There's a famous uninhabited mansion in Lark Creek, Virginia where an accident occurred seven years ago. Mysteries surround it, and people say that you'll hear strange noises coming from the inside of the mansion. No one in Lark Creek has the courag...
"I see you like a star in the sky And I love it Yeah, the light in yours eyes And I wonder When you're looking in mine Do you see them Like a star in the sky?" —Like a Star by Britt Nicole
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Before I could react, Sarah kissed me on the cheek. My mouth formed an "o" as she lowered herself, softly dropped her arms at her sides, and giggled. My face flushed.
"You really are cute when you're blushing, Jess," she said. "And again, thank you so much for the drawing."
"Y-you're w-welcome," I stammered. No one had kissed me on the cheek before, except for my mom and sisters.
"By the way, Jesse," Sarah said. "Can we take a picture together?"
"Oh, er, I'm shy whenever there's a camera." I remembered when Leslie had received her iPhone, she always took pictures of Terabithia and us together, which I'd been shy to do at first. I'd cover my face using my sketchbook. Leslie had kept insisting that a king and queen should have pictures together. She even had stolen shots of me! She'd put a password for the "Jesse's Stolen Shots" folder on her phone so that I couldn't delete them. I'd tried cracking the password, but failed. If only I had a camera of my own...
Sarah giggled, making me come back to reality. "Don't be silly. You look great. Please?" She gave me her puppy-dog eyes.
"Thanks, I guess. Okay, t-then," I relented eventually.
She positioned her phone in front of us. "I'll use the back camera 'cause it has a clearer quality than the front cam. Okay–one, two, three!"
I smiled when I heard the clicking sound.
The door opened and Leslie came in. She froze with wide eyes as I looked at her, like a deer caught in the headlights, and I didn't even know why. Then, I realized that Sarah and I were standing in close proximity. I suddenly backed away from her, though I think I was still blushing. Maybe Leslie thought it was indecent that her best friend was in that kind of position with her rival.
Leslie crossed her arms while raising a slender eyebrow. "Did I miss something special?" she asked darkly.
Before I could reply to her, Sarah answered, "Yes, Burke. But that doesn't concern you, does it?"
Leslie just glowered at Sarah, and by the look on her face, I think she was passing a warning to her that I couldn't decipher. Sarah smirked, like she just won a debate or something.
There it was again: the heat waves—or should I say, "hate waves."
"You two should stay here for dinner," Sarah decided while heading for the door. "I'll tell Elizabeth to prepare for dinner and talk to Lance."
