Fireflies and Crickets

After enduring a painful rejection, Kennedy
journeys to discover first love and support in the
unlikeliest place.

Junior  year  has  completely  sucked  for  Kennedy.
On his last day, out in his front yard, no less, he’s
outed  by  classmates  in  front  of  his  own  father.
When questioned about it, Kennedy comes out to
his  parents,  only  to  find  himself  being  sent  to
spend  the  summer  with  his  aunt  the  very  next
day.  Pained  by  the  rejection,  he  has  a  hard  time
coping  with  his  new  environment  until  he  meets
his  aunt's  neighbor,  Evan.  Together,  the  two  will
spend  the  summer  enjoying  friends  and
discovering  first  love.  However,  there’s  the  dark
cloud hanging over their newfound relationship—
thoughts  of  what  will  happen  at  the  end  of  the
summer and with Kennedy’s parents.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
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infringement,  including  infringement  without
monetary  gain,  is  investigated  by  the  FBI  and  is
punishable  by  up  to  5  years  in  federal  prison  and  a
fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.

Fireflies and Crickets

ISBN: 978-1-77111-604-6

Cover art by Carmen Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Devine Destinies

An imprint of eXtasy Books

Look for us online at:

www.devinedestinies.com

Author’s Note

This  series  is  going  to  be  a  little  different  in
connection than a typical series. In the first book,
See,  Drew  made  a  very  important  decision  with
the help of Mason. This series is the butterfly effect
of  Drew.  He  will  not  be  a  main  character  in  the
series,  but  this  series  is  connected  through  the
lives  he  touches  during  his  teenage  years.  Some
just in passing and some more involved, but what
is important is that Drew was there.

This book is about the young man he helps

when Drew is seventeen years old.

Hugs,
Jackie

Chapter One

released a sigh of relief as I walked home,
carrying my backpack over my left shoulder,

after my last day of junior year. It hadn’t been an
easy year for me, always being the outsider and
getting hassled. No one really ever touched me. It
was all just verbal crap that they spewed at me on
a daily basis. The feeling of disgust at such words
was going to take the entire summer break to
wash off…if ever.

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I tried to

figure  out  a  solution  to  getting  through  my  final
year  of  school  without  being  completely
miserable. The problem was that the lunch group I
sat  with  was  teased  just  as  much.  We  weren’t
friends,  more  like  a  power  in  numbers  from  being
bullied kind of thing. God, it sucked to know that I
would  probably  spend  the  whole  summer  holed
up in my room alone when I wasn’t working.

My dad had insisted I help him out this

summer in his office doing filing, but we'd never
seemed to…click. My dad has always been stiff,
strict and harsh when it comes to me. So spending

Jackie Nacht

the  summer  under  his  thumb  was  going  to  be
tough.  My  mother  was  pretty  much  the  same.
Etiquette  at  the  table  but  no  conversation,  which
was the norm at my house.

I rounded the corner and headed down the

street  toward  my  home  when  I  saw  a  car  parked
out front. I  recognized that  car. It was this upper
classmen  who  had  been  giving  me  headaches  all
year. What on Earth?

I ran, tearing up the pavement as I saw one of

the assholes about to spray stuff onto my front
yard. “Hey!” I screamed at them, trying to stop
them from whatever hell they were going to throw
in my life.

To my utter horror, my dad pulled into the

driveway just as the jerks were about to spray the
yard. They pulled back the can and ran for their
car, yelling homophobic hate in their wake.

My dad just stood there frozen, looking at me,

before he seemed to pull himself together. “Get
inside.”

Quietly, I followed him into our two-story

home. My throat clogged, and my limbs began to
tremble as my dad bypassed the living room and
went straight to the dining room. He gestured for
me to have a seat.

Standing and placing his hands on the chair at

the head of the table, he looked me right in the
eye, “Kennedy, is it true?”

Fireflies and Crickets

There was no way I could lie, even though I

couldn't guess the end result. There was no
changing who I was, so there was no point in not
telling my family anymore. I couldn’t speak it
though, so I just nodded in affirmation.

“Go to your room,” my dad whispered harshly.
Putting my head down, I jerked out of my seat

and escaped to my room up the stairs. I ran
straight for my bed and fell on it, face down. I
tried to keep the tears at bay. I had hoped…

Rubbing my face against the comforter, I swore

I  would  not  cry  over  this.  My  mom  would  help
Dad out. Talk to him. I heard about a girl at school
who  had  just  come  out  to  her  parents  and  how
they'd accepted her right away. Why didn’t…no, I
wouldn’t  even  think  it.  They  just  needed  time  to
adjust.

Hours passed, and no one had come into my

room. Staring blankly at the window as the last
ray of light began to be extinguished under the
night’s sky, my despair began to grow.

I had heard distant voices downstairs, the

yelling…the sobbing of my mother. I felt crippled
under the pain that filled the house, and I seemed
to be the cause. Gritting my teeth seemed to be
the only thing that kept me held together under
the strain.

Getting up at one point, I went into the

adjoining bathroom to remove my contacts. My

Jackie Nacht

bright blue eyes were surrounded by red. I hadn’t
even cried but had irritated the heck out of them
just staring out the window while the contacts
dried in my eyes. Making my way back into my
room, I got into sweats and crawled back into bed.

As the night wore on, I heard my parents come

up, pass my room and go to bed. They never came
to me. I fell into a restless, hopeless sleep.

****

The next morning, I woke up feeling like I'd gotten
run  over  by  a  semi-truck.  My  bones  ached  from
the  tension  that  still  seemed  to  fill  my  body.
Knowing answers weren’t going to come to me in
my  room,  I  decide  to  venture  out  and  face  my
parents.

Creeping down the stairs like I was a burglar

rather  than  a  resident  in  my  own  house,  I  could
hear  voices  in  the  kitchen.  They  were  lowered,
whispered,  and  venom  seemed  to  leak  out  of  the
room.  For  a  moment,  I  thought  about  turning
around  and  running  back  up  the  stairs  until  I
heard  a  voice  I  recognized  but  hadn’t  heard  in  a
while.

Turning the corner, I saw my mom and Aunt

Holly sitting at the kitchen table, facing off against
each other. Aunt Holly spotted me first, and her

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nasty glare at my mom was replaced by a smile as
she stood and hurried over to me with open arms.

“Kennedy.” Aunt Holly embraced me and

squeezed me a little harder than usual. That was
fine by me. I returned it and soaked it up for all it
was worth.

Aunt Holly was my mom’s sister, and since I

could remember, my favorite aunt. She was a lot
younger than my mom, making my aunt and me
only thirteen years apart. Memories of Aunt Holly
spending summers watching me while my parents
went out or vacationed filled me with a warmth
that had long been absent in my heart.

“Kennedy, go pack. You’re going to go stay

with your aunt for a while.” And just like that, my
mother’s cold words chased any warmth I had
gained.

Staring down at my feet, I nodded and left the

room. I knew what was going on. I wasn’t stupid.
Heat flushed my cheeks in shame. My eyes stung,
and there was even a great part of me that was so
mad, I wanted to strike out at something. Instead,
I climbed the stairs and grabbed a huge duffle. No
telling when I would be back. Yanking on drawers
and tugging clothes off hangers seemed to help
my anger. I stuffed my clothes into the bag
angrily, hurt beyond belief.

A moment later, a soft knock came at my door.

Walking over, I opened the door, and my aunt

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stood there looking much younger than her thirty
years.

“Can I help?” she whispered.
I have no idea why she was being so quiet.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was
hanging onto the tears in my eyes by sheer will,
and they were making her blurry.

Turning, I nodded and gestured for her to sit on

the bed. I wasn’t entirely sure how she could help
me, but I had the feeling that from what little I
saw downstairs, Aunt Holly didn’t want to be
anywhere near my parents either. So, I just packed
as she silently watched. I took most of my clothes
and my laptop. Everything else could wait until I
came back home.

I shouldered my duffle bag, and Aunt Holly

grabbed my laptop, then she led us out the door.
My parents were nowhere to be found as we made
our way out. A lump lodged in my throat at the
feeling of rejection as I got into the passenger seat
of my aunt’s truck. For such a tiny woman, she
drove a huge vehicle.

Leaning my head back, I tried to take a deep

breath as Aunt Holly started the truck and pulled
out of the driveway. I felt so…confused at the
moment. The lack of communication at my
dismissal left me to wonder about what was going
to happen.

Fireflies and Crickets

“Aunt Holly?” My voice came out almost in a

whimper.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I just

don’t have any answers for you right now. All I
know is that I’m having my favorite nephew come
and live with me for a couple weeks.” She paused
for a moment before whispering, “And I love you
so much.” Aunt Holly reached over and grabbed
my hand, squeezing it.

I squeezed back. Right then, that was the only

thing holding me together.

An hour and a half later, we were pulling down

the  long  drive  to  my  aunt’s  house  on  the  lake.
There was a row of cabins along the dirt path, four
of  them  belonging  to  Aunt  Holly.  Her  late
husband,  who  had  passed  five  years  ago  while
fighting overseas, had bought this house and three
other  rentals  before  he  was  deployed.  They  had
made a lot of plans together, but my uncle never
made it home. My aunt never talked about it, the
pain of losing her husband so young must've still
been fresh.

The house was basically a large cabin—a

unique and homey three-bedroom ranch that had
a huge screened-in porch that faced the lake. The
house  was  a  pale  yellow,  and  the  landscaping
overflowed  with  colorful  flowers  that  had  seen  a
lot  of  love.  Beautiful,  tall  pines  and  foliage
surrounded  the  house  to  make  the  scenery

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breathtaking. The lake was just a short walk from
the back door. The edge of the lake had a nice long
dock and an empty raft that floated twenty yards
into the water.

I had spent one summer there when I was

seven and still remember having the time of my
life. Under any other situation, I would love to be
there, but at the moment, my parents weighed so
heavily on my mind, I thought my knees would
buckle.

“I’m going to need your help cleaning out the

guest room… It’s a bit…well, it’s a mess, but I like
to call it organized chaos.” Aunt Holly led us into
the house, and even at my five feet eight inches, I
felt like the ceiling was a little on the low side.

Aunt Holly walked us to a room at the end of

the house, pausing before she opened the door. “It
isn’t much. Definitely not as nice as your room…”

Interrupting her, I reassured, “It’s great.” And it

was. To be at my aunt’s house already felt a whole
lot better than what I'd gone through the night
before. The silence of the darkness had been
deafening.

“You haven’t even seen it yet, so don’t get too

excited,” she said as she opened the door.

The room was small, and there was a tiny bit of

clutter, but it felt warm…the good kind, not like
the muggy summer air outside. A double bed sat
in the corner with boxes stacked on it. There was a

Fireflies and Crickets

small lamp on the nightstand and a closet door in
one corner. There wasn’t a dresser but that was
okay with me. I could keep my stuff in my duffle.

“I’ll leave you to get settled while I make lunch.

Should be ready in about an hour,” she said as she
left the room and closed the door behind her.

Sitting down, I just stared at the pale blue wall,

totally overwhelmed. The night before, the world
seemed  to  be  at  a  standstill  as  I  waited  for  my
parents  to  talk  to  me.  Now,  it  felt  as  though  no
matter how fast my skinny legs could run, I would
never  be  able  to  keep  pace  with  my  world  being
completely flipped upside down.

Flopping backward onto the bed, I stared up at

the ceiling. I didn’t want to move except maybe to
crawl under the covers and hide away for a few
days. Maybe then, I could make some sense of the
numbness that had overtaken me.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Two

or three days, I went through the motions. I
got up, ate when I was told, helped my aunt

around the house and then hid away in my room,
because I didn’t want to be a burden to her.

Getting up that morning, I didn’t see that there

would be any change. I walked downstairs, my
brown hair sticking up as though I'd stuck a finger
in a light socket. My eyes were still bloodshot
from tossing and turning all night long. All in all, I
looked like hell. At least my shirt and shorts were
clean as I shuffled in the kitchen to get a bowl of
cereal.

Going through the motions, I grabbed the milk

out  of  the  fridge,  the  box  and  bowl  out  of  the
cabinet before slumping into the wooden chair in
the middle of the kitchen. My aunt didn’t have a
dining  room,  just  a  small,  white,  wooden  four-
seater  dining  room  table  in  the  middle  of  the
kitchen.  Having  forgotten  a  spoon,  I  leaned  back
in  my  chair  and  fumbled  for  one  in  the  drawer

Fireflies and Crickets

behind me. Finally snagging one, I went on to
pour my milk and cereal into the bowl before
digging in and dribbling milk down my chin.

It was in that glorious moment when the back

door opened and in walked the hottest guy I had
ever  seen  in  my  entire  life.  Since  I  didn’t  know
who  he  was,  he  also  scared  the  ever  living  crap
out  of  me.  I  went  to  suck  in  a  breath  to  shout  in
alarm only to realize that I still had a mouthful of
cereal. Bright, colorful flakes and milk shot out of
my  mouth  as  I  choked  on  my  non-nutritious
breakfast.

“God…are you alright?” the guy asked me,

coming over to slap me on the back.

I was too busy coughing to even answer him.
Aunt Holly came in. “What in the…are you

okay, Kennedy?” Holly rushed over to me, and
then, I had two hands pounding on my back.
Bruises…they were going to leave bruises.

Completely humiliated, I choked out, “I’m

fine.”

My aunt grabbed a rag and began cleaning up

the table. “Hey, Evan, I see you’ve met my
nephew, Kennedy.”

Evan smirked before he sat down across from

me. “We really didn’t get a chance.”

Evan was…wow factor. There were no words

for how good looking the guy was. Brown hair
that had seen so much sun, the top was blond.

Jackie Nacht

Green  eyes  the  color  of  grass.  Probably  around
seventeen like me, but he had a head start on the
muscle  department.  His  six  foot  frame  had  sleek,
lean  muscles  covered  in  a  dark  tan,  while  I  was
still  on  the  skinny  side…and  pale.  I  saw  all  this
through  blurry  eyes  that  had  watered  from
choking  on  my  flakes…humiliating  to  say  the
least.

Extending a hand, I introduced myself.

“Kennedy,” I rasped out.

Evan smiled. “Nice to meet you. You okay

now?”

I nodded, so he didn’t hear how terrible my

voice still was.

Evan turned to look at Aunt Holly. “Just

wanted to let you know that Cabin Two's visitors
just came into town. Do you want me to mow it
quickly before they get settled or wait?”

Aunt Holly made her way over to the door. “I’ll

go over to talk to them and see what they prefer.
Just hang here and get some breakfast with
Kennedy.”

Aunt Holly pushed the back door open, and the

screen door slammed behind her, making me
jump slightly in my seat.

Evan made his way around the kitchen,

completely familiar with where bowls and cereal
were, like this was something that was pretty
typical.

Fireflies and Crickets

Placing a bowl of cereal across from me, Evan

sat down and began eating his breakfast.

I tried not to stare, but it was kind of hard not

to look at Evan’s long dark brown lashes that cast
shadows over a chiseled face that seemed to flex
as he chewed. Hot.

Evan glanced up and stared at me inquisitively.
Getting caught, I went back to my cereal only to

realize  the  flakes  had  gone  soggy.  Dropping  my
spoon,  I  scrubbed  my  hands  over  my  face.  I  was
never  one  to  be  comfortable  with  silence.  I
searched for something to talk about, but my mind
was a blank slate. Sheesh, I hated the silence, but I
sucked at conversation…fabulous.

“So, how long are you staying at Holly’s?”

Evan asked, making me sit up in my seat.

Of course, a complicated question that I had no

clue how to answer. I responded vaguely,
“Umm…I think a little while.”

“So…like the summer?” Evan raised one

eyebrow at me.

“Yeah, I think so.” How sad did that sound?

Not even knowing how long I was there.

Trying to change the topic, I asked, “How long

have you worked for my aunt?”

“I started mowing lawns for her two summers

ago when I was fifteen. My older brother used to
do it with me until he went to college. He’s at
summer school right now, so he couldn’t come

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back. Trying to graduate in four years in a five-
year program, so he needs to go year round.”
Evan finished his bowl and took it to the sink.

“You’re doing all the cabins alone then?” Even I

knew that was a tall order. My aunt had quite a
few acres with huge pines that would make it
tedious to mow.

Evan shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal. I live

just down the road and usually get here a little
earlier, but my mom needed me to drive her to the
doctor’s this morning.”

Mowing my aunt’s lawn, taking his mother to

the doctor, hot…this guy was too good to be true.
Unfortunately, that made me more leery of him,
causing me to want to hold the guy at arm's
length.

But at the same time, I wanted to help him and

my aunt out, so I couldn’t stop from blurting out,
“Do you need help?”

Evan smiled, showing perfect white teeth.

“That would be great! It’s so hard trimming and
mowing. We could take turns just like Cole and I
used to do. We should talk to Holly about it.”

After that, the ice seemed to break for us, and

we ended up spending ten minutes talking about
the town and events that were coming up this
summer. My aunt came in to find us laughing
about how we were completely opposite with our

Fireflies and Crickets

favorite baseball teams, knowing a war was going
to ensue.

“Hey, you two. See you're getting along.” My

aunt smiled, and behind her blue eyes, I could see
the tiniest amount of relief.

Yeah, I knew I hadn’t been doing so hot, and

this was the first time I'd smiled since I  got here.
The  last  three  days  had  been  the  proverbial  dark
cloud hanging over us. I  was trying to cope with
what  my  parents  had  done,  and  my  aunt  was
trying  not to  show  me  how  ticked  off  she was  at
them.  We  spent  our  evenings  watching  movies
and  getting  reconnected,  but  I  think  she  was
waiting for me to broach the topic. I wasn’t ready
yet,  but  I  had  a  strong  suspicion  my  aunt  was
going to be asking soon enough.

Evan, being unaware of my situation, spoke

enthusiastically. “Kennedy just asked if I needed
help. I know you’ve been looking.”

Aunt Holly turned to look at me. “You want to

help out with the lawn and cabins? I’ll pay you
just like I do with Evan here.”

“Aunt Holly, you don’t—” I began to protest,

but she held up a hand.

“Consider it an allowance, and this is your

chore while you’re here with me. Seventeen-year-
olds need a little cash in their pocket to hang out
with friends.”

Jackie Nacht

I didn’t have it in me to argue with Aunt Holly

that I didn’t have any friends there. Then, I
glanced over at Evan and…hoped maybe I could
make one. He seemed so nice. Would he be willing
to hang out with me?

Evan rubbed his hands together. “This is

fantastic. C’mon, I can show you the shed where
all the stuff is. After we get done, we can go into
town, and I’ll show you the best place in town to
eat. My best friend works there.”

The work was sweaty and hot, but for some

odd reason, I found it kinda cleansing to the way I
had  been  feeling.  I  was  so  busy  working  and
making  sure I  did a good job with Evan, I didn’t
have  any  time  to  sink  into  the  pain  of  my
situation.  It  was  something  that  I  didn’t  realize  I
needed  until  I  was  sweating  and  getting  burned
under  the  sun.  I’m  pale…like  blinding  pale.
People hid their eyes when I removed my shirt—
that kind of pale.

As if reading my thoughts, Evan came over

with a tube of sunblock. “Here, your neck is
getting fried.”

At first, I thought he was going to hand it to

me.  I  didn’t  expect  him  to  uncap  it  and  put  a
dollop  on  his  hand  before  he  smeared  it  on  my
neck.  Goosebumps  popped  on  my  flesh  at  the
touch, which had nothing to do with the sunblock
and  everything  to  do  with  Evan’s  touch.  He

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worked the lotion to the tops of my shoulders and
down my bare back.

Turning, I looked up into his green eyes, his

breathing  uneven.  He seemed to be searching for
something before he croaked out, “You should be
good  now.”  He  turned  and  walked  toward  the
weed  whipper,  tugging  the  cord  jerkily  before
getting back to work.

If I hadn't known any better, I would've

thought Evan was interested in me or was that just
wishful thinking? I was pretty sure it was the
latter. There was just no way Evan could see me as
anything more than a potential friend at best.

Two hours later, my stomach was grumbling. I

was  starving  and  all  the  cabins  looked
magnificent.  All  the  weeds  gone,  lawn  mowed
and excess grass gone with the blower. Evan came
back  from  the  shed,  wiping  the  sweat  off  his
forehead with his own shirt. With his shirt gone, it
was  hard  for  me  not  to  drool  at  the  muscles  that
covered  the  guy’s  chest  and  abs.  No  matter  how
much  I'd  lifted  last  summer,  my  arms  were  still
stick skinny and my chest still lacked anything but
skin and bones. If it wasn’t so hot, I would never
have taken off my shirt. But the thermometer was
just  tipping  over  ninety,  and  that  made  for  one
uncomfortable day working outside.

With the sunblock, I was just slightly pink

instead of fire-engine red, for which I was grateful.

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Nothing  like  getting  burned  on  the  first  day  of
work  and  having  a  horrible  week  of  pain  and
peeling. Evan was kind enough to keep a close eye
on  my  back  and  administered  a  couple  more
applications  of  sunblock.  Since  it  wasn’t
irritatingly  itchy,  I  figured  my  back  was  in  the
clear of any burns.

Evan walked over. “C’mon, go on in and grab a

fresh shirt. I’m going to run down to my house
real fast and grab one too. We can go to lunch
together.”

“Sounds good.” I waved and ran back into the

house. Once inside, all I could do was stand, just
welcoming the coolness of the house.

“All done?” Aunt Holly shouted from her

office.

“Yeah, if you want, come on out and take a

look.” I walked back to lean against the door
threshold.

Aunt Holly shook her head. “I trust you guys.

Are you going to lunch with Evan?”

“Yes, I just need to grab a shirt and my wallet. I

think I had a twenty in it."

Aunt Holly grabbed her purse, pulling out two

twenties. “Here, take this. My treat for you and
Evan. So, you think you want to mow while
you’re here?”

There was no question. I actually liked being

outside, getting sun and giving my mind a break.

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Plus, the added bonus of working with Evan. I
replied, “Definitely.” Holding out my pale, skinny
arm. “Need the sun and exercise.”

Aunt Holly laughed. “That’s all good for you,

but remember, I kind of like you just the way you
are.”

The words had me stiffening my spine. I

expected her to laugh with me at what I viewed as
my imperfection, but instead, she was accepting it.
I wasn’t…prepared for it and had no clue how to
react.

Pulling off a weak smile, I mumbled, “Thanks.”

Then made my way to my room to get my wallet.

Someday, maybe, I could handle a compliment

like  that,  but  after  the  rejection,  it  left  me  a  little
raw.  Then  again,  a  small  piece  of  me  felt  lighter.
Maybe  I  did  need  to  hear  from  somebody  that  I
was just fine the way I was.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Three

van led us into the small but quaint historical
town. The trip was only about a half mile from

the  lake.  It  was  so  old-school  looking.  Antique
shops, tons of people were out and there was even
a  carnival  going  on  down  one  of  the  side  streets.
People  were  just  ambling  about,  stopping  to  talk
to  others  on  the  sidewalk.  Overall,  the  pace  was
slow and peaceful.

Growing up in the city, I was so used to the go-

go-go. People rarely stopped to talk, because there
were just so many inhabitants, and they didn’t
know each other. I guess, in a town of fifteen
hundred people, life was certainly different.

Evan showed us into an old-fashion soda

fountain that had a long counter on one side and a
line of booths on the other. The place was packed
as Evan scanned for a couple of free spots for us.

“Right over there.” Evan grabbed my hand,

shocking me completely. He led us to two open
stools at the counter.

Fireflies and Crickets

A girl, no more than five two with a bubbly

personality,  came  over,  highlighted  blonde  hair
swaying  down  her  back  with  every  enthusiastic
step. Her bright blue peepers, surrounded by long
black  lashes,  sparkled  at  Evan  before  she  leaned
over  the  counter,  hugging  him.  She  was  very
pretty,  but  it  was  clear  she  would  be  stunning
when she got older.

Evan returned the embrace, putting a little extra

squeeze into it. He leaned back, smiling over at
me. “This is my friend, Beth. This is Holly’s
nephew, Kennedy.”

Beth turned to me, taking me my surprise as

she reached over and hugged me too. Too
stunned, I just sat there stiffly as the tiny girl
embraced me, then before I could return the hug,
she pulled back.

“Nice to meet you, Kennedy.” Turning to Evan,

she asked, “You going to have your usual?”

“Better believe it. It’s hot out there today,” Evan

replied, rubbing his hands together, knees
bouncing under the counter.

Beth turned to look at me. “How about you,

Kennedy? What would you like?”

I quickly looked up at the menu board that

listed so many items it was mind boggling. Half of
the stuff I had never heard of. What the heck is a
phosphate?

Jackie Nacht

“Ugh.” I glanced over at Evan, pleading with

my eyes for help. “What’s your usual?”

Evan smirked. “Double cheeseburger with the

works, fries and a chocolate shake.”

Nodding, I turned at Beth. “I’ll take that as

well.”

Beth pouted. “Fine, I’ll let you off the hook on

the boring stuff today, but I will have you trying
more of the adventurous items before all is said
and done.” She ran off to get our order started.

“What does she mean by that?” I asked Evan.
“She loves to experiment here and uses me as

her guinea pig. About a year ago, I told her to find
a new victim. Looks like she did.” Evan smiled at
me mischievously.

Ooh, he looked good when he did that. His full

lips worked their magic, and a dimple popped out
on his cheek, making him look like far more
trouble than anyone I had encountered before.

I stared up at the menu, seeing the various

options of ice cream, sodas and phosphates and
decided being experimented on here might not be
such a bad thing. Everything sounded fun and
yummy.

Evan nudged me. “Hey, look over there. Those

two guys came in with their parents this morning.
They’re staying at Cabin Two.”

I searched for the two guys and spotted the pair

on the far end of the counter. A boy about the

Fireflies and Crickets

same  size  as  my  five  feet  eight  inches  sat  with  a
very tall and beautifully built mocha-skinned boy.
The  smaller  guy  had  black  hair  that  stuck  up,
styled  meticulously  and  was  more  cute  than
handsome.  Both  were  laughing  as  they  ate  their
lunch.

“You want to go meet them after we eat?”
“Sure.” Not really. I was a little overwhelmed

already, and the big guy looked like he could swat
me like a fly.

Beth came back with our shakes first. I was

used to fast-food shakes that came in a paper cup.
My mouth watered as Beth sat down a glass with
the chocolate shake topped with whip cream and a
cherry.  Then,  she  put  down  another  container
with  all  the  leftover  shake.  I  slid  the  glass  closer
and  began  sucking  the  shake  up  through  the
straw.  My  inner  temp  immediately  began  to  cool
as the shake slid down my throat.

Evan took a healthy drink. “So what year did

you say you were again?”

“Ugh, we didn’t talk about that earlier. I’m

going into my senior year.”

“Yep, me too. I’m hoping to be captain this

year.”

“Football?” I asked.
“And basketball. Do you play any sports?”
“I played soccer my freshman year but not

since then.”

Jackie Nacht

“Why? Did you get hurt?”
How could I possibly tell him that it became

awkward after everyone assumed my orientation.
No one said anything to my face but walking into
a noisy locker room only to have it turn utterly
silent kind of gave you a heads up that they were
talking about you. I'd tried for a while, but when I
continuously stood there on the field with no one
passing me the ball, I decided to walk away from
it. It was a real loss, too, since I was one of their
better players and I loved to play.

“No, nothing like that. Just didn’t work out.”
Luckily, our food came, and the subject was

dropped. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle
meeting  people  here.  Did  I  want  people  to  know
everything  about  me?  I  mean,  look  how  all  that
turned out. Would Evan look at me with disgust?
Honestly,  I  wasn’t  sure  if  I  could  handle
something like that right now. The best I could do
at  the  moment  was  wait  to  see  how  this  new,
tentative friendship developed.

The burger and fries were delicious. I was

definitely going to be visiting here again soon. As
people came in and tried different, colorful ice
cream treats, I decided I was going to try
something new every time I came in.

We were just finishing up when the two boys at

the end of the counter got up to leave. I thought
we might have missed the opportunity to meet

Fireflies and Crickets

them, but instead of leaving, they made their way
toward us.

The shorter, dark-haired boy led the way with a

soft smile on his face as they approached us. “Hi.”
He waved tentatively.

The large boy reached over and shook both our

hands. “I’m Logan James, and this here is Drew.”

Evan wiped his mouth before replying, “Evan

and this is Holly’s nephew, Kennedy.”

“Oh, the lady we’re renting from?” Drew asked.
“Yep.” I smiled, trying to look comfortable

when under the table my leg was bouncing
nervously.

Logan went on. “We know you guys are from

around  here  and  were  wondering  if  you  could
either show us  what  there is to do  or maybe join
us.  We’re  staying  with  Drew’s  mom  for  four
weeks.  Drew’s  dad  is  staying  too,  but  he  has  to
leave early to go back to work.”

Evan’s face lit up at the opportunity. “Sure. I

was  just  going  to  talk  to  Kennedy  about  the  fair
and  Fourth  of  July  fireworks  coming  up  in  a
couple  weeks.    Right  now,  Holly  has  a  bunch  of
stuff  in  the  shed  for  the  lake.  There’s  the  raft  for
swimming, but I think she has a canoe and fishing
gear  you  can  borrow  as  well.  I’m  not  sure  what
you guys like.”

Logan rolled his big shoulders. “I am up for

pretty much all that. I was just wondering if you

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could show me where the high school is, so that I
can work on some drills with Drew’s dad to get
ready for the season.”

“Football?” Evan asked.
“Yeah, going into my senior year and can’t

slack off this summer.”

My eyes widened at the statement, Logan

looked like a guy who did anything but slack off.
He also intimidated the crap out of me since some
of the creeps that I had to deal with were big
athletes. While they talked about football, I fell
into memories of how awful this year had been for
me. How guys that with appearances like Logan's
had given me hell on almost a daily basis. I tried
not to group the guy, who seemed more the gentle
giant than the bullies I had to endure, but it was so
damn hard.

“You okay?” Drew asked me.
“Hmm?” Pulled from my miserable thoughts, I

finally noticed that the conversation was at a
standstill while everyone was watching me. How
embarrassing.

Drew leaned against the counter next to me. He

was close, his face full of concern. “You seem
upset.”

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, glancing down, too

humiliated to meet his blue eyes.

I felt soft pads grab my chin before lifting my

face to meet his gaze. Drew scrutinized me for a

Fireflies and Crickets

few  moments  before  whispering,  “I  used  to  say
that  too.  I  know  you  don’t  know  me,  but  I’ll  be
around  for  four  weeks.  If  you  need  to  talk…I’m
here.”

Then, before I could so much as react, Drew

straightened, starting a new conversation with
Logan and Evan and pulling all the attention away
from me. The rest seemed to get the message and
officially gave me a moment.

“Ooh, did you see that, Logan?” Drew pointed

to the board at the end of the counter.

Logan scanned the boards. “What?”
“Cappuccino shake. I’m getting it to go.” Drew

searched for someone to get his order. Beth came
over immediately, meeting the guys before going
to make two cappuccino shakes. Seemed Drew
and Logan liked their coffee.

“Caffeine addict,” Logan rumbled with a smirk.
“Back atcha.” Drew chuckled.
Ten minutes later, the four of us exited the soda

fountain and began our trek back toward Aunt
Holly’s house.

“So, tomorrow, we gonna go for a swim after

you two get done with your morning work?”
Drew said then began sucking on his shake.

“Yeah, we have a few more things we need to

finish. Just a couple of flower beds, but tomorrow,
I’m open. You in, Kennedy?” Evan turned toward
me with a raised brow.

Jackie Nacht

“I’m in. I haven’t tried out the lake yet.”
As we made it to the cabins, Drew and Logan

veered off to spend the rest of the day with Drew’s
parents while we devoted the rest of the afternoon
to clearing beds of weeds and spreading fresh
mulch.

That night, when my aunt was in bed and it

was still too early for me to go to sleep, I tried to
call my parents. It had been three days since I had
seen them, and I just wanted to talk to my mom.
When all I got was the answering machine, I tried
my best to convince myself that they were in bed
for the night even though I knew they had never
gone to bed before ten o’clock a day in their lives.

Feeling the walls begin to cave in on me, I

decided  to  venture  out  to  the  end  of  the  dock  to
get a breath of fresh air. My skin felt a little tight
from  the  slight  burn  I'd  gotten,  and  I  couldn’t
focus enough to just sit down and watch TV. I was
upset  and  anxious  but  felt  maybe  getting  outside
in the darkness would calm me somehow.

Opening the screen door, I walked to the end of

the  dock  and  dipped  my  bare  feet  in.  Complete
darkness surrounded me except for the tiny glow
of  the  fireflies.  The  sound  of  crickets  in  the
background  seemed  to  be  the  music  that  settled
my nerves down to the point where I could simply
lay back and stare up at the skies. I didn’t want to
think about my parents. For right now, it was best

Fireflies and Crickets

to  give  them  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  that  they
loved  me  and  needed  to  adjust  or  something.  A
part of me couldn’t understand the situation, and
another  part  was  denying  the  pain  of  what  was
before my very eyes. Shuddering, I tried to count
the fireflies floating above to ease me.

Finally, with my body calm, I was able to think

about the boys I had met that day. I'd really never
had any friends, and in one day, three came in to
my life. I wasn’t sure what my future held as far as
my family, but I was going to take the whole carpe
diem attitude when it came to these guys.

Thoughts of Evan came to me, and I couldn’t

help but smile up at the stars. I knew I had always
been attracted to guys but sadly never ones at my
school. Instead, I seemed to idolize guys I had no
chance  of  ever  getting.  This  was  the  first  time  I
had  a  living  and  breathing  guy  next  to  me  that
took my breath away. I’m not totally sure how he
would handle it if he knew I was gay, but I knew
that was going to come up soon. I wasn’t about to
go  back  into  the  proverbial  closet.  For  me,  I
wanted to be out and just be…me.

The dock creaked, causing me to shoot up and

turn to see who was behind me.

Evan stood with the soft moonlight shining

down on him. “I thought I saw someone down
here. Can I join you?”

Jackie Nacht

“Um…Yeah.” My palms began to sweat, but I

was totally going to blame that on the muggy
night.

Evan sat down next to me, dipping his large

feet into the water. Funny how I never noticed feet
before, but I became mesmerized as I watched his
swirl, making ripples in the water.

“I know you don’t know me well, but you doin’

okay?” Evan asked softly.

“Yeah…I guess I’m okay.”
Smiling up at the sky, Evan replied, “That

doesn’t sound too convincing. C’mon, consider me
a friend and talk.”

“I guess I should be honest with you.” I glanced

down at my own feet swirling in the dark waters.

“Oh?” Evan queried.
“I’m…” I rubbed the back of my neck

nervously.  “I’m…”  Sheesh,  I  couldn’t  spit  it  out.
Last  time,  it  didn’t  turn  out  so  well,  and  now,  I
was  going  to  need  the  Jaws  of  Life  to  get  my
freaking mouth to say it.

“You like guys?” Evan finished.
Shocked, I looked up at him to see humor in his

eyes. “Yeah,” I finished pathetically.

“Thought so. It’s okay, you know.”
“Think so?”
“Yep.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.

Fireflies and Crickets

Evan got up and dusted off the seat of his

shorts. Even in the darkness, I could see a blush
creep into his cheek. “Because I like you too.”

Then, he walked off, leaving me there on the

dock  to  make  my  own  conclusion.  I  felt  a  smile
stretch  across  my  face.  Getting  up,  I  ran  back
toward  the  house.  Tomorrow,  I  had  work  early,
and I needed to look my best.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Four

he next morning, I was a little more prepared
for Evan to walk through the back door. I

didn’t  go  crazy  trying  to  look  my  best  like  I'd
planned the night before, but I did wash my face
and  brush  my  teeth.  It  was  definitely  an
improvement from my first encounter with Evan. I
didn’t want to look like I was trying. After all, we
were  spending  the  morning  working  on  painting
my aunt's deck and finishing the flowerbeds.

Walking down the hallway, I could already

hear laughter in the kitchen. Entering, I saw my
aunt making pancakes and Evan sitting with a cup
of orange juice.

Aunt Holly gestured with her spatula. “Sit,

pancakes are ready.”

I found a seat across from Evan, who winked at

me, but the blush counteracted his whole
confident persona. The contrast made me smile
back at him before my aunt dropped a plate full of
pancakes in front of me.

Fireflies and Crickets

Aunt Holly sat down at the end of the small

table. “Should be a short day for you two. Just do
half  today  and  then  the  other  half  tomorrow.  It’s
supposed  to  be  a  hot  day  out,  and  I  don’t  want
you  working  when  it  is  supposed  to  be  the  high
nineties.”

Ten minutes later, we were walking out to the

shed.  We  saw  Drew  running  around  the  lake  by
himself  while  Logan  stood  in  the  driveway,
stretching  from  his  own  workout.  Waving,  Evan
and  I  got  to  work  mixing  soft  yellow  paint.  My
aunt  was  right.  There  was  no  way  we  would  be
able to work the entire day under this blazing sun.

Two hours later, I was about to turn into a

puddle of goo.

Aunt Holly walked out and saw our beet-red

faces at just ten o’clock. “Boys, don’t even think
about lifting another finger. Go down to the lake
and cool off.”

“Thanks, Holly,” Evan panted. Evan dropped

his brush, shut the lid on the paint can and made a
beeline for the water, his back red even with
numerous applications of sunblock.

I began packing up the supplies, but Aunt

Holly  intercepted  my  progress.  “Evan  knows
better than you. When I say go take a jump in the
lake,  it  means  you  two  look  way  overheated.  I’ll
clean  up.  Please,  go  cool  off.  I’ll  bring  you  some
cold  drinks  out  in  a  minute.  And  don’t  let

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yourselves get like this again. You come and tell
me it’s too hot.”

“Thanks,” I panted. I ran toward the dock and

jumped  straight  into  the  water  feet  first.  Instant
coolness  surrounded  me  as  I  submerged  myself.
Pushing to the surface, I saw Evan swimming out
to  the  floating  raft  that  was  about  twenty  yards
from  the  shore.  Following  suit,  I  swam  toward  it
and climbed the ladder.

The raft itself was an old-style lake raft with

metal floats and wooden planks on top. The
platform itself stood a good two to three feet
above the water since the metal floats stabilized it
on the sides below.

Evan whipped the water out of his hair as I

made  my  way  to  the  top.  “That  feels  so  much
better. I should have told Holly it was getting too
hot.  She’s  always  drilled  into  us  to  be  careful,
because  once  we  feel  heat  exhaustion,  we're
already in trouble.”

“It’s true. A boy at my school last year

collapsed  from  heat  exhaustion  during  summer
two-a-day football practices. He almost died from
it.”  My  gaze  roamed  the  shore,  spotting  others
who  were  taking  part  in  their  own  section  of  the
lake.  Then,  I  zeroed  in  on  Aunt  Holly’s  shore  to
see  Drew  and  Logan  tearing  their  way  down  the
path  in  swim  trunks,  not  even  slowing  down  as
they jumped into the water.

Fireflies and Crickets

We watched as they finally made their way to

the raft.

“Mind if we join you?” Logan asked while

climbing the stairs on the side. For seventeen,
Logan was a big boy.

“Not at all.” Evan got up and helped Drew

climb up behind him.

“Thanks.” Drew sat down next to me.
“So, what are your plans today?” Logan asked

us.

Evan glanced over at me before answering for

the both of us. “I think this is pretty much it. It’s
too hot to work or do anything else. That about
right, Kennedy?”

“Yep, I think I’m going to become a permanent

fixture on this raft today.” I laid back and rested
on the surface, feeling the gentle rocking of the
raft.

“So, you guys grow up together?” Evan asked.
I looked over, squinting my eyes due to the

brightness.

Drew shook his head. “No, we met after I

transferred  schools  my  freshman  year.  I  wasn’t
doing  so  hot  at  my  old  school  and  transferred
midway through the year. Logan and I met when
he  gave  me  a  tour  of  the  school  and  that  was  it.
We’re  pretty  much  permanent  fixtures  at  each
other’s house now.”

Jackie Nacht

Before I could control my tongue, I blurted,

“Why’d  you  have  trouble?”  Maybe  I  shouldn’t
have  asked,  it’s  just  that  Drew  seemed  so  nice,
making  me  immediately  like  him.  I  couldn’t  see
how  he  could  possibly  be  a  problem  or  have
anyone not like him.

Drew shrugged then brought his knees up to

his  chest,  wrapping  his  arms  around  them.    He
blew  out  a  breath  as  he  rested  his  chin  on  his
knees. “My friends didn’t take it well when I came
out. They gave me hell until the day I left. I talked
to my parents about it, and they helped me find a
new school where I wouldn’t have to be in fear of
walking  the  halls  anymore…or    of  getting  hurt.”
Drew whispered the last part.

Absently, Drew rubbed the back of his head.

Logan reached over and hugged his friend gently.

I instantly felt terrible for bringing up bad

memories. “I’m sorry, Drew,” I mumbled and
turned my head to look out over the water.

Feeling my hand grabbed, I glanced back to see

Drew had reached over and grabbed it. “Don’t be.
You didn’t mean anything by it. It’s not so bad to
talk about it now.”

But it had been. I could read between the lines

there. Drew had been through hell, and it sounded
like it might have been even worse than my
problems. Then again, how do you compare levels
of bullying? At the end of the day, damaging a

Fireflies and Crickets

human being emotional or physically, no matter
how large or small, just shouldn’t be done. Period.

Then, I thought of how his parents helped him

out,  and  it  made  me  reflect  on  what  my  parents
had  done.  They  knew  kids  targeted  me,  and
instead  of  helping  me,  they  had  me  go  to  my
aunt's.  They  hadn’t  even  called  to  see  if  I  was
okay.

Deciding I would think about all this later, I

stood up and dove into the water. The other three
guys  followed  me  in,  and  for  the  next  hour,  we
swam  and  cooled  off  in  the  water.  Finally,  we
were  all  too  famished  to  stay  in,  and  Logan  and
Drew made their way to the shore.

I started to follow, only to have Evan pull me

underneath the raft. The waves seemed to echo as
they  splashed  against  the  raft,  and  Evan  grabbed
onto  the  side  as  he  pulled  me  closer  to  him.  I
wasn’t  sure  what  he  was  doing  but  remained
silent as I watched his green eyes stare at my lips.

Before I could ask, he pulled me the rest of the

way  into  his  body—our  legs  touching  as  they
paddled  to  keep  us  afloat.  Evan  leaned  forward
and  kissed  me.  It  was  soft  and  gentle  at  first.
Almost  like  a  tiny  nibble  before  I  kicked  it  into
gear  and  kissed  him  back.  Wrapping  one  arm
around  him  and  the  other  to  grip  the  raft,  I  put
everything  back into my first kiss. Even though I
lacked in experience, I definitely made up for it in

Jackie Nacht

enthusiasm. My body heated as I felt our bodies
try to press together in the water.

Evan pulled back slowly, opening his eyes and

breathing just a little irregular. I, on the other
hand, was breathing heavily as my entire body
shook in excitement.

“Hey, where are you guys?” Logan shouted

from the shore, unknowingly disrupting the
moment.

Evan led me out from under the raft, slowly

making our way to the shore. No doubt he was
delaying for the same reason I was stalling. By the
time we made it to the shore, I had everything
under control, but I couldn’t contain my happiness
when Evan held my hand as we met up with our
new friends.

Aunt Holly saw us come in. “Boys, I’ve got

lunch if you want to come up and get it.” She
didn’t even bat an eyelash at Evan's hand in mine.

The four of us made it to the porch where Aunt

Holly had set up a small lunch for us on the little
picnic table.

“Thank you, ma’am, for having us,” Drew and

Logan said in unison.

“Nonsense, glad to have you boys. Now eat

up.” Aunt Holly went back into the house, giving
us  the  privacy  to  talk  about  school,  the  carnival
coming  up,  and  the  Fourth of  July  fireworks  that
were  happening  in  two  weeks.  Evan  told  us  the

Fireflies and Crickets

best spot to watch, and we planned to grab Beth so
the five of us could all go together.

The rest of the week followed the same pattern.

The days were hot, so Evan and I could only work
a  couple  hours  in  the  morning.  Then,  we  would
spend  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  swimming  with
Drew and Logan. Sometimes, Beth came by when
she had off from work, but mostly, it was the four
of us that ate lunch together before we went back
into  the  water.  Then,  usually,  my  aunt  or  Drew's
parents  called  for  dinner.  Some  nights,  we  even
found a way to get together after that.

There were a couple times that we went to the

high  school  after  dinner  around  twilight  when  it
started  to  cool  down.  Drew  and  I  would  kick  a
soccer  ball  around,  making  me  miss  the  sport  so
much, there was an ache in my chest to play. Too
bad my teammates didn’t think I should be on the
field  with  them.  Never  getting  the  ball  passed  to
me was one of the most frustrating situations I had
ever  been  in.  Then,  getting  cut  from  varsity  as  a
result of the team dynamics, yeah, that  left a bad
taste in my mouth for team sports. But with Drew,
the  craving  came  back  into  play.  I  could  feel  my
legs  remembering  all  the  moves  and  dribbling
techniques that felt like second nature once again.

One time, Beth stopped by and played with

Drew and me. She was on varsity soccer in her
freshman year and more than held her own with

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the  two  of  us.  I  loved  working  on  old  drills  with
her,  and  she  taught  us  new  ones.  I  found  myself
really  wishing  that  there  was  a  Beth  at  home  for
me.  She  was  just  one  of  the  kindest  people I  had
ever met. No wonder she and Evan were so close.

Then, there was Logan with Drew’s dad. The

two worked two hours on drills for Logan and got
him  into  the  weight  room  so  he  wouldn’t  lose
strength  while  on  vacation  for  football  season.
Evan followed along, and I could see that he was
sponging the information off of the two so that, in
the  fall,  he  would  come  out  a  better  football
player.

With all the activity going on and all the people

surrounding us, Evan and I were only able to steal
a few kisses here and there but getting alone-time
was hard to come by.

Finally, I just went for broke one day while

working and asked, “What are you doing
tonight?”

At first, Evan seemed a little shocked by my

question and then shook his head. “Nothing but
watching TV with my mom and dad. Why?”

“Is there anything in this town that is open past

eight, because I’d like to go out with you…well, if
you want to.”

“Yeah…I mean, not until this weekend. The fair

will be open late, and we can go there.”

Fireflies and Crickets

Man, Evan was cute when he got flustered,

which he did quite a bit in the short time I’d
known him.

And I could work with that since it was

Thursday.  It  gave  me  a  day  to  come  up
with…something.  I  had  never  been  on  a  date  in
my  life  and  had  no  clue  what  in  the  hell  I  was
doing.  It  also  didn’t  give  me  long  enough  to
chicken  out.  Funny  how  the  word  date  makes  an
activity a lot scarier. Hadn’t we pretty much been
inseparable? Didn’t that count for something?

Guess not because I could already feel my

mouth drying up, and a slight tremble began in
my hands. What the heck? Pull it together!

Evan was rocking back and forth, holding a

dripping paint brush in his hands. “Wow, it’s hot.
I’m going for a swim.” And then, he took off
toward the lake.

I might have felt a little self-conscious, like

maybe he didn’t want to date me, except I
watched him dive into the water. The first thing I
saw was a fist pump in the air as he submerged,
and then, his face broke the surface, eyes glancing
back at me with a huge smile spreading across his
face. Yep, Evan was embarrassed, but he was also
just as excited as me.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Five

y the time the next day rolled around, I was a
bundle of emotions. First, I woke up to Aunt

Holly yelling on the phone to someone. With my
door closed, I couldn’t make out the words, but
the raised voice sure clued me in that she wasn’t
too happy. Then, I tried to call my parents only to
get voicemail once more. I tried not to think about
the implications of that while I silently started my
day of work alone.

Thirty minutes later, Evan came, and we

worked  the  morning  away,  mowing  grass  and
trimming hedges. After just a couple of weeks, my
pale  skin  had  a  nice  golden  tan  to  it.  Like  Evan,
even though my hair was a darker brown than his,
it  was  slowly  being  lightened  by  the  continual
sunshine.

Drew and Logan came over and did their daily

swim with us followed by lunch. Drew’s dad was
due to head back to work after the weekend. So,
they left and did their workouts while I went into

Fireflies and Crickets

my room and showered, getting ready for my
date.

Since I had been there, I'd put a little effort into

my  looks  but  that  night,  I  added  cologne  and
product  to  style  my  hair.  Silly,  but  I  really  did
want to look good for Evan. I stared into the closet
where I had just a few nice clothes I'd brought. For
a  moment,  I  wished  I  were  back  home  where  I
would  have  a  better  choice  of  wardrobe.  In  the
end,  I  picked  a  khaki  pair  of  cargo  pants  and  a
blue shirt that matched my eyes.

Smoothing down the soft cotton, I got a good

look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t look too bad.
The tan had done me a world of good, giving me a
healthy glow that I'd missed the last summer.

Grabbing my wallet, I made my way down the

stairs to see Aunt Holly sitting at the table with
nothing short of a distressed look on her face.

“Aunt Holly, you okay?”
She opened her mouth like she was about to say

something then seemed to stop herself when she
saw me. “Wow, where are you off to?”

A blush stained my cheeks. “Um…Evan and I

are going out to the fair.” I glanced away, too
embarrassed to meet my aunt's eyes.

“Oh ho, is this a date then?” She went from sad

to smiling in a nanosecond.

I couldn’t contain my excitement if I'd wanted

to. “Yep.”

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My aunt stood up and walked over to me,

fussing with my outfit before she grabbed me and
embraced me. “Have a good time tonight, sweetie.
I love you.” Her voice sounded off to me, making
me pull back.

“What is it, Aunt Holly?” The smile slipped off

my face. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I
couldn’t help but think it had to do with my
family.

“I don’t want you to worry about anything. Go

have fun with Evan tonight. Okay?” Her small,
delicate hand cupped my cheek. Towering over
her, I searched her eyes, looking for answers that
she didn’t seem ready to divulge.

Our moment was interrupted by a soft knock

on  the  back  door.  I  tripped  on  my  sandals  while
making  my  way  to  the  door.  Sheesh,  my  nerves
were  back,  causing  me  to  trip  over  the  suckers!
Opening  the  door,  I  felt  like  the  wind  had  been
knocked out of me.

Evan had gone the extra mile as well. Navy

cargo shorts and a white t-shirt made his tan and
blond-highlighted  hair  stand  out.  He  must  have
applied  a  little  cologne,  because  a  subtle  breeze
brought it right to me, making me want to step the
few short feet separating us just so I could sniff his
neck.  Bright  green  eyes  shone  with  just  as  much
excitement as I had.

“I’m leaving now, Aunt Holly.”

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“Make sure you take a key to get back in. Do

you know about what time you’ll be back?” she
asked.

I glanced over at Evan, and he answered for the

both of us. “The fair closes down tonight around
ten. Tomorrow is the late night. We’ll be back
around then if that’s okay?”

“That’s fine. Have a good time, boys.”
I followed Evan out the door then down the

steps.  We  walked  quietly  for  a  few  minutes,  just
listening  to  the  sounds  around  us  before  Evan
took my hand in his. The feeling of his warm palm
immediately  drained  the  tension  out  of  me.  This
was  Evan,  my  friend,  and  this  was  just  a  natural
step in the way we were headed since the moment
we met in my aunt’s kitchen.

Evan lifted our hands. “You don’t mind, do

you?”

“No, I like it,” I whispered, all of a sudden

feeling a tiny bit shy at admitting that out loud.

“Me too.” Evan smiled back.
The walk wasn’t that long since it was just on

one of the side streets in the downtown area. Soon,
the  smell  of  elephant  ears  and  popcorn  assaulted
my  nose.  It  was  just  a  little  after  seven,  so  a  few
kids  were  still  weaving  around  the  fair,  parents
running  after  them  and  trying  to  keep  up.  This
town was so small that everyone knew each other.
Kids our age were waving and saying hi to Evan.

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I don’t know why that surprised me so much,

maybe because I'd only seen him with Beth, but he
actually seemed like a popular guy. Polar opposite
to  what  I  was.  I  was  lucky  if  I  got  a  wave  from
someone  in  the  halls…ever.  Sure,  my  lunch  crew
would  wave  me  over,  but  that  was  a  power-in-
numbers thing not friendship whatsoever.

Another group waved to Evan and guilt

swamped  me.  “I  didn’t  know  you  had  so  many
friends.  Am  I  keeping  you  away  from  them  this
summer?”  I  wiped  the  sweat  from  the  palm  that
wasn’t holding Evan's hand against my cargoes.

“No, those are just school friends and sports

friends. You know the difference, right?” He
raised a brow at me like I should. I had no friends,
let alone a bunch that I could categorize into
different places and activities.

I shook my head slightly as I stared at him. The

fair lights surrounded him as he stopped. People
moved past us as they hurried around to rides.

“Those are people I’m friendly at school and

when I’m in season for a sport. We don’t have a lot
in common, so after the season, it’s kind of an out
of sight, out of mind on both sides. Sure, we all
like each other, but having something in common
to hang out—” Evan shook his head, “just kind of
fizzles. Beth is my best friend and a one of a kind
like her is enough for me.”

Fireflies and Crickets

Wow. Suddenly, Beth took on a whole different

light  in  my  eyes.  She  was  Evan’s  only  real  true
friend.  I  had  been  around  them  enough  to  know
there was nothing to get jealous over. In fact, I felt
like I was beginning to become a part of a tripod
with  them,  and  they  were  not  even  batting  an
eyelash as I just eased my way into the spot.

I couldn’t help but ask though, since my

experience seemed to tarnish my experience of
high school. “Do you ever have any trouble? I
mean, are you even out?”

Evan laughed and looked pointedly at our

entwined hands. “Yeah, I’m out. Seriously though,
I do have trouble from time to time. Our school is
pretty  good  about  it,  but  they  don’t  have  eyes
everywhere.  I  talk  to  my  parents  or  Beth  when  I
have  a  nasty  encounter.  She’s  so  sweet,  and
everyone at school likes her a lot. No one wants to
hurt  Beth’s  bosom  friend.”  Evan  chuckled.  “She
has  a  lot  of  the  assholes  at  our  school  wrapped
around her finger, and she doesn’t even know it.”

“She is pretty, and you’re right, she has no

clue.” Beth had no airs about her. She was down
to earth, and once again, I wished I could take her
and Evan home to keep them. What the heck was I
thinking? I’d take Drew and Logan with me too.

Evan guided us over to a booth to buy tickets to

go on the rides. “Here.” He handed me a row of
tickets, and I realized he bought them for me.

Jackie Nacht

Such a small gesture, but it warmed me inside

and out. “Okay, but let me buy you a shake when
we get done over here.”

Evan winked at me. “Deal.”
We walked around, searching the area for our

first choice of a ride. We found a salt and pepper
shaker ride and got into line. I waited, watching as
it spun people in a large circle while they sat in an
enclosed metal basket. My stomach began to turn
with nerves. I was never good at getting flipped
around and was grateful that I was too nervous to
eat before going on this bad boy, or Evan might
have ended up wearing my dinner.

“What’s the matter?” Evan scooted up behind,

wrapping his arms around me while resting his
chin on my shoulder. We watched for a moment
as people screamed from within.

“I’m just really glad I didn’t eat before I came.”
“Do you want to go on something else?” Evan

murmured near my neck, and I could actually feel
his breath blow across it, making goose bumps
pop on my flesh.

“No, I think I want to try a little of everything

tonight. I’ve only been to a carnival once when I
was little.” I had been ten and just tall enough to
go on the rides.

The ride for the others ended, and a few people

got off, trying to tame down their wild hair. The
guy working the ride took our tickets and loaded

Fireflies and Crickets

us into the basket then fastened us in. The ride
jerked to a start, and we got all the way to the top
before it stopped again, loading another group of
people.

I couldn’t help it. I was death gripping the front

of  the  ride  as  I  waited  upside  down.  Evan  was
laughing next to me, and for the life of me, I failed
to find humor in the predicament we were in. My
face was currently red from all the blood rushing
to  it,  and  each  jerky  movement  of  the  ride  only
reinforced  my  doubt  of  how  these  stupid  things
could possibly be safe when they were popped up
in just a few short days.

“Kennedy,” Evan murmured. Glancing over, he

was  leaning  toward  me.  “Relax  and  have  fun,
okay?” And before I could even nod my assent, he
claimed my mouth with his and kissed me gently,
nibbling  at  my  lips  until  the  ride  jerked  into
motion, spinning us around. He laughed the entire
time  while  I  yelped  and  screamed  when  my
stomach  flipped  every  time  we  dropped  back
toward the ground.

By the time the ride stopped, I got off on

unsteady legs and required a little help from Evan
as we walked to the more tame Ferris wheel. We
immediately were able to jump on since everyone
seemed to be lining up for the more adventurous
rides and Go Karts. This ride was meant for me,
slow and easy, where I was able to slide over next

Jackie Nacht

to Evan and kiss him whenever I wanted and not
worry that my neck was going to snap back.

Leaning in, I wrapped my arms around Evan

and kissed him as the ride slowly went around. I
never would have done this in my hometown and
probably wouldn’t have done it here if we weren't
concealed  into  the  makeshift  parachute  that
protected us from outside prying eyes. Stopping at
the top, we broke away for a few minutes to look
down  below.  You  could  see  soft  lights  in  the
distance,  the  moonlight  off  the  lake  and  the
architecture of a historic town that took very good
care of itself.

“It really is beautiful,” I murmured.
“I love my hometown and growing up here.”

Evan glanced out over the night. “I wish you
could stay. Do you know when you’re going
home?”

There were a lot of things Evan and I had talked

about, but the way I left my parents’ house was
not one of them. How do I communicate
something to someone when I don't understand it
myself?

“I’m not sure.” That was the best answer I

could give him for right now.

“You live just a little over an hour away, right?”

Evan reached over and grabbed my hand. He
always had to touch me, and it was nice.

“Yeah.”

Fireflies and Crickets

“Can I come see you then? The thing is…I

really like you and don’t want this to end when
you leave.” Evan didn’t look me in the eye when
he spoke. He was glancing down nervously,
massaging our hands.

“I’d like that, and I can come up here to stay

with Aunt Holly too.” The ride took our moment
and began a gentle journey once again. Evan
scooted closer, and for the remainder of the ride,
we just held each other.

After spending a couple of hours on the rides,

we decided to go over to the soda fountain, where
Beth was working, to grab a shake as we made our
way home. I had become a little more adventurous
and got a cappuccino shake while Evan stuck to
his chocolate shake. Beth gave me three cherries
on top for my bravery.

Instead of going right in when we got home, we

sat down by the docks, dipping our toes in where
it had become sort of our spot.

“I had fun tonight.” Jeez that sounded so

cheesy saying that out loud. I began fumbling
with my straw in embarrassment.

“I did too. The fair is here all week, and we can

go more if you want. There’s other stuff this
summer we can go to too. They have movie nights
at the park.”

I smiled softly while looking across the lake to

the flickering fireflies. “I’d like that.”

Jackie Nacht

“So, I guess you're mine then?” Evan glanced

over at me as he pulled his feet out of the water,
resting his cheek on his knees.

My eyebrow shot up. “Mine?” Was I flirting a

little? Yep.

“Boyfriend.”
Evan didn't say that as a question, but I nodded

anyway while a smile spread across my face.

“C’mere.” Evan pulled me closer, and we

kissed deeply in a way to seal the promise of the
two of us finally being a couple.

I could taste chocolate with an underlying taste

that  was  uniquely  Evan.  Pulling  back,  I  couldn’t
help  but  lean  my  forehead  into  his  and  smile.  “I
don’t  want  this  night  to  end,  but  I  have to go,” I
murmured.

“I do too. Don’t worry, I’ll see you in the

morning.” Evan placed one more soft, gentle kiss
to my lips before he helped me up.

He walked me to the door before he took off for

home, and I watched as he journeyed down to his
house. Closing the door, I leaned against it, still
feeling the tingling in my lips from all the kisses
we'd shared that night.

Pushing myself upright, I walked into the

kitchen  to  see  stacks  of  paper  and  my  aunt’s
computer on the kitchen table but no sign of her. I
was  excited  and  wanted  to  talk  to  Aunt  Holly
about  it,  but  there  was  also  a  part  of  me  that

Fireflies and Crickets

felt…something was missing tonight. Oh not with
Evan,  but  I  grew  up  a  good  kid  and  needed
constant approval from my parents. Maybe I could
call  and  put  feelers  out  to  see  if  they  were  okay
with  me  now.  That  this  all  had  been  some  huge
mistake. Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was just
before  ten  thirty.  Biting  my  nail,  I  thought  for  a
moment  if  I  should  do  it.  Then,  I  picked  up  the
phone and dialed.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Six

n the second ring, my mom picked up the
phone.

“Holly, I’m done with this conversation tonight.

Come  and  get  his  stuff  in  the  morning  or  I’m
going  to  throw  it  all  away.  But  Frank  said  not  to
bring  Kennedy.  He  doesn’t  want  to  see  him  and
neither  do  I.  We  don’t  want  his  stuff  here
anymore, and since you’re so keen on taking him
in, you can have it.”

My throat closed up as I heard the words.

“Mom?” came out no more than a whimper.

“Kennedy?” My mother sounded annoyed.

There was no softness to her words after the hate
that she'd just voiced about me over the line.

Trying to clear my throat, I answered, “Yes, it’s

me. What’s going on?” My heart sped up and heat
rushed into my head, making me have to lean on
the counter from dizziness.

“You’re going to live with your aunt from now

on. You can ask her the rest.” Then, the phone

Fireflies and Crickets

clicked as she hung up on me. My
mom…hung…up…on…me.

My breathing got a little erratic as tears

brimmed in my eyes at the slap of reality in the
face. The emotions that I had buried and denied
for weeks were bubbling to the surface and could
no longer be contained.

I couldn’t breathe. I needed to get out. Racing

for  the  back  door,  I  ripped  it  open,  slamming  it
against  the  wall  and  making  my  way  out  to  the
dock.  I  couldn’t  hold  it  another  second…I
screamed my anguish hoarsely into the night. The
fireflies extinguished their  light under the weight
of  my  pain.  The  crickets  silenced  in  terror.  Tears
tracked down my face as I curled into a ball on the
dock, deep, heaving sobs wracking my body.

Hearing footsteps coming toward me, I

rounded on the person who interrupted me,
needing to vent my rage. Aunt Holly stood there.
She started to approach me, but I didn’t want
anyone touching me. I stood up, gritting my teeth.

“Why? Why!” I screamed at her unfairly.
Aunt Holly shook her head. “I don’t know,

Kennedy. I don’t understand it myself.”

“Am I so different?” I choked out.
Tears tracked down her cheeks. “No, you’re the

same beautiful person you were the day you were
born.”

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“Then, why don’t…they want me?” My voice

was beginning to get hoarse, but I couldn't care
less.

My aunt approached me as I trembled like a

leaf.  I  was  visibly  falling  apart  as  she  grabbed  a
hold  of  me  and  held  on  for  dear  life.  “I  don’t
know, sweetie. I see such a great young man, and
to  me,  it  just  doesn’t  matter  that  you  like  boys.  I
love you so much.”

“I don’t know what to do.” I hugged her,

shaking so bad that my knees buckled, and my
aunt followed me clumsily onto the dock.

“We can discuss what you want to do when

you feel a little better. But, I want you to know
right now that I love you. You bring so much…life
into this house, and you are welcome to stay with
me. Hell, I want to keep you so bad. You are so
special to me.”

“I love you too, Aunt Holly.” And then, I lost it.

I cried right into my aunt's arms, great heaving
sobs. I’m not even sure how long we were there,
but eventually, Aunt Holly was able to get me up
and into the house. My head was killing me, and
my eyes burned from all the tears.

Aunt Holly sat me on the couch, and I stared

blankly at the TV, completely numb in shock. She
came in a moment later and placed cold clothes on
my neck and forehead, sitting down next to me,
hugging me and murmuring soothing words that I

Fireflies and Crickets

couldn’t hear over the pain of rejection. My
parents didn’t want me anymore. My breath
hitched at the thought, and if I had any more tears
left, I would have started up all over again.

A few minutes later, a light, gentle knock came

at the back door. My aunt got up, and a moment
later,  I  heard  soft  voices  in  the  kitchen.  I  kept
staring  blankly  at  the  screen  when  I  felt  the  first
touch to my shoulder. Evan came in and sat down
next  to  me,  putting  his  arm  around  me  and
hugging me. Then, I felt a hand grasp mine on the
other side. I slowly turned and saw that Drew was
sitting  next  to  me.  He  was  trying  to  smile  at  me
encouragingly  while  his  eyes  told  a  completely
different  tale.  Beth  and  Logan  sat  down  on  the
carpet  in  front  of  me,  leaning  against  my  legs.
Logan  grabbed  the  remote  and  turned  some
superhero  action  movie  on.  They  didn’t  say  a
word,  but  they  were  there,  and  that’s  what  kept
me grounded all night.

****

The  next  morning,  I  woke  up  with  the  worst
headache  and  stiff  neck  ever.  I  was  curled  up  on
the  couch  with  Evan  while  my  friends  were
sprawled  in  various  places  across  the  room.  Beth
had  left  last  night  after  her  parents  called  her
home,  much  to  her  protest.  I  gently  lifted  Evan's

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arm so as not to wake him. I got up and made my
way  into  the  bathroom  to  take  care  of  business
and  wash  my  face.  Swollen,  red,  splotchy  eyes
looked  back  at  me,  a  testament  to  the  amount  of
crying  I  did  last  night.  A  deep  ache  began  in  my
heart as I thought about what happened last night.

Walking back into the kitchen, I spotted Aunt

Holly sitting at the table, not looking a whole lot
better than me. “Hey,” I mumbled.

My aunt got up and grabbed a coffee mug then

poured a cup, adding the cream and sugar, just
the way I liked it. “Thanks.”

“Kennedy, I know this is extremely tough on

you, but I need to talk to you about a few things
this morning.”

“Okay,” I whispered. This morning I felt

so…broken.

“I need to go get your stuff today. Are you

comfortable with me retrieving it?”

“Yes…um…do you need help?” I wasn’t sure if

I could handle looking at my parents right then, so
fresh from what happened. Then, I remembered
my mother’s words that she didn’t want to even
see me long enough to get my stuff.

“If you don’t mind, Evan and I can help you.”

Logan leaned against the doorframe. “Sorry to
interrupt.”

“I think it would be best if Logan and Evan

come with me.” She didn’t want to hurt my

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feelings about my parents, but I knew they didn’t
want to see my face.

Glancing over my shoulder, I asked, “You

sure?” My voice was hoarse and sore from last
night. There wasn’t much left of it.

“Positive and Drew can stay with you.”
Shaking my head. “No, I’ll be fine on my own.”
Drew came in from behind Logan. “No, I don’t

think you will. Let me stay, and we can just watch
TV if you want. You don’t even have to talk to me,
but I would feel a lot better if I could sit with you
while everyone went and got your stuff.”

My aunt stood up and went to the fridge,

pulling out stuff to make breakfast. “Thank you,
Drew. Kennedy, I would feel a lot better if you
weren’t here alone while we are gone.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” I grumbled.
Drew came over and sat next to me. “I know

you  don’t,  but  you  don’t  need  to  be  alone  either
after  last  night.  No  one  should  have  to  sit  here
alone while friends are collecting your things and
after  what  transpired  last  night.  No,  as  your
friend,  I  think  I’d  like  to  hang  with  you  today.
Okay?”

I nodded, giving in to his persistence. There

was no point arguing. I really didn’t want to be
alone while Aunt Holly got my stuff after being
kicked out.

Jackie Nacht

An hour later, Drew and I were sitting outside

on the double rocker as we watched Aunt Holly,
Logan and Evan leave in the truck.

Tears brimmed in my eyes again at the thought

that my parents hated me so much that I couldn’t
even go and get my own stuff. My eyes burned
from already being too sensitive from all the
crying I did last night.

“You’ve got people who love you, you know?”

Drew said.

“What?” I warbled.
“Right now, with everything at the surface, it

hurts like hell, and it’s hard to see. Your aunt, she
loves you. Evan, Beth, Logan and me. You’re not
alone in this. It’s not weak to ask for help, and it
doesn’t hurt, when the days get bad, for someone
to pick you up.”

I let the words sink in as I tossed them around.

“Your parents love you though.”

“But I have had tough times and needed

someone  to  pick  me  up  every  now  and  then.
Logan  and  my  parents  have  helped  me  when  I
stumbled  along  the  way.  Evan  and  Holly  will  be
there  for  you…if  you  let  them.  And  Logan  and  I
are  just  a  phone  call  away.  I  will  not  shut  you
out.” Drew looked at me with determination.

It was almost impossible to look past my

parents' rejection, but then, I tried to see what
Drew was talking about. The few short weeks

Fireflies and Crickets

since  I'd  come  there  with  Aunt  Holly,  we'd  both
filled her home with laughter. Meeting Drew and
Logan  on  their  vacation,  knowing  that  even  with
distance,  I  had  made  lifelong  friends.  Beth,  who
was  so  sweet  and  stayed  with  me  last  night  and
gave  me  extra  cherries  for  being  her  guinea  pig.
And Evan, my first boyfriend, who I was falling so
hard for, who even at this moment was going the
extra  mile  to  help  me  in  my  time  of  need.  I  had
someone in my corner. It was going to be tough. I
knew  I  was  going  to  have  some  awful  days  up
ahead of me, but I could do this. I wasn’t alone.

I grabbed his hand. “I’ll let them help.” I said

back with just as much determination.

Six hours later, the three arrived back home.

The  vehicle  barely  came  to  a  stop  before  Evan
hopped  out  and  scrambled  up  to  the  porch,
scooping  me  up  in  a  hug.  I  was  a  tiny  bit
embarrassed  at  first,  then  I  felt  subtle  tremors
coming  from  him,  and  I  knew  that  it  had  been  a
pretty hard day on him too. It’s not every day you
help  move  someone’s  stuff  out  of  their  house
because  their  parents  never  want  to  see  them
again.

“You okay?” I murmured into his hair.
Evan squeezed me tighter before answering. “I

just…” and then he trailed off, not even able to go
on. It couldn’t have been easy going to my old
house and moving all my stuff out. I know if the

Jackie Nacht

situation were reversed, I would have been
hurting for Evan.

“Will you help me get my stuff in my room? I

know you’ve already done so—”

“Yeah, I already planned on it. Let me run

down and let my parents know I’ll be here until
after dinner. Holly is barbecuing for all of us.”

“Go and talk to them then. I’m just going to get

started.”  I  didn’t  want  to  tell  him  I  felt  so  off
balance  that  I  actually  thought  if  I  got  my  new
room  organized,  I  might  feel  like  I  belonged
somewhere.

That night, I lay in my bed, staring up at the

ceiling  of  my  no-longer  temp  but  permanent
bedroom.  The  ceiling  fan  above  me  kept  a  soft
breeze  flowing  when  I  should  have  been
sweltering.  The  open  window  helped  a  little,
letting in the fresh air and the sounds of the lake.

Everyone had left an hour ago. Ever since my

aunt,  Logan  and  Evan  came  home,  it  had  been  a
flurry  of  activity,  trying  to  get  me  settled  and
feeling  at  home  as  quickly  as  possible.  Drew
helped  me  unpack  all  the  small  stuff,  hanging
posters  and  getting  clothes  unpacked  while  Evan
and Logan handled my bed and dresser. My aunt
was putting her guest bed into one of the cottages
since  the  one  they'd  brought  from  my  old  house
was a bit bigger than the twin.

Fireflies and Crickets

A soft rustle at my window had me jumping

out of bed. I ran over just in time to see Evan’s face
appear.

“Hey, can you let me in?” he whispered

through the screen.

“Come to the back door,” I whispered and

walked quietly out of my room into the dark
house, headed to the door to let Evan in.

“What are you doing here?” I quietly asked as I

walked him back to my room.

Evan closed my bedroom door and turned to

look at me. “I was just thinking about you
and…umm…is it okay if I stay with you tonight?”

“Sure.” I really didn’t want to be alone tonight

and had secretly wished that I had asked him to
stay earlier. Too much happening today kept me
from being able to voice the request.

Evan removed his sandals and shorts, leaving

him in boxer briefs before climbing into bed with
me. We were separated only a moment before he
grabbed me and held me close to him.

“I didn’t want you to be alone tonight,” Evan

mumbled into my hair.

“I was okay.” For the moment. Not sure how I

was going to be in another hour or tomorrow. The
day had been a series of ups and downs for me,
and I definitely saw a lot more of that in my near
future.

Jackie Nacht

Evan squeezed me tighter. “I just wanted to see

with my own eyes. Get some sleep. It’s been a long
day.”

Such an understatement but as he began

stroking my hair, I couldn’t help but be happy that
he came to me. Sleep, which I thought I would
never achieve, claimed me.

The following morning, I woke up to the most

wonderful feeling on my neck. Evan was licking a
soft trail up to my ear, causing my whole body to
shiver and me to let out a soft moan. Rolling over,
I  wrapped  my  arms  around  him  and  kissed  him
lightly on the lips until he decided to take things a
step  farther  and  crawled  on  top  of  me.  We  were
getting pretty heated when we heard the sound of
the  back  door  closing,  breaking  the  mood
altogether.

“Was that Aunt Holly?” I asked through my

lust-addled brain. “We better go see what’s going
on.”  And  just  with  those  words,  yesterday  came
back  at  me  like  a  sledge  hammer.  How  could  I
have possibly forgotten what happened to me the
last  two  days?  My  heart  began  to  hurt  with
renewed pain.

“It’s okay, Kennedy. You’re going to need

time.” Evan eyed me with concern.

“How did you know?”
“Just seconds ago, you were the guy I spent all

summer on the lake with, and now, you are the

Fireflies and Crickets

same guy but your eyes are telling a different
story.”

“Sounds similar.”
“And different. Everyone is going to have to

give  you  time.  We  all  know  that  and  there’s
nothing  wrong  with  you  taking  all  the  time  you
need.  But  if  you  ever  want  to  talk  about  it,  I’m
here.”

“Okay, I might take you up on that offer.”
Evan leaned in for a soft kiss on the lips. “I’m

hoping you do and more than once. Come on, let’s
go see what happened to Holly, and then, I’m
taking you to breakfast.”

We got up and dressed, attempting to comb

down the massive bed head we both had. Finally
giving up and not really caring who saw us, after
all it was summer break, we trekked down the
hallway to leave a note for Aunt Holly.

Except there was a note there already and a

book.

Read this and share with the Evan Burglar so you

both are safe.

Love,
Aunt Holly
“What is it?” I asked Evan who was eyeing the

cover, red faced in embarrassment.

“It’s the book.”
“What book?” I had no clue what on earth he

was talking about.

Jackie Nacht

“Umm…here.” He handed it over, nervously

laughing before he walked into the living room.
Real mature.

Glancing down, I saw it was the proverbial

birds and the bees book for gay boys. Now, I
flushed in embarrassment. Evan was still laughing
in the other room. “You can quit laughing right
now!”

“I’m trying, when I get this embarrassed, all I

can do is laugh, usually. Just ask Beth.” Evan came
back in and read the note Aunt Holly had written
and roared again.

“It’s not that funny,” I mumbled.
“It isn’t. It’s just I am never going to be able to

look Holly in the face again.”

I shook my head and ran the book back into my

room before coming out, thankfully to a more
composed Evan.

“So…” Evan began to say, scratching his cheek.
“So?” We walked together out the back door.
Evan’s gaze roamed the scenery before he

mumbled,  “You  are  going  to  let  me  borrow  it
though,  right?”  There  was  no  laughter  this  time,
but he definitely didn’t want to make eye  contact
with me either.

Grabbing his hand, I led him down the road to

town. “Curious?”

“Yep.”

Fireflies and Crickets

“Then, I guess I can let you borrow it but no

promises.” I chuckled.

“Meanie.”

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Seven

ight Weeks Later

“Kennedy! You ready to go,” Aunt Holly

shouted from the kitchen.

Hands shaking with nerves, I grabbed my

backpack off the bed and made my way out of the
bedroom. Walking into the kitchen, I saw Beth and
Evan were already there waiting for me at the
table. Shifting my weight nervously, I didn’t think
I was going to be able to stomach breakfast.

“C’mon, we got to go or we’re gonna be late for

school.” Evan stood up while Aunt Holly handed
me a lunch and a cereal bar for breakfast.

“Thanks, Aunt Holly.”
“You sure you don’t want me to drop you off?”

Aunt  Holly  fussed  with  unseen  lint  on  my  shirt.
The  only  reason  I  knew  that  was  because  I  had
already  done  it  a  million  times  to  myself  that
morning.

“No, I’m good with Beth and Evan.”

Fireflies and Crickets

“Okay. I just need to borrow him for a

moment,”  Aunt  Holly  said  to  Evan  as  she  pulled
me  in  the  other  room.  “Don’t  forget  about  your
appointment  after  school  today.  I  made  it  late
enough so you can try out for soccer.”

I nodded. How could I forget? I had been going

to a therapist since Aunt Holly insisted I talk to
someone about my parents when I began to clam
up on everyone four weeks ago. For some reason,
I had a hard time talking to her about it, but I had
a little bit easier time discussing it with a stranger.

Four weeks ago, to my dismay, Drew and

Logan left for home. Drew still talked to me every
night, and when I began shutting down, he talked
to his mom, who talked to my aunt about how to
help  me.  She  helped  Aunt  Holly  research
therapists  in  the  area  and  had  us  join  a  PFLAG
group.  I  was  so  pissed  at  first  that  everyone  was
trying to handle me, but at the same time, I knew
they  all cared. When I had my tough moments, I
had these people in my corner and that’s what got
me through it.

For a moment, I just stared at Aunt Holly. There

were no words of gratitude I could ever express
for what she'd helped me through. She had been a
rock, going against her sister and taking me in like
I was her own son. The two of us were working
ourselves into a tight little family unit of our own
making.

Jackie Nacht

Before I could stop myself, I said, “I want you

to sign them.”

Aunt Holly gasped. “You do?”
“Yes, I want you to have guardianship over me.

I know you’ve been waiting for me to decide, and
this is what I want.”

Aunt Holly grabbed me and hugged me with a

strength that took me by surprise for her tiny
frame. “I didn’t want to pressure you.”

“I know, but this feels…right.” I leaned my face

down into her shoulder. True to her word, she had
been patient with me. With my parents not giving
a  damn,  Aunt  Holly  was  concerned  if  anything
were to happen to me medically. My parents were
only too happy to hand me over legally to her, but
she had waited all these weeks for me to make  a
decision  about  my  future.  I  didn’t  mean  to  make
her  wait.  It  was  just  that  these  papers  were  the
final tie that connected me to my parents.

Leaning back, I gave her a smile I actually felt

then  walked  back  into  the  kitchen  to  grab  my
friends. We left and got into Beth’s compact car. I
was  chosen  to  sit  in  the  back  since  there  was  no
way  Evan  could  tuck  his  long  legs  in  the  small
space. The school was too short of a drive for my
liking. As we got out of the car, students drove by
and  others  laughed  as  they  walked  up  the  steps
into the front of the school.

Fireflies and Crickets

My legs trembled as I stared at the imposing

building. High school had been nothing but hell so
far.  I  had no  reason to believe it was going to be
any  better here. Coming  in my senior year was a
disaster, and these two were telling me to try out
for soccer after school today. Were they nuts? I felt
my  hand  being  grasped  and  looked  down  to  see
Evan holding it.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I squeaked

out. Sheesh, my voice hadn’t been that high in a
couple years.

Beth put her arm around me. “It’s gonna be just

fine, Kennedy. You have us.”

She was right. My limbs steadied as my

boyfriend and friend walked me into my new
school. I had these two, and for me, that was
enough.

Jackie Nacht

Epilogue

pring Semester, Freshman Year in College

Waking up to the feel of warm lips nuzzling

my  neck  had  become  my  favorite  pastime  since
having  sleepovers  with  Evan  in  high  school.  It
always  brought  a  smile  to  my  face  to  think  that
Evan and I were still together. He was the one for
me.

I felt so fortunate to have found him at such a

young age. And just a couple months ago, Drew
had met Mason. The two had been inseparable
ever since. Those two were definitely meant to be,
there was no question in my mind.

Rolling over, I covered Evan and began kissing

him, feeling the warm skin beneath me. My
anchor. My love. This man meant the world to me.
My hands roamed the body I knew so well. Evan
had the softest skin, and soon, the tan I loved so
much would be back when the weather broke.

A knock interrupted us. Evan grabbed me.

“Forget it.” His hand cupped the back of my head,

Fireflies and Crickets

pulling me to his lips. I moaned into the kiss,
rubbing my body against his.

“Open up, you two!” Only Beth had the power

to keep us from having a very fun morning.

Evan groaned as I rolled off and got up. Giving

myself a moment to put on some jeans, because I
definitely  didn’t  want  to  answer  the  door
with…well, I didn’t want to embarrass the hell out
of Beth. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I opened
the  door.  I  was  a  little  surprised  to  see  that  Beth
wasn’t  alone.  Her  boyfriend  Adam  stood  next  to
her.  He  was  a  good  guy  and  had  to  have  the
stamp  of  approval  of  many  to  get  to  our  sweet
Beth.  On  the  other  side  was  a  younger-looking
version  of  Adam  but  not  by  much.  Light  brown
hair  and  pale  blue  eyes  set  in  a  tan  face  with
sprinkles of freckles across masculine cheekbones.
He had a swimmer's built and a shy smile. I liked
him already.

“I need a favor from you two.”
Evan came up behind me and wrapped his

arms around me. His warmth seeped into me from
behind, and I had this sudden urge to say, come

back in thirty and we’ll do anything!

“What do you need, Beth?” Evan breathed right

next to my ear, causing goose bumps to pop on
my flesh. What was the man trying to do to me?

“This is Adam’s little brother, Craig. He came

up from Florida for sibling’s weekend. We were

Jackie Nacht

wondering if the two of you could come out with
us for breakfast and show him how fun we are.”
Beth didn’t seem to believe her own words. What
was she expecting me to do, wave a wand and
have a circus appear?

Evan called her out on it. “What are you talking

about? We’re boring as hell. Just get ready to go to
the diner like we always do. Better get used to
this, our fun time tonight will be watching paint
dry on the wall.”

Craig laughed.
Adam chuckled. “Trust me, Craig will love it

tonight. Beth just really wants him to like it here.
He just had his eighteenth birthday and is
attending in the fall. We were thinking of taking
him dancing at the club tonight to celebrate both.”

“Beth wants who to like it here?” Drew came

up the hallway, Mason right next to him.

“Adam’s brother, Craig.”
Drew eyes grew wide. “Craig? You’re Craig?”

Drew placed his hand on his chest, and Mason let
out a whoop of excitement.

What on Earth, you two?
“Yeeeah.” Craig looked quizzically at Drew.
Beth bounced on Drew and Mason like they

were actually the fun ones. “You two can come to
the diner right now? We’re taking him there.”

Fireflies and Crickets

“And Logan!” Drew shouted and then

recovered. “I mean, I’ll bring Logan with us as
well. We’ll go tell him now.”

Drew and Mason walked away, and I swore I

heard Drew mumble to Mason, “He has a brother
named Craig. How did we not know this? Stalking
the whole damn campus and it’s our friend's
boyfriend’s brother.”

“Give us a minute to get dressed, and we’ll

meet you downstairs.” Evan practically closed the
door in their faces.

“Hey, that wasn’t niiiice,” I squeaked the last

part as Evan picked me up and threw me on the
bed. We came down in a tangle of limbs, kissing
each other.

“Need to get dressed,” I said as I sucked on

Evan’s earlobe.

Evan groaned but got up. “Beth owes us big

time for this.”

We got dressed…on opposite sides of the room,

before we made our way down to the common
area. Beth, Adam and Craig were sitting, talking
amongst themselves.

“Ready?” I asked.
“Just waiting on the other guys. They texted

saying they would meet us down here after they
got Logan.”

I nodded and went to sit on the couch next to

Evan. Adam and Beth snuggled in while Craig got

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up to look at the message board of events going on
the campus. He had a small smile on his face.

Footsteps came from the stairwell as well as

Logan’s booming voice. “I don’t know what your
problem is, Drew, but—” Logan stopped mid-
sentence as he rounded the corner and got a good
look at Craig.

The entire atmosphere changed as Craig and

Logan  seemed  to  assess  one  another  in  silent
appreciation.  Logan’s  pale  green  eyes  trailed  up
and down Craig a few times. In all the time I had
known  Logan,  he  had  never  been  one  to  be
speechless  or  captivated  by  one  man,  but  Craig
was a handsome, young man.

Craig cleared his throat and walked forward,

almost mesmerized, as he looked up at Logan.
“I’m Craig,” he said softly.

“Logan,” he gruffed out. “Want to ride with

me?”

Craig nodded shyly, and the two walked out

the door all but forgetting the rest of us. That was
okay. You would have to be blind not to see the
sparks flying between them.

Drew and Mason hugged by the stairwell while

the rest of us were completely lost.

Evan leaned over and hugged me. “I love you.”
I would never get tired of hearing Evan say that

to me.

Fireflies and Crickets

Evan and Aunt Holly had been my saviors the

last  two  years,  showing  me  affection  whenever
they got the chance. Even though a lot of time had
gone  by  since  my  parents  kicked  me  out,  I  don’t
think  I  was  ever going  to  be  able  to  entirely  heal
from it. I was still in therapy, and yeah, I had love
and  support,  but  the  scar  remained.  Instead  of
letting  it  define  me,  I  looked  to  those  around  me
with  a  love  and  appreciation  that  I  would  never
take for granted. Gazing around at all my friends,
I knew I would reciprocate with as much love as I
could give. They were all here for me and stuck by
me through thick and thin.

Glancing over at Evan, my heart swelling with

so much love for this man, I whispered, “Love you
too.”

Evan placed a small kiss on my lips then stood

and called out to Drew and Mason. “C’mon guys,
you can come with us. I think you just lost your
ride.”

Together, Evan and I made our way out to the

car with our friends. Life wasn’t perfect, but with
the love of my life and having my friends, I
thought it was pretty darn good.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long
way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories.  I  was  introduced  to  M/M  romance
through my sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then, I thought it was time to put my own stories
on paper. I began writing short and sweet stories
that  ended  with  a  happily  ever  after…and
sometimes  more  than  one,  in  the  case  of  my  YA
Fork  in  the  Road  series,  which  has  interactive
endings.

Thinking back to my own book addiction,

where there were many nights I stayed up way too
late so I could read just one more chapter—yeah,
right—I decided to write short romances for young
adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give
high school and college students, or working men
and women something they can read during their
lunch hour, in between classes or just when they
want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of
everyday life.

Fireflies and Crickets

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and at

my webpage:

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