The Secret 00.5 The Prelude of Ella and Micha Read Free

he’s doing it. Renee, this girl that I sometimes hang out with, thinks it’s because Micha has a crush on me and is secretly in love with me. I laugh whenever she tells me this because Micha isn’t in love with me, at least, not like the way she means it. He’s already kissed like three girls, and I don’t see him ever trying to kiss me. Well, except for maybe on the cheek.
    “So how bad did Diana look after the fight?” Micha asks after we’ve exited my house and entered the neighborhood we’ve both grown up in. “I’m guessing you got her pretty good.”
    “Of course I did,” I reply as we start up the sidewalk lined with rundown homes. It’s late afternoon and most of the area appears like it’s sleeping. But that’s typical for Star Grove. Around ten is when the yards and houses will be flooding with loud noises of parties taking place. “Both her eyes were swollen.”
    He smiles then leans over and gives me a quick kiss on the head. Then we continue our journey down the sidewalk in comfortable silence. When we arrive at the desolate playground, we hike across the dry grass to the rusty swing set in the middle. We each sit down in our own seat and then run back and pump our legs, swinging high toward the tip of the nearby trees.
    “Do you ever wonder what life would be like on the other side of the mountains?” I ask as I stare at the rolling hills that encompass the town.
    “Of course I do.” He kicks his legs, ascending higher as he tips his head back toward the grey sky.
    “Do you think we’ll ever get to find out?” I grasp the chains as I soar. “Do you ever think we’ll get out of here?”
    “Of course we will,” he says. “There’s no way we can stay here in this stupid town forever.”
    “Yeah, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to leave my mother behind,” I mutter. “I mean, who will take care of her if I’m not around? My dad’s not capable of doing so, and Dean’s not ever going to.” Dean is my older brother who is probably home about twice a week, only coming back to change his clothes. I have no idea where he stays during the rest of the week.
    “So what? They can figure that out.” Micha’s jaw is set tight, and his blue eyes burn fiercely. “You’re not staying here. You’re leaving with me.”
    “We’ll see,” I sigh. “At eighteen, we might not even be friends anymore. I’ve heard high school is rough.”
    He’s silent for a while, contemplating what I’ve said. It’s not like I really believe high school will ruin our friendship. I just don’t believe I’ll ever be able to leave Star Grove. It’s just hope, and I’ve hoped for a lot of things I’ve never gotten.
    Micha abruptly plants his feet into the dirt below us and skids to a halt. Without uttering a word, he reaches over and grabs the chain of my swing, causing me to jerk to a stop, spin around, and crash straight into him.
    “Holy crap,” I say breathlessly as I clutch onto the chains. “What the heck did you do that for?”
    “Because I want you to understand something,” he says intensely. “You and I are going to leave this town. Together .” He pauses when I stare at him with doubt. Then he thoughtfully adds, “In fact, we’re going to make a pact on it. Right here. Right now.”
    “Haven’t we made a ton of those already?”
    “So what’s one more?”
    “Good point.” Still, I’m a pessimist when it comes to ever escaping this town. Most people born and raised here never leave. But I’ll try anything to boost the odds from not being a statistic. Plus, the future he’s proposed doesn’t sound all that bad. In fact, it sounds nice. “All right, let’s make a pact.”
    He grins then spits into his palm before extending his hand toward me. “Ready?”
    “You know, we really need to come up with a less disgusting way to make these pacts.” But I still spit into my palm and place my hand in his.
    “So who’s going to say it this time?” he asks. “You or