The last lesson Tony had taught me was my choice. He asked if there was anything left that I’d like to learn, and I remembered a move I saw on TV a couple times where the person would do a quarter-spin and slide into a parallel parking space at about thirty miles per hour. He thought that was hilarious, but said sure he could teach me. I spent two days learning it and one day perfecting it. The only thing he made me promise was that I’d never try it out in downtown Palm Beach! Reluctantly, I agreed.
I had been in martial arts since the week after grandpa died and had earned a black-belt after a year. I was working toward my second black belt when Mom pulled the plug on our almost-fairy-tale life and sent us here. It was like doing two hundred miles-per-hour and then slamming on the brakes full force. Here it was Normalsville, USA. I got a VW bug, a cheap cell phone, a department store wardrobe, and a new last name. My only luxury that I was allowed to keep was a special pre-paid Visa with a hundred grand in the account.
The weird part was that I never hated being sent here. I mean, you know, I cried a lot at first, but that was mainly because I didn’t know what was going on back home. Being normal took a little getting used to, but in a way it was cool. I made friends, real friends because I had nothing else to impress them with, and that felt good.
CHAPTER TWO
The next morning, I showered and dressed for school, but skipped putting on my makeup. That was hard. It was like I was walking around naked—outside.
I pulled into the parking lot at 7:40, which was extremely late for me. I figured if I only had five minutes to get to class, then no one would be waiting. Wrong. Jewels and Evan were talking beside his car when I pulled in. “Great,” I muttered as I opened my car door.
“What happened to you?” Jewels started in. “The bell is going to ring in like five minutes.” She turned to Evan, “Leese is never late.”
“Sorry. My alarm didn’t go off.” My story shouldn’t be too hard to believe. Without my makeup on, I know I looked the part. I started walking toward the school and let the two of them catch up to me.
“You look different today,” Evan noted as he got beside me.
“Yeah, you know there’s no time for makeup when you’re in a hurry.”
He laughed. “Actually, I’ve never been so short on time that I couldn’t put my makeup on.”
I slapped his shoulder. “Jerk! You guys don’t know how lucky you have it; no makeup, no panty hose, no bra…” I stopped myself, realizing I was going the wrong direction with this conversation.
He just chuckled.
“I’d rather be late,” Jewels added.
“Well, in any case, what I was going to say was that you look really good today,” Evan grinned.
“Yeah, right,” I scoffed.
“Leese, you can pull off the no-make-up thing,” Jewels tossed out. “I mean you’ve got the complexion for it, but me…” She let her sentence trail off, evidently remembering that there was a guy in this trio.
I turned toward the English wing, “I’ve got to go. Bye, guys.” When I glanced back I saw that Evan had started to follow me until Jewels grab his arm and said, “This way, silly.”
I made it through the classroom door two seconds before the bell. I took my seat next to Kevin and gave him a nudge. “What page?” I whispered. Mr. Shultz had already told everyone where to turn, and I was, for once, lost.
“Three-fifty-two; The Raven.” He flipped his book on edge as if I was some dolt who needed a visual.
“Got it. Thanks.” We had been studying the biography of Edgar Allan Poe and this was going to be the first work of his that we would dive into. I enjoyed the biography even though it was rather depressing, but he reminded me of myself in that he ended up living with someone else after his mother died. An uncontrolled shiver ran through my spine as I thought about my mom. Robert, my step-dad, would make it through this, but was Mom really losing it? I felt the need to say a prayer for her. For a moment, I closed my eyes and asked God to keep her safely tucked in the palm of His hand.
“Ms. McKinnis,” Mr. Shultz spoke, breaking me from my private thoughts. “Would you be so kind as to start us off with reading The Raven.”
I only nodded, and began reading for the class. My mood this morning was perfect for this assignment and my tone complimented the flowing poetry. Ten full minutes of being dramatic in front of the class and I was ready to slip down into my seat and disappear.
Second period, Kevin and Carlie and I had gym, so we walked together and talked about what was playing Friday night that we wanted to see. I always got a good laugh watching these two together. They were, to me anyway, the ultimate odd couple. Kevin was a 15-year-old brainniac who had the classic heavy-rimmed glasses, was fairly short and usually looked like he had slept in his clothes. Carlie was an eighteen-year-old senior, with flawlessly long, tan limbs, naturally blonde hair and a face that would piss off a Barbie-doll. Her plans after high school included a summer trip to do a photo shoot at the Ford Modeling headquarters in New York. Then it was back to Florida to start at FSU in the fall. Why FSU and not stay in New York? She was crazy about goofy little Kevin.
I was sure that once Evan got a look at Carlie with those ‘good-grief-how-long-are-they’ legs, he would forget all about me.
Carlie and I met Jewels as we turned down the hallway leading to the girl’s locker room. “Coach said we get to run track today,” she chimed.
“Cool,” Carlie and I responded at the same time. Track meant it was basically a free day. We’d all go outside and walk, not run, at least once around the track for credit, and then it was hit the bleachers for some impromptu tanning.
I practically lived in the pool every spare minute in Palm Beach and my tan had been natural, even and perfect, but there was no pool at Matt and Bev’s.
The guys were already running the track as the girls emerged from the gym. I could see Evan’s broad shoulders and muscled arms standing out like a beacon in the throng of guys. I sighed, and then suddenly I wanted to run the track—really run the track, no walking. I bolted.
“Hey!” Jewels yelled, trying to catch me. “What are you doing? I thought we’d talk.”
Today was too perfect for moping along and talking. I could smell the gulf in the stiff breeze that was blowing from the south and I suddenly didn’t care about all my worries and problems. “I’m just livin’ my life,” I yelled back and kept going. I knew I wasn’t going to catch the guys, not that I couldn’t have poured on the steam and caught them—I felt like a gazelle today—but I preferred the view from behind. Ooh-la-la!
It was a quarter-mile around the track and I was winded by the time I’d completed the circle. Evan was standing around with the guys as I ran past. It wasn’t that I planned to run the circle twice, but I didn’t want to talk with him. I decided to catch up with the girls who were only about a third of the way around. I hadn’t gone far when I heard a runner coming up behind me.
“Slow down a little, Leese,” I heard Evan call out.
I just laughed, which took some of my air supply, so I slowed and he caught me.
“Let me guess,” he said as he pulled beside me, “Track team, right?”
I was still laughing which continued to slow my pace. “Nah, it just feels really good to be alive right now.” He didn’t say anything and we were more than halfway to the girls. “My mom says,” I continued, “to enjoy life, because there are no re-dos.” I couldn’t help but smile at him.
“That’s pretty profound for someone who can’t even go out for a burger after school,” he quipped.
“Cholesterol is bad for you,” I retorted and then (and only heaven knows why) I smacked his belly and took off twice as fast. Dang, that boy had some rock hard abs!
He reached me as I dodged through the girls to get to where Jewels and Carlie were talking.
“You’re gonna get it,” he threatened.
I grabbed Carlie and Jewels by the arms, “Safe!” I shouted, “I’m safe, you can’t touch me
when I’m around my friends.”
He gave me an odd look and then shook his head.
Jewels looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Ah! What is this all about?”
“She hit me,” Evan blurted out before I could answer.
“It was a tap!” I defended. “Anyway I think it hurt my hand more than it hurt you.”
Jewels looked at Carlie and raised an eyebrow; Carlie smiled back at her.
“Nah, it’s not like that guys,” I said, reading their minds. “We’re just horsing around.”
“Sure,” they said in unison.
“I’m going to get some sun,” I snapped, uncomfortable with them looking at us as if we were a couple.
I took off running and finished my second lap. Evan hadn’t followed me, which suited me just fine. I didn’t really want anything to do with him even if I was acting like an idiot that did.
I found a quiet section of bleachers and stretched out in the glorious Florida sunshine.
“Hey,” I heard a quiet voice. I looked up and Kevin had come down to where I was.
“Hey, Kev—what’s up?”
“You don’t think Carlie likes the new guy, do you?”
I turned my head and squinted in the sunshine to see that Evan, Jewels and Carlie were still walking. Was I worried? Sure I was. Was I going to tell Kevin that? Absolutely not.
“Kev, Carlie is nuts about you. He may have the build, but you’ve got the brains and Carlie, well, she really likes brains.” I glanced up at him and then reached over and squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry.”
Within a few minutes I heard the metallic sound of more people tromping up the bleachers. I also heard Jewels rattling on about needing a new dance routine for the cheerleading team. I didn’t open my eyes, but I heard Kevin sigh so I knew Carlie was close. Then a shadow crossed my face and simply stayed there. “Pardon me,” I said, eyes still closed. “But someone is blocking my rays.” No response and nothing moved. I could hear some giggling a few benches over. Annoyed, I finally opened my eyes and there was Evan standing over me. I started to speak, but he beat me to it.
“Sunshine is bad for you,” he smirked, then acted like he was going to pop me on the stomach. I tighten my muscles waiting for the sting but I refused to flinch. His fingers snapped at the air only inches away from my exposed belly. Exposed belly?
“Oh, crap,” I blurted out, suddenly sitting up right. I pulled my shirt down and embarrassment filled my cheeks as I realized I’d been laying there with it hiked to my rib cage.
He just laughed and sat down beside me. “So you live with your aunt and uncle in the historic district?” It was a question, but he sounded like he knew the answer. That was when I realized why he stayed back with Jewels and Carlie.
“You really do have a touch of stalker in you,” I snapped.
“You mentioned you’re mom when we were on the track—is she…”
“Yeah, she’s alive if that’s what you were going to ask. She and my dad are having some problems.” This wasn’t a complete fabrication, but I left it sounding like marital problems instead of life-or-death problems.
“In Alabama, right?”
I think my face was a blank for a moment, then the illusion returned. “Yup, Alabammy.” I tried a horrible impression of an Alabama accent.
He started to speak and I figured it was going to be more questions about Alabama. I really didn’t want him to figure out I was a liar.
“So,” I interjected quickly, “Who do you live with?”
“Myself.”
That was a revelation. “Really? All by yourself? But how did you register if….”
“Eighteen,” he answered my unfinished question. “I’m an adult, I can register myself.”
“But you’re only a junior?”
“My birthday is in November, so I started late.”
“Where are your parents?”
“New Orleans,” was his short response. It only took me a second to recall his conversation with Mrs. Knoosh from the day prior.
“What’s in Pensacola then? Family, friends…?”
“You,” he smiled.
That sent a tingle to the pit of my stomach. “Ha, ha, very funny. What did you do, close your eyes and stick your finger on a map and just show up?”
“Nah, I wanted something different and my family used to vacation here a lot. We have a house out on Gulf Breeze, so I decided why not? And here I am.”
“Time to head back inside,” Coach yelled. The unified groan came up from the bleachers. “Let’s go, ladies and gentleman, move out! Lewis,” coach called as we exited the bleachers, but Evan just kept walking beside me. “Lewis,” coach called a second time.
“Uh, I think coach wants to speak to you,” I nudged Evan’s arm. He looked at me blankly. “Your last name is Lewis isn’t…”
“Oh!” The recognition flashed on his face and he turned around. I guess he was a little deeper into our conversation than I thought. My pace slowed as I heard coach saying he’d like to see him tryout for spring football. Evan turned him down flat and then caught up with me.
“Not in to football, huh?”
“Nope,” was the short response.
“What sport are you into?”
“Does every guy have to be in a sport?”
“I guess I should rephrase that then; what sport were you into?”
He had this annoyed-puzzled look on his face.
“Okay, you have a scar above your eye, one on your chin, I think I see a nasty one just under…” My fingers were reaching for the cuff of his tee-shirt when he grabbed my hand.
“Don’t.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey,” I said softly. He was still holding my hand and his touch was hot and firm. He started to let go, but I held on and turned his hand over, “Even your knuckles are scarred. I’m guessing you either used to be into football or you’ve picked a lot of fights with guys bigger than you.”
At this he smiled broadly, “A few.” Then he continued, taking back his hand, “Dumbbell.”
“Excuse me!” I couldn’t keep the ire out of my reply.
He pointed to the scar above his eyebrow, “I hit myself with a dumbbell.”
“Oh—I—okay,” I stammered.
“You didn’t think I was calling you a dumbbell, did you?” He started laughing because he knew from the look on my face that he guessed correctly. “Barbell,” he said pointing to his chin.
My eyes were drawn to the faint pink tail of a scar that was peeking out from under the edge of his sleeve.
“You don’t want to know,” he grumbled, catching the drift of my sight.
“Or you don’t want to tell me.” I looked away as I came to the point where I was about to turn off to go to the girls locker room. “But I can guess.”
“Really? And just what would that guess be?” He blocked me from going around the corner with one strong arm stretched out to the wall at about the height of my shoulder.
I pursed my lips as if I wasn’t going to say, then I smiled wickedly. “Gunshot,” I blurted.
His lips parted slightly, his eyes were wide and a look of total surprised filled his face.
“And probably from the last girl you were stalking!” I gave a light laugh and watched the humor come back to his expression.
“You’re good,” he said with a nod of his head.
I dodged quickly, slipping under his arm and headed for the locker room. I didn’t look back, but I knew he stood there and watched me the whole way.
Fifth period I had Chemistry Honors and then it was on to lunch. Carlie and Natasha had made it to the cafeteria first and were saving space for our lunch group. Jewels was in line with Brent Rushford, quarterback for the football team. Kevin was just a little ways behind them, but I didn’t see Evan. I had just gotten into the line when someone put a pair of hot hands on my hips. I turned, ready to slap whoever, but I looked up and there was Evan. My hand was already poised to strike so he let go and ba
cked off.
“Whoa, Momma—quick reflexes.”
“Just don’t grab me like that again, okay?” I really liked him and flirting with him was like second nature, but I didn’t want him to have the wrong impression. In fact, I was hoping by this point he wouldn’t have had any impression about me. I was hoping he would have been interested in Jewels, Carlie, or anyone but me. It just seemed that I couldn’t back off. It was weird but I felt drawn to him even when I was trying to convince myself to leave him alone.
He winced at the inflection of my voice, “Hey, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to… Ah, I didn’t mean to…”
“I’m sorry, Evan.” I was ready to cut the strings that we had started forming for the last two days. As much as I liked him, I just couldn’t keep up the façade of being someone I wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to either one of us. “You shouldn’t have to apologize. I think I’ve been sending out the wrong signals.”
“I thought your signals were great,” he smiled sweetly, trying to get me in tease mode again.
I shook my head and sighed. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I am a stick-in-the-mud and there are like six-hundred girls in this school that would be a lot more fun to be around besides me.”
“I just have one question,” he said as we grabbed our lunch trays. “Where’s Leese? I think I actually saw her out on the track about an hour and a half ago.”
“That was just a moment of me being stupid. I’m not like that.” I reached out and put a salad on my tray. “At least not here, anyway,” I muttered. I grabbed a drink and headed for the table. I was on the verge of tears, but I wasn’t going to be a total freak and break out sobbing. I was ready to leave my tray and head for the nearest exit if the first tear rolled down my face.
He sat across from me and never said another word. I think it was because he knew I was getting ready to start bawling. I wanted him to believe I was an idiot and, so far, I think it was working. The lunch bell rang as I twisted my way through the thickest part of the crowd and headed down to the math wing. I walked through the door and went straight to Mr. Lucas’s desk. I was his teacher’s aide and he kept a list on his desk of those who needed help. I walked over and looked down and couldn’t believe what I saw.
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