Soul Stone

by Gladden, DelSheree

  Disappointed, Tanner agrees. “Well, keep an eye out for it in other dreams. It could be a big clue if you see it again.”

  “I’ll let you know if I get anything else.”

  We make it to Tanner’s house too quickly. His mom’s car is already in the driveway and interesting smells are wafting from the kitchen window. I squint and look a little closer. Is that smoke?

  “Uh, Tanner, I think you might need to get in there and help your mom with dinner.”

  His eyes travel to the kitchen window. He groans. “Maybe she’ll let me order a pizza.” He shakes his head. “At times like these, I really miss my dad. He could make anything.”

  I try not to smile, but it’s hard not to. “I’m sorry, Tanner. Text me later if you need me to sneak you some dinner that isn’t charred.”

  “You laugh,” he says, “but I’ll totally call you on that offer.”

  We both laugh and Tanner pulls me into his arms. For a moment, I breathe in his scent and focus on his warmth. Everything seems so much easier when I’m with Tanner. I can almost convince myself that if I just stay in his arms, nothing bad can ever touch me. I know that isn’t true, but it’s a comforting thought.

  “Hey,” Tanner says softly, “thank you, for earlier today.”

  Not sure what he means, I say, “For what?”

  “For not letting what I told you change the way you look at me.” He kisses me softly. “I appreciate you listening and understanding.”

  My irritation at Bas for making Tanner feel so terrible about a mistake that happened years ago rebuilds, but I try not to let it show. I focus on Tanner and smile. “Nothing is ever going to change the way I look at you.”

  “Still…thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” I say before reaching up to kiss him again.

  A strange noise coming from the kitchen makes Tanner sigh. “I better get in there.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  After one more kiss, we part ways. I think about the stone the whole way home, coming out of my thoughts only when I see a familiar backside walking in the front door of my house. My body tenses up as I wonder what on earth Bas is doing at my house. I can only imagine the trouble he’s trying to stir up.

  Chapter Nine

  I push through the front door, my eyes searching the living room for Bas. I swear, if he’s telling stories about Tanner to my dad in an attempt to make things worse for me, I will kill him. Okay, maybe not kill him, but I’ll be plenty mad. I march through the empty living room to the kitchen, only to find my mom solo at the counter chopping carrots.

  “Where’s Bas?” I demand.

  Startled, my mom turns around with wide eyes. “Arra, you scared me!” She shakes off her fear and laughs. “He’s in the backyard with your father. Why?”

  “Just wondering,” I say tightly. “I’ll be right back.”

  Mom just shakes her head at me as I walk away, but I don’t give it much thought. My feet carry me to the French doors at the back of the house quickly. I push out onto the back porch ready for a fight. Both my dad and Bas look up from some papers in surprise.

  Wary of letting Bas say anything else that might hurt my dad’s opinion of Tanner, I interrupt. “What are you doing here?” I snap.

  My dad looks at me like I’ve lost it, which only irritates me even more. “Arra, are you alright? You look upset.”

  “Why is he here?” I demand again.

  Now my dad stands up. Not a good sign. “Young lady, I can’t imagine why you’re being so rude right now, but in answer to your question, Bas is here to bring me these.”

  He hands over the papers he and Bas were discussing when I walked out. I take them, but my eyes are watching Bas carefully as I do. I have to force myself to look away and read the papers, or should I say forms. I stare at them in confusion.

  “What are these?” I ask Bas, my voice losing its edge.

  “Registration forms,” Bas explains, “for the archery team. You still have to try out like everyone else, but if Tanner says you’re good, you probably won’t have a problem making the team.”

  More confused than ever, I look over at my dad. He seems to be enjoying my discomfort. Is he laughing at me?

  My dad pats my shoulder and says, “I’ll go see if your mother needs help.” He starts to walk away, but stops and considers my stupor. “Why don’t you start over…with an apology.”

  He walks into the house then, leaving me on the back porch with Bas. Realizing that my mouth is open, I snap it closed. My eyes dart down to the forms in my hand, scanning every word. Is this a joke? They look real, but I can’t figure out why Bas would be offering them to me after his outburst at school today.

  All I can manage to say is, “Why?”

  Bas looks away. I can’t tell if he’s actually embarrassed about how he behaved today or he’s mad that he had to admit he might be wrong. His silence doesn’t give me much to go off of.

  Finally, Bas says, “I’m sorry about how I acted earlier. I had no right to judge Tanner’s intentions.”

  “No, you didn’t,” I snap, finding my voice again. “He’s supposed to be your friend, and you jumped down his throat without having any idea what you were talking about.”

  “I know!” Bas glares at me, like I’m the one being unreasonable. “I’m trying to apologize. Didn’t you hear what I said a second ago?”

  “Yeah, I heard you, but I don’t know if I believe you.”

  Bas throws his hands up. “Why not?”

  “Why should I? You keep telling me you’re sorry about the things you do, but they keep happening. How do I know you won’t do it again?”

  “I’m not doing any of those things on purpose!” Bas snaps.

  Shaking my head, I stare him down. “Look, this isn’t about me. It’s about Tanner. Do you have any idea how much you hurt him today? He’s clearly been torturing himself about what went on at the lake since the day it happened. He feels responsible enough without you making him feel like a criminal.”

  “I know, and I feel terrible,” Bas says, his voice thick with emotion. “Tanner’s my best friend. I never should have said anything about the lake.”

  At least we can agree on one thing. I’m still frustrated at Bas for what he did, but the guilt in his eyes is hard to doubt. I try to soften my tone a bit as I say, “Tanner cares a lot about what you think of him. This hurt him on more than one level. He’s the one you should be apologizing to, not me.”

  “I will.” Bas’s head drops. “I would have done it already but I knew he was here with you and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “He’s home now,” I say. “Why did you come here first?”

  Bas sighs. “I guess I wanted to get the worst over first. Tanner will be nice and tell me it’s okay. I knew you’d give me a harder time than Tanner. I knew you’d tell me what I deserved to hear.”

  I can’t seem to find a response to that. For once, I believe him.

  “Plus,” Bas says, “I try to avoid Tanner’s house around meal times. His mom always tries to make me stay for dinner.”

  My laugh escapes before I can stop it. Bas’s lips turn up as well. “Yeah,” I say, “you only make that mistake once.”

  We both chuckle for a minute before silence falls. I still don’t completely understand why he freaked out today, but I at least believe he feels bad about how he treated Tanner. His apology and the archery forms make me soften just a little. Bas senses it and seems to relax somewhat as well.

  “Speaking of dinner,” he says, almost shyly, “your dad already invited me to stay, but if you’d rather I didn’t, I’ll just tell him my dad called and I have to go home.”

  The first response that jumps to my lips is that I really don’t want to eat dinner with him all that much, but I bite back my snotty words and tell myself to be nice. Bas apologized, and it was kind of him to bring over the forms. “No, it’s fine. You can stay. I’m sorry for being a jerk when I first came out and that I assum
ed the worst.”

  Bas looks genuinely surprised at my apology. I guess he doesn’t have the highest opinion of me either, and I can’t say I don’t deserve it. I attempt a smile and say, “You really are a good friend to Tanner.”

  “Not counting today,” Bas says with a grimace. “I’ll make it up to him, though.”

  “I’m sure he’d appreciate that,” I say. I lead Bas back to the kitchen and find my parents waiting. Dad looks at the pair of us. “Did you two work things out?” he asks.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I say.

  My dad seems unusually pleased about that. “Good, good. Why don’t we sit down for dinner then?”

  “Yes, please,” my mom says politely.

  She doesn’t look as thrilled about our dinner guest as I would have expected. She’s usually happy to entertain. Whatever her reservations about having Bas for dinner are, she forgets them soon enough. As we eat, I begin to see why everyone is so enamored with Bas. It isn’t one thing in particular. It’s the combination of his easy charm, his sense of humor, and his ability to always know the right thing to say that makes dinner one of the most interesting hours I’ve had in a while.

  Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to not getting me into trouble, I still don’t trust Bas further than I can throw him —which isn’t far given that he’s as tall as Tanner’s nearly six foot height and probably outweighs Tanner by a good fifteen pounds—but I can understand why people are drawn to him. I haven’t laughed so much during a meal since David left home. Even my quiet, reserved mom relaxes and enjoys herself, but instead of making me fall all over Bas, it just makes me miss David even more.

  As if reading my thoughts, my dad changes the topic of conversation abruptly. “So, I got a call from David this afternoon, and his plans have changed again.”

  Mom’s face falls, thinking it will be bad news. I’m sure mine looks even more tragic.

  “David had a coworker ask him to change shifts with him, so David will be free to come up for a visit this Friday and stay for the weekend.”

  Before my excitement can burst, my mom pipes up. “But, dear, you have to work this Friday, and I already agreed to speak at the historical society meeting in Bangor. I’ll be gone all day. How is David going to get here from the airport? He doesn’t have a car and he’s not old enough to rent one.”

  “Well, I thought we could excuse Arra from school a little early and she could pick him up.” Dad says it casually, but he freezes as he waits for my mom’s response, which we both know is not going to be a happy one.

  When I dare to look over at my mom, the total lack of color in her face makes me a little worried. “Arra?” she asks in disbelief. “But she’s only had her license for two months! That’s almost a two hour drive! And it’s on the interstate!”

  I think my mom is about to have a panic attack. I’m too shocked to really do anything helpful. I can’t believe my dad even suggested I drive to Portland to pick up David! I would love to go, but I have a hard time believing my mom will ever agree to it.

  Before my mom begins hyperventilating, Dad speaks up. “I wasn’t suggesting she drive down by herself. I’m sure Arra would feel more confident if she had a friend with her.”

  Tanner instantly pops into my head. A road trip with Tanner? I start getting giddy just thinking about it. My dad is quick to squash that dream.

  “Bas, what do you think? Would your parents agree to you missing a few classes to drive down to Portland with Arra?”

  I might have thought they planned this together, if not for the shock on Bas’s face. He coughs, looking extremely uncomfortable. His eyes dart over to mine before sliding hesitantly back to my dad. “Um, maybe? I’m not sure, but I can ask.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” Dad says with a smile.

  The day my dad walked in on Tanner kissing me, he gave me a look that promised a none too pleasant discussion was going to follow—which it did. I give him that same look now. I know he doesn’t like Tanner much right now, but this is going too far.

  “I’m sure Tanner would be happy to drive down with me, and I’m positive his mom will agree,” I say. The sharp edge to my tone is pretty easy to hear.

  Mom looks pleased at the suggestion. Well, at least she looks slightly less pale than before. Dad, however, just smiles.

  “Tanner has had his license for all of a month longer than you, Arra,” my dad says. “I’d hardly be comfortable sending two new drivers on a road trip to Portland. Bas has had his license for almost a year. I’d feel more comfortable if someone with some actual driving experience went with you.”

  “Yeah, I bet you would,” I say under my breath.

  Bas, looking completely uncomfortable at this point pushes his chair back. “Well, I better get going. My mom will be expecting me home soon.”

  Dad pushes his chair back and stands. When he offers Bas his hand, Bas shakes it politely. “Let me know what your parents say about Portland.”

  “Uh, yeah. I will,” Bas says.

  I am too humiliated and angry to offer much of a goodbye, so I continue staring at my plate, pushing around a few baby corn cobs left behind. Thoughts of the argument my dad and I are about to get into are running through my head. I am pulled out of my planning by my dad’s voice.

  “Arra, aren’t you going to walk Bas home?”

  I glance up with a look that clearly says I’ve had enough. “What?”

  Dad doesn’t even flinch. “You were nice enough to walk Tanner home this afternoon. I don’t see why you can’t do the same now.”

  There is enough steel in his voice to make me push away from the table and stand up. I don’t say a single word to him as I grab Bas and head for the door. We’re across the living room, out the door, and halfway down the block before Bas dares to utter a word.

  “Arra, I’m sure you don’t believe me, but I had nothing to do with this. Your dad totally threw me under the bus in there.”

  As much as I might want to be angry at Bas over this, I know it isn’t his fault. I blow out all my irritation and make an effort to be civil despite how pissed I am at my dad. “I believe you. This is all my dad, big surprise.”

  “Why?”

  I feel a bit stupid admitting it, but I say, “Because my dad can’t stand Tanner.”

  Bas honestly seems surprised. “Why not? Tanner’s a good guy.”

  “I don’t think my dad cares. All he cares about is the fact that he caught us kissing. He was not happy.”

  The expression on Bas’s face is dubious. “He doesn’t like Tanner because he saw you two kissing? How strict is your dad?”

  “It was a little more than a peck on the lips,” I say, laughing as Bas’s face screws up.

  It seems to be just the mental image of me and his best friend making out, but it quickly morphs into his eyes widening as they turn to me. “Wait,” he says, “are we actually talking about kissing, or is that your way of saying your dad walked in on you and Tanner …”

  It doesn’t take much to figure out what he’s talking about. I smack his shoulder, and not playfully. “What? No! For crying out loud, Bas, I said kissing and I meant kissing. My dad did not walk in on Tanner and I having sex! Do you really think I’d be telling you if he did?”

  “Sorry, Sorry!” Bas says as he tries to fend off another attack from me. “It just seemed like a pretty harsh reaction for kissing.”

  “It was a harsh reaction, but if my dad walked in on us having sex…I’d have way bigger problems than Tanner not being invited over for dinner!”

  I close my eyes against such a terrible mental image. Having my dad walk in on me during that? I shiver at the thought. I would die of embarrassment. Tanner wouldn’t get off any easier.

  I look over at Bas and scowl. “Thanks for putting that thought in my head, though.” I shake my head and try to get rid of any thoughts even remotely related to this topic. It’s pretty much impossible, though. I feel absolutely sick as Bas’s words make me realize why my dad was so piss
ed about what he saw. My head falls into my hands and I groan. “My dad totally thinks Tanner and I are sleeping together, doesn’t he?”

  “Is he right?” Bas asks.

  “What? No, of course not. Why would you even ask me that?”

  “I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.” Bas holds up his hands. “I didn’t mean to get too personal. It’s just…”

  When he doesn’t continue, I look over at him for some reason. I’m surprised to find his cheeks red. It almost makes me laugh, but I can tell he is genuinely embarrassed. Putting my hand on his arm, I pull him to a stop. “It’s just what?”

  “Nothing. I’ve already gotten way too personal and caused enough problems for you today. Just forget it.”

  There’s pretty much no chance of that happening at this point. I’m too curious to know what thought would make Sebastian Wallace blush like a girl. What if it’s something he knows about Tanner? I cringe, wondering if Tanner has already taken that leap with someone else.

  “Bas, just tell me, please, or I’m going to think the worst.”

  His eyes come up to mine and his expression softens when he looks at me. “It wasn’t anything bad, Arra, I promise. I just thought that if you and Tanner had gone that far, he would have told me. I know it’s childish, but we’ve been best friend since we were kids. Coming back and finding him so caught up in being with you, it’s…well, it’s different.”

  “I never meant to pull him away from you,” I say quietly.

  Bas runs a hand through his hair as he blows out a breath. “I know. It just takes some getting used to, I guess.”

  I don’t know which one of us starts walking again, but before I realize it we’re turning onto Bas’s street. I know I could let the silence continue, but something pushes me to ask.

  “Did you tell Tanner?”

  The look in Bas’s eyes confuses me when he looks down at me. “Did I tell Tanner what?”

  Suddenly, I want to take my question back. I don’t really want to know. The intensity in Bas’s gaze won’t let me, though. My voice is quiet when I finally speak. “About your first time.”