Fusion (Explosive #5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the air, unable to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sierra and how pretty she was the first time I’d seen her. Her long, blonde hair, which looked so soft that I wanted to touch it to see if it really was. Her skin, tan and smooth, with freckles I wanted to play connect the dots with. Bright, blue eyes that watched my every move. And her smile, big and wide. I wanted to make her smile all the time.
    I shook my head at the thought. She’s just a girl.
    Just a girl.
    A girl I was going to marry one day.
    It didn’t quite hit me like a bolt of lightning or anything like that. I just knew. It kind of dawned on me, and I had no reason to question it.
    Because let’s face it. Why wouldn’t I want to spend my life with a girl who was as pretty as she was and who liked the same things I did? To me, we were already a match made in Heaven. It was kind of a no-brainer.
    And, with that, I fell asleep, a smile on my lips and the memory of Sierra Sullivan in my dreams.

    When my parents sat Lexi and me down to tell us that we were moving to Florida because of my dad’s job, I was devastated. Even though I was only eight years old, I’d already thought I’d made lifelong friends, and I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye.
    Those friends had nothing on Jeremy Banks, and from the moment I met him, I knew he was going to be my new best friend. I just hoped he’d felt the same.
    I soon found that he did. He didn’t look at me like I was another annoying girl trying to pal around with him. In fact, I fit right in with him and his other friend, Chris—even if I had threatened him for messing with Lexi the first time we met. All the kids from the neighborhood played together, and I was excited to make friends before school even started. Still, I was drawn to Jeremy the most. No matter what kind of mood I was in, he never failed to make me laugh. I liked being around him. He was so nice and inviting, and he made me feel brave. I’d like to think I did the same for him.
    Late one night, we were in his backyard, pretending to be camping. School was starting soon, and we wouldn’t be able to hang out as much, so we were both savoring our last “sleepover.” We lay in our sleeping bags, looking up at the stars as the crickets chirped around us. Lexi and Jenna had already fallen asleep, but my dad was snoring, keeping me and Jeremy in a fit of giggles. I snuck a peek at him, thinking about the scary story Chris had told us about some creature called Big Foot, who apparently liked to eat little kids.
    “Did that story scare you?” I asked.
    He looked over at me and shook his head. “Sierra, I’m a boy. Nothing scares me,” he declared, his jaw set tight.
    I sat up and narrowed my eyes, peering at him. “Oh, come on, Jeremy. There has to be something you’re scared of. Like me… I’m scared of the ocean.”
    His eyes widened as he rose, twisting so he was facing me. “You are? Why?”
    Dad let out a deep snore, so I scooted over until I was closer to him. “Jellyfish and sharks,” I admitted, feeling silly.
    “Really?” he asked.
    I nodded as I bit my lower lip. “Yeah. My mom says I don’t need to be worried about sharks and just that I need to keep my eyes out, but it still scares me. I’ve only put my feet in the water so far. I haven’t even been able to go into the water completely.”
    “I’m scared of sharks, too,” he whispered in return.
    I choked on a gasp, my eyes widening. “You are?”
    “Yeah. My dad made me watch Jaws and it scared the crap out of me. I haven’t gone in the water since.”
    I laughed and poked his shoulder. “I thought you weren’t scared of anything.”
    He shrugged and then yawned before lying back down. “Just sharks. But if you want, maybe we can face our fears and go in the water together.”
    I snuggled up in my sleeping bag and looked over at him. “You’d do that for me?”
    Jeremy smiled. “I’d do anything for you, Sierra.”
    That was the last thing either of us