling my name pulled me away from my thoughts. I looked up to see my friend, Kelly, waiting for me at the classroom door.

Her eyes softened with something akin to pity. “Come on, honey. He’ll be waiting for you.”

I nodded and walked toward her. Every step felt like walking a plank into a deep, black sea. John didn’t know how much his leaving was affecting me, which was exactly how I wanted to keep it.

Kelly threaded her arm through mine as we walked down the hall toward the school entrance. I was in my Senior year at Hambleton High, and there was only a week left of school. I’d enrolled in the community college in the next town over to learn office management and secretarial skills. My dad was good friends with Mayor Henderson, who’d suggested to Pop that there might be a position for me in his office when I got my degree.

“You’re really quiet,” Kelly murmured as we approached the main doors.

“I’m trying to keep it together,” I replied quietly. “I’ve got to get through the next few hours and keep a smile plastered to my face. I want to support John in everything he does. He’s been so excited about going to Rock Springs and enlisting, and I won’t ruin it for him.”

“You’re a better person than me,” Kelly responded gently. “It’s okay not to be the perfect girlfriend sometimes, Elise. If something bothers you, you’re allowed to say so.”

My heart sank because I knew she had a point. “I went into this knowing Johnny’s dream was to enlist. How can I turn around now and say I don’t want him to go? It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Probably not,” she murmured. “But you can have an opinion. It wasn’t that long ago women burned their bras so we could have a voice.”

I giggled. “Well, I’m not burning my bra. My boobs are too big to go without one.”

“Lucky bitch,” Kelly retorted good-naturedly as we exited the doors and walked outside into the balmy late May sunshine.

My mouth curved into a smile as the sunshine hit my face. I turned it up slightly, trying to catch the rays, all thoughts of Johnny fading until a sharp whistle permeated the air.

Lowering my gaze, my eyes caught on the man I loved, and my heart contracted.

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