Fire Always Burns - By Krista Lakes Page 0,31

It was a cold fury that scared me more than him yelling. He continued, his voice frosting the entire room. "I can't believe you two would do this. I didn't know our friendship, all of our friendships meant so little to you. Holly, I want you out of this shop. Tell your dad to get the parts he needs from another store. Andrew, your shift is done for the day. If you need to change your shifts, talk to my dad. I don't want to see either of you."

"Luke, please, we didn't mean to hurt you," I said taking a step towards him. He put up his empty hand to stop me, his other hand gripping his apron so tight I was sure it was going to break.

"Holly, if you didn't mean to hurt me, you wouldn't have done this. You would have kept the promise you made to your friends. I thought you were better than this- I thought you were smarter than this. I want you both out of my shop. Now."

Andrew and I looked towards one another, and back towards Luke. Cold fury and pain swirled around him, filling the room like a snowstorm. Andrew took off his work apron and set it carefully on the counter, putting his hand on my shoulder. He pulled me towards the front door, and I glanced back over my shoulder to look back. Luke stood in the center of the store, his hand still gripping his apron and a look of utter betrayal and loss on his face.

I had betrayed the one person who had always looked out for me. Andrew opened the door, and I felt a cold tear run down my face. The wind battered both of us as we walked to Andrew's car in silence, my heart growing heavier with every step. I slid into the passenger seat, the plastic leather cold and hard. The wind howled outside the window as we sat there in silence for a moment.

"I can't believe how bad I feel right now," I whispered as I wiped a tear off my cheek.

"I feel the same way," Andrew agreed quietly.

"What did Luke mean when he said he came close to breaking the promise?" I asked as Andrew started up the car.

"Britney. He has a thing for Britney. When you went away and Eli got his job in the city, it was just the three of us. I was still really busy dealing with all Dad's stuff, so I wasn't around much. He and Britney got really close. I didn't know just how close until today though. I feel terrible," he said quietly as he turned onto the main road.

The sun was setting, but instead of turning the world into shades of gold, it hid behind the clouds and simply dimmed the world to gray. A cold snow spitted at the car. It wasn't enough moisture to make anything wet, just enough to leave spots on the windshield and suck the heat from the world. Flakes hit the windshield like little angry bullets, evaporating as soon as they touched the ground.

"Can I come hang out at your place? I don't feel like going home," I asked staring out into the deepening gloom. Andrew nodded and silence filled the car. Neither one of us felt much like talking. Andrew punched the radio, looking for something to fill the quiet.

"In other news, this has been the driest winter on record. The national weather service reports that the drought is likely to continue. Officials are already concerned for the high fire danger present in most counties throughout the state," the radio reporter droned. Andrew switched the station to oldies. A snowflake hit my window, melting quickly and distorting the world outside. All I could see in the darkening night was Luke's face and the pain we had just caused him.

Chapter 9

Smoke darkened the skies like false clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but the clouds refused to release their moisture. Ash and soot filled the air sucking what little moisture was left from the parched land, giving further fuel to the flames.

I woke up, the room unfamiliar. I panicked for a moment before realizing I had fallen asleep on Andrew's couch. A thin gray light was filling the room announcing dawn. Andrew was snoring gently, asleep on the recliner next to me, the TV flickering with an infomercial.

"Morning Holly. You want some coffee?" Audrey whispered, peeking her head around from the kitchen. I nodded and sat up