Light

God, I loved summer. The carefree air about people and the summer heat that brought about girls in short shorts and tank tops.

I couldn’t help myself from watching Lucy as she leaned against the side of the van while Carter filled the tank at the pump. I was more than grateful that Char had used her overly friendly persona to reel in the pretty girl that had recently joined our cross-country road trip.

Carter, Travis, Char and I have been best friends since we were kids. We always did everything together, and had the best adventures. This summer was our last hoorah before we each went our separate ways.

Travis and Char were going off to colleges in random places across the country while Carter was the only one of us staying in our Podunk town on the East Coast. Me? At the close of the summer, I was off to roam the world. I could never be tied down to any one place, and only did so, so far because I didn’t have another option.

But now, now I was free. I was free to live adventurously, throw caution to the wind, and live in the moment. Starting with Lucy.

I wanted to get to know Lucy, crack her shell. So far, she had kept to herself, not even attempting to converse or get to know any of her quote unquote chauffeurs. But that was about to change, whether she liked it or not.

“Whatcha writing?” I asked as I leaned to read over her shoulder. She closed her notebook, throwing a shy look in my direction.

“N-nothing.”

“Oh, come on. Are those lyrics?” I was blown away by how well she played guitar; I’d never heard someone play so beautifully.

She bit her lip, an action that set off a series of butterflies in my stomach. I pulled away slightly, unnerved. I—the Jones Logan Cartwright, son of our Podunk town’s Mayor Logan Charles Cartwright—never got butterflies.

I was never nervous around a girl. But, Lucy, I was nervous around, and I couldn’t put my finger on why.

The van was quiet for a change. Probably due to the fact that it was only six thirty in the morning and we had only just stopped to gas up and stretch. Now, Travis was sprawled across the middle row, fast asleep while Char sat in the passenger seat, her legs tucked underneath her as she texted endlessly and Carter drove, both hands tightly gripping the wheel.

Lucy and I sat in the farthest row. I couldn’t take my eyes off her face even after she turned to look out the window, her notebook held firmly to her chest. I studied the planes of her face, her high cheekbones, perfect nose, and long lashes. She was a type of beautiful that couldn’t be found back home.

I couldn’t put my finger exactly on what it was that made her so different. I just knew she was. Different, I mean.