Don't Die Dragonfly Read Free Page A

instructor had turned to help someone else.
    I was standing in the doorway to the shop, just a few quick strides from Josh. I took a small step toward him.
    There was a loud grinding noise and sparks from a machine on the other side of the shop. Josh was still searching. He had no idea. The boy at the lift timidly pushed a green button on the control. The wheels weren’t secure; I just knew that. The noise was so loud, but I could somehow hear in Josh’s head, “Where is that stupid thing?”
    Suddenly, there was a jarring noise and one of the wheels slipped off the platform. The skinny boy frantically pushed the red button, but the car slipped forward. I was now moving in large strides toward Josh. There was so much noise! Running, I reached Josh and pushed him, hard, and we both tumbled over as the car came all the way off the lift and rolled forward, smashing into the tool cabinet where Josh had been standing.
    The noise stopped. Josh looked at me. Everyone looked at me.
    “Huh?” Josh said in bewilderment. “What just happened?”
    Brushing dirt off my jeans, I stood up on shaky legs. I couldn’t say anything because all the breath had been knocked out of me.
    He smoothed back his dark hair, standing tall so he towered at least a head over me. “Do I know you?” he asked.
    “Uh … well … ” There goes Miss Conversationalist!
    Realization seemed to dawn on him as he looked at the smashed cabinet and the lopsided car. “WOW! That almost hit me! Unbelievable!”
    I managed a weak nod.
    The instructor rushed over, and, after quickly making sure Josh was okay, he called some students to help move the car.
    I started to go, when Josh touched my arm. “Wait.”
    I waited.
    He pushed his hair from his eyes as he studied me. “I don’t understand exactly what happened, but I know I owe you a huge thanks.”
    “Well … ” Being near him stole my thoughts.
    “How did you know?”
    “I—I uh … ” I took a deep breath. “I heard the wheels slip.”
    His dark brows arched. “How could you? It was too noisy to hear anything.”
    “Everyone says I have unusually good hearing.” Did I just say that?
    “Lucky for me.”
    “It’s the color green.” I pointed at his shirt. “It’s lucky.”
    Josh blinked like he hadn’t a clue what I was talking about.
    “Don’t you read Mystic Manny? He has a weekly column and it’s mega popular, so you must have heard about it,” I babbled like a fool. Now that I was finally talking to my dream guy, I didn’t want it to end.
    “Oh, yeah. I know who you mean.”
    “Then you know Manny writes for the Sheridan Shout-Out.”
    “Oh. The school paper. I was interviewed in it a few weeks ago.”
    “The September thirteenth issue.” I didn’t add that I’d clipped the article and tacked it to the bulletin board in my bedroom. I kept right on blathering, “In every issue Manny picks a lucky color and it’s green this week. See, I’m even wearing green vines on my jeans.”
    “Nice design,” he said.
    Was he checking me out? Did he like what he saw? I was kind of skinny, not much on top, more like a twelve-year-old than a sixteen-year-old. But my face was okay and Penny-Love said my long blond hair was my best feature, that the ribbon of black streaking through my hair was cool. Still, I was unsure. Afraid Josh would take one look at me and run away.
    But he wasn’t leaving. He was smiling—in a way that made me feel warm inside.
    “I’ve seen you around,” he said. “In English.”
    I stared up into his dark brown eyes and nodded.
    “Sabrina?”
    “Sabine.”
    “And I’m Josh.”
    “I know.”
    His grin widened into dimples. “Guess I owe you a big thanks. If you didn’t have such great hearing, I could have been, like, dead.”
    “Nah. Only a broken leg or two.”
    “But I’m all in one piece. I really owe you big-time.” He paused. “There must be something I can do to pay you back—”
    “No, no! You don’t have to—”
    “But I want