Read Online As Autumn Leaves by Kate Sands - Free Book Online Page A

again with her dancing away. Althea trudged into the bushes so she could get panned shots. They were interrupted a few times with other people making their way through the trails, but for the most part everyone remained respectful and kind. An elderly couple stopped to watch Kayla go through her whole routine, which thankfully was under three minutes and they weren’t held up too long.
    More than once, Kayla caught Althea with a soft look of admiration, or maybe pride, as she watched Kayla from behind her camera. Or maybe Kayla imagined it, hoping for it to be true. She didn’t understand why, because she didn’t usually get caught up in what others thought of her dancing, but it seemed important for Althea to like it. She tried shaking it off and focusing on her dance moves, trying to keep them as similar and repetitive each time she went through it.
    “That won’t matter too much,” Althea said, reassuring her as they walked back to the lake. “Even if it’s not perfect every time, I’ll be able to edit it and break it up with other stuff. It won’t look like there are any inconsistencies.”
    “The beauty of editing,” Kayla said.
    “I love it,” Althea said sincerely. “I truly do. I love making fan videos. I mean, some people think it’s geeky and ridiculous, but it’s fun.”
    “It’s artistic,” Kayla said. She had watched some of the videos. She wasn’t familiar with all the television shows or movies Althea seemed to prefer, but she knew most of the music they were set to. They were great to watch and Kayla admired them.
    “It’s not art.”
    “It is! And you’re an artist.”
    Althea smiled shyly. “Like you. But different.”
    “Exactly,” Kayla said. “It’s amazing!” With a bounce in her step, and a happiness settling through her she hadn’t had in a long time, she looped her arm through Althea’s, hand settling in the crook of her elbow. “Let’s go to the lake and you can get beautiful artistic shots there.”
    Althea tensed for a brief moment, and Kayla couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done something wrong. She realized she was touching Althea, arm linked through hers like the hundreds of times she’d done with Hannah. Kayla hadn’t had a conscious thought about it, falling into the easy routine she had with her other friend. It took a second for Althea to relax and give Kayla a bright smile.
    Kayla liked that smile. She liked it a lot.
    The afternoon passed by quickly, and Kayla had a great time. She enjoyed hanging out with Althea, and when they met again with her family, they all sat for a meal at the lodge restaurant. Her mother had given her money, but Mr. Ritter insisted on paying for them all. The drive home took at least two hours, so they headed out as early as they could, and Kayla was almost sad to be leaving. She’d had a great day; truly happy in a way she hadn’t been for a long time.
    Kayla and Althea sat in the back while Mr. Ritter and Darnell took the front. It meant Darnell had control over the radio, but his taste in music wasn’t too bad.
    “We should watch some footage.” Althea pulled the camera from her bag again. Kayla tried to lean over to see better, but Althea shook her head and unbuckled her seat belt. She started to slide over. “This will work better if we’re closer.”
    From the front seat, Darnell laughed. “Oh, making moves!”
    “Darnell,” Mr. Ritter said harshly, cutting off any comeback Althea might have had. “Don’t be rude.”
    “I’m sorry,” Darnell said instantly.
    Kayla couldn’t tell if it was sincere or because his father had scolded him. She shrugged and said, “Sure, no problem.”
    Althea had frozen beside her at her brother’s teasing, and hadn’t moved yet. Kayla could kick Darnell for making it awkward. She was glad she didn’t have any annoying little brothers to mess things up, even if it did sometimes get lonely at home.
    “Come on,” Kayla said, tugging at Althea’s arm to get her to