Lies We Share (Lies 0.50)

4

Liesel

We sit in comfortable silence on the bus ride home as I hold more money in my fist than I’ve ever held in my life because of this boy—this boy I’m about to lose.

It’s more than him just moving away; there is something else happening. I don’t understand what it is, but I can feel it in my bones. After tonight, everything changes.

The bus stops. We climb off and start walking the five blocks to our houses.

“You need to go home?” I ask.

Langston looks down, shuffling his feet with his hands in the pockets of his suit.

“No. I think we should camp under the stars tonight. One last epic night together.”

“We don’t have any camping equipment. How are we going to camp?” I really wish he’d stop insinuating that this is the end. We’ll see each other again; it will just be different and less frequent.

“It’s summer. I’ll get us a thick comforter to lay on and some snacks. We can camp in the woods behind your house.”

“Okay.”

We separate at our houses.

I walk in the front door already knowing my mother has to work and isn’t home. I glance out back as I enter and see Langston sneaking in the backyard a few minutes later.

He lied.

His father expects him home. I can feel it in my bones. But I’m too selfish to give up my last night with Langston so that his father doesn’t beat him.

I quickly change into jean shorts and the T-shirt Langston gave me for my birthday that has a warrior princess on the front. The princess looks like she’s about to go hunting. I pull my hair up in a ponytail and consider where I should hide the money we just stole.

I decide on the floorboard beneath my bed and shove the money deep inside, hoping my mother doesn’t find it.

I walk back outside and find Langston already waiting. He too changed into more casual clothes—ripped jeans, a black T-shirt, and baseball cap. Years of sneaking around have made it easy for him to quickly step in and out of his house without his father noticing.

“Ready, killer?”

He smiles as I say his nickname. He swings a backpack over his shoulder, and then we head into the woods behind my house.

The sun is just beginning to set as Langston lays out the large blanket from his backpack.

We sit down on the blanket, surrounded by trees. For a moment, it feels like we are in our own little world. The real world no longer exists.

Langston pulls two Snickers bars out of his backpack and tosses one to me. I catch it with a smile.

Snickers are our favorite. They’re cheap and filling and delicious.

“So, where are you moving to exactly?” I ask, biting into my candy bar.

Langston’s eyes cut to me with a wary expression. “Palm Beach.”

“Oh, wow. So this woman is really rich.”

He nods and stops eating.

I do the same.

“I don’t want you to worry, Liesel. This isn’t the end. Our relationship won’t change. We just won’t see each other as often, but we can still count on each other. Always.”