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I can't get over the extre but a pile of matchsticks Yet, in the ly was left untouched The selective power of a tornado is frightening

"Have you done this sort of thing before?" Ever asks

"This is my first tornado But this will be the third time I've helped clean up after a disaster I helped after those two hurricanes hit Florida back to back two years ago But the destruction was nothing like this"

"How is this all being coordinated? I mean, how did you even know that volunteers were needed?"

"There's a governency called AmeriCorps They coordinate and lead volunteer efforts"

"I can't even begin to i to take to clean this up and rebuild"

I couldn't i seventy-two people and left thousands of others injured or homeless Our job while here was to help clean and stack debris for refuse trucks to haul away There's no way that individual homeowners have the ability or manpower to clean the rubble up from their properties so they can rebuild

We pull into the parking lot of a high school football stadium I see my teammates, Darius and Tyler are here already They both ith me to help clean up after the hurricanes and were always up for a volunteer opportunity They were good guys that way

There's a large military tent set up and several school buses We head into the tent where we fill out son waivers Then we are loaded on a bus and driven into a neighborhood that was flattened by the hurricane I uys, but we don't talk much on the way there We are just too stunned by all of the carnage we see

I look at Ever, who is sitting next to me, and her eyes are ith horror I reach down and pick up her hand She doesn't take her eyes off the , almost so entranced she can't turn away But she squeezes my hand and holds it all the way until the bus stops

After a viciously hot and back breaking day, Darius, Tyler and I swing by Ever's rooet cleaned up and head out to a nice dinner before we hit the sack We are all exhausted beyond measure

I knock on Ever's door and after a few minutes it opens Ever is still in her work clothes, dirt sed all over her face and she looks like she's been run over by a freight train TheI notice is that her eyes have lost their sparkle

"I'uys I'm just too exhausted and sore to even walk down to the car"

I feel terrible The work today was brutal We had to haul lumber, bricks, cinder blocks and tree branches We had to separate out electronics and metals froather papers and personal docuather in our hands, ere given rakes to make piles The temperature had skyrocketed which wassleeve shirts and jeans for protection On top of that, theto stop the s food and ani to throw up constantly This as not for the weak of back or fair of stomach

Several times I had to make Ever put on sunscreen, as I was afraid her fair skin would blister under the hot, Oklahoet to take breaks and drink water to stay hydrated I feel like half the ti after her to shove a water bottle in her hand

And now she stands before me and she looks like a feather would knock her over We had been working for alht minus a short break for lunch

I look over at Darius and Tyler "You guys go ahead I ht catch up with you later"

They nod and leave

I walk into Ever's room and shut the door She just stares aton her feet

"Did you drink that last Gatorade I got you on the way back to the hotel?"

"No," she whispers and sits on the edge of her bed She's covered in dirt and grin homeless on the streets, yet she still looks remarkably beautiful to me She was such a trooper today

"Drink your Gatorade," I order her and head into the bathroom I run her a bath and make it as hot as I think her delicate skin can handle

When I return to the bedroo at the floor "Everdrink your Gatorade"

"I'roans but I notice a so to bed?"

I walk over to her and pull her fro to drink your Gatorade and take two ibuprofen, then you're going to get your ass in the tub while I get us some dinner from room service And if you don't do it, I'll pour the damn Gatorade down your throat and strip you myself to put you in the tub"

"If I wasn't so sore," she mumbles, "I'd take you up on the offer to strip me"

A pleasurable thrill runs up my spine at those words It's the first candidattraction we have for each other since that kiss

That aly perfect kiss