ShadowShifter

Broderick Cooper

"Your dad and I slept in this morning," Mom said as she walked back over to the coffee pot to pour another cup.

"No kidding." Natalie slanted her eyes at me. "And what's your excuse?"

"No car? Didn't want to go alone?" I offered lamely.

She gave us the tsk-tsk and shook her head. "Y'all are going to hell...." she accused in her beautiful southern drawl.

"Joey called," my mother said to her.

"Really? When?" Natalie plopped over to the bar.

"A little over an hour ago. You two getting together today?"

"Eh. Maybe." Natalie's disinterest was forced. "It's been forever since I've been on the four-wheeler." She nudged her broken wing for emphasis. "I don't know what we can do today though."

Mother chuckled, "You've only been in that sling for a week."

"And I'm sick of gimped-up pool and playing video games with one hand. I lose all of the time! It sucks."

"Natalie..." my mother warned. "There are better words to use."

"Ew. What happened to your face?" Natalie suddenly asked, taking notice of my chin.

"I tripped."

"Good to know gravity is working." She laughed.

Giving Natalie a false-recount of what happened, I noticed that it was already one o'clock and I became restless waiting for Broderick to show up. Worried that he wouldn't. Miserable and feeling foolish with the notion I had trusted the wrong person again; I really believed that after last night's revelation that Broderick and I had a strong bond. Even after Joey arrived, his foolish antics couldn't provide a strong enough distraction.

I was almost able to relax when my phone rang, hoping it was Broderick.

"Hello?" My voice rang through as a girl on pins and needles.

I heard the familiar laugh on the other end, that didn't belong to the boy who had so desperately begged for my friendship last night. "Well, it sounds like you survived without us this weekend. We sure did miss your gloom-n-doom ass, though."

Sighing, I could hardly conceal my disappointment. "Hi, Cari. I missed you girls, too."

"We're going to swing by the Java House before heading home to unpack. You game? I need to talk to you about a certain something." I could literally hear Cari's spiteful grin on her face as she spoke. I cringed with the imminent repercussions of the lie I told Savannah-of Cari's supposed attraction to Broderick.

I considered her offer. Broderick clearly wasn't coming.

"What time do you think you'll get here?"

"Uh..." She hesitated as she clamped her hand over the mouthpiece of her cell phone to ask. "Thirty minutes, max. So you're in?"

I was ready to throw in the towel, when suddenly I saw the red jeep pull into the driveway. As he stepped out of the jeep casually in his usual strong form, he pulled his sunglasses to the top of his head. Beautiful.

My mind was made. "I can't. I have plans."

"Plans? Doing what? With who?" her tone was testy.

"I have a final this week. Bye." I hung up before she could argue my excuse and hurried out to the deck before he entered in the downstairs door.

"Broderick, I'm up here!" I called over the rail.

He took each step up to the deck where I waited. I fell into a daze at the first sight of his bright smile.