Watching Fireflies

CHAPTER ONE

Chapter One

Jordan

THE TICK OF the clock pounded inside my head. My fingers cramped, grasping the ballpoint pen tight within my grip. An eye twitch due to lack of sleep broke my focus, yet the pen scratched across the page in a battle against time. Caffeine pulsed through my body, my heart beating in double time with the ticking of the clock. The professor’s eyes were on me, but I dared not look up. A single bead of sweat trickled down the side of my face as I ran out of the lined paper, continuing my final thoughts on the inside of the blue book’s back cover. One last scribbled note and I lifted my hands, an exhausted breath escaping my lips as I sat on this side of the classroom for the last time.

“Pens down.”

My heart lurched with a final bout of anxiety. Dozens of historical figures fluttered through my mind as I was plagued with the horror from a previous exam regarding the reasons for World War II. I had managed to forget to mention Adolf Hitler anywhere on the eight pages of the reviled blue book. Relief finally graced me as I dropped my pen to the table. I was done. I had completed my master’s degree. I was now one step closer to moving back home to Charlotte, one step closer to becoming Mrs. Ryan Gordon.

Chairs scraped against the tiled floor as my classmates vacated the room, leaving the universally despised blue books in their past forever. A strand of brown hair hung in my face as I leaned down to get my bag. I tucked it behind my ear and crossed the bag’s strap over my chest as I stood. After following the herd of cattle to the front, I stood before my professor as I placed my final exam on the pile with the rest.

“Good luck at Charlotte Catholic, Jordan.”

A smile beamed across my face. I had been offered a position at a prestigious high school in Charlotte as an American history teacher, pending my degree. With my professor’s well wishes, I believed I had just earned my dream job.

“Thank you, sir.” I reached across the desk and shook his hand. Upon release, I turned toward the door to exit my final.

“And don’t take any crap from a bunch of teenagers.”

I laughed at his advice and waved as I left the classroom. The hallway was bustling with my classmates’ freedom. The buzz swarmed of an afternoon outing. I assumed a massive amount of alcohol consumption was about to occur; however, I had more important things to do, like drive back to Charlotte and surprise my fiancé.

As soon as I stepped outside of the building, the sunlight reflected off my ring, and I stared at it like I had so often since receiving it on the last day of my Christmas break. One year ago today, we had met, and three months from now, I would have his name. It was crazy and fast, but when we were together, he was perfect. I didn’t know how I had gotten so lucky. My phone rang, pulling me out of my daydream, and I reached into my bag. My best friend’s name lit up the screen.

“Hey, Katherine!”

“Are you done? Are you done? Do you get to move back home now?” Katherine had graduated with me two years earlier from North Carolina State University, receiving her bachelor’s degree in accounting. I had stayed to pursue my master’s degree, and she had left to become a pencil pusher in the accounting department of a law firm back home in Charlotte. We had been inseparable throughout high school and college, a prequel to the rest of our lives.

“I’m done! I’m leaving now!” I hopped into my car. The excitement of finally being finished with school surged through me. As I started my little four door, I rolled down the windows to air out the May heat of Raleigh and then adjusted the rearview mirror. The dark circles of exhaustion beneath my blue eyes beckoned me to question driving straight to Charlotte from my final exam, but the decision had been made. I couldn’t wait to see my fiancé.