Small Town Superhero Box Set: Complete Series

by Cheree Alsop

  I shook my head. “Thank you.”

  She smiled and headed for the door.

  “Aunt Lauren?” When she paused, I said, “Thank you for letting me stay here and for taking such good care of me. I don’t mean to cause trouble.”

  She gave me a warm smile. “You’re not any trouble, Kel. You’re a growing boy. Out here, that means trips to the emergency room. We’ve had plenty of those between Jaren and Cole.” She walked through the door and left me alone.

  I glanced at the phone on the side table. A message flashed on the screen and a surge of uncertainty filled me. I let out a slow breath, then unplugged the phone and brought it around so I could read it.

  Lauren said you were in an accident. Are you all right? Mom

  A text message. Mom heard I wrecked a motorcycle and got stitches and she asked how I was doing by texting? I was tempted to throw the phone behind the couch, but something kept me from being so rash. I held it in my hand for what felt like an eternity, debating what to do. A low fire crackled softly in the fireplace. I studied the flames, wary of the way they beckoned with warmth created by devouring everything within reach.

  Finally, I sighed and typed, Thirty-eight stitches in my leg. Feeling fine. I wore a helmet.

  My heart hammered strangely in my chest as I waited for a response. It came several minutes later.

  I was worried about you. Then a few minutes after that, I miss you.

  I stared at the last three words. I missed Mom more than I dared to admit. My careful nonchalance with my situation in Sparrow depended on me not dwelling on life in California and what should have been. I shied away from thoughts of what used to be the way Cole avoided green beans. Mom’s simple statement threatened to crack my carefully constructed indifference.

  I miss you too, I typed.

  I plugged the phone back in and threw a shirt over it before I regretted the text. I wiggled my toes. My leg ached. The nurse had instructed me to stay off it as much as I could, but texting with my mom made me restless. A pair of hazel eyes and a breathtaking smile surfaced in my thoughts. If anyone could take away my depression, it was Madelyn. I wanted to see her again, if only for a minute.

  I waited until everyone was asleep, then limped outside and started the four-wheeler. Jake jumped up at the sound and ran beside me. The dog never appeared to tire, and seemed just as happy as I was to get out. While I might not have been fond of the animal, his presence was one constant in my upside-down life. We traveled down the road toward Madelyn’s, a road I was swiftly becoming familiar with.

  I turned off the four-wheeler just outside the boundary of their yard and limped across the lawn.

  “You know you’re supposed to stay off that leg.”

  I turned with a smile and found Madelyn sitting in the tree near the house.

  “Are you stalking me?” I asked.

  She climbed down and crossed the grass toward me. Her dog, Buck, followed close behind. “Funny. I could ask you say the same thing.”

  I relaxed. There was something about Madelyn that stripped me bare and made me feel like I didn’t have to put on a show or pretend to be someone I wasn’t. She tipped her head to the side and gave me a teasing smile that was heightened by the light of the half moon above. “I suppose we won’t be running.”

  I grinned. “Not unless you want to redo all my stitches.”

  She smiled. “I’m a fair hand with a needle.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” I motioned toward the four-wheeler. “I thought I’d take you for a ride instead.” The dogs bounced around as if they understood what I was talking about. Jake bit at Buck’s ear and the dog nipped his tail as if they were puppies instead of seasoned farm dogs. I hesitated and glanced at the house. “Unless you’re worried it’ll make your dad upset. I don’t want you to get hit again. It’s not right.”

  She shook her head, her gaze following mine to the house. “He’s already asleep. I need to get away for a ride.”

  “I’m happy to help,” I replied with my most charming grin.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” Madelyn asked, watching me with an answering shadow of a smile.

  “No clue; I figured you could be my GPS.”

  She laughed. “That might be the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard.”

  “I’ve got worse,” I reassured her.

  “Then I’d better stick with you. There’s no telling who you’re going to catch with lines like that.”

  “I appreciate it,” I replied.

  She laughed again and climbed on the back of the four-wheeler. I eased my leg over, then started it up. Going to Madelyn’s was definitely the best decision I had made that day. I was already feeling better.

  I drove us back to the goose pond, but had to park above the wash because it was too steep and narrow for the four-wheeler. I debated whether to risk limping down, but Madelyn wouldn’t let me. “You don’t have to impress me, Kelson Brady. I saw the way you rode that motorcycle.”

  I laughed and my head gave a throb to remind me that I had forgotten to take my pain meds for the evening. “If you weren’t impressed by that, I’ve got nothing for you.”

  She smiled her warm smile. “Good. That’s the way I like you.”

  Her words sent a thrill through me. I sat on the grass near the bank of the wash and stretched out my leg.

  Madelyn joined me and we watched the stars. “You know,” she said after a while, “You drive the four-wheeler pretty well.”

  I glanced at her. “Is that a problem?”

  She shrugged. “I guess it just makes a girl wonder how you were so bad on a motorcycle when you drive a four-wheeler like you were born on one.”

  My mouth fell open. “I, uh, four-wheelers are geared differently, and—”

  She laughed and held up a hand. “I’m just kidding, Kelson. You don’t have to get all defensive. If you choose to wreck a motorcycle, that’s your own decision.” She gave me a sideways glance. “Although crashing Magnum’s bike into his truck probably wasn’t the wisest choice.”

  I made a show of wincing. “Yeah. I’m still paying for that one.”

  “You know he won’t forgive or forget,” she said.

  I was counting on it. If I could make myself a target, perhaps he would leave the other students alone. I knew it was a foolish plan, but it was also the beginning of something that sent a rush of excitement through me even as my leg and head ached from my actions.

  COLE BROUGHT ME A crutch the next morning. “Mom says it’ll help keep the weight off your leg.” He grinned. “I got it when I tried to ride Bess. She spooked and ran me into a fence. Mom was so mad.”

  “At the cow or you?”

  He rubbed his short brown hair. “Me, mostly. I guess I should’a known better.”

  Madelyn sat next to me on the bus. It was a small thing, but it made the long ride into town one hundred percent better. We joked about midnight rides and spying on geese. Once, I looked up to find Cassidy watching. She gave me a thumbs-up, then ducked down and giggled with Sandy in their seat at the middle of the bus.

  When we reached school, I found that the accident wasn’t far from anyone’s mind.

  “Dude, the way you ran into that truck was awesome!” a boy with spiked hair said. He gave me a high five as he passed us in the hall.

  “You really need to learn how to drive,” a girl with glasses and curly blonde hair admonished. The two girls with her giggled.

  “He’s cute,” one said to the other when we went by.

  Madelyn laughed. “Looks like you’re becoming quite popular. I might cramp your style.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t make me deal with this alone.”

  She stopped by a classroom. “I’ve got calculus. See you in music history,” she said with a sympathetic smile.

  I glanced back at the students who watched me as if waiting for me to do something equally as stupid as yesterday. “Calculus sounds tempting,” I said.

  She smiled and waved me
away. “Enjoy your fame, Kelson.”

  I rolled my eyes and she laughed.

  CASSIDY AND SANDY AMBUSHED me outside fourth-period western history.

  “The whole school is talking about your wreck and how mad Magnum is at you,” Sandy said.

  “It wasn’t his fault,” Cassidy replied. She grabbed my backpack. “Come on. We’re going to Chaser’s.”

  There were enough students watching us to make getting away for lunch sound like a good idea. “Only if Madelyn can come,” I replied.

  Cassidy’s eyebrows rose; she and Sandy exchanged a look and they both giggled. “So Sparrow is looking up?” Cassidy teased.

  “Maybe,” I replied noncommittally.

  She laughed. “Come on. I’ll bet she’s in the library.”

  They dragged me to one of the places in the school I had yet to visit. When we barged through the doors, the librarian, a lady with long blonde hair and a kind smile, put a finger to her lips in a reminder that we had entered a place of sacred solemnity. I wondered if laughing would desecrate the holiness of the books. I was sure Madelyn would disapprove of my joviality toward something she valued, so I nodded just as soberly to the librarian.

  Cassidy and Sandy split up and checked the dozen rows of books. I opted for the couches and tables at the back that made up the study area. The familiar sight of long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, a pair of glasses, and a book with well-thumbed pages made me smile. I snuck up on Madelyn from behind and covered her glasses with my hands. “Guess who,” I whispered in her ear.

  She fought back a smile when I jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to her. My leg gave an angry throb and I winced.

  “Should have remembered the stitches,” Madelyn said.

  “Guess I’m not used to them yet,” I replied.

  She gave me a searching look.

  “What?” I asked, intrigued.

  Her lips pursed together. “I took you for the stitches type. You don’t take care of yourself very well.”

  “I’m not usually that reckless,” I said defensively.

  A smile touched the corners of her lips and I realized she had been teasing me. “I think you’re more reckless than you realize.”

  I laughed. “Probably.”

  “There you two are,” Cassidy said. She grabbed Madelyn’s hand and pulled her up from the couch. “Come on, Maddy. We’re going to Chaser’s to escape Kel’s many admirers.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Cass.”

  Madelyn looked entirely surprised at Cassidy’s show of friendship. Cassidy took Madelyn’s book and linked their arms together as if they were long-time comrades. Madelyn shot me a look of apprehension over her shoulder. I grinned and followed them with Sandy close behind. At least I wasn’t the only one caught up by Cassidy’s enthusiasm.

  We piled into Sandy’s beat-up blue Jeep. “Are you old enough to drive?” I asked doubtfully.

  Sandy glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror, then adjusted it so she could see out the back. “Barely. I turned sixteen last month.” She grinned, revealing the full spectacle of her black-and-yellow braces.

  “With those school colors, we should have been the bees or something,” I commented as I climbed into the backseat.

  Sandy laughed and shook her head. “Bulldogs are tougher.”

  “Have you seen a bulldog?” I asked. I glanced at Madelyn, who sat beside me looking very amused at the conversation. “They’re bowlegged and short. Tell me a hornet wouldn’t hurt you faster.”

  “They may sting,” Sandy replied with the smug attitude of one very secure in her school pride. “But once a bulldog bites you, it doesn’t let go.”

  Madelyn nodded. “They used to use them in bullfighting rings, which is how they got their name.”

  Cassidy and Sandy both looked at her. Cassidy grinned. “You do learn something new every day.”

  Sandy sighed. “Too bad I don’t learn anything at school.”

  Both girls laughed.

  Madelyn lifted her eyebrows at me. I grinned and sat back, happy at least to have her beside me.

  We piled out of the Jeep and found an empty booth near the back corner of Chaser’s. The waitress skated up. She had long, curly black hair tied back with a red ribbon. “Hey, Cass,” she exclaimed when she saw who we were with.

  “April!” Cassidy jumped up and threw her arms around the girl. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in like, forever!”

  April let her go and rolled back a few inches. “Doing great. Evan’s with Mom. She watches him when I work.” She winked. “It’s better than daycare, that’s for sure.”

  “Absolutely,” Cassidy replied.

  April took our orders, then skated off to the next table.

  “Man, she looks good,” Sandy said.

  Cassidy nodded. “April got pregnant last year and had to drop out,” she explained for my benefit. “She has the cutest little boy, and I hear she’s taking night classes to get her GED.”

  “That’s awesome,” Madelyn replied. “It’d be hard to juggle school, a baby, and work.”

  Cassidy nodded. “She’s amazing. It’s so great to see her again!”

  She began to tell the long, detailed story of how she and April first met in kindergarten. Then the doors swung open with a bang and the Bullets walked through.

  Magnum’s eyes shifted around the room, then they landed on April. “We need a table,” he stated.

  Her eyes widened and she gestured. “We have a couple of booths open. Maybe—”

  Magnum walked past her to the first table. “Move,” he growled.

  The five students who occupied it grabbed their hamburgers and corn dogs and hurried over to a booth.

  “Then she dropped her crayon, and I . . . Kelson, are you listening?” Cassidy asked.

  I shook my head, and she turned to see what held my attention. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the Bullets. “Great. The Mafia’s here.”

  Magnum sat at the head of the table. April looked frazzled as she took his order. “I’ll take a triple stack and fries,” he said. “And put it in quick. We’re hungry.”

  “Y—yes, Magnum,” she stammered. She skated toward the kitchen. Magnum swatted her backside when she rolled by. She glanced back with a red face, but didn’t say anything.

  “That’s not right,” I said quietly.

  Madelyn set a hand on my arm. “Let it go. Everyone’s used to the way they act by now.”

  “But that doesn’t make it appropriate,” I pointed out.

  Cassidy watched us with a smile dawning on her face. I tried to ignore the way she tipped her chin to show Sandy where Madelyn’s hand rested.

  “There will always be bullies,” Madelyn said.

  “There are bullies, and then there are the Bullets,” I replied. “Bullies hurt your feelings. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen the Bullets demean teachers, pick on new students, destroy school property, and now harass waitresses. The problem is, they have strength in numbers.”

  “And you don’t,” Cassidy said. When I opened my mouth to argue, she shook her head. “No one else will stand up to them. I told you what they do.”

  I blew out an exasperated breath. “They seek revenge.”

  “They burn houses,” Cassidy replied quietly. She looked more serious than I had ever seen her as she leaned across the table and whispered, “The last time someone stood up to them, they burned his house and harassed his parents until the whole family left town.”

  I sat back, surprised. It seemed like a bold move for a high school motorcycle gang. “Why doesn’t the sheriff do something?”

  “They couldn’t prove it was the Bullets who set the fire, but everyone knows,” Sandy replied, whispering as well.

  A boy with purple hair and a red shirt skated out of the kitchen with a tray of drinks. He was almost past the first table when Magnum stuck out a foot and snagged his skate. The boy crashed into a booth and his drinks splattered everyone at the tabl
e in a downpour of sticky soda.

  The boy looked back to see who had tripped him, then his eyes widened and he stammered to the students in the booth. “I—I’m so sorry. Y—your food is on the h-house. I’m so clumsy. I—I shouldn’t be skating.”

  He tried desperately to mop up the spilled soda with a small white towel. “This is my b—bad,” he said.

  The students at the booth knew better than to blame the Bullets. Instead, they directed their anger toward the waiter. “You better get us our food quick, or we’ll complain to Mr. Moorley,” a boy who looked like a linebacker for the high school football team said.

  “Y—yes, Barry. I’m sorry. I’ll get this all c—cleaned up,” the waiter stuttered.

  April skated out with an armful of towels. She must have seen what happened, but she didn’t give Magnum’s table a glance. “Here you are, Oliver. This should help,” she said. She pulled small wipes of the type usually given with ribs or wings from her half apron and handed them around the table. “I’m so sorry for the mess,” she apologized to them.

  Barry looked somewhat mollified. “It’s okay, April. I just don’t have a spare shirt.”

  “You could go shirtless,” she replied with a wink. “I know nobody would complain.”

  Barry grinned, and the relief on Oliver’s face was plain as he retreated to the kitchen.

  “They’re out of control,” I muttered.

  Cassidy and Sandy exchanged a worried look while Madelyn kept silent.

  By the time we left Chaser’s, two more waiters were tripped by the Bullets, and the gang got up and left without paying. Their table was a mess of chicken bones, ketchup squirted in piles, drinks turned upside down with quarters inside for the tip, and food on the ground from their impromptu food fight.

  Oliver came out to help April clean up the mess. I left April an extra-generous tip and noticed that the others did the same. “They won’t make her pay for the Bullets’ food, will they?” I asked when the door shut behind us.

  “Not sure,” Sandy replied. “Mr. Moorley’s not the friendliest man, but even he knows not to mess with them.”

  I climbed into the Jeep feeling unsettled and restless. Madelyn sat silently beside me, her eyes on the window and a concerned expression on her face. When we reached the school, she thanked the girls for inviting her, then disappeared down the crowded hallway.