How to Unbreakup Page 5

  “All right, everyone, before we head into the mine, I wanted to tell you to keep your hands and feet in the carts at all times. You may take pictures if you want. Please be careful when we disembark to walk around in the caves. If you have questions as we go, feel free to holler them out.”

  Our little train moved forward, inching into the cavern. Cool air brushed my skin, while shadows crept in around us as we went deeper. The only light came from the dim bulbs along the walls. Water dripped from the ceiling. Goosebumps broke out on my skin and I hugged my arms to my chest.

  Sage’s leg touched mine. The warmth from his skin seemed to absorb right into mine. My pulse quickened. My gaze shifted until I met his. He gave me a small smile.

  “Are we having fun yet?”

  “Loads. I mean, this is so much better than sitting on the beach.”

  “I’m sure things can only go up from here.”

  I nudged him with my knee. “You know, sometimes I think you’re way too optimistic.”

  He nudged me back. “And sometimes, I think you picked the wrong side of the Force.”

  We stared at one another for a moment. A blush crept up my neck and I turned away. What did he mean by that? That I should’ve chosen him over Michelle and Rori? Because I already knew that. Or was he just teasing me by referring to his being on the Dark Side?

  The mining cars came to a stop and the guide had us get out and see what he referred to as the Large Stope. Okay, so the mine wasn’t as bad as I was making it out to be. There were some cool rock formations, not to mention Sage had talked to me.

  The two of us stood behind the others and he bent down to whisper in my ear. “I really feel like I’m in a Tolkien novel about now. Can you imagine getting stuck down here with goblins or a cave troll?”

  “Good thing we’ve got these helmets then.” I tapped on mine.

  “But sadly, no swords.” He pouted, holding up his hands.

  “Maybe I’ll have to find you one in the gift shop. Or are you more of a staff wielding guy these days?”

  He chuckled. “I’ll take a sword any day.”

  Over his shoulder, I caught sight of Allie grinning. She gave me a thumbs up then made a kissy face.

  Sage turned just then. “What the heck is she doing?”

  “I have no idea. Just making faces at me I guess.”

  “She’s kind of a dork.”

  “Says the boy who used to run around with lightsabers,” I teased. My foot scuffed against the damp rocky floor. Now is the time. You have to make a move. Invite him to do something. “So, when we get back to the house, I wondered if you might want to kick the soccer ball around?”

  “Sure, it’s been a long time since I whooped you in a sport.”

  “I think you’re suffering from memory loss. Our last battle of any kind was won by me, at my thirteenth birthday party. Me. With a lightsaber. Thank you very much.”

  His smile faltered. “You remember that night?”

  I wet my lips, which suddenly seemed too dry. “Yes.”

  He had no idea how many times I’d replayed that night in my mind. How it was the single best moment of my life.

  “I thought you would’ve forgotten about it by now.”

  “I haven’t forgotten anything,” I whispered as we were ushered down another dimly lit tunnel.

  His gaze softened and he opened his mouth as if to say something then stopped as our tour guide led us back to the train. Our ride back to the cave entrance was quiet. I hoped that wasn’t a bad thing.

  When we unloaded, we ended up back in the shop, where we handed in our gear and bought souvenirs. I decided on post cards. One, because it’d remind me of Sage and two, I wanted to send one to Lyncee to show her the epicness she was missing out on.

  After we left the Iron Mountain Iron Mine, our parents brought us out to lunch then up to see the Pine Mountain Ski Jump, which was kind of cool. And way higher up than I’d imagined. We spent a while there walking around the jump, looking at old photos taken from championship ski jumps up there, and listening to our parents reminisce. Sage walked with me for a while, until his dad pulled him away to climb up the wooden structure of the jump.

  At last, Dad called us back to the vehicles to head home. Almost two hours later, we pulled into the driveway where we all piled out.

  “Listen, Sage and Grace, you two are in charge for a little bit,” Mr. Castle said. “We’re going to run into town and get some pasties for dinner.”

  “We’ll be fine,” I said.

  “If you kids are good we’ll bring back some ice cream.” Dad grinned.

  He knew me too well. But with our parents gone, I could now concentrate on putting number two on my list into action. The promised soccer game.

  Chapter Ten

  Step #2: Invite him to do something like sports/swimming

  Sage and I stood facing one another. “Okay, it’s the Castles versus the Evers in our long standing family soccer tournament,” Sage said.

  My brothers stood behind me. Benji on defense, Caleb in front of our makeshift goal, which was made of rocks and driftwood.

  “I already got the tissues ready,” Benji said to Allie. “Because the Castles are gonna be crying their faces off when we’re done with them.”

  “And the smack talk has begun.” My lips twitched. “But he has a point. Everyone knows that Castles are only good for one thing.”

  “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?” Sage raised an eyebrow.

  “Medieval dwellings,” I said.

  He chuckled. “I bet tomorrow’s chores you’re gonna eat those words Gracey.”

  My tummy flip-flopped like an acrobat. He’d used my nickname. “You’re on.”

  “Let’s shake on it.” He sauntered closer, his hand extended. Warm fingers wrapped around mine.

  For a moment, I clung to him. Wanting this to be my reality. His aqua eyes had me imagining Caribbean seas and swimming. All the places we’d been together—all the things I’d lost. I swallowed hard.

  “Can I have my hand back?” he whispered. “Or is part of your strategy ripping it off so I can’t play?”

  I snorted. “You only need your feet for soccer—maybe you’ve forgotten how to play.”

  We did a drop ball and Sage won it, quickly maneuvering to get around me. But I chased him down, swiping in to steal it back. I ran toward Allie, who played goalkeeper for their team.

  “Don’t you dare score on me, Grace. We’re friends and I don’t want to do your chores.”

  “Sorry, my reputation is on the line.” I brought my foot back, ready to score, when Sage kicked it away from me.

  Dirt flew up from behind me as I rushed after him. I slide-tackled him from the side, which sent the ball to my brother, but Sage fell, right on top of me. I could feel the beat of his heart through his T-shirt as he propped himself up.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered.

  “Yeah, are you?”

  He nodded, but made no attempt to move. We stared at one another, until I felt like I might melt into a puddle of nerves and excitement.

  “Will you two quit making out and come on already?” Benji hollered, dribbling the ball past us.

  “Sorry.” Sage climbed off of me and offered me a hand up.

  Damn. I was in all kinds of trouble. I tried my hardest to ignore the way my pulse soared and the way my eyes followed his every move. If I kept letting him distract me, I’d be doing a whole lot of chores tomorrow.

  The sun beat down on us, sweat trickled down my forehead as we went back and forth, taking the soccer ball from one another. After thirty minutes of playing, neither of us managed to score.

  Caleb sat in the sand, covering up rocks he’d found. Benji paced back and forth by the waves, while Allie and Rochelle argued.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m done. It’s too hot out here to play.” Benji glanced at me then went in the house, followed closely by Caleb.

  “Looks like it’s three against one.” Sage grinn
ed.

  “Um, actually, I think I’m gonna go in and get some water. It’s been a long day and I want to chill in front of a fan,” Allie said.

  “Me too.” Rochelle marched after the others.

  “Then I guess it’s just down to us. Like old times,” Sage said.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to forfeit? I’d hate to see how bad you’re gonna lose now that you don’t have back up.”

  “Wow, can’t believe I forgot what a comedian you are.” He snorted.

  I stuck my tongue out at him. With the soccer ball at my feet, I dribbled with the outside of my left one, and then kicked it up to my knee where I juggled it. “Remember this move?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I taught it to you.”

  “Not this part.” I let the ball roll back to the ground then pulled my right leg back and let the ball sail over his head.

  We watched it fly through the goal and into the wooded area next to the house.

  “That was lucky,” he said as he turned to go retrieve it. A second later he rushed out. “Grace, run. Now!”

  “Sage?”

  “You hit a hornet nest with the ball.”

  Then I saw them. Shit.

  “Grace, fucking run!”

  I’d never heard him scream like that before. But I caught the fear in his eyes. Fear for me.

  I turned to run and Sage caught up to me, gripping tight to my arm. He half dragged me toward the deck as we fought to get inside. But before we got there, I felt the tiny pinch and piercing pain of the sting.

  “Sage!” I freaked. “I got stung.”

  Within seconds he whipped open the sliding glass door. “Shit, Grace, where’s your EpiPen?”

  “M-my top dresser drawer.”

  Benji rushed downstairs. “What’s wrong?”

  “She got stung. Call 911. Allie, get a hold of Mom and Dad and tell them to meet us at the hospital.”

  My body shook as blotchy spots started to pop up on my skin. Already my lips began to swell. Panic coursed through me. Sage reappeared a second later holding my EpiPen.

  “Grace, look at me. Just stay calm. I’m gonna give you your shot now.”

  He pulled the side of my shorts up to reveal my thigh. He plunged the needle into my leg, releasing the medicine.

  “The ambulance is on the way,” Benji said.

  My legs trembled so bad beneath me that I could barely stand and my tongue had swelled like a Vienna sausage, making it hard to swallow. “S-Sage.”

  “Shh … it’s okay, I’m right here.” He lowered me to the floor.

  Within minutes, the ambulance had arrived. Paramedics rushed inside, carrying a gurney. They asked Sage questions about my EpiPen and the dosage. He showed them the shot.

  “It’s all right, sweetie,” one of the paramedics told me. “We’ll get you stabilized.”

  My heart pounded hard and fast against my chest. And I couldn’t quit shaking. Fear coiled around me as I was loaded onto the gurney.

  “Sage,” I whispered. “P-please come.”

  “Allie, watch the kids, I’m going with her.”

  They wheeled me out the door and into the ambulance. Sage sat at my side while the medics got an IV going with Benadryl and something else.

  The siren wailed as we raced to the hospital. When we arrived, they hurried me into the Emergency Room, where a doctor was already waiting for us. Sage came back with me.

  “How are you feeling?” the doctor asked as he checked my vitals.

  Seriously? What kind of question was that? Great, Doc, I just got stung by something that can kill me and I’m ready to run a marathon, then go sky diving—maybe take a quick trip to space while I’m at it. But instead of saying that, I managed to mumble “Okay.”

  “We’re gonna get you stabilized. Now, can you tell me where you got stung so we can make sure the stinger isn’t still in there.”

  “My right shoulder.”

  He pulled my tank top strap out of the way. “Found it. Get me a light over here so I can see better.” He poked and prodded at my skin. “There’s no stinger.” He helped me lay back down.

  My parents rushed in a few minutes later. Dad’s face was pale, his eyes wide. “Grace, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, thanks to Sage.”

  Mom hugged Sage. “Thank you. I’m glad you were there with her.”

  “Me too,” he said.

  I caught his eye. “Thanks. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there. I guess that makes you my hero, right?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “So what happened?” Dad asked.

  Sage went on to explain about the soccer game and hitting the wasp nest.

  Mr. Castle patted him on the back. “Listen, I think we’ll go grab some spray and go take care of the nest before Grace gets home.”

  The Castles left and the doctors decided to keep me for a few hours for observation just to make sure I didn’t have any other reactions. God. At the rate I was going, I might die before I ever got the chance to tell Sage how I felt.

  “You sure you’re okay, honey?” Mom asked as we climbed into the car to go home.

  “I’ll be fine. Just real tired.”

  Dad exchanged a worried look with Mom. “You scared us today. We got the call—”

  “Trust me, I was just as freaked out. But everything’s fine now.”

  “But what if Sage hadn’t been there?” Mom said.

  “Then Benji or Allie would’ve known what to do.” Or at least that’s what I told myself. Because the truth was, I didn’t know.

  When we pulled into the driveway, the porch light was on. Dad helped me inside, where we found Mr. and Mrs. Castle waiting up for us.

  “Mom, I’m going to go up to bed now,” I said.

  “Okay, if you need anything just holler down.” She kissed my cheek, hugging me tight to her chest.

  Dad gave me a quick hug too. As I went upstairs, I overheard my parents talking.

  “We can’t thank you guys enough for what Sage did,” Dad said. “The doctor said if they would’ve waited a few more minutes to administer the EpiPen, then her throat might’ve closed off.”

  When I got to our room, Sage sat up in bed. I could just make out the shadows of his face as the moonlight filtered into the room.

  “Hey,” he whispered.

  “Hey.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. I-I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said softly.

  “I am, thanks to you,” I said.

  “You know, next time you’re worried about losing to me, you can take less drastic measures than trying to land in the hospital.”

  “I did have the winning goal. Remember, right before we got attacked, I sent that ball sailing through the goal.”

  “Nope. It went over.”

  “Hey, I almost died, it should count.”

  “Oh, so now you’re going to play the ‘I went to the Emergency Room’ card and make me feel bad.”

  But underneath the joking, I heard the concerned undertone. Which meant, he didn’t hate me. Hope fluttered to life inside me; maybe I really did have a chance. Too bad it took a near-death experience to get to this point.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sunlight streamed through the living room windows as I came downstairs the next morning. The hardwood floors were cool beneath my feet. With a yawn, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and staggered to the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice.

  My arm was covered in bruises from the IV needle. But it could’ve been worse.

  “We got the wasp nest taken care of,” Mr. Castle said as he joined me. He set his coffee cup in the sink. “We scoured the rest of the woods to make sure there weren’t any more hives or nests.”

  “Thanks.”

  He ruffled my hair, then went down the hall where he and my dad were getting their metal detectors ready. Not sure what they th
ought they’d find, in their minds probably some lost treasure, but I was sure it’d be more along the lines of bottle caps, pennies, and junk.

  After I finished my juice, I wandered toward the deck where Benji stood at the picnic table trying to make a pitcher of sun tea.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Mom told me to make tea. I’ve got the water in, but have to get all the tea bags in. Do I need to put sugar in next?”

  “No. You’ll do that when it’s done.” My gaze slid over the white caps rolling in against the shore. “Hey, I’m gonna take a quick dip in the lake, you wanna come?”

  Benji shielded his eyes and glanced at me. “Nah. Maybe later, it’s not even noon yet.”

  “Wimp.”

  “Some of us don’t want to freeze our balls off. We have to protect our future generations.” He grinned.

  “And I didn’t need to hear that.”

  He laughed as I grabbed a towel off the line. I walked to the water’s edge and stripped out of my shorts, T-shirt, and flip-flops, down to my bikini. The lake was choppier today than it had been all week. First, I stuck one foot in.

  “Holy cold,” I said. But it didn’t deter me from splashing into the waves. I stared into the mirror-like water, catching glimpses of stones and shells being tossed around. My feet sank deeper into the sand.

  With a smile, I waded further out, watching a sailboat go by in the distance. I needed to go under and get used to the water. The sooner I did it, the sooner I’d be able to swim. Taking a deep breath, I counted to three then dove in. The shock of cold almost made me shriek. But it was refreshing. With even strokes, I swam beneath the surface until I thought my lungs might explode. When I bobbed back up, I noticed I’d reached the sand bar. It wasn’t as deep here, so I could sit on my knees and let the surf surge around me.

  I loved it in the UP. It was nature at its finest. Lake Michigan, all the forests, peace and quiet—you could sit for hours and just listen to everything come alive around you. I never tired of hearing the gulls, or the buoys ringing down the coast.

  A large wave, rushed over me, knocking me face first into the lake. Sputtering, I climbed back to my knees. Only to realize that my bathing suit top was missing.