Cross My Heart

1. TYLER

Chapter 1

TYLER

13 YEARS OLD

S ummer in Georgia is disgusting. I hate the heat and humidity. I hate that it makes my skin sticky. In fact, I wish I could be in Colorado again, where the summer is a high of the eighties—at least where I used to live. The only thing keeping me from screaming right now is the promise of a pool at our new neighbor’s house.

I stare at myself in the mirror and groan, hating how small I look. There are guys my age who have already developed muscles, and even though I play football, I’m not there yet.

“Tyler!” Dad shouts from downstairs, and my chest squeezes as I fidget with my fingers.

My curly brown hair is messy, and my blue eyes are wide as I take myself in. I grab my swim trunks off my bed and pull them on quickly, then reach for a t-shirt and do the same. I can hear my dad running up the stairs, probably because I didn’t answer him, and suddenly there’s banging at my door.

“Ty?” he tries again. “Are you ready? The Milner’s are waiting for us.”

I sigh. “Ready.”

We single file out of the house and walk next door to a house about the same size as ours. We live in the suburbs of Peachtree City, one of the richest neighborhoods, according to my dad. He’s an architect, so I guess that’s his expertise. Dad said the Milner’s just moved here a few years ago after John retired from the Army, so maybe their kid will take pity on me and make me feel a little welcome if having to move all the time is how they grew up.

Or maybe they’ll hate me.

My dad knocks on the dark brown door of the stark white home, the plank siding squeaky clean, like it’s been power-washed. At least that’s what my dad points out. A lady with dark brown hair and blue eyes opens the door for us, and I take in her attire. She’s wearing modest jean shorts with a white tank-top, her hair cut in a short bob. She looks to be in her late forties, which is a contrast to my parents who are in their early forties.

“Tyler, this is Mae.” My mom gestures to the woman in front of us. I offer her a soft smile, and she grins. “Mae, this is our son.”

“Nice to meet you, Tyler,” Mae murmurs, and I nod with a smile.

“Nice to meet you too, ma’am.” My mom squeezes my shoulder softly in reassurance.

“Oh, and he has manners!” Mae claps her hands, moving aside to let us in. “Wonderful! Maybe you’ll teach Noah how to use them.”

I stick to my parents’ sides like I’m glued to them, and they shove me inside gently. Mae smirks and points to the back sliding glass door, where I can see a pool with a girl and a boy horsing around. They both look to be around my age, but for some reason, I don’t want to go. What if they think I’m weird? What if they don’t want to be my friends?

“M-mom,” I start, but she just smiles at me gently.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” she reassures me, her blue eyes crinkling in the corners as she smiles brightly. “We’re right here.”

“Okay…”

“You can just let yourself out,” Mae tells me as she walks toward the kitchen and we trail after her, stopping right next to that sliding glass door. “They’ve been waiting for you.”

I paste on my brightest smile, not feeling confident at all. “Great,” I squeak.

Walking past them, I open the door and close it behind me quickly, not wanting to let in the flies that inevitably invade every home at this time of year. We also didn’t have that problem in Colorado.

The girl and the boy in the pool are shoving at each other, laughing loudly.

I clear my throat. Two pairs of eyes crash with my face, and I gulp. I don’t know why I just did that. It’s not like I have any idea what to do with their attention now, but when the redheaded girl looks at the brunette boy with a smirk, my eyes narrow.

“Oh, look, Red.” He looks at me. “We have company.”

My eyes narrow to tiny little slits until I can barely see. But when he looks at me with a smile on his face, my stomach twists into one big knot. His sky-blue eyes are trained on me, and he’s looking right into my eyes. He doesn’t look like he’s judging me or how I look, and when he grins widely, I relax a little bit.

“I’m Scarlett,” The girl says with a grin. “And this is?—”

“I’m Noah,” The boy says, his eyes trailing me up and down.

“So what are you into, Noah?” I ask him, ignoring Scarlett completely. “Do you like football?”

“I do like football.”

“Good,” I reply, trying to think of what else to say, and because I get nervous when I meet someone new, I blurt out, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I don’t know what possessed me to ask such a question, but I’m suddenly interested in everything he has to say.

“So, we’re getting straight to the important questions, huh?” He chuckles, and my stomach does a weird little flutter at the sound.

This is awkward.

“Guess so.” I smile shakily.

“Okay.” Noah shrugs, and I can’t help but notice he looks beyond his age. My mom told me we’re the same age, but he could easily pass for sixteen with those abs. I guess he plays football too. My eyes linger on his chest for a moment, and he raises one eyebrow at me, making me look away as heat rises to my cheeks. This was a terrible idea. “If I could be anything in the world, I’d be an Army Ranger—just like my dad.”

My nose wrinkles. “What the hell is an Army Ranger?”

“A highly specialized soldier.” He smirks. “A weapon .”

“And why would you want to be a weapon, Ranger?”

“To get rid of our enemies, of course.” He doesn’t say it in a patronizing tone, instead, he says it like he has all the patience in the world and is ready to explain to me why this is so important to him. “I would be part of a unit called Ranger Regiment, and I would protect our country.”

I nod slowly, sitting at the edge of the pool across from where they’re standing in the water. “Okay.” Noah wades through the water, then comes to sit next to me, his muscular arm brushing against mine. “So you want to protect the world.”

“Exactly.” He grins, then bumps me with his elbow. “And let me guess—you want to change it.”

I beam at him, but I hear Scarlett scoff, and Noah narrows his eyes in return. “I want to be a teacher,” I tell him, looking away.

“What kind of teacher?” he asks like he’s actually interested.

“English,” I reply shyly, and Scarlett laughs.

“Boring!” she yells, and I huff.

“It’s not!” But a little voice in my head tells me maybe I am too boring for them. “What’s your favorite subject?” I ask with an attitude, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Science.” Scarlett shrugs. “I want to work in a hospital.”

I scoff. “And you say I’m boring?”

“You are!”

“Fuck off, Red,” Noah growls, and she raises her hands in defeat. “That’s cool.”

“Why do you call her that?” I ask him.

My face heats as he reaches out, twirling one of my frizzy curls around his finger. “Because of her hair.” I nod slowly, “Yours is pretty too.”

“T-t-thank you,” I reply nervously, and I look up to see Scarlett rolling her eyes.

“Come on, Ty.” Noah grins, then pushes me face-first into the water. I cough and sputter as I come up, the water’s temperature is a stark contrast to the heat of the summer day. Somehow, even with the sun shining right on it, it’s still freezing. “Let’s see what you got.”

I grin back and push him under the surface until he struggles, and then he tosses me aside as if I weigh nothing. And that’s how I spend the day with my two new friends.

Maybe living here won’t be so bad after all.