Page 11 of Remember, Love

7

Ten years ago…

Beth

“Logan!” I jump over a fallen tree branch in the woods. It’s our last ever neighbor camping trip. He and I are supposed to be collecting kindling for the campfire. Our parents are preparing dinner. But Logan is texting his latest girlfriend. Break-up drama. I roll my eyes. He was the starting quarterback, so he’s always dating one cheerleader after another.“Logan! Hey, we’re supposed to be getting kindling.”

“Hey.” He’s leaning against an oak tree in a small clearing. There’s a scowl on his face. I shrug—at least there’s a big pile of twigs at his feet. “Beth.” He looks me over. “You’re a girl. You got any advice on how girls think?”

My cheeks heat. I’m almost fourteen. Unfortunately, I’m tall, awkwardly thin, and the boobage has yet to arrive. Which means, me and guys, especially the guy I want, don’t notice me.

“Um, what’s up?” I wander over.

I love the woods and I love our family camping trips. It’s the one time I get to really hang out with Logan. I mean, we see each other, we’re neighbors in a small town after all. But when we’re camping, we get to hang out. And even though I’m four years younger than him, he’s never treated me like a stupid kid or anything like that.

“Candy just broke up with me. She says she doesn’t want a long-distance relationship.”

“Ouch,” I sympathize. Logan is headed to basic training next week. I’m going to miss him. A lot.

“I don’t know much about all that,” I say, wondering how I can help Logan out. “But she’s kind of a ding dong if she doesn’t see how special you are.”

Logan looks over at me and his eyebrows slowly rise. “A ding dong?”

I snort and then he starts to laugh. The deep rich sound fills the woods. I drink it up.

Then, because I feel awkward and I don’t want him to realize how much of a crush I have on him, I grab a pile of leaves and dump them in his hair.

He sputters and I laugh at the shocked look on his face. Leaves and dirt crown his head and…I snort. “There’s an earthworm.” I reach out and touch his hairline. “Just right…there.”

His jaw drops, “Bethany Ann Ward, you better run.”

I squeal and take off through the woods. Jumping and sprinting and scrambling over fallen logs. I’m laughing so hard and wheezing from the sprint, but it doesn’t take long before he catches me. Logan grabs me from behind and rolls me, dropping to the ground, cradling me as we fall.

“Take that,” he laughs, throwing piles of leaves over me. “And that! And that!”

I’m laughing and squealing. Leaves are flying over us, sunlight dances with our laughter. I put my hands up. “I surrender!” I screech. “I surrender.”

He chuckles and rolls to the ground next to me.

We lie in the soft mossy earth, panting, grinning madly. After a while our breathing slows and the quiet of the woods blankets us. Our hands are barely touching, my fingers run along his. If only. If only I were older.

“I’ll miss you,” I blurt out. Then I blush, mortified. What a stupid thing to say.

Logan just sighs and puts his hands behind his head.

“You know, Beth. I think I’ll miss you too.”

He doesn’t mean it the way I do, but I smile anyway. I grin until my mouth burns.

“Don’t worry though,” he muses, “I’ll be back. Somebody’s got to keep you in line.”

Then he rolls over and dumps another pile of leaves on me. I screech and jump up, we run back to the campsite, laughing and happy, kindling forgotten.

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