The Edge of Autumn Read online

  “I love you,” I mouthed.

  Just the glow in her eyes at the words would have been response enough, but she mouthed it back and gave a wave as I followed my mom down the front steps. I shivered during the ride home, feeling the chill seeping through my bones, and wondered if I’d ever feel warm again.

  EPILOGUE

  Jay Hallowell never woke up from his injuries after that night. After eleven days in a coma, he passed away. The town was quiet during those weeks, some in mourning, others reflecting on their own mortality. I suspected Nelson believed cosmic justice had been served, but I couldn’t bring myself to agree. Every now and then, guilt still nagged at me, but I relied heavily on Sara’s therapeutic expertise to get me past it.

  My car went unused for over a month after my birthday, until a thin layer of snow covered the ground and the sidewalks seemed more treacherous than the carefully plowed roads. Dad put snow tires on my car and I practiced my winter driving skills carefully in vacant parking lots on the weekends, until I was comfortable driving once more, but Nelson continued to affectionately refer to me as “Grandma.” My very feisty girlfriend then threatened to break his nose if he kept it up.

  Sara was as glorious as ever and though I had once told myself I needed to be her rock, she had proven that she, too, was mine. We leaned on one another for support and gradually, life returned to normal. No one but Nelson ever learned about my tussle with Jay and though Bianca disappeared from school—allegedly to some ritzy boarding school downstate—everyone simply assumed we were shaken up in the same way the rest of the town was after the accident. Nelson met the tale with his usual philosophical calm and did his part in convincing me that it wasn’t my fault. He, for one, was thoroughly impressed with my actions in defense of Sara. I think he secretly wished he’d been the one to punch Jay, though he was tactful enough not to say it.

  A petition for street lights along that stretch of road was unanimously supported. Sara would finish off this semester’s math class, but for the spring she registered for only a couple online courses. I tried to hide my relief, but she saw through me, as usual. Her mom had decided to close the store on Monday afternoons until after Christmas, claiming it was her chance to catch up on paperwork, but we knew it was so she was free to get Sara to and from class. I was not-so-secretly glad.

  School continued as usual, though I grudgingly offered to take some candid photos for the yearbook committee when Nelson “accidentally” mentioned my photography skills to Mr. Hall. I worried from time to time that Sara might fall out of love with me, but as the weeks passed, our bond only grew. Our families spent Thanksgiving and then Christmas together, with Nelson of course, and life just felt . . . right. I ordered prints of my portfolio pictures as a Christmas gift for Sara and my parents; the utter delight in their eyes as they finally saw my work was payoff enough for my embarrassment. After that moment, I realized that maybe I did want photography to be my future.

  On one soggy January day, when the snow had turned into gray slush along the streets, I sat at The Ruby and watched Sara approach, wearing the same bright yellow boots she’d been wearing that very first day. She stopped outside the window and blew me a kiss. I leaned over, fogged the glass with my breath, and drew a heart. With that breathtaking smile I could never get enough of, she winked and skipped along the sidewalk to join me inside.

  The words that had once described her so clearly in my mind—beautiful, intelligent, tragic—echoed for a moment before I blew that last one away like a leaf on the wind. In its place, my heart whispered, loved.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Rachel Auld started writing short stories on her brother's very ancient computer back in the early 90s and never looked back. After graduating from college and having two beautiful daughters, the universe finally answered Rachel's question of "What DO I want to be when I grow up?" and inspired her to take her writing more seriously. Though homeschooling two kids takes up much of her time, Rachel fits in writing sessions wherever she can--in the car outside of the dance studio, during summer day camps, and amidst the zillion questions that moms field every day with young kids. Her first novel, "The Edge of Autumn," was finished during NaNoWriMo 2016 and published in July of 2017.

  Connect with Rachel on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RachelAuldYA.