Almost Him

ALMOST HIM S.M. SHADE CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Acknowledgements for the Almost Duet Where to Find S.M. Shade Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover art by Melissa Gill Designs Formatting by Pink Elephant Designs CHAPTER 1 “Ella Booth! What have I told you about charging down those stairs like a herd of buffalo?” Mom scolds before she can even see me. Without giving it a second thought, I leap over the last few steps, round the corner of the living room, and burst into the kitchen that’s filled with the heavenly smell of bacon. “Sorry. Tori’s mom is paying us to wash her car this morning.” Mom smiles and slides a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me. “I know. Tori has already called for you. Eat before you run off.” I’m so excited I can barely sit still while I eat. It’s the first day of summer freedom. I’m officially done with fifth grade. The long warm days are all mine, and I can’t wait to meet my friends. “Has Dad left for work?” Mom sits across from me with a cup of coffee. “Yes, but he left you the tools you asked about. In a blue plastic toolbox in the garage. He said to tell you they’re all yours but to be careful in that treehouse. And if you break a leg, don’t come running to him.” Giggles spill out of me at his lame joke that he never gets tired of telling. “What are you doing today?” “I promised Mrs. Taylor that I’d help her get her garden planted. Make sure you have your key and get home before dark. There are sandwiches in the fridge for lunch if I’m not home.” It’s the same speech I always get on summer mornings. Just last night Dad reminded me of the boundaries and how far I can go without getting into trouble. Since I turned eleven, he even agreed I could ride my bike to the corner store as long as one of the other kids is with me. “Okay, can we have a bonfire tonight?” Mom grins at me. “We’ll see.” It’s taken me about five minutes to gulp down my breakfast. After rinsing my plate and putting it in the dishwasher, I grab my bright blue lanyard with my housekey and loop it around my neck, tucking it under my shirt. My brother, Garrett, stumbles into the kitchen with his eyes half open and mumbles something close to a hello when Mom says good morning. He’s become a real weirdo since he turned fourteen. Mom says it’s normal but I’m never going to be like that. “See you later!” I tell her, bound for the front door. “Be careful and have fun!” “You too!” Her laugh follows me out the door. My flip flops make the best noise as I walk down the middle of the street. I love my street. It dead ends in a cul-de-sac. There are only six houses so there’s almost no traffic and everyone knows each other. “There you are,” Tori yells. She threatens to spray me with a hose when I run up her driveway where she waits with buckets and sponges. Tori Porter is my best friend since Kindergarten and my next door neighbor. “Mom said she’ll give us ten dollars each if we wash the van too!” The day keeps getting better. That’s enough to rent movies and get snacks. “Let’s do it!” I grab a sponge and get started scrubbing the front bumper beside her. Tori’s stepsister, Lori, pokes her head out of the front door. “Tori! Where is my butterfly barrette! I know you took it!” “I did not!” she yells back at her. “Maybe you lost it in Gary’s backseat!” Lori opens her mouth to yell back but Tori’s mom intervenes, pulling her back inside. Probably to ask what she was doing in seventeen-year-old Gary’s backseat. “Fourteen made Garrett weird, but being fifteen must make you a bitch,” I tell Tori, keeping my voice low. Tori grins and slops more soap onto the car. “I got my mouth washed out for calling her a bitch last week. Mom said I should use the word unpleasant instead.” Giggles spill out of me. “Then she’s an unpleasant bitch.” “She is. But also...” Tori shoves her hand in her pocket and whips out the missing butterfly barrette. “Ta-dah!” Our peal of laughter is interrupted when a voice rings out from behind us making us jump. “Aw, I’m telling!” Alden stands there with a wide grin on his face. “You are not,” I reply, sticking my tongue out at him while Tori bounces a wet sponge off his head. “Where’s Oliver?” Alden and Oliver Stokes are identical twins who live across the street from me. They’re almost always together. Alden shrugs and picks up the sponge. “I don’t know. Doing something boring. Let’s go to the treehouse.” Tori and I return to our job. “Later. We’ve got to wash the car and the van,” I inform him. Tori turns and sticks her hip out. We read it was sexy in one of her mom’s magazines that she swiped, but it looks silly to