Little Moments

Chapter 8

Laughter and conversation fill the air as I sit back in my uncomfortable lawn chair, staring at the stars, as the smoke from the bonfire skims over my face. Mom had planned this little bonfire gathering earlier today, after we had our little fight, so we could get to know all of our new neighbors.

"So, Katrina, what are you thinking about career-wise when you graduate high school?" One of my mom's new friends sitting next to me asks.

I ponder for a moment. I've never actually really thought about it. After this summer, I'll go back to high school for one more year, and then I'll graduate, and head off to college. It's all too much to process, really. My life has just really flown by. I swear I was a little curly-headed seven year old girl just yesterday. "I don't really know, to be honest." I say.
"I love music but I just don't think that's a reality for me." I say with a slight sad smile.
"I did work a lot with horses in Tennessee though, so that's a possibility. It's all just kind of up in the air right now."
She smiles and pats my knee as she says, "That's okay. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I was your age either."

A silhouette walks up behind her and taps her shoulder and says, "Hey Mom." I soon realize that it's Corey, thanks to the glow from the bonfire lighting up his face.
"Hey Corey! Have you met Katrina?" She asks, gesturing towards me.
He smiles and says, "Yeah, we've met a couple times." I return a smile as his mother turns in her seat to join another conversation, and Corey crouches down beside my seat.

He looks up at me, offers me his callused yet gentle hand, and asks, "Hey, can I show you something?"

I stand up, ignoring the offer of his hand, and say, "Sure." My mom was right. I just met this guy, and I shouldn't be holding his hand and riding in his car. It's just kind of weird.

He shows a broad smile, stands up, and starts walking in front of me. I follow him to the left of the yard, until we reach the tree line of the woods. "You're not planning on taking me into the woods and murdering me, right?"

He laughs and shakes his head. "No, I wasn't planning on it."

He walks past two trees and onto a dirt path leading into the woods. He turns around and asks, "Are you coming?"

I hesitate for a moment, knowing it's not the brightest idea to be walking off into the woods at night with a guy I barley know.

He then laughs again and says, "You can trust me, I promise. I'm not some murderer."

I laugh at his promise and follow him into the woods, something in my gut forcing me to trust him. So we wind on the path around bushes and trees. I ran into a spiderweb in the process, but I start to notice tiny yellow twinkles around us the deeper we get into the woods.

Corey stops in his tracks and puts his hands in his pockets, admiring the tiny yellow twinkles which I now identify as fireflies. He leans up against the dark bark of a tree, and turns his head towards me.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" I ask.

He looks up to the sky with a slight smirk, once again showing his dimples, and asks, "Katrina, have you ever just taken a moment to sit and admire the beauty of this world?"

"Wow. I didn't think I would ever hear something that deep come out of a teenage boy's mouth." I sarcastically say, a giggle following behind.

"No, I'm serious." He replies.
"You know, you really seem like the kind of person who always has a lot on their mind. The kind of person who never takes the chance to just sit back, and breathe, and just be."

"You've known me for all of three days." I say, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.
"How could you possibly know that about me already?"

He laughs and says, "I'm not a stalker, I promise." And I laugh along with him for a second, until he talks again.
"I can just tell somehow." He slightly narrows his eyes, and looks into mine.

"Plus, you just admitted it by asking me how I could possibly know that about you already." He says with a cheeky grin.

As I laugh and think of what to reply, I hear a distant yell in the background. "Katrina?!" The worried voice of my mom yells.

Crap. I think to myself, as I turn towards the direction that my mother's voice came from. I start running as I yell, "Coming!"

I hear some twigs snap and the crunch of a few leaves behind me, knowing that it's Corey following in my footsteps.

I run for a good thirty seconds before I approach the entrance of the woods again, to find my Mom looking at me with the most worried look I've seen her wear.

"Where have you been?" My mom asks as Corey's mom comes up behind her. "I've been worried sick about you!"

"What were you guys up to?" Corey's mom chimes in.

Corey speaks up from behind me and says, "We were just..." He stutters a bit before he says, "We were just watching the fireflies. There's a really good spot in the woods to watch them, and..."

Mom stares at me with daggers for eyes, as I notice everyone around the campfire is gone, except for Taylor holding on to Mom's right hand. "Where did everyone go?" I ask confused.

Mom crosses her arms over her chest as she says in a stern voice, "Everyone left. Ten minutes ago. After everyone was gone, we both noticed that our kids were missing, and got a little suspicious." She then points to herself and Corey's mom.

"And we've been calling you ever since!" Mrs. Hunter says in an anxious tone.

Me and Corey stand their in dead silence, knowing that there is no point in fighting against our mothers. "Come on. It's getting late." Mom says, cutting off the awkward silence.

I follow my mom into the house, and look back to see Corey doing the same, and looking back at me. I smile and wave, and he mouths a word that seems to look like goodnight, and I turn back around, and continue to follow Mom.