Page 14 of Never Forever

It was impossible, though. Thinking about the Piedmonts was one of my favorite things. Well, thinking about one of the Piedmonts in particular.

“They’re locals Dad. You’re a local. You must have gone to school with Carrie and Annie’s mom?”

“Cecelia. Yes, I did,” he said. Suddenly, his ears were bright pink. Though that could be sunburn.

“What was she like?” I asked him, wondering if she was shy and quiet like Annie or bright and sparkly like Carrie.

“She was none of my business. And they’re none of yours.”

4

When They Became Friends

Matt

My goal this summer was to stay in track shape so I was ready when the Fall season started. I was only going to be a sophomore, but the coach said if I worked hard I might be ready for the varsity team. So I ran almost every night after work.

Dad thought it was good for me. I was growing and starving all the time, but I also had this kind of electric energy in my muscles. Dad told me running would help my constant restlessness.

We lived on the outskirts of town, in a grove of pine trees at the end of Harbor Road where it curved up toward the mountains and then dead-ended. I ran through the woods to the trail, to the top of the ridge, and down the other side to the big playground and community center where they had built one of those large outside stages with the half arch behind it. CalicoCove’s bandshell wasn’t the biggest, but the arch was designed to look like a beach shell. So that was cool.

Tonight as I came down off the ridge behind the bandshell I heard screaming.

I raced up the stairs and through the back of the bandshell only to find Carrie Piedmont standing on stage alone.

Singing.

“Oh my God,” I said, because I was honestly stunned. Not just to see her, even though it had been a while. She was wearing a pretty green dress with little flowers. It was really short and her legs were so long and so bare beneath it.

No, I was surprised because her singing was bad. So very, very bad.

If you had asked me a second ago if there was anything Carrie Piedmont did badly, I would have said nothing and meant it with my whole heart. Now, I would probably still say it, but it would be a lie.

“Matt!” She cried, turning around. Even in the twilight I could see she was bright red with embarrassment. Another thing I never really thought I’d see. “What are you doing here?”

“Running,” I said. I lifted my tee shirt to wipe at my sweaty face and really hoped she couldn’t smell me from the stage. “What are you doing here?”

She took a deep breath and I prayed she wasn’t about to start singing, but she only put her head in her hands and yelled.

I mean, I think it was yelling. It could have been singing?

“Carrie?” My sweaty smell forgotten, I crossed the big bandshell toward her. “Are you okay?”

“No. No, I’m not okay. I’m not okay at all, Matthew Sullivan.” When she looked at me her eyes were damp.

Oh shit. Ohshit. Was shecrying?

“Ahhhhh….” Was the brilliance that came out of my mouth.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said.

“Like what?” I had no idea how I was looking at her.

“Don’t pretend,” she snapped. “I’m sure your dad told you what happened.”

“Told me what?”

“The whole town knows!”