Fourteen by C.M. Smith

backwards,” I instructed, placing my hands on her back and pushing her again. “My name’s Anna. What’s yours?”
    “Ella. That’s Hunter.” She pointed to the little boy Evan was pushing before grabbing the chain again. “He’s my boyfriend.”
    “Oh really?”
    I stifled a laugh and saw Evan’s sly smile, the little boy making gagging noises.
    “Yep! Is that guy yours? He has pretty hair.”
    My eyes widened, and I looked back down at the top of her head, clearing my throat nervously and pushing her again.
    “We’re just friends, sweetie.”
    “Oh. Well . . . friends are good.”
    “Yes, friends are very good.”
    “Ella! Hunter! Come on! It’s time to go!”
    I grabbed the chains and stopped the swing as she jumped off.
    “Thanks, Anna! Bye!”
    “Yeah, bye!” Hunter yelled as he chased after Ella.
    I looked over at Evan to find him kicking the sand, and I plopped back down into my swing and pushed myself back and forth. He slowly did the same, staring straight ahead, as he slowly swung back and forth.
    “You okay?” I asked, dragging the toe of my sneakers in the dirt and looking at him.
    “Yeah.” He smiled at me. “I’m just thinking.”
    “Anything you’re willing to share?”
    “You’re good with kids, you know?”
    Looking down at my lap, I said, “Thanks. I love kids.”
    “I never really thought that I wanted kids.”
    “No?”
    He stared across the park as he pushed himself off the ground and started swinging in earnest. “Too much responsibility . . . not being able to give them back to their parents when they start crying and all.” He chuckled, looking over at me. “But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
    “You’ve just gotta find the right person.” I shrugged and looked away, staring down at my feet as I pushed myself back. “Anything is possible then.”
    “You’re a romantic, huh?”
    “Maybe.” I glanced at him and said, “Have to have something to believe in, right?”
    He abruptly stopped swinging; I followed suit as he stood stiffly and walked behind me. I tensed, closed my eyes tightly, and waited for the worst to happen. His arms slid around my shoulders before I felt his breath on my ear as he bent down. I relaxed, opening my eyes and cautiously leaning back into him.
    “I hope one day that you’ll trust me, Anna,” he whispered into my ear, his arms tightening around my shoulders. “I know it’s not easy.”
    “I am trying.”
    “I know. So am I.”
    “I know that, too.”
    He kissed my cheek before standing, and I blushed, blinking at my feet before I felt his hands on my back, slowly pushing me forward.
    “Tell me something.”
    “Like what?”
    I crossed my ankles as he continued to push me.
    “Ever snuck out before?”
    “No,” I snorted. “You?”
    “All the time.”
    “Rebel.”
    “Maybe. Ever gotten drunk?”
    “Once with Christina and Vince at her house when we were in ninth grade.”
    “Now who’s the rebel?”
    “Still you,” I said, trying to hide the smile as he pushed me a little higher. “Ever not been able to talk your way out of something?”
    “Only with my mom.” He chuckled. “It’s like she can see through me and read my mind. Ever been in love?”
    “No.” I sighed. “How about you?”
    “I thought I was once,” he said. “Turned out that not everything ends the way it’s supposed to.”
    “What happened?”
    “She broke up with me for someone else.”
    “Who was it?”
    “She moved away a few months after.”
    I dug my heels into the dirt and turned to look at him. There was only one person that he could possibly be talking about. They had been the power couple, the king and queen of Collins Point High during freshman year until out of the blue, she showed up at school holding hands with Dane McKinley, a senior and star of the basketball team.
    “Laura Crest?”
    He shifted uneasily and stuck his hands in his jean pockets.
    “Yeah.”
    “I’m sorry, Evan.”
    He laughed uneasily