Jaci and Ricky: The Untold Story

Chapter Eleven: Ricky

Ricky gathered wood for the fire while Neal set up the traps with Amanda. He wasn't sure where Sara and Jaci were, but all was fairly quiet. What he really wanted was to take a few moments to himself. He glanced around. How long before Neal and Amanda returned? Ten minutes? Twenty? He left the kindling in the fire ring and took off.

Time to think. Things with Jaci were getting serious, at least for him. And it made him nervous. The last time he'd gotten serious with a girl, it hadn't gone well.

"Ricky!"

He sighed. That was his brother, hollering like the whole world would fall apart unless he hurried right back. Great to be needed.

"Where were you?" Neal demanded when he returned. "It's not safe out there."

Ricky ignored Neal's attitude. "Just needed a moment alone."

"Great," he said. "If you're done with your moment, we need a fire. Can you manage that?"

Ricky glared at his brother. "People wouldn't think you were so wonderful if they knew the real you."

"What?" Neal held a hand to his chest and pretended to be wounded. "How can you say such a thing, you who know me the best?"

Ricky grunted. "Just goes to show you." But he wasn't annoyed anymore. He knew Neal really did mean to be helpful. "Maybe we'll reach a town tomorrow," he said as he hit his rock against another and sent sparks flying toward the kindling.

"That would be nice," Neal said. "We'll eat at Wendy's. Or Taco Bell. How's that?"

"Wendy's sounds pretty good. You've got ID, right?" The kindling caught, and Ricky watched approvingly as his fire started to eat all the wood prepared for it.

Neal held up his wallet. "Yep. Didn't lose the card or my license in the water."

"Right, this is done." Ricky stood. "Night, girls."

They separated, as they did every evening, the boys wandering a respectful distance away from the girls.

It only took a few moments to get another fire going. Ricky pulled out his flint rock and stared at it. Good stone. He shoved it back in his pocket. He poked around the fire a little more, making sure it was contained within the fire ring.

A breeze came by, and Ricky shivered. The fire flickered.

"Ricky," Neal said, "what if there really is someone out there looking for the girls?"

"Our fires going at night would be a pretty dead giveaway," Ricky murmured, staring into the flames.

"And if something happened to the girls, we wouldn't be there to help them."

Ricky lifted his eyes to his brother. "What are you suggesting?"

"We shouldn't be away from them. Come on."

Neal left before Ricky could say another word, leaving him to put out the fire he'd just managed to get going.

By the time he rejoined the others, Neal stood with the girls clustered around him. Jaci whirled around when Ricky approached, her eyes wide and tense. She relaxed when she saw him. He jerked his head in her direction, then turned his eyes on his brother.

Neal continued. "So we just feel like there's safety in numbers." He looked at Jaci. "We'll be sleeping next to you girls tonight. We need to be together. For safety's sake."

She gave a quick nod.

"We need to put the fire out," Ricky said, though it pained him to do so.