Shane and I walked into a small, air-conditioned deli. Shane had his arm draped around my shoulders, and I was blushing so hard, I probably looked like a giant tomato. I'd already seen a few people take pictures of us, no doubt to send in to magazines and stuff.
Shane decided to make our relationship public, something about crazy fan girls leaving him alone. And if it made him happy, I would go along with it. But secretly, I was glad to finally let the secret out. I mean, it's one thing to keep a small secret. But to keep it a secret that you're dating a famous popstar? You feel like shouting it to the world. And then you get mobbed.
Anywho, Shane and I had pretty much done nothing but walk around town and get people used to the sight of us together. Good news is, not too many people made a big deal out of it. Bad news is, the few people who had, now hate my guts. Some of the girls from my school saw me with Shane, and when we walked by, they hissed at me, "Bitch."
"Hey, you okay?" Shane asked, noticing my silence. I nodded and tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace.
"I'm fine," I lied pathetically.
"No, you're not," he said. "Is it because of what those girls said?" So he had heard too.
"Say something," I ordered. "Anything. Distract me so I won't think about it."
"Uh... What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know, anything. Something from when we were little." Oh God. Now he's gonna bring up all my most embarrassing moments.
"Um, it wasn't until I was twelve, and you were ten, that I realized you were a girl." He must not have meant to say that, cause he immediatlely blushed. Shane Gray doesn't blush.
"What??!" How could he not know that? I meant to look apalled, but I could feel an unconcious smile on my face anyway.
"Well, you weren't exactly an ordinary girl, Mitch," he defended himself. "You never acted like all the other girls. In third grade, I remember you locked some kid in the ball cage. Hell, when we made our blood promise, you were the first one to cut your palm with my Swiss army knife. I always thought of you as one of the guys." I fingered the leathery scar that was still on my palm and grinned.
"Yeah, I guess I always did act more like a guy than a girl," I admitted. Shane grinned at me, and I grinned back. We both lifted out hands, his right and my left, and we pressed our palms together, interlacing our fingers. The scars were in the exact same places on our hands, and pressed against each other.
"Friends till the end," I recited, remembering my part.
"Forever and always." I had been nine when we did that. Shane and I had wanted some way to promise each other that we'd always be friends, no matter what came up. We'd read a story about a pioneer boy and an Indian boy cutting the tips of their fingers and pressing their fingers together, mixing their blood. So we'd cut our palms and pressed them together for almost a minute. While our hands were pressed together, we'd said those words, and they became our saying.
Shane peered out the window and smiled back at me. "I think all the crazy fan mobs are gone." I sighed a breath of relief.
"Good. Wanna go to the lake house?" Shane nodded, and we walked out the door, our hands interlaced. Shane held himself in a proud stance, head held high, but kept in check so he didn't appear cocky. However, I kept my head ducked, my hair falling in front of my face so as to protect my identity. Shane must have noticed, because the next thing I knew, he was dragging me off into a wooded area. I still kept my head ducked though.
"Mitch, it's the woods," he said. "You don't have to act like a criminal."
"Says the pop star who's used to all this craziness."
"I do believe you mean 'rockstar'."
"I do believe you're wrong," I teased. Shane smiled back mischieveously. The next thing I knew, he'd picked me up and thrown me over his shoulders, sack of potatoes style. I gasped in surprise.
"Shane! Let me down!! Shane!!!!" He contined deeper into the woods, and I tried to get myself down. Soon I realized we were at the elementary school across from my house. Shane set me down on a swing, and I stared defiantly back up at him. He circled around to the back and gently pulled the seat back slightly, then let go. The breeze brushed my hair back, then forward as I swung back towards Shane. I turned my head as he pushed me forward again, and he smiled at me. When I swung back, he caught the swing and captured my lips in a passionate kiss.
I slowly slid off the swing so I was standing, never breaking the kiss. Shane's hands tangled in my hair, and I loosely wrapped my arms around his neck. The world stopped, and it was just the two of us. All those years ago when we actually went to this school, I would have never pictured me kissing Shane. At the time, the only way I could think about him was as a good friend. But now, I couldn't picture my life without him.
We came up for air, panting, and Shane wrapped me in his embrace. I felt so safe, as if nothing could ever touch us. I loved the feel of his arms wrapped around me, and I rested my head on his chest. I could hear the steady beating of his heart, the most beautiful lullaby I've ever known. I felt him kiss my head, then he backed up and took my hand. He led me wordlessly across the street, past my house and into the woods towards the lake house.
Our arms swung lightly as we walked, our fingers interlocked. Shane began playing with my little finger, and I laughed quietly to myself. He'd always done that when we were young. I guess it was just a habit he never got rid of. I suddenly broke away from him, sprinting towards the lake. I heard Shane laugh and start running after me. I could hear him crashing through the brush, while I ran almost silently. I pictured myself becoming one with the wind, howling and mysterious. I made it to the "cliffside" in no time, and began climbing up. At the top, I paused for a few moments, the wind whipping my hair around. It was really beginning to pick up, though I couldn't understand why. I spread my arms wide, leaned forward, and allowed myself to fall over the edge.
"Mitchie, wait!" I heard Shane call, but it was too late. In a second, I was in the water, deeper than I'd meant. I bumped against some rocks, scratching up my side, but I didn't care. The cool water felt good against my skin. I was vaguely aware that I was still fully clothed, but I didn't care at all. I could hear someone yelling above the surface, and I knew it was Shane. I knew I'd stayed under too long for his comfort, and I was running out of air, anyway. But as I started swimming towards the surface, something pulled me down. I tried again and again, but I was held firmly in place. I looked down to see my anklet caught between some rocks. I tried to pull free, to move the rocks, but they wouldn't budge. I began to panick, yanking my leg, trying to set myself free. Nothing worked, and I was slowly losing more and more air. Black spots were beginning to block my vision, burning holes into what I could see.
"Shane! Help me!" I began to scream. Big mistake. All I got out was "Sh-" before all the air rushed out of me, and my mouth filled with water. The black spots began connecting, and my movements became slower and less coordinated. With my last burst of energy, I shoved the rock that was trapping me off of my bracelet. Then the cold blackness swallowed me whole.