Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(5)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Last time we talked, you were dating that girl up in Fairbanks. Did you break it off, or are you going to try to do the long distance thing?” Liam asked.

“I broke it off.” I was surprised that he would even ask. “It wasn’t anything serious.”

“I figured, but I thought I would check because Karen Myers has already been asking about you.”

“Wow. That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.” I had dated Karen back in eighth grade, and I was trying to picture what she would look like now. “So, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?” Although this wasn’t exactly the conversation I had anticipated, it was nice just to shoot the breeze with him.

“No, I’m single right now. No need to get into anything serious before leaving for college.” He shrugged. I agreed with him, and we went back to talking about sports. Eventually, I heard someone knocking out front, then Charlotte and Debbie came into the den with Monty.

“Hey guys, just a reminder that we have to leave for practice in less than twenty minutes,” Monty told us as he sat down on a couch. “Charlotte, you’re welcome to come if you want to see the school, but I’m guessing you would rather not.” He looked over to where Charlotte stood by the door.

“Good guess. No, I’ll just wait until tomorrow.”

After Liam grabbed his stuff, we said goodbye to Debbie and walked back to my house. We left Charlotte inside to finish unpacking, and Monty, Liam, and I drove over to the school together. I was looking forward to meeting the rest of the team and getting back onto the court. I couldn’t help but think about what it was going to be like to meet my team next year. As calm as I pretended to be about playing college ball, I was nervous. I had always played well, but I knew that next year would be like nothing I had ever experienced. One great thing about moving back to Charleston for my last high school season was that I would be playing with more competition. Basketball was a much bigger deal in the Carolinas than in Alaska. By the time we walked into the gym, I had cleared my head and was ready for practice.

Chapter Three

Charlotte

Dressed in a jean skirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a light jacket, I got out of the passenger side of Kevin’s car. My stomach knotted, and I started feeling lightheaded.

“You ready for this?” Kevin asked.

“No, but do I really have a choice?” I retorted. I knew that I shouldn’t be taking out my nerves on Kevin, but I couldn’t help it.

He stifled a laugh, “It’s just school, Charlotte. Besides, maybe this is a chance for a new start.”

“Maybe,” I mumbled.

I used the map my uncle had given me with my schedule to find my locker, which he had marked with a bright red ‘X.’ Thank goodness for Monty. At least he seemed to understand me sometimes. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my locker on the first try. I put in a few of my new books, which Monty had already picked up from my teachers. I thought about putting my jacket in there, but I reconsidered, afraid the classrooms might be cold.

I walked to my first class, English, hoping the day would pass quickly. There were still about ten minutes before class started, but I decided to walk in anyway. The room was empty except for an extremely young, dark-haired teacher. I took a deep breath, preparing to introduce myself, but the teacher spoke first.

“You must be Charlotte. I’m Ms. Wilson.” She stood as soon as I reached her desk.

“Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Your uncle has told me so much about you. Mont—I mean, Mr. Winthrop, is just so happy that you and your brother moved back home. Does it feel good to be back?”

“Yeah, I’ve missed Charleston and my uncle.”

“Your uncle told me you are quite the writer.” Her voice lilted upward at the end, making her comment seem almost like a question.

“I like to write, but I don’t know how good I am.” I wondered what else Monty had told her.

“Well, I’m the advisor for the school newspaper. Would you be interested in joining us? We’re meeting in here after school,” she added.

“Oh, that actually sounds great.” I hadn’t looked at the list Monty gave me, but the school paper seemed like it might be a good fit. I had occasionally written articles for my school paper in Fairbanks, so I knew what to expect.

“Wonderful,” she said with a warm smile.

I heard books hit a desk and realized another student had entered the room. I decided not to look over. There was no reason to make whoever it was think they needed to make conversation. “Okay, great. Where should I sit?”

“Ms. Wilson?” the student who had just entered the room called out. “There’s an open seat next to me.”

“You’re right, James. Charlotte, why don’t you go sit over there?” I glanced over to see that Ms. Wilson was pointing to a chair in the back row closest to the windows. I slowly walked over to the desk, looking down as much as possible. It was only after I was seated that I snuck a peak at the other student. He was tall and athletic-looking, wearing a fitted polo shirt that looked a little tighter than what I expected a guy to wear. I guessed that he was wearing it to draw attention to his muscular build. He sat completely straight in his chair and, when he saw me looking at him, he made direct eye contact, making me think he was the over-confident type. He smiled brightly as if seeing an old friend. I expected to feel nervous, but something about him felt familiar, even though he made me feel uncomfortable at the same time.

“Hi, I’m James,” he said, extending a hand.

“Charlotte.” I accepted the handshake awkwardly, still locked in his intense gaze.

“Pretty name. I know how you must feel. I was a new kid at the beginning of the year, but it hasn’t been so bad.”

“Oh, okay. Nice to meet you, but it’s kind of more complicated for me.”

“Complicated? How?”

“Well I’m not completely new. I’m from here, but I’ve been living in Alaska for the last three years.”

“Alaska? Wow, must have been hard for a southern girl.” I sensed some sarcasm but decided to ignore it.

“It wasn’t too bad, but it’s nice to be out of my parka.”

“I bet.” I didn’t think it was possible, but he smiled brighter.

“What?” I asked, trying to understand what the smile meant.

“You’re probably the only girl wearing a skirt today.” He momentarily broke his intense eye contact to look down at where my legs were visible below the desk.