The Understorey, Book One of The Leaving Series by Fisher Amelie Page B

around Sadie’s shop for about an hour. I
lounge on the dark purple settee she has in her window, people
watching and chatting with Sadie about nothing in particular.
That’s when I see him . I jump up and crouch behind the
settee, my head just above the tufted back. He walks over to the
newly renovated old fashioned train station and sits on the bench
just outside it. What are you up to now Elliott gray?
    “What are you doing Julia?”
    “Shh, get down.” I grab her sleeve and pull.
“I’m spying on Elliott Gray.”
Sadie crouches down beside me.
    “What’s he doing?” She asks.
    “He’s just sitting there. Wait! Someone’s
coming!”
    “Isn’t that Robyn Larson?”
    I accidentally growl through gritted teeth. Oops . Sadie laughs. Robyn Larson is an incredibly sweet girl
but she’s rather popular with the boys at school. I tried
once our sophomore year to get her to be my friend, thought it
would help her self-esteem a little, get her to realize she was
something worth waiting for but it wasn’t happening. She knew what
she wanted. I tried, at least.
    “I don’t like him. I don’t want him,” I say
bluntly.
    “Oh yeah, because everyone growls. It’s a
natural part of everyday conversation right?”
    I have no witty retort for that.
    “What do you suppose they’re talking about?”
Sadie asks.
    “I don’t know. Why didn’t I bring my spy
equipment with me today?”
    “You left them at home again?” She snaps her
middle finger and thumb, playing along. “Must be setting next to
the four inch incisors that came with that growl.”
    “Funny.”
    “I thought it was.”
    Elliott and Robyn sit for at least half an hour
before going their separate ways. Sadie and I stay camped out on
the floor even after Elliott turns the corner at Thatcher’s.
Apparently, neither of us heard the bell ring earlier because I
look to my left and Sawyer is crouched beside me.
    “What are we looking at?” He asks, with the
largest smile on his face, when I finally take notice of him.
    “Are you destined to interrupt every
embarrassing moment I have?”
    “Looks like it.”
    “Awesome. What? Do you get memos or
something?”
    “Possibly.”
    “Mind forwarding those to me? I’d rather avoid
these little moments if I could.”
    “Where would be the fun in that?”
We all stand up and Sadie tucks herself behind her counter.
    “What are you doing Julia? You have to tell me
now.”
    “I can’t Sawyer. Don’t ask again, please? I just
can’t.”
Sawyer sighs. “Alright.”
    Out of nowhere an uncomfortable silence
creeps in and I’m not sure which direction it flew in from because
I could have sworn I blocked all those exits when I was around
Sawyer Tuttle.
        “So? Sawyer?”
    “Julia?” He grins.
    “Do you know Robyn Larson?”
His eyes grow huge.
    “I don’t mean know Robyn Larson. I mean
just, like, do you know anything about her?”
    “Uh, well.” He scrubs the back of his neck. “I
don’t mean to gossip but I heard she might be pregnant.”
Sadie’s eyes beat Sawyer’s earlier expression.
    “Oh,” I say. “Do you know who the...who the
daddy is?”
    “Julia!” Sadie says, choking on the water she
was attempting to drink.
    “I’m sorry. That’s an inappropriate
question.”
    “It doesn’t matter. I don’t think you’d know the
father. I heard it’s....well, I heard it’s some boy from
Charleston’s baby.”
    “Oh dear.”
    “Yeah. Sad.”
    “Extremely,” I agree.
    Sawyer peers out the colorful glass
windows.
    “Walk home with me?” Sawyer asks, throwing his
shoulder the direction of the door.

    Sunday, at church, my family sits two rows
behind Elliott Gray’s family and I find myself wondering what he
was doing yesterday with Robyn Larson. I really like her, despite
her