Chapter Thirteen #5
Fallon took her hand off the mouse. She should probably stop.
But after having seen three examples of herself looking laughable and unattractive, she was desperate to find a decent depiction.
Surely, these first ones were rejects Nora had kept as a joke, not that they were funny in that way.
The appalling thought that one or all had made it into the video made Fallon touch the mouse again.
At the beginning of this project, Nora had promised that she’d make them look good.
Did that mean everyone but her? She went back to the folder and clicked on the next file, barely stifling a gasp at the image of herself sleeping naked in the trailer.
Fallon closed her eyes, shocked that Nora would be so intrusive.
Worse, all her old insecurities were reawakened at seeing her body fully revealed.
She was awkward and gawky, with a thick and shapeless build, and Nora had her on full display.
As of that moment, her concern was no longer about infringing on Nora’s work. It was about safeguarding herself.
She was about to click on “Slide Show” when she heard the door to the building open. Closing the program, she dragged the folder with her name on it to the recycle bin and hit empty. Footsteps came down the hall. Fallon stood, moving away from the desk.
“Hey. I thought you’d be with…” Nora trailed off, and Fallon knew her face showed only resentment instead of her usual delight at Nora’s presence. “What’s going on?”
Fallon stepped toward her, her insides growing rigid. “I trusted you. I thought you cared for me.”
“What do you mean? I do care for you.”
“Not according to the pictures I saw. You think making me look stupid or taking an invasive photo of me in a compromising position is caring?”
“Wait. You’ve been looking at my project?” Nora’s voice rose in the way it did when she was affronted. She pushed past to the computer, her eyes roving over the screen. “What did you do?”
Fallon drew herself up, facing Nora at the side of the desk. “I protected myself since you obviously weren’t going to.”
Nora clicked on the recycle bin. “You destroyed my work? You had no right—”
“And what right did you have to embarrass me with humiliating photos? Or worse, vulgar ones?” Fallon could tell Nora wasn’t listening. Instead, she was opening various folders and closing them again.
When she finally turned to Fallon, her face was hard.
“Did you think you could keep me here by making me fail? Was that your plan? You’re so desperate to have me stay with you that you’ll wipe out all the time and effort I put into this?
Are you thinking Ranger Reva will tell my father I failed if I don’t have this work finished? ”
Fallon’s mouth dropped open. Nora was accusing her of having an ulterior motive?
She couldn’t remember ever being this angry.
“Oh, I don’t know. Were those uncomplimentary pictures of me meant to make me look unsuitable for a leadership position, so I’d have no choice but to tag along with you like some sad puppy you could abandon the first chance you got?
You know, the way you do with everyone you profess to love, like Tyler?
” Somewhere in the back of her mind, Fallon knew they were both going too far.
The viciousness they were spewing had nothing to do with Nora’s project.
It was because the summer was over, and there was no path for them to go forward together.
Nora apparently hadn’t reached the same conclusion as she picked up her camera.
“What a shame your fabulous homeschool education didn’t include anything about graphic arts.
All the photos you hate so much are still here.
It won’t take me more than a couple of hours to make that folder again.
” She wiggled the camera tauntingly. “And the ones I wanted are already in the video too. That means all your sneaky espionage did was to show me who you really are. A big chickenshit, with no chance of ever being anything but that.”
Fallon’s rage returned. She grabbed for the camera as Nora tried to yank it away.
Their hands collided, and the camera fell to the floor with a sickening crash.
The unmistakable sounds of splintering plastic and shattering glass made them both freeze.
Fallon’s anger died even more quickly than it had flamed, and she forced herself to meet Nora’s agonized expression.
“Oh God. Nora, I never meant to…” She couldn’t finish, knowing she’d ruined anything she might want. For herself or for Nora. “Please forgive me.” She rushed from the room and outside into the place she’d hoped would be her forever home.
An impossible dream had been destroyed along with that camera, and she couldn’t envision any way to repair either of them.
How could she stay in the place that held memories of Nora at every turn?
Even if they had to part, she’d hoped that there might be a promise for some future together, but now there would only be pain.
And how could she face everyone at Firecamp once they’d seen those pictures in Nora’s video?
Just leave. Go back to the life you know.
She texted a quick message to Ranger Reva on her way to her car.
Big Red started up on the first try, and Fallon knew she’d been right all along about being able to count on things more than people, including herself.