Shadow Keeper

SHADOW KEEPER

by

M. K. Yarbrough

Chapter One 

After the flash of lightning, I waited for the peal of thunder, but instead, a long pitiful shriek echoed from outside the house. A shiver rippled through me, making my flesh prickle. I threw back the covers and crawled from the bed. 

Thunder crashed overhead as I searched for the pullcord in the heavy folds of the curtains. I yanked them open, but only a black void stared back at me. Dark storm clouds blocked all illumination from the stars and moon. 

I cracked open the window and pressed my ear against the mesh screen. No shrieking howl, no gusting wind, not even a drop of rain on the patio outside disrupted the silence. 

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and the night turned bright as day. I squinted to shield my vision from the burst of light, but not before glimpsing a shadowy figure lingering at the edge of our yard near the alfalfa field. A mournful howl ripped through the air and mingled with the clap of thunder. The creature twisted lower to the ground and disappeared into a clump of oak trees. 

A cold chill snaked up my back. I blinked my eyes. Was that an animal, or a man scurrying into the cover of the trees? Not certain what I'd witnessed, I scratched at the stubble on my neck while backing away from the window. 

"Ow," I yelped when my foot scrapped against a sharp object. I hopped around on one foot while rubbing at the heel of my other. 

"Brendon?" my little brother mumbled from the upper bunk. 

"Yeah, Stevie. It's me. I think I just stepped on your dinosaur." 

"Give it back," he said in a sleepy voice. 

The digital clock on the desk gave off a dim, bluish glow, but the light only extended a few feet. I searched around on the floor until my fingers stumbled across the hard plastic toy. After picking it up, I swung my hand in the direction of the upper bunk. "Here you go." 

A spark of lightning flashed outside. With the curtains opened wide, the brilliant light flooded the room. Tyrannosaurs Rex seemed to come to life. Sharp, white plastic teeth jutted out of its furious mouth a few inches from my brother's face. Stevie's scream filled the air as his hands flew over his eyes. 

"It's just your toy dinosaur." 

"Close the curtains," he shouted. 

"Pipe down. You're going to wake Mom." I headed for the window. "Lightning can't hurt you." 

"Yes, it can. It can kill you." 

"Maybe, but it can't get you if you stay in bed with your head under the covers." 

I grabbed the pullcord for the curtains, but before yanking them shut, I glanced around the yard. Nothing. Whatever lurked outside had disappeared. The creepy tingling up my spine had also vanished. 

Thunder rumbled right after I shut the curtains. "The storm's moving farther away. Go back to sleep." 

"Can I sleep with you?" he asked. 

"No." I sat down on the edge of the mattress and rubbed my hand across the muscles in my shoulders. "I'm still sore from Friday's game. I've got football practice tomorrow and I need sleep. I can't do it with you thrashing around all night." 

"But, Brendon-" 

"No," I said a little sharper than I intended. 

Muffled sobs came from the bed above me. 

"I'm sorry, Stevie." I crawled from the lower bunk and searched for my little brother to pat his back. 

"I'm scared." He leapt at me with such force that the thrust of his body threw me backward. 

I grabbed at the top bunk to steady myself, but all I caught was a handful of blanket. Off balance, I struggled to stay upright, but with his added weight, I lost the battle. We crashed to the carpet covered floor. My little brother, with his strangle hold on my neck, landed on top. 

"Dang it, Stevie." I batted at the sheet and blanket floating across my face. "Why did you jump at me like that?" 

His arms tightened around my neck. "I hate lightning." 

I tried to pry him loose. "It's not going to kill anyone." 

"It killed Daddy." 

My head flopped onto the floor. "No, it didn't." 

"Then what did?" 

Muscle spasms ripped through my body as a grotesque image flashed into my brain, but the figure receded into the dark corners of my mind before I recognized the form. "I don't know." 

"Do you remember when he died?" 

That much I knew. I swallowed hard, hoping my voice didn't shake when I talked. "It was six years ago. I was about your age." 

His arms eased from around my neck. "You were ten like me when Daddy died?" 

"No, I was eleven." I slid him to one side. "Let's get off the floor." 

The blanket and sheet tangled around me as I crawled from the rug. Stevie grabbed at my tee shirt and never let go while I gathered the covers and flung them on the top bed. 

"Can I-" 

"Yeah," I said, cutting off his request since I already knew what he was going to ask. "Get in there." 

"Thanks, Brendon." He let go of my shirt and scampered into the bottom bunk. 

I waited for him to quit squirming around. His bony elbows and knees could be lethal weapons. When I didn't hear anymore wrestling with the covers, I flopped down on the bed. 

"Brendon, before you get in bed-" 

"Too late." I stretched out on the cool sheet and adjusted the pajama bottoms around my waist. 

"But I want Rex." 

"No way. This bed isn't big enough for three." 

"Your bed's bigger than mine." 

"I said no. Besides, you're too old to be sleeping with toys." 

His head lay on the other pillow, but the sniffling noise he made sounded like his nose pressed against my ear. 

"I swear I'm going to throw you in bed with Mom if you start crying." 

"I just got him for my birthday last week. He won't take up much room." 

I wanted sleep. My body hurt too much to climb out of bed and go looking for that stupid dinosaur. Instead, I searched for an excuse he would accept. "Rex already bit me on the foot. He might bite off my nose next." His laughter told me I was headed in the right direction. "If I roll over on him, he's liable to gobble me up." 

"Rex can't hurt you," he said between chuckles. "He's not real." 

"He felt real enough when I stepped on him." 

"I'll keep him on the side next to the wall." His chuckling subsided, and his tone turned serious. "Please." 

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out with a huff. "If you promise to shut up and go to sleep, I'll get him." 

When the nodding of his head rustled the pillowcase, I rolled out of bed. "He could be anywhere. I'll have to put on the light." The words barely came out of my mouth when Rex latched onto my big toe. I stifled a curse, scooped him up from the floor, and stuck him on the other side of Stevie. 

"Thank you, Brendon." 

"You're welcome. Now, goodnight." 

"Goodnight." Stevie had his back to me, but he turned over and slipped his arm around my bicep. "Brendon-" 

"No talking." 

"But I want to know-" 

"Shh." 

"-what Daddy was like." 

A clammy sweat broke out of my pores. I loved my father, but talking about him always brought back unsettling visions of his death. "How come you're thinking about Dad all of a sudden?" 

"Because I don't have one." 

"Half your friends at school don't have a dad." 

"That's because their parents are divorced. But Taylor and even Josh see their dad once in a while. I never get to see mine, and Mom won't talk about him. I don't think she liked Daddy." 

"Don't you ever say that." My tone was harsh. I tried to mellow before I spoke. "Mom loved him. She still does. That's why she won't talk about him." 

"Then how will I ever learn anything about him?" he asked around a sob. 

"I can tell you a little." I swiped one hand across my face to remove the sweat. My little brother deserved to know about our father. If I stuck to his life and not his death, I might be able to give some details. "His name was John Alexander, and his hair was-I don't need to describe him. You've seen pictures of him, haven't you?" 

"No." 

"Yes, you have. There's one in Mom's room of Dad holding you when you were a baby." 

"I thought that was you holding me." 

"No, goofy. That's Dad. He was about thirty-three when you were born." 

"Then you and Daddy looked alike? Was he tall like you?" 

"I think he was about six-three, so I've got another couple inches to go. And I guess I inherited his looks. You look a little like him too." 

"He had dark, curly hair?" 

"Dark, but straight. We get the curly from Mom." I thrust my fingers through my inch-short hair. "Wavy is more like it. Just be glad you didn't get Mom's red hair and freckles." 

Stevie snickered. "Krystal did." 

"It's all right for her. She's a girl. Besides, she looks cute with those blue eyes and red hair. Maybe too cute. In ten years from now, when she turns sixteen, I won't be around. It'll be your job to protect her." 

"From what?" 

My sarcasm cranked up a notch. "Your friends, probably." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Never mind." I rolled over, putting my back to him. "Are you finished with your questions?" 

He made a little humming noise. I knew his tactic. He planned to keep me talking until he fell asleep. 

"Did Daddy have weird eyes like you?" 

I glanced over my shoulder even though the darkness prevented me from seeing him. "What do you mean, weird?" 

"They're green and brown at the same time." 

"That's not weird. It's called hazel." 

"Josh said Daddy was part Indian like the ones who own the casino." 

"Don't listen to Josh. He doesn't know anything. We didn't move to California to live with Grandma until after Dad died." 

"Then we're not Indian?" 

"No, we are, but I don't know which tribe since Mom won't talk about it. But we don't belong to the tribe that owns the casino. Otherwise, we'd be rich instead of poor. But I remember Grandfather. He was half Indian and used to tell me stories about the Ancient Ones. I was probably Krystal's age when he died." 

"How did he die?" 

"He got old." 

"Is that how Daddy died?" 

"Dad wasn't old." 

"Then how did he die?" 

We were back to that again. I took a deep breath, hoping a fresh shot of oxygen would keep the clammy sweat from returning. Memories of my father's death were just hazy recollections. The doctor said I'd suppressed the incident because my young mind couldn't deal with the horror of seeing him die. I was older now. Maybe if I remembered, I could put the past where it belonged. I rubbed at my forehead, hoping to clear my thoughts, but too many years had passed. "I'm not sure. I was with him that night, but I don't remember what happened." 

"Can't you ask Mom?" 

"No. She thinks it's better I don't." When my mind drew a blank, I dropped my hand to my belly. "Maybe it is better that I don't recall." 

"Are you afraid to remember?" 

Sure I was, but I wasn't going to admit it to my little brother. "It happened a long time ago. What's the use of remembering something bad from the past?" 

"Aren't you afraid of anything?" 

"Yeah." I had some real fears that affected my life now. "I'm afraid I won't get a football scholarship so I can go to college." 

"More school?" He made a huffing noise. "Is that all?" 

"Just one other thing." My gaze drifted to the closed curtains. "I'm afraid of things that slither around in the middle of the night." 

Chapter Two 

Sunlight seeped around the edges of the curtains. I crawled from the bed and jerked on my jeans. On the way out of the bedroom, I tugged on a clean red tee. The eerie shadow I'd witnessed during the night had piqued my curiosity and I wanted to find out what had made that noise. As I headed down the hallway to the kitchen, the smell of warm maple syrup wafted through the air, delaying my investigation. I gobbled down a stack of buckwheat pancakes before hurrying outside. 

The storm that passed during the night didn't dump much rain. Even with October less than a week away, the heavy stuff wouldn't come for a couple more months, but I hoped the damp ground would leave a print of anything lurking around. I walked across the backyard to where I'd seen the dark form weaving through the base of the oak trees and squatted down for a closer look. Dried grass speckled the area. I scanned the bare dirt near the roots and around the tree trunks. Nothing. Not a single paw mark or human boot print marred the earth. 

Perhaps a swaying branch had caused the shadow, but that didn't explain the long, pitiful screech that echoed through the darkness. I thrust my fingers through my hair. Maybe I'd imagined the whole thing. Between school, homework, and football practice, I wasn't getting enough sleep. 

On the way back to the house, I spotted a white pickup tearing down the gravel road. That was my ride to school. I dashed into the house and grabbed my backpack. Carson lived farther up the Capay Valley. His father had given him the old F150 when he bought a new one last year. The Ford was fifteen years old, but still in good condition. And the best part was I didn't have to ride the bus with a bunch of screaming kids all the way to Esparto High. 

* * * 

The hard slap on the brakes jolted the pickup and woke me from a sound sleep. "What the-" My head jerked up, and my body tensed, preparing for impact with another vehicle. A second later, I realized Carson had slammed on the brakes in the school parking lot, and we were at a dead stop. 

"X-man, you should have seen the look on your face." Carson sucked in gulps of air as he laughed, making sounds like a braying donkey. "You looked like you thought you were about to die." 

"I'm glad you think it's funny." 

"Did I scare you, man?" 

"Yes, you jackass." I grabbed my backpack from the floorboard and climbed from the pickup. "You scared the crap out of me." 

Carson adjusted the Raiders cap over his mess of red hair before grabbing the backpack. "Serves you right for sleeping the whole ride down the valley." 

"Sorry, but the storm scared Stevie, and his crying kept me awake half the night." Thoughts of that eerie shadow I'd witnessed had also kept me awake, but I wasn't going to mention it to Carson. 

"You should sleep in class like I do." 

"Wish I could, but graduating with a D average won't get me into college." 

"Hey, I got my grades up to a C minus so I wouldn't get kicked off the team. And I already told you, my dad will give you a job after we graduate." 

"Bailing hay for the summer pays good money, but I don't want to be stuck in the valley for the rest of my life. I need a job that'll get me out of here. The only way to do that is with a college diploma." 

"Well, I don't want to leave. I'm happy here." 

"Watch it." I grabbed his tee shirt and yanked him back when he stepped into the street without looking. The driver laid on his horn and Carson flipped him off. I shook my head. Carson was my best friend, but sometimes he seemed oblivious to the world around him. His D average wasn't due solely to sleeping in class. 

He always joked he was a throwback to an ancient Viking warrior. Mostly brawn and little brain, but he had the perfect build-big and muscular-to play guard or tackle on the football team. He had about twenty pounds on me and was great at keeping linebackers off when I ran with the ball. 

"There's Paul." Carson motioned with a flick of his hand to the front entrance of the school. "But I don't see Sherry." 

"Maybe they broke up." I glanced around to see if I could spot her. "Paul told me they've been fighting a lot." 

"Hey, Paul," Carson said when we reached him. "Where's the wife? Did she dump you?" 

My eyes rolled to the top of my head at his blunt remark. 

"She didn't dump me." Paul smacked him on the arm with his fist. "She just hit the snooze button too many times and now she's running late." 

Carson punched back. Paul winched, but would never admit it hurt. Tall, slim, and cool under pressure, he made a great quarterback. He could spiral the football sixty yards down the field and make it land right in my hands, but he wasn't a physical match for Carson's solid build. 

Paul's gaze darted to me as he rubbed at his arm. His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. "So, Alexander, how was your date the other night?" 

I glanced away from his scrutinizing stare. He would bring up Saturday night. Now, I'd have to listen to the two of them give me crap for the next ten minutes before the bell rang. "It was all right." 

"Dang," Carson said. "I forgot all about your date with Regina. So, what'd you think?" 

"I don't want to talk about it." 

"X-man." Carson shoved at my shoulder. "You went out with the skankiest girl in school. You've got to give us details." 

"No, I don't." 

"What happened?" Paul asked. "Wouldn't she put out?" 

From the smirk on his face, Paul must've already heard the details, but Carson looked like he didn't have a clue. 

"Regina always puts out." Carson's mouth twisted into a knowing grin. "Even on a first date." 

"Especially on a first date." Paul's mouth showed the same grin. "So, how was it?" 

"You already know nothing happened." 

"What?" Carson's eyes opened wide. "You've got to be kidding. She turned you down?" 

I shook my head. "I turned her down." 

"Yeah, right." He let out a chuckle. "Like you'd turn down your first chance to get laid." 

"You're wrong. We went to a movie, and then I took her home." I didn't think his eyes could get any wider, but they did. 

"Why?" he asked. 

I shrugged while thinking how I could explain it without sounding like a big wuss. I felt sorry for Regina. She wanted everyone to like her, but the way she chose to become popular only made the kids laugh at her behind her back. "All she talked about was the other guys she'd been out with." 

"So?" Carson looked dumbfounded. 

"So, I didn't want to be the guy she talks about on her next date with someone else. And I didn't want to take advantage of her." 

"Take advantage?" Paul's dark eyebrows lifted. "She's broadcast it all over school that she's going to sleep with every senior on the football team. That's her choice." 

"Maybe, but I didn't want to be the next guy on her list to end up with a stupid nickname." I gave Paul a deliberate stare. "Did you know she calls you Minute Man?" 

Paul shrugged as if unconcerned with his poor sexual rating. "I wasn't trying to please her, only myself." 

"Yeah, but Regina can't keep her mouth shut," I reminded him. "What are you going to do when the gossip gets back to Sherry?" 

His face scrunched into a grimace. "She's already heard about my nickname, but I told her it was because Regina thinks I'm patriotic since I'm always wearing tee shirts with flags on them." 

I shook my head. "I can't believe Sherry would fall for a lame excuse like that. She's not stupid." 

"I know she's not." He glanced down. "But I'm tired of her always being suspicious of everything I do." 

"Don't you think she has good reason? Besides, there are only about forty kids in our senior class. Everybody talks to everyone else. She's bound to find out the truth." 

"It doesn't matter," Paul said, but from the expression on his face, it did. "I'm probably going to breakup with her anyway. Sherry wants to stay a virgin until she gets married. I need a girlfriend who will give me more." 

Carson snickered. "You mean like Regina?" 

Paul's head snapped up, and he glared at him. "No, you dumbass. A nice girl like Sherry, but one who wants to do more than just hold hands." 

"Good luck with that," Carson said. "When word gets out that you were screwing around on Sherry, no nice girl is going to want you." 

"Here comes Sherry now," Paul said in a hushed voice. "Everybody shut up about Regina." 

We all clammed up and waited for her to join us by the front steps of the school. When she reached Paul, he put his hands at her waist and pulled her to him. She turned her face and his kiss brushed across her short, brown hair. He released her without saying a word. 

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Carson said. "You don't need any extra sleep. You're pretty enough already." 

Her lips curved into a smile. "Thanks. You just made my day." 

The conversation lulled, so I jumped in. "Hey, Sherry. Why'd you oversleep? Did you stay up all weekend studying for a big test?" 

"No, Brendon." Her smile slipped. "I had things on my mind." 

"You can't call him Brendon, remember?" Paul made a weird sound, like a forced laugh. "He's Smoochy Lips now." 

"What?" I looked at Paul, not certain I'd heard him right. 

"From the look on your face," Sherry said, "I'm guessing Paul hasn't told you." 

"Told me what?" 

"Let me tell him." Paul stepped to the center of the group. "Regina gave you the nickname of Smoochy L-" 

"Please," Sherry uttered between gritted teeth. "I do not want to hear her name, especially from you." 

His shoulders slumped, and he glanced away. 

Carson didn't seem to catch the tension between Paul and Sherry. "Smoochy Lips?" He burst into his donkey laugh. "No wonder you didn't want to sleep with her," he said between gulps of laughter. "No telling what name Regina would've come up with if you weren't any good in the sack." 

"Shut up, Carson." Paul took a step closer. "Nobody wants to hear about Regina or her stupid nicknames." 

Carson continued to laugh. "I know you don't want to hear it-Minute Man." 

Paul shuffled his feet around on the sidewalk, and his hands tightened into fists. 

"Stop it." Sherry grabbed his wrist. "You'll both get kicked out of school." 

I wasn't sure if Paul intended to throw a punch, so I stepped between them. I dug my elbows into each chest and shoved them apart. "Let's forget about it. Who cares about any stupid nicknames?" 

"She calls you Hairless," Paul shouted around me to Carson. 

"So?" Carson puffed out his chest, and his arms came up like he was going for a tackle. "That's because I had to shave all my body hair to show my muscles for the junior body building championship at the county fair." 

"That was two months ago, but you still shave your body." Paul's tone changed to disgust. "That's just weird." 

"Oh, yeah?" Carson said. "Well, I can always let my hair grow back, but you're going to have to-" The ringing school bell drowned out the rest of his words. 

"Let's get to class." I grabbed Carson's arm and pulled him toward the entrance, but he shrugged off my grip and turned back. 

"Wow." His tongue almost fell out of his mouth. "Get a load of that machine." 

We all glanced at the vehicle pulling up to the curb about thirty feet from where we stood. 

"That's a Hummer H3," Carson said. 

"It looks brand new." Paul put his hand to his forehead to shade his eyes. "And check out that burnt orange color. That is so tight." 

"That's called Solar Flare," Carson corrected. "The car is last year's Luxury model, but it looks cherry." 

I nodded in agreement. If the school gave grades for the knowledge of automobiles, Carson would get an A. 

"Do any of you know who the driver is?" Sherry asked. 

The glare of the sun on the tinted windows made it impossible to see inside. I glanced at the others, but they each shook their head. 

"I don't know who it belongs to," Carson said, "but that is one sweet ride." 

The passenger door swung open. From my angle, all I made out was the sandal clad foot of a female stepping onto the curb. A well toned, bare calf appeared at the bottom edge of the door. As she stepped away from the car, my eyes scanned up the denim skirt that began at her knees and skimmed up her slim thighs and nicely shaped bottom. "Sweet is right," I agreed. 

"Damn," Carson said. "I'd love to take that for a test drive." 

"Same here, but you'll have to get in line behind me." 

"Brendon!" Sherry gave me a shocked look, but she quickly broke into giggles. "You'd better behave yourself." 

"What?" I raised my eyebrows and tried to press an innocent expression on my face. "I was talking about the car." 

"Sure you were." 

I glanced back at the girl. Her one hand gripped the open door. Her other held a backpack. She wore a blue tee shirt over a pink one. I never understood why girls wore two shirts. If they're cold, why don't they just put on a jacket? 

"I'll be fine, Mom," the girl said to the driver. "I'll wait right here for you to pick me up." 

She stepped back and shut the door. When she turned around, her head was down. Her long, blonde hair hung loose and I couldn't see her face. Just as she reached the steps that led to the entrance of the school, she glanced at the four of us standing there. Her gaze darted to the sidewalk. She threaded her fingers through her hair, drawing it back across her face. 

One glance was all I needed to catch the sparkle in her blue eyes. She didn't wear any makeup-not that I noticed. Her eyelashes weren't smeared with black goop, and her dark blonde eyebrows were undefined. Her clear skin glowed, and her lips glistened in a natural rosy shade. She seemed really shy. This might be the only time I'd be this close to her, so I made my move. "You must be new here." 

She shot me a quick look before glancing away, but her gaze returned, and she stared into my eyes. 

I flashed my best smile. The corners of her mouth twitched, but she glanced down and her hair fell across her face. I couldn't tell if she finished her smile, so I searched for something to say to make her look at me again, but my mind went blank. 

Sherry came to the rescue. She thrust out her hand and introduced herself. 

The new girl shook Sherry's hand. "My name is Lisa Stratton." 

Lisa. I burned the name into my skull. 

"These are my friends." Sherry motioned with a flick of her hand as she introduced each of us. 

When Sherry got to my name, Lisa looked directly at me and smiled. "You have really nice eyes." 

I stumbled for something clever to say, but her compliment threw me completely off guard and I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. "My little brother thinks my eyes are weird." 

She shook her head as if disagreeing. Her gaze drifted, and she stared at the school entrance. Her body shifted like she intended to bolt for the front doors. 

"Do you know where your first class is?" Sherry asked. 

Lisa wrinkled her forehead, then thrust her hand into the backpack and pulled out a white sheet of paper. 

Sherry craned her neck to look at the schedule. "Oh good, we have first period together. I'll walk there with you and show you where it's at. And you're in my history class and gym." Her finger slid to a spot halfway down the page. "You have Advanced Spanish right after lunch. Brendon's in that class." Sherry glanced at me, a sly smile on her lips. "I'm sure he'll be more than happy to walk you to the last class so you don't get lost." 

"Absolutely." I fought the huge grin tugging at my lips. "It'll be my pleasure." 

Chapter Three 

Calculus class ended and I dashed down the hallway to the lockers to stash the books and snag my lunch. I was about to head outside when I spotted Carson dragging his feet down the hallway. 

"Move it, Carson. It's lunchtime." 

"What's the hurry, X-man?" He dialed the combination on the padlock and opened his locker. "Are you that starved?" 

"We're meeting Paul and Sherry at the Burger Barn." I grabbed the books from his hand and threw them inside the locker. "I don't want to be late." 

"I'm in no hurry to listen to them fight." 

"Neither am I, but Sherry is bringing Lisa." 

His face scrunched up. "Who's Lisa?" 

I slammed the locker shut and spun the dial on the combination. "Don't you remember meeting the new girl this morning?" 

"Oh, yeah." His eyes lit up. "The orange Hummer." 

"Yeah." I shoved my forearm against his shoulder and nudged him to the exit. 

"Say, do you think you can talk her into giving us a ride in the Hummer?" 

"I don't know." I led the way out the door and cut across the grass. "Taking a ride in her car is the last thing on my mind right now." 

"You like her." Carson started with his donkey laugh. "That's why you're in such a hurry." 

"Yes, I do. So don't mess this up for me. All right?" 

"Don't worry, man. I got your back." 

The Burger Barn set kitty corned to the school grounds. As we crossed Yolo Street, I spotted Paul sitting outside at one of the wooden picnic tables. Sherry and Lisa sat across from him. I quickly formulated a plan. "Okay, Carson, you have to sit by Paul so it won't look too obvious when I sit next to Lisa." 

"I don't want to sit by Paul. He's a butthead." 

"No, he's not." 

"Man, he's cheating on Sherry." 

My anxiety level cranked up a notch. "That's between Paul and Sherry. I think she already suspects, so don't go blurting anything out." 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not going to tell her. Besides, I don't want to be the one to hurt her." 

Carson walked around the table to where Paul sat, but instead of sitting next to him, he plopped his butt on the tabletop and put his feet on the bench. "Where's my lunch?" 

"You have to go to the window and order it, you dumbass," Paul said. 

"Oh, wow," he said in a voice heavy with sarcasm. "I never thought of that." 

I tried to ignore my two obnoxious friends as I took a seat next to Lisa. 

"Paul." Sherry crossed her arms and glared at him. "I thought we agreed not to use profanity." 

"That wasn't a swear word," he insisted. "Ass is in the bible." 

When she continued to glare, Carson hopped off the table. "You want anything, X-man?" 

Shaking my head was all I could manage. He knew I never bought anything for lunch. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious. I was trying to impress the new girl, but how could I do that if I ate my lunch from a brown paper bag? 

Lisa turned on the bench and nodded to the sack on the table. "Do you have food allergies too?" 

"Allergies?" I glanced at the purple padded lunch box in front of her. "No. Do you?" 

"Peanuts." Her lips twisted into a grimace. "My mom worries that the fast food places use peanut oil to cook with, so she always packs my lunch." 

I almost went with the same story. The alternative was to blurt out the truth: My family's poor, and I didn't have money to buy lunch. 

"That looks good." She leaned closer. "What is it?" 

"Roast beef." I unwound the plastic wrap from the bread roll stuffed with thin slices of beef, and pulled sliced tomatoes and lettuce from a different baggy to add to the sandwich. "My grandma always bags these separate so the bread doesn't get soggy before I get a chance to eat it." 

"That's so sweet." Her lips curled into a smile. "Do you live with your grandmother?" 

"Yeah, and my mom, and my little brother and sister. We live up the valley near the Indian casino. Have you ever been there?" 

"No. I'm not old enough to gamble, but we've driven by it." 

I couldn't hold back my laughter. "I didn't think you were that old." 

She put her head down. Her long, silky hair slipped across her face, shielding her expression. 

My belly twisted into a knot. I'd offended her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed." 

"That's all right." She snuck a peek at me. "Things seem to come out the wrong way when I talk." 

"I don't think so. What you said was cute. That's why I laughed." 

She looked at me again. This time, I caught a little twinkle in her blue eyes. She also smiled. 

"You're a junior, right?" I asked. "You must be about sixteen." 

Her head nodded. She took a tiny bite of what looked like a turkey sandwich on whole wheat. 

Carson returned with his food and spread it on the table top next to where he parked his rear end. "Anyone want some?" 

"Sure." Sherry grabbed a couple with her fingers. "I love chili cheese fries." 

"How about you, X-man?" 

I shook my head. 

"Why does he call you X-man?" Lisa asked. 

"Cause he's the man," Carson said before I could answer. "He's always got my back." 

"He's called me that since fifth grade. My last name has an x in it," I explained when her eyebrows knitted together. 

"Oh. Alexander." She made a cute little giggle. "I get it." 

"So tell me, Sleeping Beauty," Carson said around a mouthful of double burger. "Do you and the new girl have a lot of classes together?" 

Sherry and Carson took over the conversation while Lisa and I ate lunch. Paul barely spoke, even though he'd already devoured his hamburger. I didn't know if it was because he was afraid of saying another swear word, or if things between him and Sherry had reached the point where there was nothing left to say. 

Lunch was almost over when Sherry jumped up and started cleaning the mess on the table. "We've got to get moving, Lisa, so we're not late to class." 

"You can go with Paul," I said. "Lisa and I have Spanish next. I'll make sure she gets there on time." 

Sherry's lips twisted together as she gave Paul a sideways glance. Instead of walking to him, she grabbed Lisa's wrist. "We girls have to straighten ourselves up first so we look presentable for class." 

"Sleeping Beauty." Carson's bushy red eyebrows lifted. "That trip is not necessary for either one of you." 

Silently, I agreed. Lisa looked flawless. "I'll see you in Spanish class." 

She smiled at me from beneath her waterfall of blonde hair. "Save me a place close to you, so I'll have at least one person nearby that I know." 

"You got it," I said. 

Right after the girls took off, I snagged my sack that still contained an apple and banana, and Grandma's oatmeal cookies. I nudged Carson off the table with my foot. I wanted to get to Spanish class before Lisa showed up so I could rearrange the seating. As we hurried across the lawn to the entrance of the school, I tried to picture the classroom in my brain. Mentally, I moved the kids sitting around me before asking Carson's advice. "How do you think that will work?" 

"When did you get to be such a control freak?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"The way you want to move everyone around in class just so you can sit next to the new girl. And at lunch, you made me sit by Paul." 

"Maybe you're right." I rubbed my fingers across my forehead. "It's just that I've never felt this way about a girl before. I really want to get to know her better." 

"Why? She doesn't seem like your type." 

I hadn't had a lot of girlfriends, so I was curious about the kind of girl Carson would pick for me. "What is my type?" 

When Carson went deep into thought, his eyebrows always furled together. "I don't know, but the new girl's too bashful. She barely said two words at lunch. I like my women more outgoing." 

"You mean, like Sherry?" 

Carson's head snapped around, and he stared at me through squinted eyelids. "She's Paul's girlfriend." 

"For now, but who knows how much longer." 

"It doesn't matter. Sherry likes smart, pretty boys. Not big, dumb ones." 

Until now, I hadn't realized how Carson felt about Sherry. I searched for something encouraging. "Sherry's last two pretty boyfriends have dumped her for someone else. Maybe she'll figure out looks aren't as important as a guy who'll treat her good." 

A shrug of his shoulders was his only response. He didn't want to talk about Sherry, so I went back to figuring out how to get Lisa into a desk next to me. When we entered the classroom, I lowered my voice so no one would overhear. "Are you sure you got the plan straight, Carson?" 

"Yeah." He led the way down the aisle to our desks. "When the new girl shows up-" 

"Her name is Lisa." 

"Whatever." He scrunched up his face, and I almost heard the gears turning in his head. "I'm supposed to let her have my seat." 

"Not there." I grabbed his arm to stop him from sitting in his usual desk behind mine. "You sit in my desk, and I sit at yours." 

"Well, if you want her to sit in your desk, then why don't you offer it to her yourself?" 

I scooted into his desk, hoping the visual aid would help him understand. "Because I want to sit behind her." 

"Then where am I supposed to sit if I give her my desk?" 

"I don't know." I glanced around. Behind me to the left sat one of the football players on the junior varsity team. "Vanetti, go sit somewhere else." 

"I like it here." He hunkered down in the chair, like he wouldn't give it up without a fight." 

"Se\u00f1ores," Mrs. Hayes said. "S\u00f3lo hablan espa\u00f1ol, por favor." 

The teacher always insisted we speak just Spanish in her class. I leaned closer and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Come on, Vanetti. I'll show you how to time your turns better at practice." 

He hesitated for half a second before giving up the desk. Carson headed for the empty seat, but I stopped him. "Not now." I grabbed the belt loop on his Wranglers and jerked him into the chair. "Sit in front of me until Lisa gets here so no one takes her spot." 

Carson flopped into the chair, but turned around and gave me one of his stupid grins. "There's your girlfriend now." 

I shushed him, then scrunched down in the seat so I'd look relaxed. 

While Mrs. Hayes looked over the transfer slip, Lisa glanced around the room. When her gaze caught mine, she started to smile, but the teacher summoned her attention. Mrs. Hayes introduced Lisa to the others in the class, then pointed to a couple empty desks. "Si\u00e9ntese, por favor, Se\u00f1orita Stratton." 

Lisa started down the aisle to Vanetti's empty desk. I poked Carson in the back. 

The desk feet scraped across the floor as he climbed from the chair. "Lisa, you can have-" 

"En espa\u00f1ol," Mrs. Hayes said. 

Carson stumbled for the words. "Se\u00f1orita, usted, ah, tomar, ah, mi silla." 

Lisa glanced at me instead of Carson. "Gracias." 

Her smile warmed my body. I smiled back. "Da nada." 

She slid into the seat. With one hand, she slipped her fingers behind her neck and flipped her hair away from her back so she could lean against the chair. The shifting of her hair fanned her scent in my direction. 

I love the way girls smell, so sweet and perfumed. Her scent wasn't strong, just a hint. Roses were the only flowers I could name, but that wasn't what I detected. Her fragrance reminded me of some exotic, mysterious flower. I leaned over the desk so my face hovered a short distance from her hair and breathed in deeply. Her scent drifted through the air and entered my brain. Heat zinged through my body. 

Giggles and snickers wafted through the air as well as her scent. Lisa turned around and looked at the smirking kids before glancing at me. She yanked her hair over one shoulder "What are you doing?" she asked in a hoarse whisper. "Are you making fun of me?" 

I shook my head, but she'd already turned away. 

My first instinct told me I'd overstepped her comfort zone. She probably thought I was some stupid caveman who liked to sniff girls. Maybe she was right, but I wasn't making fun of her. 

When Mrs. Hayes dismissed the class, I scrambled from the chair to offer Lisa my assistance. "If you need help finding your next class, I'll be happy to show you where it is." 

"No, thank you." Her lips tightened into a grimace, as if talking to me left a nasty taste in her mouth. Without another word, she walked away, her long, blonde hair swaying down her back. 

"Wow, X-man." Carson slapped me on the back. "If looks could kill, you'd be dead." 

Chapter Four 

Football practice was brutal. Even after a shower, I still sweated. I tugged on a white tank and pulled the bottom edge over my cutoff jeans. The rest of my clothes were crammed into the backpack except for a hooded sweatshirt. I'd need that after I cooled down. 

"Hurry up, Carson." I slung the backpack over one shoulder and tossed the hoodie across my other. "I want to get home and eat. I'm starving." 

He stood in front of the mirror trying to get his hair parted in a straight line. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm almost done." 

"Why don't you just cut it all off?" I thrust my fingers through my short, damp hair. "Then you won't have to mess with it." 

"Don't rush him." Paul stuck his foot on the bench and tightened the laces on his shoe. "The hair on his head is all he's got left." 

"How would you know?" Carson glanced at Paul's reflection in the mirror. "You been peeking at me in the shower again?" 

"Yeah, right." Paul snorted out a sound of disgust. "Like I want to stare at your hairless butt." 

I shook my head. If the two of them got wound up firing insults at each other, we'd be stuck in the locker room for another half hour. But I had to wait for Carson since he was my ride home. "I'm going outside to cool off," I said as I headed for the exit. 

The outside wasn't much better. A clammy moisture hung in the air and clung to my skin. The storm we'd had last night blew through fast, leaving mostly clear skies. The temperature pushed back in to the eighties, but the humidity lingered. I followed the path around the gym, hoping to catch a breeze when I got into the open. 

Just as I rounded the building, I spotted Lisa sitting on the grass near the sidewalk. Her bare legs were curled beneath her, and she stared down at an open book in her lap. She was about twenty feet away, but hadn't noticed me yet, so I quickly considered my options. I could try apologizing, but I wasn't really sure what I did to make her mad. Plan B was to ignore her while making my way to Carson's pickup, but I'd end up sitting in a hot vehicle while I waited. Backing up without being noticed sounded good, but before I could retrace my steps, the hundred and thirty-five pound quarterback pounced on my back. I landed on my hands and knees in the grass. 

"Paul!" I locked my arm around his neck and flipped him over my shoulder. He fell sprawled out on his back on the sidewalk. 

Carson broke into his donkey laugh while Paul rolled around on the cement walk, uttering swear words in between groans of pain. 

"Oh, crap," I mumbled. So much for backing away unnoticed. 

"Way to go, X-man," Carson said. "You tackled him with one arm." 

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lisa toss her book on the grass. She staggered to her feet while staring directly at me. I brushed my fingers through my hair even though it wasn't long enough to be messed. The one side of my tank hung down to my elbow. I shrugged it back onto my shoulder and offered Paul my hand. "You need help getting up?" 

He continued to groan and swear as I pulled him to his feet. "Why'd you flip me like that, Alexander?" 

"You knocked him on the ground, dude," Carson said. 

"You've got at least thirty pound on me." Paul carefully stretched his shoulders and neck. "I've never been able to tackle you before." 

"I wasn't expecting it this time." I'd been totally focused on not attracting Lisa's attention. "Usually, I'm prepared for a tackle." 

Lisa forced her way between us. "Are you injured?" 

Paul rotated his throwing arm. "I'm not too bad." 

She wasn't talking to him. Her back was to Paul, and her gaze was locked on me. 

"I saw a raised mark on you about here." Her fingers brushed over the left side of my chest. "It was blood red." 

"It's nothing." I pulled the neck of my tank higher to cover the scar. 

She thrust her fingers beneath the top edge of the cotton fabric and tugged at it. "The mark had a distinct shape." 

"I'm not hurt." I forced the material from her clenched hand. 

"She's talking about the star, X-man," Carson said. 

Her eyes widened. "Star?" 

When she glanced at Carson, I shook my head at him, hoping he'd catch on that I didn't want to talk about it. I've had that bright red scar for as long as I could remember. Anyone who'd ever swam with me at the creek, or been in the locker room when I dressed for gym had seen the peculiar looking burn on my chest, but talking to Lisa about it seemed awkward. 

"Yeah, star." Carson's eyes darted from me to Lisa. "X-man's the star of the football team. The best wide receiver Esparto High has had in a long time. He might even make All American." 

She glanced at me. From the intense look in her eyes, she didn't buy into his explanation. "Is it a tattoo?" 

When she reached for my shirt again, I stepped back and scooped up the sweatshirt from the ground. I slipped the hoodie over my head and smoothed it down my body. 

"Don't put that on." Her forehead wrinkled. "Take off your sweatshirt. I want to see your chest." 

"It's customary," Paul said, his voice heavy with sarcasm, "to ask a guy out on a date before you try to get him naked." 

Her mouth dropped open, and her eyelids widened. 

I cringed at his vulgar remark. If Lisa believed I was as crude and disgusting as Paul, she'd probably never speak to me again. 

"Isn't that your ride?" Carson nodded to the orange Hummer flipping a u-y in the middle of the street. 

She glanced in the direction he indicated before looking back at me. Her dark blonde eyebrows knitted together while she nibbled at her lower lip. "I'm not allowed to date anyone unless my mom approves of him first." 

When the car pulled up to the curb, Lisa dashed to the grassy area to get her book and backpack before hopping into the vehicle. As they drove off, she stuck her head out the open window and looked at me. Her gaze held mine until the car turned left at the end of the block. 

"That was weird." I watched the car disappeared from sight. "What do you think she meant by that?" 

"X-man!" Carson punched me in the arm. "The new girl wants to get you naked." 

Chapter Five 

Even with the bedroom door closed, I heard Daisy barking her head off in the living room. She only carried on like that when someone drove into our yard. The clock on the dresser showed it was after seven. Mom and Stevie were due back from karate practice soon, but Grandma's dog never barked at them. 

My attention went back to the calculus problem. I almost had it solved when light tapping rattled my door. "Yeah, what's up?" 

Grandma peeked her head through the open doorway. "You have a friend here to see you." 

A disgusted sigh gushed from my lips as I tossed the pencil on the desk. The visitor had to be Carson. He didn't believe homework should be done at home, so when he got bored, he'd come over to bug me. 

Grandma shook her head to stop me before I reached the door. "You might want to put something else on before you come out. Your guest is a young lady." 

A female visitor wasn't a surprise. Carson sometimes sent one of sisters to fetch the homework for our government class so he could copy the answers. He didn't mind getting a D, but he didn't want to flunk. I glanced down at the raggedy red tee shirt and plaid flannel bottoms. Carson's sisters had seen me in similar clothes. "Which girl is it? Peggy, or Patty?" 

She shrugged. "I've never seen her before." 

Her answer threw me back a step. Grandma knew everybody in the entire valley. When she shut the bedroom door, I yanked off my pajama bottoms and pulled on a pair of jeans. The hoodie lay on the back of the chair. I grabbed it and slipped it over my tee. As I headed down the hallway, Grandma's voice drifted from the living room. 

"I don't believe I know any Strattons. You must be new in the valley, Lisa." 

Lisa? My breath caught in my throat and I almost choked. After everything that happened at school today, I didn't think she'd want to see me again. Besides that, why would she drive all the way up the valley? Our house stood at the end of a dead end road. We lived in the middle of nowhere with nothing around us but an alfalfa field and a bunch of oak trees. 

"We just moved here," Lisa said. "Today was my first day at school. I was hoping to get Brendon's help with the Spanish homework." 

I walked up behind Grandma, but Lisa didn't see me because she stared down at her hands clenched near her waist. She wore jeans instead of a skirt, but still had on the blue tee. 

Grandma glanced over her shoulder at me before turning back to Lisa. "Here's Brendon. I'm sure he can help you with Spanish. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my granddaughter out of the bathtub." 

"Hey, Lisa." I strolled to her, trying to act casual. "I'm surprised you found my house. How'd you know where I lived?" 

She looked directly at me before glancing back at her hands. "I asked some kids in the supermarket." 

I really didn't care how she tracked me down, but I was glad she did. This would give me an opportunity to explain things without any interruptions from my sometimes obnoxious friends. All the manners my mom had taught me over the years banged around inside my skull. I waved my arm at the couch. "Would you care to sit down?" 

"Yes, thank you." 

She sat perched on the edge of the couch, her back stiff and her hands folded in her lap. I sat at the opposite end and slouched back against the cushion. She seemed nervous, so I thought if I appeared comfortable, she might relax a little. Despite my laidback manner, my stomach didn't cooperate. My belly clenched into a tight knot. I looked for something easy to talk about. "So, you're having trouble with Spanish?" 

Her forehead wrinkled, and she shook her head. "No." 

My forehead wrinkled also. "I thought Grandma said-" 

"Oh, that's right." Her fingers pressed against her lips. "I need help with Spanish." 

"Was it the homework assignment?" 

She twisted around on the cushion to face me. "Yes. Homework." 

My first impression of Lisa told me she was very intelligent. In class, she did an excellent job of reading out loud from the textbook when it was her turn. "Which part of the homework are you having trouble with?" 

"The, ah..." Her gaze brushed over my face and down my chest. "Actually, I haven't looked at the homework yet." 

Something about the way she scanned my body made me think she didn't come all the way to my house to ask about Spanish, but I went with her lead. "I finished the assignment if you want to take a look at the answers." 

She scooted to the middle cushion. "Yes, I would like to take a look." 

My jaw went slack. She was talking about homework-at least I thought she was, but at the moment, that was the last thing on my mind. My hand lay between us on the cushions. She sat so close that if I flicked my fingers, I could stroke her thigh. I moved my arm and rested it on the back of the couch. 

"Brendon..." She leaned toward me. 

Whatever else she was going to say didn't matter. I gazed into her clear blue eyes. With her this near, her warmth surrounded me. My body heated from the closeness. I took a deep breath, hoping to calm myself, but when I did, I breathed in her scent. My body lost the battle. 

"I was wondering if you would..." She touched her hand to my chest and brushed at my cotton hoodie. 

I was there. Whatever she wanted, I'd do it. 

Her fingers drew an invisible circle over my heart. "Earlier today, when we were at school, I saw something..." 

Her words trailed off when the back of my hand brushed her hair. I couldn't stop myself. Her soft, silky hair made my hand tingle. My fingers threaded through the length of a long, blonde strand, and I twirled the ends between my finger and thumb. 

Grandma's fuzzy bedroom slippers flopping against her heels made Lisa jerk her hand from my chest. Her hair slipped from my grasp. 

I sat up straight and put both hands in my lap. With the position of the hallway, and the angle of the couch, I knew Grandma had a clear view of Lisa and me before we even heard the slap of the plastic soles on the floor, but she was cool about it. She walked through the living room without stopping. 

"I just need to get some clothes out of the dryer." She paused at the entrance to the kitchen. "Brendon, why don't you get Lisa something to drink?" 

"That's not necessary." Lisa stared down at the laces on her shoes while she spoke. 

"Brendon." Grandma's voice sounded like a command. 

That was her not so subtle way of getting me into the kitchen alone so she could lecture me. I resisted her demand. "Lisa doesn't want anything to drink." 

Her lips thinned and tightened, but she didn't say anything else. That look on her face was usually accompanied by her you're not so big that I can't turn you over my knee speech. Without another word, she disappeared into the kitchen and out the backdoor to the garage where the washer and dryer were located. 

I glanced at Lisa while trying to remember what we were talking about. "You were going to ask me something?" 

Her gaze darted to me, and then in the direction Grandma had taken. "Could I see your homework?" 

"Sure." I climbed off the couch. "I'll get it for you." 

"Is it all right if I come with you?" she asked, but she'd already scooted off the couch. 

Lisa in my bedroom? I couldn't think of a single reason to refuse. 

Chapter Six 

"My bedroom is this way." I walked ahead of Lisa to the room and went straight to the Spanish textbook on the desk. After I pulled out the folded piece of binder paper, I turned to the doorway where I thought she waited, but she'd walked across the thick rug without me hearing. Lisa sat on the bottom bunk. My gaze darted back to the bedroom door. She'd closed it. 

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, even though I knew a burst of fresh oxygen wouldn't slow the rapid pulse throbbing in my neck. 

At times, she looked so sweet and demure, but right now she looked...exciting. With her hair pulled over one shoulder, I had an excellent view of her face. She looked beautiful-all soft and natural. I liked that she didn't wear a lot of makeup, or that her clothes weren't tight or reveling. The neckline of her tee shirt touched just below her collar bones, and the whole thing fit her loosely. Her dark blue jeans weren't snug at the hips even with her sitting on the bed-my bed. 

"Are you hot?" she asked. 

My jaw dropped, but I kept my mouth from gaping opened. "Hot?" I repeated, not certain how to answer. 

"Your room feels kind of stuffy," she said. "You look hot with your sweatshirt on. Why don't you take it off?" 

I skinned the hoodie over my head and tossed it on the floor by the closet before she finished her sentence. 

Her dark blonde eyebrows knitted together. "You have on a different shirt." 

My hand brushed down the front of the tee shirt. If she didn't like it, I'd rip that off too. "Don't you like red?" 

"Yes, it's fine, but..." Her palms rubbed in circles on the top of her knees. "Earlier, you had on a tank top." 

"Oh, that's what I wear after football practice until I cool down." 

She chewed on her lower lip while staring at me. Her gaze seemed to bore right through my shirt to my bare chest. That heightened my discomfort level, but in a good way. She glanced at me, and her mouth opened as if to speak, but no words passed her lips. 

I offered her the homework. "Do you want to see the answers?" 

She took the paper and scanned the page. "You have good handwriting." 

She'd barely looked at the answers. Maybe she didn't understand Spanish that well. I took a seat beside her on the bed and slipped the paper from her hand. "The first part of the assignment is to write the sentences in the past tense. It's not that difficult until you get to the irregular verbs." I turned the page over and slid my finger halfway down. "They're right here." When I glanced at her, she wasn't looking to where I pointed. Instead, her gaze lingered on me. 

"You're very nice," she said. 

I almost groaned out loud. To have a girl tell a guy he was nice was like the kiss of death for anything further. That statement meant she only wanted to be friends. I dropped the paper in my lap. Whatever her reason, she didn't come here to see me. "Do you want to take the homework with you so you can copy it?" 

"Perhaps I will. As it is, I'll probably be up half the night doing all my other homework." She took the page from my lap. "I'm sure the answers are right. You seem really smart." 

"Yeah," I agreed, trying to keep the sarcasm from my voice. "I'm the nice, smart guy with all the answers people want to copy." 

Her forehead wrinkled. "Is something wrong?" 

"No. Just get my homework back to me before class tomorrow." 

I figured she would leave now that she got what she came for, but she turned on the bed and looked at me. "Do you know anything about the symbolism of the sun and the strength it gives to those who possess the knowledge of its power?" 

"No. I'm not taking astrology. You'll have to get those answers from somebody else." 

"It's not school work." Her eyebrows lifted while she stared at me. "It's about religion-ancient mystical religion." 

"You mean like the occult?" 

"Sort of." She chewed at her lip. "Do you know anything about it?" 

I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I didn't believe in all that horoscope and voodoo crap, so I gave a flippant answer. "Sorry, but I can't help you. We're Baptists." 

She didn't laugh, didn't even crack a smile. Her fingers glided over my chest. "But you have that mark." 

The warmth of her hand penetrated through my thin cotton tee. I covered her hand with mine. Maybe friendship wasn't all she wanted. With my other hand, I cupped her cheek. It was a bold move, but total rejection couldn't be any worse than being just friends. If she slapped my face, I'd know exactly where we stood. 

Just as I was about to pull her to me, the bedroom door burst open, and my little sister rushed in. Lisa and I jerked away from each other. Krystal ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. "Goodnight, Brendon." 

"Goodnight, sweetie." I gave her a peck on the cheek. "Krystal, you haven't met Lisa. She goes to my school." 

Krystal managed to say hi before darting out of the room almost as fast as she came in. With one hand on the doorknob, she paused and looked back, but it wasn't me she shouted to. "They're sitting on the bed, Grandma. And they're holding hands and kissing." 

"No, we're not." I jumped off the bed and ran after her. She dashed out of the room before I could catch her. I flung open the door, but Grandma stood in the doorway. 

"You and Lisa can come out to the living room now," she said. "Krystal is going to bed, and she won't bother you." 

"We're fine in here." 

Grandma put her hand against the door when I tried to close it. "The living room," she repeated in a stern voice. "Your mom should be home at any moment. Stevie will be going to bed, so you'll have to come out anyway." 

Lisa slipped through the small opening in the doorway and ducked under Grandma's arm. "I should be going." 

I chased her down the hallway. "You don't have to leave." 

She didn't seem inclined to change her mind and headed for the front door. I accepted the inevitable. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?" Her eyebrows scrunched together. 

"Yeah, at school," I clarified. 

"What's your number? I'll call you later." She pulled her cell phone from her jean pocket and put in my number when I gave it to her. "Is that your cell?" 

I shook my head. "I don't have one. That's the phone here at the house." 

She opened the door, but paused and turned back. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Nelson." 

"Thank you, dear. I've enjoyed talking with you. I hope you'll visit us again." 

As soon as the door closed, I turned to Grandma. "If you wanted to see her again, then why'd you just run her off?" 

"Don't get all huffy with me. And I didn't run her off." 

"You sent Krystal in the bedroom to spy on us." 

"Krystal." She made a gasping noise as her hand pressed against her mouth. "I promised to say prayers with her and tuck her in bed." She dashed off down the hallway. 

I went into the kitchen. By the time I flipped the grilled cheese sandwich over in the frying pan, Mom and Stevie walked in. 

"Are you still eating?" Mom slung the strap of her purse over a chair back. 

"I'm hungry," I grumbled. 

"I'm hungry, too," Stevie said. "Will you make one for me?" 

I tossed the spatula in the sink. "Make it yourself." 

Mom always had an uncanny ability of knowing when I was ticked off. I figured she learned how to tell when people were upset from her work as a nurse. She crossed her arms over the front of the green hospital scrubs she still wore. "What's wrong?" 

"Grandma," I said around a mouthful of grilled cheese. "She just ran off one of my friends." 

About that time, Grandma walked into the kitchen. "Stevie, change out of your karate clothes and get into your pajamas. I'll make you a sandwich." 

"What's going on?" Mom asked after Stevie left the room. 

Grandma glanced at me, but talked to Mom. "I didn't run anyone off. I just didn't think it was appropriate for Brendon to entertain a guest in his bedroom and suggested they both come out to the living room." 

Mom shrugged as if mystified by the argument. "Brendon always has friends in his room." 

"I know, Ellie," Grandma said. "But this was a little different." 

"We weren't doing anything, Mom. Just talking." 

One of Grandma's silver eyebrows arched. "That's not what Krystal said." 

"Oh, I forgot." I glanced at Mom. "Grandma sent Krystal into my room to spy on us." 

"Mom," my mom said to her mother. "Brendon deserves some privacy when he has friends over." 

"You think you're cute, don't you." Grandma squinted at me through narrowed eyelids. "Why don't you tell her the little detail you left out?" 

"What detail?" Mom glanced back and forth between us. 

"You're dying to tell her, so go ahead." I turned to the sink so my back was to them and brushed toasted bread crumbs from my hands. 

"You may be upset, Brendon," Mom said, "but I don't think I like your attitude. And you don't need to talk to your grandmother like that either." 

"Okay, I'll tell you." I turned to face them. "My guest was a girl. She's new at school and came over to ask me about homework. We went in my room because that's where I keep my books." 

"A girl?" she repeated. 

"Yes, Mom. Is it so hard to believe that a girl actually came to see me?" 

"No, it's just that this is the first time. I'm not really certain how I feel about you having a girl in your room." 

"Jeez. We were in there barely two minutes when Grandma got all hyper and sent Krystal in to check on us." 

"I'm done with this." Grandma grabbed the loaf of bread and pulled out a couple slices. "Ellie, he's your son. Just tell me what the rules are. Girls in his room-yes or no?" 

"I don't know." Mom closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers through her curly red hair. Her eyes opened and she looked directly at me "No. No girls in your room. I'm certain it was completely innocent this time, but things can happen." 

"Oh, Mom." My eyes rolled to the top of my head. "Save that speech for Krystal when she starts dating." 

"Dear lord." Mom covered her face with both hands. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready for my baby girl going out with boys." 

The phone in the living room rang. Mom dropped her hands to her sides. "Who could be calling this time of night?" 

"I'll get it," I said. 

"No." Grandma flipped the dial for the stovetop. "Let your mom get it. You and I need to talk." 

Mom glanced at the two of us, but left the room without an argument. 

Grandma stuck a piece of cheese between two slices of buttered bread and tossed it in the frying pan before looking at me. "Your mom thinks everything was innocent between you and Lisa, but she didn't see the two of you groping each other in the living room." 

"Grandma-" 

She held up one hand to stop me. "Do you want to look me in the eye and tell me the same thing wasn't going on in your bedroom?" 

I turned away from her scrutinizing stare. 

"That's what I thought. And that's why I asked you to come back into the living room." 

"It wasn't like we were going to do anything-not with you and Krystal here. And I knew Mom and Stevie were on their way home." 

"I know, but you just met this girl. She seems like a really sweet young lady. You need to slow down and get to know her first before you get too serious." 

"You're right, I barely know her." I let out a long sigh before admitting the rest. "But I really like her." 

"Then slow down." She turned back to the stove and flipped the sandwich. "I'm certain she'll be worth the wait." 

I walked up behind her and put my arm around her neck in a fake strangle hold. "Sorry I got mad at you, Grandma. Any other advice?" 

"Yes. Wear a condom." 

"Mom!" My mom stood in the middle of the kitchen, her eyes opened wide and her mouth agape. 

Grandma and I both broke into laughter, but Mom didn't look the least bit amused. 

"The phone is for you, Brendon," Mom said. "It's Lisa." 

That sobered me up quick. I dashed for the living room and grabbed the receiver. From the static on the line, Lisa called from her cell. The reception generally wasn't good in this area, but I could make out what she said. She wanted me to meet her at the Brooks minimart by the casino, which set a couple miles up the road. I told her I'd be there in about ten minutes. 

Now all I had to do was convince my mom to let me borrow the car. After Grandma's remark about a condom, that might be a hard sell.