My Butterfly

laugh again, then lift her eyes toward mine, catching my stare. My heart was racing. My breaths were short. I wanted to kiss her. I was going to. I memorized the short path to her lips, and I closed my eyes and tried to remember the path I had just memorized.
    “Will,” a voice suddenly called out from the darkness behind us.
    The voice was already annoying and unwanted. And before I could even acknowledge it, a skinny figure was squeezing himself into the small space on the log between Julia and me.
    Damn it, Jeff.
    “Will, those were Ben’s lights, not mine,” he quickly informed me.
    He didn’t even bother looking at me as he spoke.
    “Here, Julia, here’s some hot chocolate,” the lanky boy announced, facing Julia and presenting her with a steaming, Styrofoam cup.
    My eyes shot back toward the orange flames as I scooted over and ran my hands against my thighs, trying to recover from my thwarted move.
    “Thanks, Jeff,” I heard Jules say.
    Her voice resurrected my attention, and I turned my face back toward hers. Jeff had already resorted to poking a stick into the fire’s ashes and had, by now, all but faded into my background again. I watched Jules’s eyes follow the flames for a couple of silent moments. Then, suddenly, her eyes found mine, and I caught her soft lips slowly turning up at their sides. Her smile was different this time. In fact, this might be her best—forgiving and curious and sexy—though I loved them all. I kept my gaze locked on hers, and I smiled too. If I didn’t get my yes tonight, I’d happily settle for this.

Chapter Five
    Donna’s
     
     
    W e turned the corner, and I saw her. And instantly, I wondered if I jumped off the wagon, would anyone notice me gone? She smiled and waved. I waved back. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her hair was down and in those blond curls she always wore. Her green eyes matched the jacket she was wearing—the jacket everyone was wearing. I seriously gauged the distance from the wagon bed to the street and then tried to guess at what rate of speed the tractor trailer was going. But by the time I looked back up to find her, she had disappeared into the sea of green. I sighed, but a smile quickly returned. It couldn’t take that long to loop around town.
    ...
    The tractor and wagon pulled catawampus into the school’s parking lot, and fourteen guys and a couple of coaches jumped off. My feet hit the ground, and my eyes hit the crowd. Where was she?
    “One state championship and one championship parade down,” I heard a voice call out from behind me.
    I turned and felt the corners of my mouth start to rise.
    “Julia, I wasn’t sure you’d come,” I said.
    She laughed and glanced at the big crowd behind us.
    “I didn’t want to be the only one who missed it,” she said, still smiling.
    My eyes turned down to the ground at my feet. There was something about this girl that made me nervous every time I was around her.
    “You hungry?” I asked her, as I kicked a rock back and forth on the asphalt.
    I didn’t hear anything, so I looked up. She was still smiling at me, but her smile looked less soft and more suspicious. I stared at her staring at me. If this were some kind of staring competition and the winner got his way, I was determined to win.
    Just then, her smile widened, and she nodded her head.
    I stood there dumbfounded. I was pretty sure that that meant yes —even in girl talk, but I couldn’t be certain.
    Her eyes faltered for a moment but then returned to mine, and as if she had been reading my mind, her next word was all the confirmation I needed.
    “Okay,” she softly said.
    “Really?” I asked.
    There was a part of me that felt as if she were pulling my leg.
    She nodded her head again.
    I stared at her for another, full second. Then, I quickly scooped her up into my arms.
    “Will, what on earth are you doing?” she squealed.
    She was laughing, so I figured I was okay.
    I hurried over to my truck, pulled open the passenger’s door and gently set her down onto the seat. Then, I closed the door and ran over to my side and threw myself behind the wheel.
    “What are you doing, crazy person?” she asked, as I jammed the keys into the ignition.
    “We’ve got to hurry, before you change your mind,” I said, only semi-joking.
    I saw her out of the corner of my eye toss her head back and laugh. And within seconds, I was peeling out of the parking lot and heading toward the little diner at the edge of