To my real-life Sonia, who has always deserved more.
Bellamy
Twelve Years Old
“Come on. Pick up the pace, you guys. It will be dark soon, and we’re going to be in trouble,” I yell back to my two best friends, Sonia and Elle, as we race our bikes down the gravel road.
“If I pedal any faster, my legs are going to fly off,” Elle pants from the back of the line.
We’re on our way back to my house from an afternoon of swimming down at Balsam Cove, and we lost track of time. Momma’s going to be fit to be tied by the time we make it to the ranch.
“Bells, we’re going to have to stop for a minute. I can’t breathe,” Sonia huffs, and I look back to see they are both off their bikes and walking.
I slow my pace and pull over to the side of the road. I hop off and wait for them to catch up to me.
“I’m so out of shape,” Sonia whines as they finally make it to me.
“Me too. My side hurts,” Elle agrees.
“Y’all need to try out for the middle school cheerleading squad with me this year. I promise, Mrs. McGraw would have you two whipped into shape in no time,” I encourage them.
“I’m not coordinated enough for cheerleading. Besides, you’re the only girl on that squad that I can stand to be around. They’re all so snotty,” Elle protests.
“Yeah, I’d rather be fat than have to spend every afternoon with the mean girls,” Sonia agrees.
“I know they can be uppity, but I wouldn’t let anyone treat you guys badly. You know that. And for the record, neither of you are fat. You’re a perfect athletic build. That’s why I think you should try out. You two would put those girls to shame,” I insist.
As we walk along, pushing our bikes, the sound of not-too-distant thunder rumbles beyond the woods.
“Uh-oh, did you guys hear that?” I ask.
We look up and see the rapidly moving black clouds blowing in on the evening breeze. Then, suddenly, lightning strikes across the top of the tree.
We all let out a scream as huge, cold raindrops begin to pound down on us. We drop our bikes in the grass and flee in search of cover. I reach a heavy iron gate at the end of Mashstomp Road and force it open. They follow me as I make my way up the overgrown path that leads to a huge white house that was obviously abandoned long ago. We run to the covered front porch and climb the four steps to huddle under the shelter.
“What is this place?” Sonia asks as she peers into one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame each side of the doors.
“It’s the Sugarman Homestead. A mansion built by one of the founders of Poplar Falls,” I tell her.
“Really? I didn’t even know anything was back here.”
“That’s what Pop told me.”
“Does anyone live here?” Elle asks as she joins Sonia at the window.
“I don’t think so. Not anymore,” I answer as I come up behind them and take a look inside.
“Wow, it’s huge! Like, three times the size of our house,” Elle says.
“The whole town could live in there,” Sonia agrees.
It’s not that big, but it is impressive and reminds me of an old Southern plantation, like Tara from Gone with the Wind.
“Let’s look around back,” Sonia suggests and hops off the left side of the porch.
“What about the rain?” I complain.
I’m not a fan of storms. Lightning scares the devil out of me; it has ever since I was little and saw it strike one of the scarecrows in my grandma’s garden. He went up in flames and caught her entire field on fire. It happened so fast there was nothing Grandpa could do to stop it.
“Oh, come on. It’s just a little rain now. You won’t melt. We have our bathing suits on under our shorts,” she calls from the side, where she is now climbing the fence.
“What if we get into trouble? The sign says, No trespassing,” Elle whispers as we make it to the fence and watch as Sonia hops over it and drops to the other side.
“Like the sheriff is going to be out in this weather,” she says as she rolls her eyes.
She walks off into the yard at the back of the house. Elle and I are still standing in indecision when she calls to us, “Guys, you have to see this!”
Curiosity finally gets the best of us, and we climb