(song: "Paper Love" - Allie X)

I stand in the foyer of my house and place my keys on the small table by the shoe rack. Three family portraits hang against the wall beside the front door. The first photo shows my parents and my grandmother holding me as a baby. The second photo shows me at eight years old, still clinging to my grandmother. The third picture shows me at thirteen with the biggest and happiest smile I've ever had in my life and my grandmother wearing the same expression.

      That was the last family portrait I had with her before she started getting sick. A lot of our family traditions stopped after she passed, family portraits being one of them.

      I press my back flat against my door and exhale. What am I supposed to do if the schools going to be closed for at least a week or more?

      I wonder if Kaylee's family will be open to letting her come over to my place?

      Immediately, I pull out my phone and speed dial Kaylee's number. My phone beeps a few times and the signal strength is at zero. How was that possible? Why weren't the phones working?

      Luckily we still have a good old-fashioned land-line in the kitchen. I pull the phone off the handle and rummage through my fridge for sandwich fixings while the line rings.

      "Hello? Logan?" Kaylee's voice answers.

      I take a handful of deli meat packages and sliced cheese out and nudge the refrigerator door closed with my knee. "Hey, I'm sorry for calling your house phone, but my cellphone isn't getting a signal for some reason."

      "Yeah, I'm not getting a signal on mine either. We've been watching the news, you should turn it on."

      I dump everything onto the kitchen counter and lean over it to grab the television remote. Our living-room TV lights up showing the Seattle morning news team. An Asian woman with blown-out hair and a man with an obvious toupee are talking.

      "—we're all aware of what took place in Fullerton, Washington, but the question that's been on everyone's mind since then is: should we be worried? A representative at NASA is making a statement live today along with a press conference with a representative for the President. Until that time, here is the information we do have."

      The woman motions towards a map displaying the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Most areas are marked in yellow, a few in orange, and even fewer in green. Three spots are marked in red, one of which is really close to Fullerton.

      Her hand waves over the entire area. "So, we're told that this meteor shower is actually the largest in documented history. It will span over most of the northern hemisphere. The yellow is showing areas where we're told the shower may or may not be visible, most of the meteoroids will burn upon impact. The green zones are where there won't be any visibility of these showers at all, and the orange zones are where the possibility for meteorites the size of hail. This means the size could range from a penny to a baseball. The red zones are where it's possible, but unlikely that meteorites larger than a baseball, but smaller than 220 pounds could potentially impact. For Washington state, if you live in or near an orange or red zone as a precautionary measure shelters will be available to stay in until the showers have passed. Staying at them is not mandatory, but we do advise seeking some kind of cover and avoid walking outside."

      Okay, so the world wasn't ending. It was basically like the potential of a hail storm that may or may not even happen. There was some relief in that. And even if a meteor did hit, it'd be small, as long as everyone stayed inside they'd be perfectly fine.

      But I couldn't stop thinking about the radio show with Jon and Ron. Why was the representative for the President speaking and not the President himself? Was it because they didn't want people to panic, or because he isn't even in the U.S.?

      "They're converting the library into a shelter, my family wants us to go. I know your parents aren't in town. Do you want to come with me?" Kaylee asks over the phone.

      I almost forgot that she was still on the line. Her voice shakes me back to reality. "Yeah, if you're there, then that's where I want to be."

      "Great! So I'll see you there. I love you, Logan," she says confidently.

      "Great. See you . . ." I awkwardly let the conversation end there and feel like an ass.

      What is so hard about saying three little words? They're just words! And this is definitely a situation to be confessing all my feelings. Kaylee's been the only girl I've had an interest in for years. She's my first girlfriend, my first kiss and the first girl to actually love me. I mean, I'm sure we'll be fine, but what if a baseball-sized meteorite hit me in the head?

      I decide to try calling my parents next, but I can't seem to reach any of their cellphones. What's up with that? I just want them to know that I'm okay and going to the library to stay with Kaylee's family. The only land-line I can think to call is my Aunt Jude's house number, but I know they aren't there. I dial anyway and the answering service picks up.

      "Mom, I just want to let you and dad know that I am fine. I'm going over to the library with Kaylee, the towns turning it into a shelter until the meteor shower is over," I say, and then thoughtfully add-in, "I love you."

      See, those three words aren't so scary.

      I pack my backpack with everything I think I could need for an overnight stay and even though I know Kaylee hates my movies, I take a few DVDs and a portable player. Maybe I can ease her into sharing the same interests in me. Baby-steps.

      I'm all set and ready to go, but something keeps me from being able to walk out the door. What about Serena? Without even thinking about it, my hand picks up the phone to call her house.

      "Logan?" she answers. "What's wrong?"

      "I'm going to the library, they're turning it into a makeshift shelter. The news is advising people to stay in it as a precautionary measure, nothing serious. Do you want to go? I can come pick you up."

      "Yeah, I know. Peter told me, his dad is coming to get me. I'm packing right now."

I'm still adjusting to the fact that Peter and Serena are a couple. It's not my job to look out for her, it's Peter's job. "Oh. Okay then. I guess I'll see you there."

      "Logan?"

      "Yeah?"

      "Thanks for thinking about me." Serena's voice is soft and has a warm tone to it.

      "Anytime."

The library reaches full capacity. It feels like the whole town is here. There are so many people that they have no choice, but to open up other buildings as make-shift shelters. I sit on the ground between two rows of children's books with am arm wrapped around Kaylee's shoulders. Her fingers turn the pages of some story about a gluttonous caterpillar made up of rainbow colors.

      Kaylee smells like her mom. I don't know if they share the same hair products or what, but I always associated that smell with her mom as a kid and now Kaylee smells like her.

      She presses the side of her head against my cheek and sighs happily. "Is it bad that I'm actually glad a meteor hit the courthouse? It'll be our first sleepover together."

      "Yeah, a sleepover that the whole town is invited to, including fire-and-brimstone preaching Mrs. Graham," I joke.

      "Don't focus on that, just focus on me," she says, her eyes are a little more seductive.

      She tilts up her chin and waits for me to meet her half-way for a kiss. I follow her silent request and our lips meet. Whenever I kiss Kaylee, all my concerns about our lack of things in common die. All that matters is that the beautiful Kaylee Winters chose me to be her boyfriend. I should feel like a lucky guy.

      "Whoa! You two do realize that everyone can see you, right?" Peter interrupts on purpose just to be a brat. He has an arm around Serena and his handsome cocky smile. "Is this day amazing or what? New girlfriend, new exciting stuff happening in town and a sleep-over. Fullerton just went from zero to a hundred on the interesting scale."

      Of course, leave it to Peter Hunt to find potential danger an exciting adventure.

      Kaylee and I pull back from our kiss, but she insists on leaning against me still. Her hand slips into my hoodie pocket and I can feel her fingers brush against my stomach and drive me crazy. "Come join us," she offers. "We were just reading together. Nothing else to do."

      The two of them join us on the floor and Peter dives immediately into a conversation about Mr. Lee's hardware store's windows all breaking and how much money windows fixers would be rolling in. Kaylee adds to the conversation by explaining that the sound made her dog wet the carpet in her bedroom.

      I stay silent. Something just doesn't feel right to me, and I can't put my finger on it. Everyone looks like they're having a good time and nothing is happening outside.

      "Logan James?" The librarian calls my name and points towards an office. "Your dad is on the line."

      Kaylee and Serena give me an encouraging smile and I excuse myself. The office is quiet when the door is closed. Everyone outside seems almost mute. I can see their mouths moving and laughing, but I can't hear a word of it. It's ironic having loud sounds in a library. I sit at the small, under-decorated desk with a single cactus plant and place the receiver against my ear.

      "Dad?" I ask.

      "Oh thank GOD. Logan, listen to me. I've already talked to your mother about this. I'm going to need you to follow my instructions exactly. Go back to the house, get the three gas containers from the garage and fill them up. In my office there's old paper maps from when your mother and I used to road-trip. Take them, get in the car and start heading towards Texas as fast as you can. Don't stop driving, you have to make it to Texas in two days. If you start now you can make it to Utah by tonight.

      "But, dad . . . everyone says it's going to be fine. Look outside, there's nothing going on. Aren't you overreacting a little?"

      "Logan, I am your father. Trust in me. The news is lying. A meteorite the size of a house hit here in North Dakota near where I work and they're covering it up. They're disconnecting phone coverage and soon they'll be blocking the internet to keep people from communicating with each other. I don't know how much longer we'll even be able to talk by phone. Drop everything, don't think, don't trust anyone, just GO! Now, Logan, GO!"