Colorblind by Siera Maley Page B

was telling her how beautiful she looked, a feeling so powerfully foreboding settled within me that I felt paralyzed with fear. I watched her and Dad laugh together as he twirled her around, watching her dress spin, and then I blurted out, “I don’t feel good.”
    They both turned toward me, and I tipped forward abruptly, and, barely managing to stay on my feet, vomited. They rushed to me, one on either side of me, and Mom held back my hair as Dad helped me stay on my feet.
    “Honey, let’s get you to your bed,” Mom cooed in my ear. “We’ll get you a trash can to put beside it. Your dad will take good care of you.”
    I shook my head and gripped at her. “No. I want you to stay.”
    She looked at me grimly. “I can’t, sweetie. I have dinner plans with Pam.”
    “Please.” I didn’t know why I needed her around so suddenly, but the feeling was there, deep inside me, and I felt it from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I couldn’t ignore it. “Please stay.”
    “Your father will stay with you,” she insisted, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
    I jolted awake, breathing hard, and fumbled for the clock on my nightstand. I turned it toward me and squinted. It was two in the morning.
    Sighing, I rolled over and stared at my bedroom wall, vivid images from my dream swirling around in my mind. I didn’t need time to recall the details; they were all already embedded deep in my head. That night was impossible to forget. I hadn’t pushed hard enough. I’d known her number, and I’d had a feeling so strong it’d made me sick. But I hadn’t pushed hard enough to make her stay.
    If it happened with Chloe… when it happened with Chloe… I’d be ready.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
     
    “So what you’re saying is that I’m basically going to be forced to sit through the awkwardness along with you, then.”
    “Basically,” I agreed, nodding over at Chloe. She grinned at me from the passenger’s seat of the car.
    “Okay. But I’m staying over afterward.” She let out a squeal as Baxter surprised her from the back seat, jumping into her lap and licking at her face.
    “Careful, I’m driving,” I reminded her.
    “Super slowly. Where are we going? You should just tell me.”
    “To one of my favorite places in San Francisco,” was all I said.
    “Is it a gay bar? I hope it’s not. I don’t want to meet other girls.”
    “I’m flattered,” I joked and ignored the way my stomach flopped.
    “I have this theory,” Chloe began.
    “You have a lot of theories.”
    She ignored me and continued, “-that if I hit on you relentlessly enough, you’ll crack eventually. See, when guys do it, it’s creepy and gross, but I’m female and adorable and you actually like hanging out with me, so it’s okay.”
    “Is it?”
    She nodded simply and proceeded to kiss Baxter over and over on his head. He licked at her mouth and she saw me pull a face. “You’re just jealous he gets to kiss me and you don’t.”
    “Uh huh.” I pulled into a parking lot and Chloe tugged at Baxter’s leash until he was under control. Then we got out of the car together. “Okay.” I pointed to the woods nearby. “We’re following that trail there for only about half a mile or so. My dad told me about this place a few years back. He and mom went here in high school on their first date.”
    “Are you serious? And you try to act like you don’t like me,” Chloe marveled, her mouth wide open.
    “You wanted to see where I go for fun and which places I like around here,” I insisted. “This is it.”
    “And it’s a romantic dating spot your parents used to use. How convenient,” she drawled, sauntering past me. Or… attempting to. Baxter pulling at his leash ruined it a little.
    We wound our way down the trail for ten minutes or so before we came to my parents’ hidden gem of a spot. Buried in the woods was a drop-off that led to a small body of water, distantly connected to the