Catching Fireflies(96)

To his surprise, Katie threw her arms around him. “I’ve wanted to talk to you from the very beginning, but I couldn’t.”

“I know you made a promise to Misty. You did the best you could, and your mother and I are very proud of you for figuring out a way to help Misty and remain loyal at the same time.”

“I still felt kinda sneaky,” she admitted.

“But you knew it was too much for you and Misty to handle on your own. It takes real maturity to recognize that and act.”

She gave him a pleading look. “Don’t look at the pictures, okay? It’s awful enough that Kyle has to see them.”

Cal understood her embarrassment on her friend’s behalf. “You made printouts for Helen?”

“Uh-huh, and she’s coming over. As soon as she says it’s okay, Kyle will take them down. He thinks he can do it, right, Kyle?”

“I can do it,” he said grimly. He glanced up at Cal. “Now that I’ve seen the disgusting things, I’m even more anxious to get my hands on whoever posted them in the first place.”

“I think we all would like a chance to have a little come-to-Jesus talk with that person,” Cal admitted. “Any idea who it might be?”

“I’m working on it,” Kyle said.

“Anything I can do?” Cal asked.

Kyle nodded toward his sister. “Get her to go downstairs. Having her standing over my shoulder makes me nervous. I don’t like her seeing this stuff.”

“I’ve already seen it,” Katie protested. “Besides, I’m not looking at the pictures. I’m trying to see what you’re doing so I can fix it myself next time.”

Kyle gave Cal a pointed look. “Please.”

Cal put a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “Come on. I think I heard Helen drive up. You can come downstairs and fill her in before she comes up to take a look for herself.”

Katie nodded at last. “Okay,” she grumbled, then scowled at her brother, “but I want step-by-step instructions.”

“Yes, mini-crusader,” Kyle said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Do you promise or are you just trying to pacify me?” Katie asked.

Kyle shook his head ruefully. “You probably don’t want an answer to that.”

“Jerk,” Katie muttered.

“Pest,” Kyle responded in kind.

“Enough,” Cal said, smiling at the familiar bickering.

For all of it he’d heard from these two over the years, he knew with every fiber that they had each other’s backs. Kyle coming home on a moment’s notice was proof enough of that.



Laura paced behind the stage that had been set up on the town green.

“She’ll be here,” J.C. said, knowing she was worried about Misty. She had been ever since Helen’s call the night before to report the latest bullying incident.

“Maybe she shouldn’t be,” Laura said. “I know I pressed her to do this and Diana backed me up, but that was before those pictures turned up online last night.”

“Your reasoning is just as valid now,” J.C. said. “I’m not saying it will be easy for Misty to face all these people, but if she does it, I think she’ll feel so much better about herself. Taking a stand for herself and against bullying will send a message to this town.”

“I know the town needs to hear the message,” Laura said. “I’m just not sure Misty’s the one who has to deliver it.”

“Who better?” J.C. countered. “And we’re all going to be right here on stage with her. She won’t be alone. Trust me, she’s going to feel empowered for having done this.”

Laura obviously remained unconvinced. “She’s only sixteen, J.C. She must be devastated to think even one person might believe she actually posed for those pictures.”

“She’s strong enough to do this,” he repeated. “And she’ll be even stronger once she does.”

He looked out over the crowd just then and spotted Misty and Katie circling around the fringes, heading toward the stage. The two girls were deep in conversation. Misty seemed to be lagging behind, but Katie kept urging her on.

“Here she comes now,” he told Laura. As he spoke, he noticed the whispers building as people spotted Misty. For the first time, he felt a faint stirring of dread. Maybe he was the one who was wrong. Maybe this had been a terrible idea. Everything that had happened had taken a toll on Misty. What if this turned ugly and became the last straw for her?

Frowning as the whispers spread, he turned to Laura. “Maybe you were right. Maybe she shouldn’t do this.”

Laura regarded him with surprise, clearly taken aback by his sudden change of heart.