Caden continued, “so I’d need to be signed. I couldn’t really ask a girl myself if she’d be interested in going. But if a girl were to ask me ….”
“Okay, okay!” Rachel threw her hands up in the air. “I get it! I never ever go to these things, but you don’t have to beg, Caden. If you really want to experience local culture ….” she gagged dramatically into her hand “…then we’ll go to the dance.”
“Rachel, I—”
“But just keep in mind it’s not a date-date, right? I mean, you’re a nice enough guy and all, but I just don’t like you that way. Understand? Don’t get your hopes up.” Rachel turned to Ashlyn. “Hey, Ash, you should come too.”
Ashlyn smiled. Oh so very damn tightly. “Wow, yeah, great idea, Rachel. We’ll all three go.”
“Great!” Rachel smiled broadly, but when she angled her head toward Ashlyn, she winked one eye slyly.
Ashlyn did a double-take. Rachel was trying to help her out? God, could she seriously believe Ashlyn was too shy to ask Caden to the dance herself? Surely not! Granted, they hadn’t known each other that long yet, but how could Rachel imagine—
It struck her then; Rachel wanted to go to the dance, no matter what she might say about relishing her outsider role. And she wanted even more to be included in their friendship, this circle of three. Desperately needed to be.
Ashlyn felt her face relax into a real smile. “Yeah, it’ll be a blast.” She turned to Caden. “You in?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I’ll even borrow my dad’s car and pick both of you up.”
Dance plans settled, Ashlyn glanced around. Their chosen lookout was about a hundred yards from the train bridge. Having come through the woods, she hadn’t had to skid down any steep slopes like she had that day she’d gone under the bridge. Rather, she and Caden had come out at the water’s edge well below that structure. According to Rachel, this was the perfect vantage point. Looking up at the bridge, all dark looming concrete and steel in the moonlight, Ashlyn believed her. And if the legend was true, she didn’t want to be any closer.
The ground was cold beneath her as she sat down with the others to wait, but no one complained. As Rachel had said, it was a shot in the dark as to whether this would be a train traveling night. Frankly, Ashlyn would be thrilled if they didn’t see anything. She just liked being here with these two at the river’s edge. They told dumb jokes for a while, started to try to freak each other out with ghost stories, but considering they were waiting for a ghost train, that was short-lived. They talked and laughed, the soft curtain of night lending an air of intimacy, until finally they were all talked out and just enjoying the silence.
Ashlyn inhaled deeply. The night air was cool and smelled unmistakably of fall, but with an underlying tinge of mud and organic decay contributed by the river and the fainter odor of creosote from the railroad ties upwind of them. The sky overhead was starry, but not quite as lavishly strewn as some nights when she’d gazed out her bedroom window. The full moon — huge and white — was amazing, but its brightness overpowered some of the dimmer lights. Even so, there were more stars than Ashlyn ever saw in the night skies back home, where artificial light was a constant. She leaned back, drinking it in, growing dizzy on it. Man it was nice here. Cozy, surrounded by her friends.
Friends . Yeah, she liked that.
“So what’s with the scarf?”
Caden’s question caught them both off guard. Ashlyn’s gaze ping-ponged between Caden and Rachel, who stared at each other.
Rachel’s hand dropped down from the material she’d been fingering at her throat. “What, you don’t like bright orange?”
“Hey, who doesn’t?” Caden said easily. “But you seem to be holding it pretty carefully in place. Going for maximum coverage. Everything okay, Rachel?”
The breath she sucked in was audible,
“Okay, okay!” Rachel threw her hands up in the air. “I get it! I never ever go to these things, but you don’t have to beg, Caden. If you really want to experience local culture ….” she gagged dramatically into her hand “…then we’ll go to the dance.”
“Rachel, I—”
“But just keep in mind it’s not a date-date, right? I mean, you’re a nice enough guy and all, but I just don’t like you that way. Understand? Don’t get your hopes up.” Rachel turned to Ashlyn. “Hey, Ash, you should come too.”
Ashlyn smiled. Oh so very damn tightly. “Wow, yeah, great idea, Rachel. We’ll all three go.”
“Great!” Rachel smiled broadly, but when she angled her head toward Ashlyn, she winked one eye slyly.
Ashlyn did a double-take. Rachel was trying to help her out? God, could she seriously believe Ashlyn was too shy to ask Caden to the dance herself? Surely not! Granted, they hadn’t known each other that long yet, but how could Rachel imagine—
It struck her then; Rachel wanted to go to the dance, no matter what she might say about relishing her outsider role. And she wanted even more to be included in their friendship, this circle of three. Desperately needed to be.
Ashlyn felt her face relax into a real smile. “Yeah, it’ll be a blast.” She turned to Caden. “You in?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I’ll even borrow my dad’s car and pick both of you up.”
Dance plans settled, Ashlyn glanced around. Their chosen lookout was about a hundred yards from the train bridge. Having come through the woods, she hadn’t had to skid down any steep slopes like she had that day she’d gone under the bridge. Rather, she and Caden had come out at the water’s edge well below that structure. According to Rachel, this was the perfect vantage point. Looking up at the bridge, all dark looming concrete and steel in the moonlight, Ashlyn believed her. And if the legend was true, she didn’t want to be any closer.
The ground was cold beneath her as she sat down with the others to wait, but no one complained. As Rachel had said, it was a shot in the dark as to whether this would be a train traveling night. Frankly, Ashlyn would be thrilled if they didn’t see anything. She just liked being here with these two at the river’s edge. They told dumb jokes for a while, started to try to freak each other out with ghost stories, but considering they were waiting for a ghost train, that was short-lived. They talked and laughed, the soft curtain of night lending an air of intimacy, until finally they were all talked out and just enjoying the silence.
Ashlyn inhaled deeply. The night air was cool and smelled unmistakably of fall, but with an underlying tinge of mud and organic decay contributed by the river and the fainter odor of creosote from the railroad ties upwind of them. The sky overhead was starry, but not quite as lavishly strewn as some nights when she’d gazed out her bedroom window. The full moon — huge and white — was amazing, but its brightness overpowered some of the dimmer lights. Even so, there were more stars than Ashlyn ever saw in the night skies back home, where artificial light was a constant. She leaned back, drinking it in, growing dizzy on it. Man it was nice here. Cozy, surrounded by her friends.
Friends . Yeah, she liked that.
“So what’s with the scarf?”
Caden’s question caught them both off guard. Ashlyn’s gaze ping-ponged between Caden and Rachel, who stared at each other.
Rachel’s hand dropped down from the material she’d been fingering at her throat. “What, you don’t like bright orange?”
“Hey, who doesn’t?” Caden said easily. “But you seem to be holding it pretty carefully in place. Going for maximum coverage. Everything okay, Rachel?”
The breath she sucked in was audible,
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