“But she totally shot me down.”
“Because you were being a creep. Just be cool. Take it slow, like the magazine said.”
“Yeah, but now she’s already on guard around me,” he said. “You should be her friend, and then I’ll just slip in and start hanging around while you play together.”
She pulled a face. “Yeah, because that doesn’t sound even creepier.”
“No. I mean like the article said in Step two: Spend time together. Then we could do the group date thing,” he pressed, seeing her waver.
“That’s assuming I can find a date,” she said.
In response, he just waved a hand at her “new look,” as she’d put it. She glanced down and frowned at her dress before crossing her arms over herself. “I’ll think about it.”
“But—”
“I said I’ll think about it.” But she said it with a smile that told him she’d probably do it.
Again, he wondered if that was the obligation to Jason speaking, to look out for his little brother, or if it was something else. Because even after he gave her a hug goodbye, there was something about her expression that seemed almost sad.
Chapter Four
Katie took a deep breath as she headed out her front door to walk to school. It was first day of senior year, the first day of the New Katie going public, in a pair of skinny jeans and carefully applied makeup. Step one: Look your best was complete. And she’d only had to wake up two hours early to do it.
She slung her bag over one shoulder and headed down the porch steps. When she’d rounded the fence, she paused at the bottom of Lexi’s driveway. Katie had told Alex she’d help him with his relationship dilemma. While she’d accepted long ago that he wasn’t interested in dating her, it would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt that she wasn’t his number one.
She thought of the team, the tournament, the money she needed to pay for college, and competing in Jason’s memory. This wasn’t just about her feelings. Lexi was looking for friends, the team was looking for a new player, and Alex was looking for a girlfriend. Suddenly, Katie felt the weight of it all fall on her shoulders.
Then she remembered The Plan. Keeping her new positive affirmations in mind, Katie marched up to Lexi’s house. However, she wasn’t doing it for Alex or the team or Jason. She was doing it because she wanted to get to know Lexi, to make a new friend. She was going to be a better her.
Just as Katie climbed the steps to the front door and raised her fist to knock, the garage door groaned into action. Walking back down the steps, she peered inside to find Lexi pushing her bike out.
Katie waved to get her attention. “Hey!”
Lexi smiled when she saw her. “Oh, hi!”
“I was just on my way to school. Do you want to walk together?”
“Or I could give you a ride.” Lexi waved a hand over her bike as though she were enticing a game show contestant to bid on it.
Katie held up her hands. “No, that’s okay. I prefer two legs to two wheels.”
“Come on. It’ll be fun. I’ve got an extra helmet you can borrow. Besides, you wouldn’t want me getting lost on my first day, would you?” She batted her eyelashes.
Katie couldn’t help but laugh, thinking of Alex’s failed attempt at getting her number. Obviously, Lexi remembered, too. Did she think it was pathetic? Or was she still thinking about it because she wished she’d handed over her digits, after all?
Her mouth opened to say “no” again, but the word died in her throat. She was supposed to be standing out this year, putting herself out there.
She imagined all the students lingering outside the school before the first bell, watching them glide into the parking lot on Lexi’s Triumph. “Is that Katie Warner on that bike?” people would say. “I didn’t know she was such a badass.” Now that would be an entrance into senior year.
Biting her lip, Katie eyed the Triumph.
“I’ll go slow. I promise.” The sweet smile Lexi gave finally broke her resolve. She was being so nice.
Katie nodded. “Yeah. Okay. That might be cool.”
“Awesome. Come on.” Lexi waved her inside the garage. “I think my dad put my spare helmet in here.” She began digging through moving boxes. “So what classes are you taking this year?”
Katie counted them off on her fingers. “Physics, calculus, trig…”
“So, you’re smart,” her voice came from behind a stack of sports equipment.
“Not really. I’ve got to work really hard for my grades.”
“So…smart, hard working, and humble,” she said as she popped open another box. Okay, Lexi was really nice. Katie was glad she’d come over.
She laughed at the compliment but caught herself before she rejected it entirely. New Katie accepted compliments. “Thanks. So what courses did you sign up for?”
“Arts mostly,” Lexi said. “I’m thinking of going for a BA in college, after I spend some time backpacking around Europe, that is.”
“You’re not going to follow in your dad’s footsteps?” Katie asked. “Maybe serve for a few years before college? I hear they have good educational opportunities.”
“Heck no! Do I look like I want to get shot at? I only move fast on a bike.” She laughed, but her face didn’t seem to get the joke. Her mouth turned down instead. “Running from bullets is not my strong suit.”
Katie didn’t want to upset Lexi, but she felt like she had to say something. “Your dad must be pretty brave.”
Lexi pulled her head out of a box labeled Misc and met Katie’s eyes. “Yeah, I mean, don’t get me wrong. As a person, I’m really proud of him. I know he’s doing a good thing by serving the country. But as his daughter, I just want him home safe.”
Katie tried to imagine what it would be like if her mom were in the army. “It has to be hard. You must worry about him a lot.”
She nodded, picking at a piece of tape on the box before answering. “After so many years, you just get used to it. It’s like, at any moment you’re living your life, doing normal stuff like shopping or homework, and he’s out there risking his life. There’s always a part of you that’s holding your breath, waiting to hear from him…or not. Instead, you could be hearing from someone else.” She rapped on the box like “knock on wood.”
Katie wasn’t sure cardboard counted, but Lexi suddenly looked so sad that she wasn’t about to point it out.
“I think I just shut it all out most of the time,” she continued. “Try and forget the danger he’s in. Maybe that’s why I like my own danger.” She nodded at the Triumph. “My bike helps me escape it all for a while. It gets me out of my head. Puts me in the moment instead.”
Her explanation rang with familiarity. Katie recalled Alex saying the exact same thing when it came to dealing with his brother’s death. Apparently, he had a lot more in common with Lexi than he knew.
“So what base does he work on in California?” Katie asked.
“He doesn’t. That’s why we moved to Porterville. For the first time in my life, my dad won’t constantly be on active duty. He’s reserve now, meaning he’ll be home a lot more.” She smiled, and Katie could tell she was really relieved over it.
“What about your dad?” Lexi asked. “I haven’t seen him around since we got here.”
“Oh, he left my mom and me years ago.”
Lexi stopped rummaging and stared at her over the boxes. “I’m sorry.”
Katie shook her head, but her eyes dropped to the floor. “Don’t be. It’s better that way. Even when he was around, he was too busy for us.”
To her father, they’d always come last. Ever since Katie could remember, he’d missed family dinners, piano recitals, and school concerts. Her mom would be there in the audience with an extra big smile, an empty seat next to her, and a list of his usual excuses: “He had an emergency business meeting,” “He has a big proposal in the morning,” “Your father really wanted to see this one, but…”
Katie wondered what his excuse was when he
started coming home late—or not at all, sleeping at “the office.” She supposed her mom probably felt a little like Katie did—second best, runner up.
“That sucks. I’m sorry.” Lexi gave her a look, but Katie waved her pity away.
“He left when I was ten. It’s fine.”
Lexi kind of nodded and returned to her search. “Aha!” she suddenly cried. “I knew it was around here somewhere.” She reached deep into the box and pulled out a half helmet. “Here, try it on.”
She tossed it across the garage. Katie caught it and shoved it onto her head. It would mess up her back-to-school hairstyle from page 44 of her magazine, but she didn’t care. This was going to be way cooler.
Lexi took off her leather jacket and held it up in front of Katie. “Here, put this on. That light shirt won’t do much to prevent road rash.” When Katie gave her a look, she quickly added, “Not that we’re going to crash.”
Katie slipped off her backpack and pulled on the jacket, feeling the weight of it settle onto her shoulders. The musky leather scent filled her nose. She doubted she looked as cool as Lexi, but she certainly felt cool.
“Thanks.”
Lexi walked the bike out of the garage and closed the door behind them. Throwing a leg over, she started the engine. It rumbled to life before settling into a purr.
She turned and patted the seat behind her. “Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Katie muttered, too low to hear over the motor.
Cinching her backpack tight, she climbed on. As she settled in behind Lexi, she had that feeling she usually got whenever she did something crazy with Alex, like “what did I get talked into?” And then Lexi hit the throttle, and it was too late.
Katie’s head whipped back, and her arms automatically clamped around Lexi’s waist. As they turned onto the road, they sped up and she squeezed tighter.
Her ears filled with the deep growling of the engine. The grumble vibrated in her chest until she didn’t know if it was the motor or her pounding heart. She wanted to hold on tighter, but Lexi’s backpack was in the way.
They took another corner, and Katie felt as though the whole bike might topple over at any second. She instinctively leaned away, like she could help prevent the crash.
When the road straightened out, Lexi righted the bike. “Have you ever ridden before?” she asked over her shoulder. She must have felt Katie shake her head against her back because she replied, “Really? You’re a natural. Most people don’t know how to lean with the bike on corners. That was perfect.”
A natural? Katie grinned. Her death grip around Lexi loosened a little, and she relaxed into the seat. She enjoyed the feeling of the air moving around them, blowing her hair against her neck. It was almost as if she were flying. When the next corner came, she could feel herself counterbalance, just like Lexi said.
The flutter in her chest steadied with each gear change until the rapid beat was less from fear and more from exhilaration. Motorcycles weren’t so scary, after all.
They came to an intersection, and the motor hushed as Lexi brought the bike to a stop. She glanced over her shoulder at Katie. “Just so you know, I wasn’t kidding before. I really don’t know the way to school. So if you don’t want to be late, you’ll have to give me instructions.”
Katie looked around and realized that they’d totally gone too far. “Oh, right.”
From there, she gave directions to the school, but she took the scenic route. When they passed by Porterville High, students were still milling around outside, catching up with friends after the summer break.
Katie noticed several heads turn their way and felt a thrill from the cool factor of showing up to school on a bike. Of course, it wasn’t as cool as if she’d been the one driving it…but still.
She automatically searched the parking lot for an old red truck, and she found it in the back row. Alex sat on the dropped tailgate with three girls gathered around him. He was leaning back, basking in the attention, but when he saw the Triumph and recognized Lexi and Katie, he sat bolt upright. As he watched them glide by, his face fell slack, his head craning to watch them.
After pulling into a parking stall, Lexi shut off the bike. She slipped off her helmet and turned to Katie. “How was that?”
Katie hopped off, beaming at her. “That was great. Thanks for the ride.” She pulled off the leather jacket and handed it back.
“Sure. Any time.”
Katie turned to see Alex wave absently at the girls he’d been talking to and jump down from the tailgate. They gave him playful pouts, but he didn’t notice. Instead, he headed straight for Katie and Lexi. It reminded her a little of Homecoming when he’d passed all the other girls to dance with her. But this time, he was looking at Lexi.
As Alex crossed the parking lot to join them, he was doing his slow, “I’m too cool” saunter, and Katie tried not to laugh. Maybe his flirting techniques were so obvious to Katie because he never pretended with her. He was just Alex, not trying to be a Jason replica.
While he might have been seen as a player at school, Katie knew the real him. To her, he was the guy who didn’t mind watching chick flicks with her, who picked her up the best chicken noodle soup in town when she was sick, who always gave her his jacket when she was cold. He was the guy who would gently sweep stray eyelashes off her cheek and make her wish on them. Plus, he always gave up his own eyelash wishes to her. She got to see the boyfriend material just waiting for the right girl to come out.
They were the stupid things, the little things, but they were the things that made her wish she could be that girl.
“Hey,” Lexi said when she saw him.
Alex laughed. “How on Earth did you get Katie on the back of a bike?” Katie knew it was good-natured, but it put a downer on her New Katie high.
“I just asked her.” Lexi shrugged like “no problem,” and Katie smiled gratefully at her.
When Lexi bent over to stuff her jacket into her bag, Alex caught Katie’s eye. His eyebrows arched in question, and he nodded his head at Lexi, as in “Did you ask her?” He stood there, practically bouncing with anticipation.
Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Lexi. “Hey, so I was wondering, since you said that you play video games sometimes, if you’d be interested in joining our Conquerors of Caroon team. There’s this tournament we want to enter, and you’d really be helping us out.”
Lexi was swinging her bag onto her shoulder, but she paused mid-swing. “Really?” Her eyes lit up for a second before her face fell. “I don’t know how to play that one, though.”
“Don’t worry,” Alex said. “I can show you how. Do you have a laptop?”
“Yeah.” She still hesitated, glancing from Alex to Katie. “Will you help, too?”
Katie blinked, not missing the subtle rejection. Shot down again? It was unprecedented. Maybe Alex really did need her help on this one.
Lexi was still staring at Katie, and Alex widened his eyes in a silent plea.
“Of course,” she said. “We’re going to play at my house after school today, if you want to come over. We can help you set up a character and show you the basics.”
She smiled. “Great. It’s a date.”
“Perfect!” Alex smiled, probably at the word “date.” “We’ll see you after school.”
The first bell rang, echoing through the parking lot. Katie cringed—probably along with the rest of the student body. She hadn’t missed that sound at all over the summer.
“I’d better get going,” Lexi said. “I’ll meet you guys after school.”
“For sure.” Katie handed her back the spare helmet. “See you later.”
Katie turned to head inside, nearly running right into Alex. He grinned down at her like an ad outside a dentist’s office, perfect teeth flashing.
“Did you hear that?” he asked. “She said ‘it’s a date.’”
“I don’t think she meant it like that. Cool it, remember? Take it slow.”
“See? I knew yo
u could help me,” he said, clearly ignoring her advice. “I’ll message Pizzalover and Sugarplum to let them know we’ve found a fifth player. You’re the best.”
Momentarily forgetting her positive self-affirmations, she snorted like “Yeah, right.”
The smile on Alex’s face fell, and his cheery disposition grew serious. “No. I mean it,” he said. “You really are the best.”
She wanted to ask “If I’m the best, then why are you choosing Lexi? And why did you choose Jessica and Tiffany and Sarah and all the others?” But then he bent down and kissed her cheek, paralyzing her tongue.
It wasn’t like Alex hadn’t done it a million times before, but this time, his soft lips lingered on her skin until her face felt warm and that niggling question faded to the back of her mind.
It wasn’t until two students nearby told them to get a room that he pulled away and headed for the school doors. But even as Katie numbly followed him inside, she didn’t think she’d be able to focus much on school that morning—or ever again.
Chapter Five
The sword dazzled Alex’s eyes as it lit up the computer screen, glowing with an unnatural power. Plunged into a solitary stone, deep within the heart of the Dwarf Mountains, its hilt stuck straight up, inviting him to pull it free. Alex’s finger hovered over the enter button, eager to grab it after almost two months of searching. The God Sword.
Sitting at the computer station beside him, Katie placed a hand on his arm. “Wait. What if it’s booby-trapped?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” he said.
He pressed the enter button, and Dark_Prince grasped the sword. It scraped against the stone as it pulled free. When the rock finally released its hold on the God Sword, the screen flashed white.
A bell dinged above the entrance to the café. Alex blinked, glancing away from his screen. For a Saturday afternoon in downtown Bakersfield, the café was pretty slow, but that meant they hadn’t sold out of fresh scones, so it was a plus for them.
Their team often met up at Java Byte, a cool coffee house-slash-internet café. Sure, people had computers at home, but the chill vibe and occasional local gaming tournaments they hosted kept the place busy and regulars returning.
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