Page 32 of Roar for Me
Hold on now.
Where did that thought come from?
He’d been clicking around on his laptop aimlessly, and the photo of Roar in her costume popped up. He closed it out immediately. If time travel existed, he had no doubt that he’d rob Jeff of the chance to ever meet her. He didn’t dare express that life regret to her.
Speaking of regrets…The reasons he had never approached her in high school came creeping back to him. He’d been such a stupid kid. The only detentions she’d ever had were his fault. He’d shot her with a rubber band, for fuck’s sake, andshegot in trouble when she defended herself. Not him. And what didhedo? Kept his mouth shut like a chickenshit. He’d seen the bruise the next morning, a deep purple thing the size of a dime. He’d felt so ashamed of himself; as much as his parents fought, they’d never hurt each other like that. And he’dlikedher! If two people who hated each other didn’t hurt each other, what did that say about him?
Duncan groaned and laid his head in his hands. Those feelings from the party, from high school, and even sixth grade, were still right where he’d buried them, and being around her dug them up.
He needed to talk to someone.
Slipping Through My Fingers
Aurora snickered as she pressed the button that sent her blue shell flying. “Incoming!” Her little character zoomed past the carnage as Katie’s character reeled from the explosion.
“Mom! You’re so not going to beat me!”
It was all in good fun.
“Oh, really? Just try and catch me, Yoshi!”
The finish line was in sight. Stay on target, Stay on target—
“Goal!” cried the little computer voice. The winner music started, and Princess Daisy did her victory dance.
“Ugh, really? That’s four tonight.”
“You wanna take a break?” Aurora’s hands were cramping, but she lovedMario Kartand would keep playing as long as Katie wanted to.
“Not if you let me be Daisy.”
Katie took a sip of water from the cup by her feet.
“We can both be Daisy, you know.”
“Yeah, but it’s confusing.”
Aurora sighed. It wasn’t like her daughter to be such a sour, sore loser. “What’s going on, kiddo?”
She fidgeted in her gamer’s chair, frowning. “Miss Smith wants me to enter a photography contest.”
Aurora’s mouth dropped open. “That’s great! What’s the prize?”
Katie shrugged her shoulders. “A scholarship.”
“For where?”
“Let’s play the Mushroom Cup again.”
Katie was sure acting strange. Aurora wouldn’t push her. Much. “I think you should enter too. Any scholarship, even a partial one, would help. Apply for all the scholarships you can, kiddo. You deserve them as much as anyone else.”
A long moment passed before her response came. “Okay.”
She let the topic slide.
“Hey, Duncan! What’s going on?”
His nerves seemed to calm with the sound of her voice. Jen had been there for him at his lowest point. She’d talked him down from the ledge multiple times when he’d lost everything and saw no use in continuing on. She could tell him how to handle these feelings.
