Page 49 of A Future To Remember

Cash cut off a fork-size piece of his pie. “That’s probably wise.”

“You don’t seem surprised that Levi’s being treated like dirt by just about everybody in this town.”

He avoided looking at me as he chewed his food and followed that with a sip of coffee. “This pie is so good.”

I sat back in the booth and crossed my arms, which was awkward with the cast, but I managed.

“You know what would be great?” I asked. He looked up. “If we could cut the bullshit and you get honest with me about why everybody seems to have a problem with a sweet kid like Levi.”

Cash coughed, sputtering his coffee. I merely sat there with an arched eyebrow. After he’d coughed a few times into his napkin, he said grudgingly, “Levi created his own trouble.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, maybe you should ask him.”

“I have asked him, and he won’t say. He’s being bullied, Sheriff, and nobody seems to care.”

Cash sighed and glanced toward where Wanda was back to sorting through the lunch tickets. “Levi made a pass at somebody he shouldn’t have.”

I puffed out a breath of disbelief. “Yeah, right. That kid is as shy as a noon shadow. If some girl is telling you he made a pass at her, she’s a liar.”

Cash tucked moodily back into his apple pie. “Who said it was a girl?”

I gasped. So, they knew. And by “they,” I had to assume it was the whole town. I dropped my crossed arms to tap the fingers of my right hand on the table. “He’s gay. So what? It’s the twenty-first century, for cripe’s sake. You people need to get over it, and I don’t believe Levi did anything like that either. More likely, some guy guessed the truth about him and made up some story just to get the town to bully Levi.”

Cash stared at me hard in a way he’d never looked at me before. “It wasn’t just some guy, Maddy. Levi made a pass at Luca Bishop. All-state quarterback who led the high school team to an eleven-one victory season two years ago. Homecoming king. Class president. Most popular guy in town.”

I opened my mouth to sputter more disbelief at Cash, but Wanda appeared with my plate of food and paused to look at us, no doubt sensing the tension at the table. “Everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” Cash said harshly before softening his tone with an added, “Thanks, Wanda.”

She set down the plate, looked at me as if to get my confirmation, and waited for me to nod before walking away.

“What am I missing here?” I demanded, whispering to make sure no one else could overhear.

Cash pointed to my plate. “Eat.”

I picked up a fry, dunked it into the chocolate shake, and tossed it into my mouth.

The sheriff’s stern expression melted, and he actually chuckled. “You’ve got some weird quirks, I’ll give you that, Maddy.”

I dipped another fry in the shake. “I’ve stopped asking questions after I do something quirky. I figure the closer I get to the,” I paused to form air quotes, “‘real’ me, the sooner I might start remembering who the real me is.”

Cash nodded like he fully understood, then he got on with telling me about Levi. “Two years ago, when Levi and Luca were seniors, Levi cornered Luca in the showers after practice.”

“Levi was on the football team?” I asked, somewhat incredulous. The kid was as skinny as a beanpole. I couldn’t imagine him engaging in anything more physical than cornhole.

“He was. He was a lot bigger back then and blazing fast. He could do forty yards in under six seconds.”

“Whoa.”

Cash nodded. “They were an amazing pair. Luca’s arm and Levi’s speed were unbeatable. And then one night, after practice, Levi made a pass at Luca while they were in the showers. It got ugly fast, and somehow, it turned back on Luca. He couldn’t handle it. And…”

I sucked in a breath when an image floated through my mind’s eye. “You found him in the water,” I said.

Cash’s eyes widened, and he cocked his head. “You read about it?”

“No. No, I…”