Saint Nicholas Read Free Page A

when her door was closed she was off limits unless I wanted her throwing a fit, so I went into my own room and left the door open a crack so I could hear what was going on.
    I opened my yearbook again and flipped to the page with Sarah Danniels’ picture. She was still there, staring back at me. I half expected some Harry Potter shit to happen and for her picture to come to life, but it didn’t. There was no life in those beautiful eyes of hers, just sadness. I tired to reason with myself. Tried to tell my heart there was no way it could be feeling what it felt when it didn’t even know this girl, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and right now it wanted for me to just bury my nose in those caramel locks and a take a big deep breath while whispering, “I’ll take care of you.”
    Little did I know that less than a month later, my heart would get its wish, and it would send my life into a complete tailspin.

THREE

    - Sarah -

    A week went by before I saw him again. By then, the bruises given to me on that day were a fading purple and yellow riding up my ribcage. A dull ache reminded me of their presence, but otherwise I was desensitized to the pain. I’d had enough of it over the years to start getting used to it, and in my mind I made up some elaborate fantasy over what happened. Like, I’d gone on some adventure Lara Croft-style searching for treasure, and the bandits had gotten the best of me.
    I stood outside Carmine’s on West 48 th , a little convenience store run by one of my dad’s friends. Carmine didn’t know about my life, or if he did it was all lies, but he was kind enough and had this look in his eye when he glanced at me that sometimes I wondered if he did know what went on at home. If so, damn him for not stopping it.
    He’d given me a fistful of licorice and I swayed aimlessly in the breeze outside his store. Summer allowed me a little more freedom. Usually Dad kept me locked up tight during school, but when vacation came, he let his daughter run around some, though I suspected that was purely for his benefit and not mine, just so he wouldn’t have me driving him nuts for three months while cooped up indoors.
    During that week, I’d kept the boy’s grin locked away tightly in my heart, and only took it out at night when I was alone under the covers. I imagined him looking at me, smiling. Just the thought of it made my heart thump against my chest, both in good and bad ways. Bad because I knew that even if I were to see him again and through some miracle of the heavens we got to talking, it could never develop into anything more. It would be my death sentence if dad saw me with a boy, but that was just it. It was a good thrill to think about because when it came to those eyes of his, I found myself getting stronger. Like I had something to hold onto now.
    Crazy, I know, but in those few moments we shared I knew in my heart of hearts that he and I were connected in some way, though it wouldn’t be until years later that I fully understood what that meant.
    “What’s your name?”
    A voice startled me and I nearly dropped the handful of licorice I was holding. I spun around and there he was, leaning up against the red brick of Carmine’s shop. I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there like an idiot while he fixed his gaze intensely on me and I clung to it for dear life. I was afraid that if I looked away I’d lose him. Like he was a mirage that would disappear without warning.
    Then he came closer and I instinctively backed away a couple of steps. I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, but I couldn’t help it. People came near me and I flinched, it was what I did.
    “Whoa,” he said, holding up his hands. “Hang on a sec, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
    I know.
    “My name’s Nicholas,” he told me. “Nicholas Rossi.”
    I didn’t back away any further, but I didn’t say anything either. Nicholas Rossi , I repeated over and over in my head. Nicholas, Nicholas,