The Secret Promise

Chapter Eleven

Allie looked both ways before stepping out onto the boardwalk. She had stopped by the post office on her way home from Susan's and there had been a letter for her. Pulling it out of her pocket, she glanced at the writing. She had just figured out who the letter was from when she heard running footsteps and Lucas suddenly appeared beside her again. He snatched the letter out of her hand and held it up to the sun as if he could read through the envelope.

"Let me guess," he said. "A letter from your secret beau?"

She just sighed and kept walking, knowing that trying to grab the letter would only encourage him.

"I suppose he's already proposed and wants to push up the wedding so you can hurry up and move to....," he read the return address, "Buffalo, New York?"

"If only," she muttered.

"So he hasn't proposed yet and you're getting impatient," he guessed again.

"You're holding a letter from my grandmother," she finally told him.

"Oh." he almost looked disappointed, but then he noticed something else on the envelope. "Wait, your name is Allison?"

She took the letter back and tucked it into her pocket. "Is there something I can help you with? Perhaps you need help spelling some words so you can write a letter of your own?"

"I don't have time for that," he said.

"What a shame," she replied. "So, what do you want?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "I just saw you walking home and since I was also heading home, I figured we could walk together."

"Where's Charlie?" she glanced around, wondering if he was lying in wait somewhere close by.

"Charlie? I don't know. Why?"

"Because last time you offered to walk me home, Charlie was waiting to scare me."

"Oh," he laughed. "I'd forgotten all about that."

"Of course you did."

"Hey, that was a long time ago."

"Not nearly long enough." she said under her breath.

"Are you going to the Fall Festival next week?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to go with me?"

She laughed. And then realized he was being completely serious and she cleared her throat. "Um, no. I wouldn't like to go with you." she said, hoping that being straightforward would discourage him from making any future inquiries.

"Oh. Someone's already asked you, I suppose."

She stopped walking and stared at him for a moment. "No. Nobody else has asked me, Lucas. But you are the last person on earth I would go with! Do I look like I'm desperate to be asked?"

"No," he said sheepishly. "You look like you've probably got every man in town lining up to ask you."

"So you thought you'd put your bid in?"

"No, I just-,"

"Listen very closely, Lucas," she said. "We are not now, nor have we ever been friends. We aren't required to be polite to each other and I'm not about to let you think you can treat me the way you did in school and then act like none of it ever happened!"

"Okay." he was a little surprised, but he guessed she was right.

"Well, well, well, " Susan groaned. "Look who decided to show up after all,"

Allie barely glanced in that direction. "I didn't tell him he couldn't come," she said. "I just told him I wouldn't attend with him."

"Well, maybe you should have,"

"You think I should have come with him?"

"No! I meant, maybe you should have told him not to come."

"And do you think Arthur would have come without him?"

"Maybe."

"If you'll excuse me," Allie slipped down off the hay bales they were sitting on. "It looks like Arthur is on his way over to talk to you and I'm going to get some popcorn,"

"Don't go too far," Susan called after her. "The three legged race is coming up and you promised you'd be my partner!"

"One popcorn, please," Allie handed over a nickel and took the paper bag of lightly sweetened popcorn. She had a feeling that if she stayed away just long enough, Susan would decide that she had a much better chance of winning the three-legged race with Arthur as her partner.

She was watching Susan and Arthur talking and wondered if she'd given them enough time yet.

"Are we placing bets?"

Flinching, she looked over and saw that Lucas was standing right beside her, also munching on popcorn.

"Placing bets on what?"

"Oh, anything really." he shrugged. "We could wager whether or not you'll have to run that stupid race with her or not. Or if he'll ask to walk her home this evening. Or how long before he proposes."

She laughed outright. "They barely know each other!"

He shrugged. "Maybe so."

"I'm not making any ridiculous wagers with you!"

"We don't have to bet money," he said, leaning against a nearby wagon and casually crossing one foot over the other.

"I'm not the gambling type, Mr. Dillan," she said, walking away.

He pushed away from the wagon and followed her. "You don't enjoy a good bet?"

"Not really." she replied, wondering why he was following her. "But I'm guessing you do or you wouldn't be bothering me about it."

"Bothering you?" he chuckled. "So, I'm bothering you now?"

"Yes." she replied. "Like a pebble in my shoe."

"So, I'm only bothering you a little, then?"

"No. A lot. You bother me a lot," she sighed.

He was smiling as he continued munching on his popcorn, and seemed to be amused by this.

She had lost her appetite.

Allie sat back down on the hay bale she had previously vacated, and Susan, who'd been busy talking to Arthur, finally glanced over only to realize that Lucas had followed her back. "So, we're friends now?" she asked.

"No. We're not."

"I don't know," Lucas replied. "I think we could be friends,"

"Was he that awful to you?" Arthur asked.

Allie stood back up. "I don't want to talk about it." she walked away.

"Yeah," Lucas said, "I was that awful."

"She won't even talk to me about it," Susan shrugged. "And I was there for most of it."

"Have you apologized yet?" Arthur asked. "How many times have I told you that an apology goes a long way?"

"I agree," Susan said, glancing at Lucas only to find him staring after Allie as she walked away. "It may not make everything better, but it could help."

"I know," Lucas sighed. "I'm just not sure how to broach the subject. She gets so agitated every time it comes up."

"Don't you understand?" Susan asked. "She was ten years old when you started bullying her. I know you don't think it was that big of a deal, but to her it was. She was scared to death of you. I'm surprised she even speaks to you!"