Insider by Micalea Smeltzer Page A

softly and held out a hand to help me.
     
    I started once more towards the monster before screaming. “I can’t! I don’t think I can do this!”
     
    He grabbed my hand in his and pulled me closer to the bike. I let out a high-pitched girlish scream.
     
    Caeden dropped my hand and covered his face in order to hide his laughter. I was too busy screaming to tell him he failed miserably.
     
    I saw a few neighbors peek out their doors to see what the squealing was about.
     
    “Sophie, it’s fine, r eally,” Caeden wiped away tears of laughter.
     
    “No, no, no, no!” I squealed.
     
    I closed my eyes. I can do this. It’s just a motorcycle. Come on, Sophie, don’t be a wimp. I told myself this with as much determination as I could muster. I swung my leg over the side of the motorcycle and wrapped my arms around Caeden; all with my eyes closed.
     
    He revved the bike and pulled out of the driveway much too fast for my taste. I would have preferred one mile per hour. It got even worse though when he sped through the neighborhood.
     
    “Caeden!” I screamed and my thighs dig into his sides while my fingers gripped his shirt.
     
    When he parked in the hardware store parking lot I was still screaming and apparently paralyzed. “Sophie?” he rubbed my leg. “You okay?”
     
    I closed my mouth in order to cut off the high-pitched keening escaping my lips. Who knew a wolf could scream like a jungle cat?
     
    “Sophie, you need to get off now,” he coaxed.
     
    I finally found my voice a few moments later. “I can’t move.”
     
    He chuckled, which shook the bike, and made me scream again.
     
    “I’m going to help you off the bike. Okay Soph?”
     
    He sounded like he was trying to talk a suicidal person off a ledge.
     
    “Put your feet down on the ground,” he said. I did as I was told and a whimper escaped my lips. “Good, now let go of my shirt.”
     
    “No, no, no,” I leaned my head against his back. “I can’t.”
     
    “Yes, you can,” he pried my fingers from his clothes. “Now swing one leg over and you’re off.”
     
    I slowly swung my one leg over but held onto Caeden’s shoulder for support. My heart was beating faster than it ever had before and my stomach was rolling. I was afraid I might throw up so I quickly pulled the helmet off.
     
    Caeden climbed off the bike, locked our helmets inside the storage compartment, and then took my hand.
     
    “You did great,” he kissed my forehead.
     
    “And you’re a liar,” I said. My voice sounded shaky.
     
    He laughed as the sliding doors opened with a gush of air, ushering us inside. Caeden led me straight to the paint section.
     
    “What do you have in mind?” he asked.
     
    “I don’t know,” I picked up a few paint chips to study. “Something different.”
     
    Caeden snorted. “I kinda figured that.”
     
    There were so many colors to choose from and since I had no idea what I wanted to do with my room anything was an option.
     
    “What do you think of this color?” I held up a peach shade to Caeden.
     
    “Eh,” he made a face. “Do you really want to sleep inside a fruit?”
     
    “Good point,” I said and put the chip back.
     
    Caeden picked one up. “What about this one?”
     
    “It’s blue,” I commented.
     
    “Yeah, so,” he glanced at it and shrugged.
     
    “My room’s already blue,” I stuck my hands on my hips.
     
    “So? That’s an old, faded, ugly blue. This is a nice pretty pale blue,” he said.
     
    “No,” I said and took it from him. “I don’t want blue.”
     
    “What about green?” he asked.
     
    “Hmm, green? Maybe,” I said, “I do like green.”
     
    I switched my focus to solely shades of green. I settled on a funky shade of green that wasn’t overwhelming.
     
    “This is it,” I said.
     
    Caeden motioned to a person working in the store. The man came over and said, “Can I help you with something?”
     
    “Yes,” Caeden took the paint chip from my hand