Page 89 of Lease to Love

So I didn't argue when she complained. I just hooked my arm through hers as we headed down the sidewalk, letting the late-afternoon heat settle over us while we talked about nothing and everything, the way we always did.

The corner store was closed.

Of course it was.

A handwritten BACK IN 15 MINUTES sign was taped crookedly to the glass, and apparently half of our graduating class had decided that was close enough to an invitation to turn the sidewalk into a hangout spot.

A few familiar faces were scattered along the storefront, laughing and talking over one another, while more kids were making their way down the block toward us, apparently having gotten the memo that the corner store was temporarily closed but the social calendar was not.

I spotted Dante before I even had a chance to look around for anybody else.

He was crossing the street toward us, hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts, laughing at something one of the guys behind him had said. Dante Holmes had been Autumn’s crush since seventh grade, which meant she had spent five years insisting she did not have a crush on Dante Holmes while simultaneously knowing his class schedule, his favorite basketball team, and exactly what days he usually stopped at the corner store after school.

I slowly turned my head toward her… She saw the look on my face and immediately narrowed her eyes. I just grinned. “There’s your boyfriend, Autumn.”

“Sunny… shut up.”

“You need to make your move before you go to Georgia.”

“You need to mind your business before I slap-box you right here on this sidewalk.”

“You’ve had a crush on him since seventh grade.” I bumped my shoulder against hers, fighting back a laugh as Dante got closer. “Make. Your. Move.”

“Sunny, shut. Your. Ass.”

“I’m gonna tell him for you. I’m not letting you leave for Spelman with regrets.”

“Sunny, I swear to God—”

“You only live once… YOLO, baby!”

I took off across the street before she could grab me.

“Sunny!” she hissed behind me, but I was already laughing, throwing her a look over my shoulder as she stood frozen on the curb, mortification blooming across her face.

Dante looked up when I approached, his eyebrows lifting.

“Hey, Dante!” I called, loud enough for Autumn to hear me from halfway across the street. I turned just enough to catch her horrified expression and smiled even wider. “Autumn wanted to ask you somethi—”

I barely registered the car behind her.

Dark.

Slow-rolling down the street.

Coming straight toward them.

Then—

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

I woke up choking on air, my own heartbeat pounding so violently in my ears that for a second I couldn’t tell whether the gunshots were still happening. My sheets were damp beneath me, my T-shirt clinging to my back, and I stared at the ceiling without recognizing it.

The dream held on for one terrible beat after I opened my eyes.