Page 20 of Next to Everything We Wanted
Emma tried to grab the balls, but they hit her in the arms. She let out the most dramatic moan. “I’ll get this right. Trust me.”
Then she got hit in the legs. And in the sides. Then in a very unfortunate place that caused her to throw the balls back at us in anger, on the verge of fake crying again.
“Come on!” Adam threw his hands up. “That didn’t even hurt!”
“Let me do that to you, and it’ll be a different story,” Emma grumbled.
“That’s exactly what I mean!”
Thunder rumbled in the sky, loud enough for Bailey to bob her head from where she’d been sleeping in the grass.
“Let’s keep going before we get rained on,” I said, holding one of the balls out to Emma. “Your turn, Adam.”
“Thank you!” Adam huffed. “I know girls are capable of being good at sports and all, but you two are so?—”
Emma and I threw our balls, and mine hit him on the forehead while Emma’s ball nearly hit him in a worse area. When he yelped, the two of us couldn’t contain our laughter.
“I wasn’t ready!” Red filled Adam’s cheeks. “I demand a rematch!”
“Are you sure we aren’t the only ones bad at this?” I asked.
“Positive.” Adam stuck out his bottom lip. “I’ll do it right this time. On the count of three.”
Emma and I counted to three before we hurled our balls at Adam. He managed to hold them with his arm before they fell to the ground. He moaned and looked up at the sky. “Help me.”
We laughed, but the sky seemed to respond to Adam by releasing a few raindrops.
“Gosh, it hasn’t even been an hour,” I muttered. “Clean everything up and get in the car.” I went to the bench to get my purse, and then a terrifying thought struck me, almost like the lightning that flashed above us. “Um, guys, where did Bailey go?”
Adam frowned, looking at the spot Bailey had been. “She was just here.”
“She’s gone!” Emma cried, cupping her hands over her mouth. “What if she left the park?”
“The gate is closed, so she can’t be that far away,” I said, though my stomach sank as rain pelted onto my skin. “Clean up fast, and we’ll look for her. I’ll check the front of the park.”
“Okay.” Adam grabbed the balls and put them back in the bag.
“I’ll check the back,” Emma said before running off.
Begging myself not to panic, I searched the front of the park for Bailey.If I were a lazy dog, where would I run off to?I approached the front gate, horror washing over me when I realized it was open.
Shoot.
Bailey had just been sleeping. She wouldn’t have the energy to run out of the park and into the streets, right?
A flash of lightning lit up the sky, the way fireworks did.
Can you strike me, too?
I made my way back to where we’d been before. The rain had gotten a little lighter, though I could still barely see a few feet in front of me. My socks were already soaked, squishing in my sneakers as I ran across the park.
Once I reached what I thought was the back of the park, still no Bailey in sight, I started circling the area until another wave of horror crashed over me.
Shoot, where were thetwins?
I blindly ran my way out the gate and into the street. “Adam? Emma? Bailey?” I let out a breath, water getting in my mouth. I spit it out. “Gosh!”
“Sienna!” Emma’s voice was loud but distant. “The bag fell open, and Adam lost one of the balls!”
