Page 96 of Camera Stays On

We rode around under the streetlights, going through the neighborhoods just outside of our own. Taking one arm from Sawyer’s waist, I pulled up the hood over my head and tried to shield myself from the sharp, cold air. Despite the extra layer, the wind whipped through me, and I grew cold, my teeth beginning to chatter.

“We should’ve just taken you home,” Sawyer muttered. We kept circling, Asher leading the way, until finally, he darted off toward the park. It was a relief when Sawyer pushed on the brakes. I climbed off the bike and looked around the playground lit up by streetlights.

“What time is it?” I asked, walking to the merry-go-round. I sat, and the boys slowly joined me. Gripping the metal bar, I kicked off the wood chips and lazily we began to spin in circles.

Asher looked at the watch on his wrist. “A little after midnight.”

I sighed. Would my mom even know I was gone? Ray kept her pretty busy these days. If they weren’t drinking, they were locked in her room. Sometimes, I didn’t see either of them for days. And...I didn’t hate that. At least when she was avoiding me she couldn’t yell.

“Are we gonna be out all night?” I asked. The brothers looked at each other.

“Purdy—” Asher started.

But then, sirens came.

One long, loud singular alarm.

I stopped breathing, and I counted. For fifteen long seconds the sound of an ambulance flew through town, then the double honk of a fire truck. Then, another siren. Beeps and police sirens joined in, and soon the houses surrounding the park lit up. Sawyer dug his heels into the dirt, stopping the merry-go-round.

“I fucking told you, Ash.”

“What’s going on?” I looked from boy to boy. Why would my mother call the whole brigade for my absence? She hardly cared when I was there. Soon, people began to come out of their homes, looking for the source of the emergency.

“I think I should g-g-go home,” I managed. Spinning, I got off the ride and tugged off Sawyer’s hoodie, handing it to him. “I need to get back. Something’s wrong.” Based on the direction the sounds were moving and the boys’ odd demeanors, I knew they were headed toward our neighborhood.

“You go ahead,” Sawyer said to his brother.

“What? Why?” Ash asked.

“Sneak through the back and pretend to have been home. I’ve got a plan.”

“A plan?” Asher scoffed.

“Yes.” He gritted his teeth. “When Ma catches you, tell her Purdy and I are at the park.” He reached for my hand and laced our fingers together.

Asher was reluctant to go, but finally shook his head and got on his bike. With one quick kick off the grass, he darted off toward home, picking up pace as he went. In a flash, he was out of sight.

“Now what?” I asked, the sirens continuing to blare.

“We wait.”

He plopped down onto the ground, and I stared at him for a long moment.

Why was Asher so stressed, and Sawyer not at all?

“Come sit,” he said.

“It’s wet and cold,” I told him. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the hoodie I’d tossed back to him and spread it out across the grass next to him. Patting it, he looked up at me, expectantly. I joined him on the ground and put my hands in my lap. Staring off into the open space, I zoned out. What was going on at my house that was keeping us here?

“What now?”

“Well...we can do what they probably think we’re doing.”

I turned to him. “What’s that?”

Sawyer leaned forward and kissed me for the second time that night. My eyes opened wide, and I froze. Why was he kissing me? Now, of all moments? His lips stayed firmly pressed to mine—awkwardly. What did we do now? Eventually, he pulled back and quickly apologized.

“Sorry, this is all new to me. Never kissed a girl before.”