Emma That is Dead (FREE!)

Chapter Nine

Kobe takes the back steps two at a time and opens the door to let us in. "Did she say anything else?"

"Well ..." I debate how to respond. Emma didn't give me much information to go off of, but she never said anything was a secret. "Her feet were bandaged up. And she said something about having to crawl out of the woods."

She said something else too, about not knowing how Smith will feel when he finds out what happened, but I'm keeping that to myself. I couldn't even share it with Smith. The words wouldn't come out, no matter how hard I tried to coax them.

We pause at Mey's locker. She removes a book from her bag and tosses the sack in with a thud, smooshing a pile of crumpled papers stuffed on the bottom shelf. "Poor Emma. I hope she's okay. Did you tell her about you and Smith?"

The quease in my stomach is immediate. "No!" It comes out louder than I expect and both Mey and Kobe stare at me. "I mean, we're going to. We're just holding off to see how she is first."

"Damn," Kobe says as he closes the locker door. "That's a conversation I wouldn't want to have."

Neither do I, I want to say. Instead, I give them a wave and head in the direction of Smith's locker.

As soon as he sees me, a slow grin takes over his face. "There you are."

His arms wrap around me and I sink into the hug. He smells like soap and fabric softener, with more than a hint of vanilla coffee. A cappuccino after his morning workout is one of those funny little habits he has that make him seem so much more grown up than me. Like he's this mature adult living in a teenage boy's body and is waiting for me to catch up.

I wish we could snuggle like this all day. When I'm in Smith's arms, I feel safe. Nothing or no one can touch me. "How are you?" I say into his chest.

He pulls away too soon and a chill crawls under my jacket and across my skin. "I'm good. Did you get to see Emma again?"

"Nope." I fidget next to him and stuff my hands into my pockets. "Don't you think that's weird? She said she was going to come over, but she never even texted me."

"Didn't she also say it was dependent upon her parents?" he reminds me diplomatically. "Maybe they're too worried to let her leave the house? She's all over the news again. Have you seen it?"

"I didn't have a choice. Mom's been pouring over the local stations every chance she gets."

Emma's story even made the national news. Small-town Girl, Back from the Dead, the news reports say. As far as I can tell, the police don't know any more than we do. Either that, or they're intentionally keeping quiet while they search for leads.

I wait for Smith to say more, but he doesn't. So, I extend an invitation. "Do you want to come over after practice today?"

"What if Emma sees my car?"

It's a reasonable question. But the risk will be worth the reward.  "We'll be careful. Besides, I never did make those chocolate chip cookies I promised. And I feel like I've barely seen you lately."

"I know, I'm sorry." He rests his forehead against mine. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

A sudden need surges through me like a wildfire. It's been a long time since we've been alone together. I mean, really alone. Between my soccer schedule and Smith's extracurricular activities, there haven't been many opportunities. But the desire for privacy continues to intensify. On my end, anyway.

Smith is the first boyfriend I've had, and he's the only one I've ever wanted. How I feel when I'm with him is unlike anything I've ever known. Sometimes it scares me, that deep-seated craving to have him all to myself. It's this peculiar warmth that starts in the pit of my stomach and works its way through my limbs, and before long, it consumes every inch of my body until it's the only thing left.