The next few days at school, I suffered under the minor celebrity status my lucky save earned me. David thought it was hilarious and never lost the opportunity to make the most of my notoriety.
'Make way, citizens of Wrickenridge, for the hottest new property in women's soccer!' He jogged backwards in front of me as Lisa, Zoey, and I headed for science.
'David, please,' I mumbled, aware of the laughter around us.
Lisa did better: she dug him in the ribs with one of her talons. 'Give it a rest, will you, David?'
David smirked. 'You her agent, Li girl?'
'Yeah, and she ain't giving you an interview.'
'You're a hard woman.'
'You've got that right,' Lisa agreed with an evil smirk of her own. 'Now back off.'
'I'm already gone.' David turned and ran to his class.
'That boy is a major league pain in the butt,' pronounce David.
'He thinks he's funny,' I offered.
Zoey spoke up, 'I always thought he gets a Lisa because he likes her so much.'
'Repeat that and die,' warned Lisa.
Zoey sighed, 'He's had a thing for you since fouth grade and you know it.'
'I don't wanna hear this.' Lisa flapped Zoey away. 'I'm not listening.'
Zoey considered she'd won that exchange so dropped the subject. 'So, Kenzie, you wanna come watch the school baseball team today? We're playing Aspen.'
'If I do, will one of you explain what's going on?'
Lisa said, 'Sure we will, Ken.Baseball's a lot of fun.'
Zoey decided to mention, 'Harry's on the team, you know.'
'I could've guessed,' I said, pretending a leaflet was more interesting than some information on Harry Styles.
'An extra reason for coming along.'
'Is it?'
'That's what they're saying.'
I shrugged. 'Well, I thought it would've been a reason for giving it a miss.'
Zoey giggled. 'I'm more of a Niall girl myself - those cute glasses and studious hair gets me everytime. He's like a hot Harry Potter.'
I laughed, just like Zoey expected.
'Look who it is!' crowed Lisa, elbowing me in the ribs.
Enemy at twelve o'clock: Harry was just leaving the lab, in conversation with another boy. From behind used to it, I hid behind Lisa.
'Hi, Harry,' said Zoey in a flase girly voice.
I withered with embarrassment. It made us sound like a bunch of groupies.
'Oh, hi,' Harry replied. He skimmed us, then scooted back to me, just visible between Lisa and the wall. Letting his friend go on ahead, he stopped in front of us. His attention was on me.
'I didn't get a chance to congratulate you, Kenzie. You made an awesome save,' he praised.
Damn him - he was laughing at me.
'Yeah, I thought it was pretty unbelievable myself,' I said ironically.
'I'm telling everyone you got lucky,' he said, tweaking the strap of my bag back onto my shoulder.
My stomach did a flip. The gesture felt almost territorial. And what was this? Harry Styles being nice to me? There was me thinking the boy didn't know the meaning of the word.
'And I say I had a little help,' I replied, giving him my hardest stare. What was his game? Had he really told me what to do? It was driving me mad not knowing what was real and what I had imagined.
'You rumbled, Harry: we all know you didn't bend the ball like you usually do,' said Lisa. She gave me a worried smile, clearly not mising the casually way Harry had touched my bag strap and put it onto my shoulder. Like, what was the point in that? Not that I didn't like the feeling of Harry touching me.
Harry held up his hands in surrender. 'I was just lulling Kenzie into a false sense of security. Next time I won't be so easy on her.'
Zoey hooted, ejoying the flirtatious undercurrents to the conversation even if Lisa and I weren't.
'No way,' gasped Zoey. 'Harry Styles, you built up this image of the meanest guy in the year and now we know you're a sucker for little British Brunettes looking all dewy-eyed and defenceless.'
'Zoey!' I protested. 'Don't make me sound dumb.'
'Miss Congeniality shows her temper! I knew you had to have one somewhere,' said Zoey, fascinated by my prickly response.
'You'd be like that too if you lived looking like the way I do. Nobody takes me seriously.'
My tempter only rose a notch when all three of them snorted with laughter.
I asked with annoyance, 'So I'm a joke, am i?'
'Sorry, Ken,' Lisa apologised, holding up a hand to prevent me from storming off. 'It's just you looked so fierce when you said that.'
'Yeah, really scary,' agreed Zoey, struggling not to laugh. 'Like Bambi with an Uzi.'
'And just so we're clear, none of us think you're dumb,' said Lisa. 'Do we?'
'Definitely not,' Zoey chipped in.
'But I have to agree with Zoey,' Harry said, supressing a grin. 'You don't do mean as well as me, babe. Maybe I should give you lessons. Make sure you be careful, Kenzie.' He brushed his hand lightly down my arm and walked off, leaving my inside doing a little tap dance.
'Man, that's one cute butt,' sighed Zoey, enjoying the rear view.
'Don't talk about his butt,' I said crossly. That set their giggles off again. 'And stop laughing at me!'
I walked on ahead of them, ignoring their calls for me to come back.
***
'I think you're falling for Harry,' Lisa pointed out as she, Zoey, and I made our way down the stairs to find close seats to watch the baseball game.
'Enough of that,' I groaned. 'I mean, how can I fall for Harry after the way he treated me?'
'You heard that saying, haven't you? When a boy bullies a girl, it means he actually fancies her.'
'Yeah - when you're in year one.' I sighed, 'What makes you even think Harry likes me - more importantly, what makes you think I like him?'
Lisa shrugged. 'Well, I've never seen Harry act so nice around a girl.'
'You noticed?' I asked as we sat down in the second row.
Lisa nodded. 'I think he's up to something, Kenzie.'
'Like what?'
'I dunno. Just keep your distance, all right?'
I frowned.
'He's not your type,' she said.
'What is my type then?'
She shrugged. 'Another Bambi, I guess.' She smiled at my groan. 'I mean, someone who's gentle. I can see you going for romance, long walks, roses - that kinda thing.'
'And Harry's not that?'
'Afraid not, sweetie.'
'Guys,' Zoey complained. 'Shh. They're coming out!'
To change the subject, Lisa explained the rules of baseball to me, in a very quiet voice so Zoey doesn't get all pissy.
Lisa settled her shades over her eyes and stretched her legs over to the back of the seat in front. 'That's it - all the rules for baseball. Haven't missed any information out, have I, Zo?'
Zoey shook her head, eyes focused on the game of baseball in front of us.
'Why do they choose to wear those peculiar uniforms for?' I asked. I thought even Harry struggled to make the baseball strip of long white shorts look cool.
'Tradition, I guess,' answered Lisa.
'Protection,' countered Zoey - she turned out to be a bit of a baseball fanatic. Had her own catcher's clove and everything. 'Need to cover the skin if you slide for home.'
The teams were milling about. Aspen had just innihilated our batsman and were now up for their inning.
'Is Harry our best player?' I questioned.
'He could be. He's a bit erratic. Drives coach mad.' Zoey popped her soda. 'All his brothers, apart from my lovely Niall, were in the team when they were all at Wrickenridge, but none of them went on for a sports scholarship. Coach Carter is trying to persuade Harry - his last chance at a Styles - but he can't get Harry to commit.'
'Hmm.' I watched Harry run his fingers over the ball. His face was stern with concentration but somehow distant as if he was hearing a stain of music no-one else could. His first pitch beat the batsman by miles. The spectators screamed their approval.
'He's on form,' noted Zoey.
'Hi, girls!' David jumped down beside Lisa, goosing her in the passing.
'Sheesh, David,' she whined. 'You made me spill my pop corn!'
'I'll help you pick it up,' he offered, eyeing her lap.
'You won't.' She brushed the kernels off her lap quickly.
He huffed. 'You're spoiling my fun.
'Now that makes me feel a lot better.'
David sighed dramatically, then settled back to watch the match. Since our conversation in the music room, I felt a lot of sympathy for David and hoped his long-term play to gain Lisa's addection would succeed. She wasn't giving him much encouragement though.
'Harry's in the zone today,' he remarked as the first man struck out. 'But he keeps looking up at this section of the crowd, doesn't he?' David took a gulp from Lisa's can.
'I wonder why,' Zoey said innocently, before spoiling the effect with a giggle.
'He doesn't even know I'm here.' I blushed as I realised I had as good as claimed to be the reason for his interest.
David crossed his legs alongside Lisa. 'Oh, he knows, sweet thing, he knows.'
'Hold it a moment.' Zoey took a picture of me with her mobile phone. 'I wanna capture this for posterity. The girl who caught the attention of might Harry. All us locals have struck out with him.' She showed me the image for my approval; she'd used an app to add a crown above my head but I still looked just a little better than on my school ID. 'He only dates girls from out of town. I think that's one of his exes down there, Hannah something, cheer captain of the Aspen team.'
I felt a totally irrational curl of jealousy. The girl had glorious legs from here to her armpits and a river of sleek auburn hair - the absolute opposite to me. I just hoped Harry hadn't noticed.
Of course he had. He was male, wasn't he? And he was welcome to her.
Lisa, David, and Zoey were still debating my love life while I was lost in my green-eyes haze.
'Being English means she's probably exotic enough for Harry's taste. Not from boring old Wrickenridge,' speculated Lisa.
That was the first time anyone had implied that being English was an advantage. I'd been trying to blend, but maybe difference was a good thing?
'I think it'd be better if he left Kenzie alone,' said David, showing his protective streak.
Lisa nodded. 'Yeah, we'd better gang up against him, keep her out his way.'
While they decided to talk about Harry and I like I weren't even there, I kept my full concentration on Harry's baseball skills. He was good. Zoey decided to say - because she's so certain Harry likes me - I should use him. I told her there was no way that was happening and it's sick to even think of it.
Excitement in the crowd built up as a second player struck out. Zoey leapt to her feat and did a little victory jig. 'If nothing else, that boy is hot, hot, hot! Coach is gonna kill himself if he can't get him to agree to a scholarship.'
David whistled. 'He must: he's too good to waste his talent.'
But then something changed. I could see it in the shift of expression on Harry's face. His distant look faded, leaving him somehow more present, more like everyone else. His pitching went from remarkable to just very good. The next batter almost managed to hit him out of the diamond. The Wrickenridge students groaned.
'He always does this,' complained Zoey, 'gets so far then backs away. He had Aspen beat, and now ...!'
And now they were fighting back. Harry shrugged and relinquished the pitching spot to a team mate, leaving him the honour of finishing off Aspen.
He could have done it. I knew that in my bones. Harry could have fried them but he chose to back off. Like Zoey said: it was maddening.
'Why does he do that?' I wondered out loud.
'Do what?' Lisa crumped up the programme and chucked it in the bin. 'Draw back from the kill you mean?'
I nodded.
'He loses interest,' she told me. 'Maybe his heart's not in it. The teachers always tell him he's too arrogant for a game like this.'
'Maybe.'
But I wasn't too sure. He still played well, but I'm sure there was an extra edge to him that he wasn't showing anybody. He was purposly keeping his play blunted.
I wanted to know why.
***
Wrickenridge beat Aspen, but the man of the match went to a player on the visiting side. Harry melted away into the crowd around the captains, not seeking any attention. He accepted an enthusiastic hug from Hannah of the long legs but swiftly detached himself and moved on to shake hands with the opposing team. I knew about playing just to be a part of something - that was what an ochestra was about, not the individials - but yet his unwillingness to stand out struck me as odd. He could have been the soloist, but he settled for second fiddle.
'Drive you home?' Lisa offered. 'I'm giving Zoey and David a lift.'
I refused, 'No need. I'll walk; gotta go pick up some shopping for Debbie anyway.' Not only was that the reason: if she was dropping Zoey off first, she'd have time alone with David in the car while they drove to his house. Smart, right?
Lisa shrugged. 'Okay. See you tomorrow.'
The cars were queuing out of the car park. I stood back as the Aspen bus drew out, taking a wide swing to clear the corner. I then set off, leaving the crowd behind. The further I walked, the quieter it became. I enjoyed peace and quiet, me. Mrs Bailey scrurried past, heading down the hill - Judge Merciless on a mission, shining slightly with a self-righteous blue. I rubbed my eyes and thanfully she went back to normal.
In the store, Leah, the shop assistant who I had gotten to know over the past few weeks since the dill sauce insidant, grilled me for a replay of the match as she packed my shopping. It surprised how much people cared about a local team's match - they treated it like Man U, not a bunch of teenage amateurs.
Even after my shopping had been packed and paid for, Leah and I stood around chatting about everyday life. She asked how school was and I thanked her yet again for letting me off with that jar of dill sauce I smashed. Also, she mentioned Mrs Bailey mentions me a lot and has taken quite a shine to me.
Unfortuantely, it started getting dark. I thanked Leah once again for packing my shopping, then walked out of the store.
Shadows stretched across the road like big ink stains seeping into the ground. I felt cold in my thin jacket as I picked up my pace to get home quicker before freezing to death.
As I turned down a quiet street, I heard someone approaching at a run behind me. It was probably a jogger, but still, I couldn't help the nervous leap in my pulse. In London, I would have been really worried; but Wrickenridge didn't feel the kind of place for a mugger to hang out. I clutched the handles of the shopping bag, planning to use it as a weapon, just in case.
'Kenzie!' A hand landed on my shoulder. I swung the bag with a yelp - only to find Harry behind me. He caught the bag before it hit him.
I pressed my hand to my chest, just to make sure I still had a beat going. 'You almost have me a heart attack, Harry!'
'Sorry. I thought I told you that you shjould take care walking home alone after dark.'
'You mean some boy might jump out and give me the scare of my life?'
He gave a flicker of a smile, reminding me of his alto ego, Wolfman. 'You never know, all kinds of odd people in the mountains, babe.'
'Well, you certainly proved your point.'
The smiled became a grin. 'Here, let me take that.' He eased the bag from my fingers. 'I'll walk you home.'
What was this? Had he had a character transplant?
'There's no need, Harry.'
'I want to.'
'And do you always get your way?' I asked.
'Nearly always.'
We walked on for a little while. I cast around for safe topics but everything I thought of sounded lame. I was uncomfortable in such a close proximity to him after all my wild imaginings about him - I never knew if he was going to maul me or play nice.
He broke the silence first.
'So when were you gonna tell me you're a savant?' His random question slid out of his mouth so casually.
How's that for a conversation stopper?
'A what?' I asked with confusion in my voice.
He halted me under a street lamp. Flurries of sleet slid through the pool of light then winked out in the darkness. He turned up the collar of my jacket.
'You must realise how amazing it is,' he said, his eyes fixed on mine - their colour intriguing, a beautiful green.
Still, I couldn't understand the expression they held now.
'How amazing is what?'
He laughed; the sound rumbled deep in his chest. 'I see. You're punishing me for being a jackass. But you have to understand - I didn't know it was you. I thought I was warning some ditzy stranger about a knife attack or something.'
I pushed his hands off my collar. 'What the hell are you talking about?'
He explained, 'I had this premonition a few nights before we met at the ghost town - you get them too?'
This conversation was beyond weird. I shook my head.
'You running down in the street in the dark - a knife - screams - blood. I had to warn you - just in case it would do any good.'
O-K. I thought i had problems, but he was seriously disturbed. I wanted to get away from him. 'Um ... Harry, thanks for worrying about me and all, but I really should be heading home - Dean worries a lot.'
His facial expression changed instantly at the sound of Dean's name. It showed anger and jealousy in one. 'Who's Dean?'
'I haven't got time to explain,' I told him with a sigh of annoyance. 'But seriously, I need to go.'
'Yeah, as if that's going to happen. Kenzie, you're my soulfinder, my partner - you can't just walk away from me.'
'I can't?'
'You must have felt it too. I knew as soon as you answered me - it was like, I don't know how to say this, like the fog lifting. I could really see you.' He ran a finger down my cheek causing me to shiver. 'Do you even know what the odds of us finding each other are?'
'Woah - go back a little. Soulfinder?'
'Yeah.' He grinned and tugged me closer. 'No half life existence for us. It's taken me a few days to get over the shock and I've been waiting to speak to you so I could break the news to my folks.'
He had to be winding me up.
I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back. 'Harry, I've not got a clue what you're talking about. But if you expect me to ... to ... I don't know what you expect, but it's not happening. Am I clear? You don't like me; I don't like you. Get over it.'
He was incredulous. 'Get over it? Savants wait all their lives to find the one and you think I can get over it?'
'Why not? I don't even know what a savant is!'
His thumbed his chest, slight annoyance and a bit of anger. 'I'm one.' He prodded to me. 'You're one. Kenzie - they make you a savant. You must get that at least.'
I shook my head, taking a step back. 'Can I have my shopping bag, please?'
'What? That's it? We make the most astounding discovery of our lives and you're just going to go home?'
I took a quick look around, hoping to see someone. Mrs Bailey would do. My parents, even better. 'Um ... yes. Looks like it.'
'You can't!'
'Just watch me.'
I tugged the bag from his fingers and hurried the last few yards to my house.
'Kenzie, you can't ignore this!' He stood under the street lamp, sleet settling in his hair, hands fisted at his sides. 'You're mine - you have to be!'
'No. I. Don't.'
I slammed the front door.