Fire in the Woods Read Online Free PDF Page A

breaths as I scooped the slippery cubes off the linoleum. My hands shook. Why couldn’t he understand how much that camera meant to me? Why couldn’t he understand that his dreams weren’t the same as mine? I shoved the container back into the freezer and sat down at the kitchen table. I doodled the deer’s antlers on the edge of a pad, trying to calm myself down as I prepared for the impending fight.
    Dad barreled around the corner. “Jess, where have you been?”
    “I told you, I went to the store.”
    “You were supposed to stay home.”
    “You said last night. I went out this morning.”
    His face reddened. “When I tell you to stay home, I need you to stay home.”
    “I left a note and everything, didn’t I? And I called, like a good little soldier, but as usual, you didn’t pick up the phone. You never pick up the phone.”
    “Don’t you try to turn this around on me.”
    “Don’t worry. I didn’t do any more stupid things.” I pushed past him and stormed up the stairs.
    “Jessica!”
    I slammed my bedroom door. The covers poofed up around me as I flopped onto my bed. Only think about myself? Dumb photography? What did he know? I rolled over and hugged my pillow. It was the same argument, different day. Nothing would change. Ever.
    By now, Dad was probably half way to counting to a hundred to calm down. He’d need to get to two-hundred before he’d come up here and give his stylized lame apology. God, I hated that part.
    I rubbed my face, remembering why I’d come home in the first place. I needed to find a way to smuggle some ice past Dad. But how? There was no chance of getting out of the house again until he stopped focusing on me.
    A prisoner until the game played out, I decided to kill time with Maggie. I slipped my phone out of my pocket, and dialed her up. “Hey girl.”
    “Hey, you. What’s up?”
    “My dad as usual, but guess what just happened in the woods? I was chasing after a deer—”
    “Again?”
    “Yeah. Anyway, there was this noise, and it felt like my head would explode, and then there was this guy, and he heard it too.”
    “A guy?” She giggled. “Okay, now I’m interested. I thought you were going to tell me another stupid Jess chases an animal story. So, fess up. Was he cute?”
    A sigh slipped from my lips. “Didn’t you hear about the noise? I mean, it was really loud. Did you hear anything?”
    “Nope, no noise. Now spill it about the guy.”
    I rolled over onto my stomach. “His name is David.”
    “Isn’t David the name you made up for your dream prince?”
    I giggled. “Omigosh, how’d you remember that? We were, like, thirteen.”
    “I remember those juicy stories you made up about him—all tall, dark and Greek-God delicious.”
    The more I thought about it, David actually did look a lot like—
    “So was he running through the woods taking pictures of animals, too?”
    “No. Can you keep a secret?” I rolled onto my back. “He’s hiding out there from someone.”
    “Hiding? Girl, you’re not hooking up with a serial killer or anything, right?”
    “He’s not a serial killer. He’s like, seventeen, eighteen tops.”
    “Didn’t you see that movie Scream ? Those two were—”
    “Can we come back to reality please?”
    “Okay. Okay. Okay. So, what’s he running from?”
    “Dunno.” I rubbed my fingertips, remembering the heat radiating from his skin. “He said it wasn’t the cops. I’m hoping he talks to me when I go back.”
    Maggie snickered. “You’re going to meet him again in the woods? Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, are you finally going to do something naughty? And without me?”
    I sat up, knocking the pillow off my bed. “No. I just want to help him. He’s hurt.”
    “I bet you want to help him.” She giggled.
    “Stop. You are so bad.”
    “But seriously, Jess. You don’t know anything about this guy.”
    I chewed the top of my lip, thinking about Dad’s conversation with Grandma. Was I being stupid? I needed to make a