Narrow Paths

Chapter One

"Give me one of those mortar packs," the woman said as she slapped down a one hundred dollar bill.

I recognized the woman as one of the high school seniors that had graduated last year. Her name was Darcy Winston. As I reached for the firework pack she'd indicated, she tapped her bright pink fingernails impatiently on the counter.

I was the only one manning the fireworks stand because Coach Kennedy and the other football players that were supposed to be helping me had gone inside the convenience store. Our little stand had received little business so far, despite the fact that it was a football fund-raiser.

Darcy was actually the first customer of the day. She'd parked her shiny red Porche as close to the stand as she possibly could. Her request was shocking, because she didn't seem like the type of girl who liked fireworks. Never the less, I placed the pack on the counter and began to make her change as I recalled the little trivial info I knew about her.

Always dressed to the nines, Darcy made sure she left an impression on everyone she met. Whether it was a good impression or a bad impression depended on who you were. I didn't personally know her, but I'd heard the gossip about her.

She'd been the talk of the town ever since she'd first moved to Benton Ridge. She showed up on the first day of middle school with her hair bleached blond, an expensive wardrobe, and a smart mouth. Since that very first day, she'd only gotten more different from the rest of the girls in town.

Darcy coughed impatiently. I'd been hesitating handing her the fireworks. I wanted to refuse to sell her the mortar pack, wary of her intentions. What did she want them for? They were high power and used mostly for public shows.

I finally handed her the pack. I couldn't refuse her business because she was eighteen and paying with cash, the only two requirements of the stand. I counted out her change and placed it in her waiting hand.

I looked up and found that her eyes were dancing. There was an almost a childish look on her face, too innocent and sweet when compared to the mischief in her eyes. I smiled uncertainly at her.

I watched her haul the pack to her car and place it in the back seat. I didn't have a clue why she had the top down in this heat. It was almost unbearable to run the stand in this weather, even with the two industrial fans pointed directly at me.

She drove off and I was left with an empty parking lot again. I knew that Coach Kennedy and the two other football players that were running the stand would stay inside the store until the temperature dropped.

Ever since freshman year, Coach Greene had depended on me to bring in the money for new gear, charter buses for State, and enough so he could ask the board for a raise from the "extra" money. It was a job I didn't mind, because it usually meant I had something to do during the summer other than practice.

I was one of the town's favorite teenagers, among both the older and younger crowd. All of them thought that I should be the quarterback, despite the fact that I couldn't throw the ball very well. The girls my age thought I was the town's heart breaker; all they saw in me was my blond hair and blue eyes.

It was a long time before business picked up. It was the week before the Fourth of July, so not many people were interested in buying fireworks yet. I knew that we'd be swamped by time the Fourth rolled around, so I was thankful for the break.

We closed the stand at six. While we were putting things away and locking up, Coach Kennedy boasting about how much hard work he'd put in today. I rolled my eyes behind his back as he headed for his truck.

My own truck was a beat up little Chevy a year older than I was. There were plenty of times when it didn't want to start, the engine sputtering loudly for a few terrible seconds while I prayed it wouldn't finally give out.