by Sam Cameron
He trudged out front. Brian was standing at the side counter, his arm in a new cast, with a cardboard box of books that smelled like smoke and ash.
“I don’t think these are worth much,” Brian said, his face inscrutable. “But I wanted to salvage what I could.”
Denny touched the leathery covers of the books Brian loved.
“I think they’re priceless,” Denny said. “Can we talk?”
“Talk about what?”‘
“About me being an idiot.”
The corner of Brian’s mouth quirked. “Are you really an idiot?”
“And then we could go to dinner,” Denny said.
Someone made a happy noise at the cash register. That was Sean, staring at them with a goofy smile while he nudged Robin to pay attention. Denny ignored both of them.
“Dinner as in…” Brian didn’t finish.
“Dinner as in a date.” Denny’s hands had gone clammy, but he wasn’t going to stop now. “A date, as in two people who like each other, and the one who’s been an idiot gets to apologize some more and maybe make amends.”
Brian’s expression relaxed. “Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”
Denny smiled. And then he kissed Brian, hard and happy, totally ignoring the loud clapping from Robin and Sean.
*
Ninety-five. Ninety-six. Ninety-seven.
“I think he’s going to do it.” That was Garcia, sounding amused.
Ninety-eight.
Carter croaked out, “I never doubted it.”
Ninety-nine. One hundred. Steven did an extra push-up for good measure before sitting on the hard floor of Carter’s hospital room. He tried very hard to look like he wasn’t about to pass out.
Carter was sitting up in bed, still hooked up to an array of tubes and liquids but far from dead. Garcia, sitting beside him, applauded for Steven.
“Great job, kid,” Garcia said.
Carter fumbled for a drinking cup with a straw in it. “They were okay.”
“Okay!” Steven said indignantly. “Those were awesome.”
Garcia retrieved the cup from the bedside tray and held it for Carter. “Don’t let him fool you. Under all those painkillers, he’s very impressed.”
Carter gave Garcia an obscene gesture. Obscene, but fond.
“Will you help me get a waiver?” Steven asked.
“Already put in a good word,” Carter said. “My uncle’s working on it.”
“Your uncle?”
“Head of the Bureau of Medicine,” Garcia explained. “He didn’t tell you?”
“No. He didn’t tell me.”
Carter yawned. “Not the head. Second-in-charge.”
“Very high up,” Garcia amended.
“Your dad visited yesterday,” Carter said, shifting slightly against his pillows. “He said you finally confessed about failing the vision test. We agreed that you’re stubborn and egotistical, and you need to learn to stop running into burning buildings.”
“And throwing yourself at men with guns,” Garcia added.
“You’re going to make a hell of a SEAL,” Carter said. “Thanks for saving my life.”
Garcia reached out and touched Carter’s face. “Thanks from both of us.”
Steven decided to leave before kissing commenced. At the doorway he said, “Really high up in the Bureau of Medicine?”
“Big admiral,” Garcia said.
“Keep practicing your push-ups,” Carter said.
On his way through the lobby Steven saw Kelsey talking on her phone by the glass windows with her back toward him. He stopped, surprised. She’d done him a huge favor, but things were still awkward between them. He’d apologized. She said she understood. But that didn’t mean they were back together. He didn’t actually know where they stood—if he should call her, if she’d go out with him, if he should just buy a copy of that stupid book.
“Hey,” he said, stepping up behind her.
The girl turned. Her eyes were green, and she had a pierced eyebrow. “Yes?”
Steven backed away, flushing. “Sorry. My mistake.”
As he crossed the parking lot he decided he’d call Kelsey on the drive back down to Fisher Key. Bring her flowers, maybe some chocolates. He’d tell Jennifer that he couldn’t see her again. Meanwhile he’d wait for the waiver and amp up his exercise schedule. He would not lie to his parents or anyone else. He could see it now: a quiet, uneventful summer full of fishing, kayaking, and not looking for trouble.
But life on Fisher Key was never dull, and for Steven and Denny, this summer was going to be the most exciting and dangerous one of all…
The End
Additional Information
The United States Coast Guard Academy is in New London, CT. To be accepted for study, students have to do well in high school, achieve high SAT scores, submit original essays, pass a physical fitness exam, and have evaluations from math, English, and physical fitness teachers. Each year, more than two thousand students apply for admission. Only four hundred will be accepted, and half will graduate and serve five years of obligatory military service.
There are many ways to become a Navy SEAL, and most begin with a Physical Screening Test (PST). This test includes push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, swimming, and running 1.5 miles in less than 11 minutes. Candidates must also score well on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test, which is offered to all high school students, and have a clean criminal record. SEAL training is extremely arduous and requires enormous mental and physical strength.
Keep reading for a special preview of The Secret of Othello, Book 2 of the Fisher Key Adventures by Sam Cameron, coming in 2012.
From The Secret of Othello
Furious that Denny was not answering his phone, Steven decided to walk home. It wasn’t far—nothing on Fisher Key was far—but it was very late, he was tired, and his knee was still stiff from the fight. This side of the island didn’t have street lights, but the moon was bright. All he had to do was follow South Road around the point toward the marina, crossing Jeffers Bridge along the way.
Every few minutes he dialed Denny and left a snarky message.
“I hope you’re having a really good time with your boyfriend and my truck,” he said.
And then, “Wish I had back the truck I pay for with my own money every month.”
And also, “Remember my truck? You’re never borrowing it again for the rest of your life, got it?”
No houses along here, just mangroves and marsh and the occasional whoosh of a car on the nearby Overseas Highway. Stars glittered overhead and waves washed up against the thin strip of shoreline. Steven didn’t know if he could ever live in a city, with traffic and pollution and people jammed together in high-rises. He wasn’t even sure what to expect on a military base, only what he’d read or watched in movies—barracks, chow halls, reveille every morning, everything rigid and orderly. No palm trees or salty breezes, no chirp of a million insects on the road.
Jeffers Bridge was a concrete stretch that crossed over one of the largest inlets on the island. As Steven started across, headlights came up behind him and turned his silhouette into a long shadow. He turned and shielded his eyes against the glare. At first he thought it was Denny catching up with him, but the engine noise wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was another local and he could hitch a ride—
The engine revved.
The headlights switched to high beams. The driver gunned straight toward him.
Steven started to run.
But even as he sprinted, he knew he wasn’t going to make it. The bridge was too long, his knee too stiff, and the truck or SUV too fast. In just a few seconds, Steven was going to be a large splat of road kill. Wouldn’t that suck rotten eggs? His entire life, over before he even got to the good parts.
He veered toward the bridge railing, got his hands on the rusty metal, and swung himself over the side. For a few brief seconds there was only the panic of being in mid-air and falling helplessly, a total victi
m of gravity. Then he hit the warm water, sank over his head, and kicked to the surface. The outgoing current dragged him under the bridge. He grabbed for a pylon and clung tight, though sea moss made it slippery.
Above him, brakes screeched. Steven listened hard, but the concrete muffled other noises. A few seconds later, the beam from a flashlight sliced down into the water just a few feet away and a man’s voice yelled, “Nice try, kid! Get back up here!”
Steven kept silent.
The white beam swung closer.
The man said, “Show yourself and say hi to your brother, or I’ll put this bullet right through his head.”
About the Author
A Navy veteran, Sam Cameron spent several years serving in the Pacific and along the Atlantic coast. Her transgender, romance, and science fiction stories have been recognized for their wit, inventiveness, and passion. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and currently teaches college in Florida.
Soliloquy Titles From Bold Strokes Books
Mystery of the Tempest: A Fisher Key Adventure by Sam Cameron. Twin brothers Denny and Steven Anderson love helping people and fighting crime alongside their sheriff dad on sun-drenched Fisher Key, Florida, but Denny doesn’t dare tell anyone he’s gay, and Steven has secrets of his own to keep. (978-1-60282-579-6)
Swimming to Chicago by David-Matthew Barnes. As the lives of the adults around them unravel, high school students Alex and Robby form an unbreakable bond, vowing to do anything to stay together—even if it means leaving everything behind. (978-1-60282-572-7)
Speaking Out edited by Steve Berman. Inspiring stories written for and about LGBT and Q teens of overcoming adversity (against intolerance and homophobia) and experiencing life after “coming out.” (978-1-60282-566-6)
365 Days by K.E. Payne. Life sucks when you’re seventeen years old and confused about your sexuality, and the girl of your dreams doesn’t even know you exist. Then in walks sexy new emo girl, Hannah Harrison. Clemmie Atkins has exactly 365 days to discover herself, and she’s going to have a blast doing it! (978-1-60282-540-6)
Cursebusters! by Julie Smith. Budding-psychic Reeno is the most accomplished teenage burglar in California, but one tiny screw-up and poof!—she’s sentenced to Bad Girl School. And that isn’t even her worst problem. Her sister Haley’s dying of an illness no one can diagnose, and now she can’t even help. (978-1-60282-559-8)
Who I Am by M.L. Rice. Devin Kelly’s senior year is a disaster. She’s in a new school in a new town, and the school bully is making her life miserable—but then she meets his sister Melanie and realizes her feelings for her are more than platonic. (978-1-60282-231-3)
Sleeping Angel by Greg Herren. Eric Matthews survives a terrible car accident only to find out everyone in town thinks he’s a murderer—and he has to clear his name even though he has no memories of what happened. (978-1-60282-214-6)
Mesmerized by David-Matthew Barnes. Through her close friendship with Brodie and Lance, Serena Albright learns about the many forms of love and finds comfort for the grief and guilt she feels over the brutal death of her older brother, the victim of a hate crime. (978-1-60282-191-0)
The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay. A mother and her gay son stand hand in hand as the storms of change engulf their perfect family and the life they knew. (978-1-60282-181-1)
Father Knows Best by Lynda Sandoval. High school juniors and best friends Lila Moreno, Meryl Morganstern, and Caressa Thibodoux plan to make the most of the summer before senior year. What they discover that amazing summer about girl power, growing up, and trusting friends and family more than prepares them to tackle that all-important senior year! (978-1-60282-147-7)