Second Star

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I can smell the bonfire before I even get out of the car. It’s dusk, and the sun is low on the water. According to my watch, it’s been exactly four hours since I officially graduated high school. But I don’t feel any more grown-up now than I did this morning.

I leave my shoes in the car and step onto the beach. “Congratulations,” I say to no one in particular, to whichever of my classmates are close enough to hear. I’ve never heard the same word so many times in one day.

“Wendy!”

Fiona’s voice rings above the crowd as she runs toward me. Fiona has always had the loudest voice, the loudest laugh. Even in kindergarten, it got us into trouble sometimes. Her arms fly around my waist and we both go crashing to the ground.

I sit up quickly, crossing my legs beneath me, and Fiona rests her chin on my shoulder. The brush of her strawberry blond hair raises goose bumps on my bare arm. My own dark hair is pulled into a tight ponytail at the nape of my neck.

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