How To Save a Life

Chapter 1

"Got your knight. Your turn." I spit out of the side of my mouth. Cas sat across from me, her face twisted with concentration.

The warm breeze blew in, ruffling my short pixie cut. The leaves on the nearby trees in the park swayed like they were dancing.

Finally after a few painful minutes, Cas moved her piece and laughed. She snatched up my black queen and smirked at me.

"How the hell do you always do that?!" I scrunch my face up. Then I wet my lips and groan, moving a piece.

"Maybe because you suck. You realize what you just did right? Check mate." Cas slides the piece across the board and takes mine.

"I'm never playing this with you again!"

"You always say it but when I ask you, you always say yes, Deanna." Cas smiled.

"Ugh!" I get up and push the chair in, wrapping my green jacket tighter to my sides.

"De come on. We could walk to Sheetz." I nod at Cas' statement and we begin the trek down the street.

A girl passed us on the side walk and I grumble. I hate her so much, with a burning passion. She has commitment issues. She told Cas she loved her, broke up with her, joked that she liked her again, then cheated on her after they got back together. I still think that Cas shouldn't trust Annie— the girl— but she can't seem to get over her. She always wants her to come back and she always wants her to be around.

"Hi Annie!" Cas smiles warmly at the girl. She waves back but doesn't say a word, not even looking at her.

"Cas, I'm sorry but I don't think you should trust her." I shake my head and whisper when Annie is pretty far away. Oh and that's another thing. Annie likes to put her hands on Cas, her shoulders, punch her in the arm, or something else friendly. Annie doesn't realize that it sets the pain even further back, making it harder and harder for Cas to forget about her.

Cas sighs. "You don't understand do you? She was my first kiss. I can't just let her go that easily... I don't trust her either..." She whispers.

"I understand that she's your first kiss but seriously, she's hurting you more by captivating your mind. You gotta move on soon or your heart is going to be ripped out of your chest."

"Yeah thanks for the motivation." Cas mumbles. She looks down at her shoes.

"Come on." I touch her shoulder gently, lowering my voice. "I'll buy you a slushy." I say and her eyes lift. She nods.

She go in and get our slushies. "Where shall we sit?" I gesture to the door and she pushes it open with her free hand.

"I don't know..the field?"

I nod. There's a field of long grass and a small flower bed with dandelions just to the left of the gas station. We jog across the small inner section.

It's starting to get dark so we sit and I pull out my phone just in case we need a flashlight.

"Why here though?" I ask.

"Shh just watch." So I sit back and close my eyes. A jab into my ribs makes me sit up. "Look." Cas whispered.

Around us, fluorescent green lights blinked and flashed, moving around in the low light. I gasped. The lightning bugs seemed in sync. 

"It's so pretty." I reach out for one. It lands gently into my finger, tickling my skin with its tiny legs as it scuttles around my knuckle. It lights up and flits away. I stare after it until the light from its body disappears.

I suddenly smile wickedly. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"De I don't like this." Cas says. I stand up and grab a lightning bug. I squished it between my index finger and my thumb. It oozed light green liquid in which I smeared like war paint down my face.

"No...." Cas smiles and stand up too. Then she sneezes. Allergies.

I walk over. "You okay?"

"Yeah duh I just sneezed. I—" she sneezed again. "I think it's getting late, Deanna. I'll text you or something." Cas wipes her nose with a tissue from her pocket.

"Alright, you want me to drive you home?"

"No I'm okay." Cas replies. She doesn't enjoy riding my mo-ped.

I nod in submission. "Be careful! Good night." I run back to where the black mo-ped is parked and I speed away towards home.