In Your Dreams (In Your Dreams #1)

Chapter 5

Kayla scowls, her eyes darting away as if she's just remembered she doesn't like me. She scoots closer to Kieran on the bleacher bench and shoves herself against him to wake him up.

"I guess is the first time you've seen them?" I ask my family. I don't need to wonder how they figured out the kids were the Laniers, since Kieran and Kayla would have been the only two people sitting on the Titusville side of the gym they didn't already know. Plus, I told them about Kieran's condition, so the sight of a sleeping boy in the bleachers would be a dead giveaway.

"It's been so cold I haven't been out much," Gramps says, referring to how he likes to kind of putter around on the porch and in the front yard when the weather's warmer. "I think I've seen him-the father-drive by a few times, probably on his way to and from Sumner."

"We wanted to give them some time to get settled in before we started being all neighborly," Gram adds, "being neighborly" meaning bringing over baked goods and invites to sewing circle, book club, writing group, or one of the other thousands of activities Gram's involved in around town and in Sumner. "Tonight's as good a night to meet them as any, I suppose."

Up in the stands, Kieran's woken up and Kayla's working herself into her coat. My guess is there's no way they'd want to hang out with my family, much less the Booster Club, the team, and team's families, but I can't really say that.

"Sure. I'll ask. Then I'll go clean up and meet you in the cafeteria, okay?"

Gram and Gramps bob their heads and turn to head off the court, but my mom catches me by the arm. "He's cute," she hisses in my ear as she stares up at Kieran. "How come you didn't tell me how cute he was?"

"I am so not having this conversation with you right now."

"Well, I'm just surprised you never said anything. I mean, I kind of wondered when you kept talking about this boy all the time, but I had no idea-"

"I don't talk about him all the time, so calm down," I warn. "Anyway, aren't you always telling me you're cool if I don't date until I'm thirty?"

"Assuming he's a nice guy," Mom starts as the Laniers descend the bleachers, "I'll make an exception for someone who looks like him. That guy just screams 'Hot Prom Date'."

This is an unreal amount of gross even from my mom, whose talent for embarrassing me knows no bounds. "Please stop," I beg. "Kieran and I are just friends, but maybe you should ask him out if you think he's so hot. I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thanks. I think he's a little young for me, though."

"Well, he should be turning eighteen soon. I'll even help you pick out a Prom dress if you want, although I don't know if you're allowed to go to Prom as someone's date when you're older than most of the chaperones."

Mom ignores this last dig. "Shut it, Zip-they're coming."

We flash broad smiles as the siblings make their way to the gym floor. Kayla turns in the direction of the outside entrance, but Kieran grabs her coat sleeve, gently pulling her back as he starts walking toward us.

Mom takes two steps forward and holds out her hand. "Hi. April Shipman. You must be Kieran."

"Nice to meet you. This is my sister, Kayla."

Kieran nudges Kayla forward, and she offers my mom one of her trademarked bland smiles along with her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Shipman," she says in that breathy voice of hers.

"Please-call me April."

We fall into the awkward silence of four people trying to think of small talk subjects until Kieran saves us. "Good game. I mean, what I saw of it was a good game."