2 Shorts, a Novella and a Haiku Walk Into a Bar

by Mia Soto

  ***

  I bet she's a dancer. She moves like a dancer, really awesome. I'd like to see her in a leotard. Maybe I can swing by her locker on the way out. She might be there. Maybe. I better hurry.

  "Hey."

  "Hey." Uh oh. It looks bad. Can they really kick you out over a pop quiz? I guess if it's along with all the other quizzes he's failed they can. He so flipping smart. I don't know what happened this year. "So?"

  "Yeah, I'm out."

  "Really?" He looks like shit, like he's going to cry, like he's been crying.

  "Yeah. It wasn't my first warning."

  "Fuck. As of now?" He is going to cry. Don't look at him. Let him bury his head in his locker. Should I hug him?

  "Yeah." Wow it really is pitiful when a guy cries. "I have to clean my locker out right now." I guess I'll see her tomorrow. I can't bail on him now. "My parents are going to kill me."

  "Yeah." I doubt it, Barlow. His parents are so proud of him it’s embarrassing. My parents would kill me. Right after they came back from the charity function, whichever one it was that night. Right after that, they'd make sure Jessie killed me because they’d have to pack for their weekend away. Why pay for a nanny if you have to do any kind of parenting yourself, right?

  "I guess they really won't. That's the worst part. They really won't." I should hug him. Maybe a pat on the back.

  "It's going to be ok, Barlow."

  "Yeah." I wish I had tissue. Hate to see him wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

  "Hey guys." Holy shit it's her. Hahaha. Barlow you can't fit in your locker.

  "Hey." She's so smart she knows something's wrong. "So, um, brought your notebook." I'm in love. Is she really rubbing his back? "You ok?"

  "Yeah." At least he's finally turning around. Guess he realized he can't fit in there after all. "Yeah, fine."

  "Ok, well here." Why do our fingers always brush when we're passing things back and forth? How do I freeze that feeling? "See you around?"

  "Definitely." Flip your hair one more time. Yeah, like that. You're beautiful.

  "Feel better." Don't get any ideas Barlow. She's touchy feely because she's awesome and she sees you're upset. That's right. Just nod at her. No words. One more smile. Thank you. "See you." Yes. Bye. I love you.

  "See you."

  "You really dig her?" Barlow is all open eyes right now.

  "She's cool." He agrees I can tell by the way he's watching her leave. God she walks like a dancer. "I'll walk you to the bus." He looks confused. "I have lacrosse." Shit, wish I had thought of a lie. His face is stricken. It sucked when he got kicked off the team for grades. "We can hang this weekend."

  "Yeah." There's no conviction in that answer. Yeah, he's right. We won't. School was the connection. Jessie won't ever drive me over there. They won't let her.

  "Alright man. Stay strong right?" He looks like he's going to cry again. I should hug him. Like a guy hug. Lemme try. No, Barlow, shit, I'm not trying to kiss you. "Dude!" I hate it when people laugh at me. Of course the bus was full.

  "Sorry, meant for a hug. Got confused."

  "Yeah, alright. I gotta go."

  Man it's going to suck. No Barlow tomorrow. How could he have screwed it up so quickly? One year he goes from valedictorian to class reject. Fuck. The rest of this year is going to suck. I should give him one more wave. Wow, he looks pitiful. She was awesome with him. Bright, sunshiny awesomeness. I wonder if my notebook smells like her. Kinda, a little. Maybe the sheets inside. Hold the farm - what's this?

  Thanks for your help today. Let's catch a movie sometime.

  Ana

  867-5309

  Something Unpredictable

  "Ma’am, don't move another step." The voice came out of the silence of nature surrounding her on the rocky hillside. She jumped involuntarily with a loud outcry for extra emphasis.

  "Who's there?" She looked like a cat ready to spring. She could feel the sweat intensify on her body. The blood rushed to her extremities and then back again. She had been thinking how nice the solitary was, how much she enjoyed the brutal feel of the sun on her head. "Who's that?"

  "Ma’am, I'm going to say this again. Stop moving." The voice was slow and drawly but not southern. Somehow she knew it wasn't southern. Suddenly she heard a sound she had only ever heard in movies or on the Nature Channel. The rattle was unmistakably sinister and being a city girl like she was, well suburb girl like she was, it almost didn't sound real. But it was real, she could tell. And it was close, too close for comfort.

  "Ok. I will." She held her hands up like she was under arrest.

  "You got it?" She heard the voice again. Her eyes scanned the brown grass and dried bushes surrounding her. She saw nothing. What did that mean? Did she have it? Have what?

  "Yeah, I got it." Another voice, closer. She almost turned her head in the direction of the sound waves but caught herself. The rattle sounded again and she couldn't prove it but it seemed closer.

  "When you're ready." Came that first voice again, calm like they were talking about what movie to see that night. The gun fired and echoed through the hills bouncing from side to side just like in a Western movie. She jumped in spite of her order. The dry dirt splayed up in a puff with little shards shooting through the air to cut at her ankles. When the noise abated sitting before her was the open carcass of the snake. She almost collapsed in relief. Her limbs were weak and wobbly.

  "Good one." She heard the chuckle of the first guy. Finally, a bush about twenty feet away rattled with movement as he popped up. He was dressed in brown military fatigues. He was holding a gun and brushing himself off casually as he walked over to her. "You alright ma’am?" She could tell her nod was as wobbly as her legs. "Why don't you sit for a minute?" He gestured at a red sandy ledge that looked like a small bench. She nodded her agreement swallowing back the bile that was now bubbling up. Her body was in full adrenaline release. "That was close. You shouldn't be walking up here alone like that." He handed her a canteen and she noticed how his skin was darkly tanned from the sun with light hairs contrasting on his arms. He squatted down on his thick legs even though he wasn't much taller than her even though she was sitting. "Just out for a walk?"

  "Yeah." She was finally finding her voice. "A hike. Try, tryin, trying to exercise a little. I guess."

  He had friendly eyes that nodded their approval. "It's beautiful. But you gotta be careful. Lots of rattlers around here. You're not from here."

  "N-no, I'm not." She looked around wondering where the other guy went.

  "I can tell." A soft smile crossed his full lips until his white teeth broke through. It was a nice smile. Something about his face was comforting. Then as if he read her mind he called out loudly. "You comin' Richards?" He came out from behind some trees about 30 feet away. How had he gotten there without her noticing? She was positive he had been closer earlier.

  "Yeah, had to whiz." He was still zipping up and she looked away embarrassed. She wasn't used to being around boys, not with two sisters and an all-girl Catholic school as her daily life. He gave her a once over before asking, "you alright ma’am?"

  She nodded again looking up at him. "I am. Fine. Thank you.” She shaded her eyes thinking about how different they were, short and square, long and lean. The one thing they shared in common was that they were brick walls of muscles. That much was obvious. “I didn't realize it could be that dangerous out here." The one was still sitting on his haunches listening intently. The other, Richards, had apparently dismissed her. He was cracking open his gun nodding absently at her words. "Were you all hunting?"

  Richards smiled a slow smile that came on like a drawl. His laughing eyes met hers and she thought how beautiful his eyes were. Obviously she had amused him with her comment. "Well, you can't hunt much with a pellet gun. But it's fu
n to shake out some rattlers. They bounce like Mexican jumping beans when you hit them right."

  "Oh, they were pellet guns?" She took a better look and thought maybe that was obvious. The barrel was really narrow but otherwise it looked like a real gun. She didn't like guns. The idea she was up a mountain by herself with two big men and their weapons wasn't exactly comforting. Pellets guns seemed a little less dangerous. Truth was they didn't need any weapons. They were both clearly in top shape. Their biceps were bulging out of their tight kaki t-shirts and their legs were thick through the camouflage. If they decided to do something to her, she couldn't defend. That thought alone brought the adrenaline back. She cleared her throat and stood.

  "I-I probably should head down." She gave a smile that was more timid than she would have hoped for. She wished she was more like Sara, her older sister. Sara wasn't afraid of anything or anyone, especially men.

  The smaller one stood and stretched out his legs. "We'll walk with you." He smothered a laugh and she knew it was because panic must have set in across her face. "I'm John Howard. That's Darren, Darren Richards."

  "H-hi," she said quietly but it sounded like she shouted it out in the desert silence of mid-day. "I-I'm Laura."

  "Well nice to meet you, Laura. We're here in training down by the base." He had such a nice way about him. As if he knew she was scared and wanted to calm her.

  "Oh, oh, ok." Why were they on the property then?

  "You here on vacation?" He started to walk and looked back at her. Richards was behind her but she could feel him close like he had expected her to start as well and she hadn't. "It's alright. We'll keep you safe. Right Richards?"

  With a turn she could see that Richards was giving them his full attention finally and something about the intensity of his stare made her uncomfortable. He walked by with the barest crunch of gravel sounding. Instinctively she inched back. "Yeah, this what we do ma’am. Keep you safe."

  She sighed inwardly when he walked right by leaving her with John. John was much more her speed, polite and safe. "Well, ok."

  They walked for a few minutes down the steep incline. She slipped more than once and John half turned to offer up his hand. It was easy to slip her hand into his. His grasp was firm and sure and she felt like even if she fell he'd catch her. She could tell he was used to using his hands to work. They were rough and a little dry. When they got to a level area, he smiled up at her, gave her hand a squeeze and dropped it.

  "So you visiting?"

  "Yes, yes, we're renting the Fischer cottage." John nodded appreciatively. Cottage was a glaring misnomer for the 10 bedroom, sprawling lake home.

  "Old man Fischer's place huh. Nice. How long you been here?"

  "Almost a month. We're here for five more days through the end of July." In her head she knew she shouldn't be sharing this much information with two strangers.

  "Well, it's a great time of year to be here. Perfect weather."

  She was a slick mess of sweat. The desert feel of the air was almost oppressive, but she knew, come nightfall, it would drop just as quickly as it rose. "Are you from here?"

  John smiled that open smile of his again. "Yeah, grew up down at Hidden Views." He laughed at her confused look. "It's a development down the way."

  Richards hooted loudly. "Now, Chow, that's what I call pure fiction."

  John blushed a little then smiled sheepishly. "It's a trailer park."

  "Oh." She tried to nod pleasantly, to reassure him, but she had nothing to add to the conversation. She didn't know the first thing about trailer parks other than from the evening news. "Are you from here, Darren?'

  He laughed. "Not quite so swanky a place as Hidden Views. No. But pretty damn similar, only way worse. Right, Chow?"

  John laughed out. "All depends on your perspective, Richards."

  Richards cackled and they all walked on through the thick air for a while in silence, in their own thoughts. John suddenly looked back at her and asked, "you been to the cove yet?"

  "The cove?' She noticed his eyes flit down to her lips. Could he see the hairs there? Why didn't she take more time to groom herself like Sara? Even Jenna liked to preen. She wiped her mouth and felt the layer of moisture as she did.

  He turned with a nod of his head. "C'mon, it's on the way."

  "Not really," Richards complained but turned his direction to head a new way.

  They walked on, the terrain getting softer, wetter as they went. She could tell they were nearing water. The guys were bantering back and forth and if she had any confidence she might have thought it was because of her, to impress her. But she wasn't so sure of that so she laughed along enjoying the unexpected moment and the exciting feel of being in the company of two boys that she didn't think were that much older than her. They reached a deep puddle that John tracked knee deep across without thought. He turned once he climbed up in the mouth of the cave and waved them over.

  "Not too deep. Come on in."

  Darren jumped in and turned to Laura. She was standing in indecision at the ledge. She was wearing her new hiking boots and she didn't really want everything wet. Darren held up his hands and said, "c'mon Princess. We won't get you all messed up."

  She felt his long fingers close around her waist and she wished immediately that she hadn't eaten breakfast or anything else for the past week or so. They squished into her soft middle with a firm grasp and lifted her with a strength from his hard frame like she weighed no more than a doll. She wasn't exactly a small girl. He grinned up at her as he arched her over to John. She knew her face had to match the red color of her mother's roses back at their ocean home garden. It wasn't the heat or exercise causing her flush. John took her two hands as she planted her feet on the other side and without much effort he pulled her upright. For a terrifying second, she thought Darren might plant his hand on her bottom to push her up. Trying to avoid such a mortifying and revealing moment she turned quickly to assure him. Her movements were too rapid for the slick area and her stability was too shaky to keep her feet from slipping out from under her. It was a long and short trip down from her feet to her bottom which cushioned her nicely on the rocky ledge. It was a slightly more breathless trip over that ledge into the shocked arms of Darren. And it was straight up embarrassing to finish the entire spectacle straddling a stranger, soaked in muddy wetness.

  There was a lopsided grin on his face which sat only moments away from hers. "So you wanted to swim?"

  "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She pushed up haphazardly not paying attention to her hands which fell inconveniently on a very private part of him. In her horror, she slipped again and ended up sitting directly next to him. She dropped her head slightly, mortified, wishing the ground might open up and take her away from there as fast as possible. "Oh my god," she whispered like a prayer that might grant her the wish to crawl under a rock only to reappear long after they left.

  "C'mon Princess. There's real swimming on the other side of this mud hole."

  He helped her up and for the coup de grâce his hand did have to plant rather firmly on her bottom in order to get her up from where they had fallen. She could feel it sinking in, getting lost a little in the wide area. John grabbed her at the top and brought her over. The entire moment took about ten seconds, ten pride swallowing, body shaming moments, in her head, to herself, of course.

  She was still sitting in shame when Darren crawled over and announced, "Well, I say let's do this for real." Without hesitation he began stripping off his wet t-shirt revealing a rippled stomach and unbuckling his pants. Something must have been on her face - shock, confusion, elation, shock - because he stopped before he actually slipped them off. "I'm wearin' underwear. It's ok, right?"

  "Uhh, uh, yeah." She looked away to John and then immediately looked to the ground in front of her realizing her mistake. John was already in underwear and preparing to jump into the wat
er that pooled into the cave from the lake. Did they expect her to do the same? Uhhh, that wasn't happening. Not yet. Maybe in another month when she shed those 15, well 20, ok 25 pounds. Maybe then. Not now. They could visit her at home and then she’d be game.

  "Come on in with your clothes." John offered helpfully as he sent a violent splash at Darren who groaned his disapproval at this advice. She nodded absently. Was this really happening? She was about to jump when John cut into her summer of love thoughts. "Probably want to take your boots off first. You're safe, feet don't turn us on. Well at least me. He's a total perv."

  Darren jumped hard on John and they wrestled in that guy way as she followed John's apt advice. She was about to jump again when Darren spoke up. "Don't dive. It's not that deep." She nodded and changed course doing a loose cannon ball. She emerged with a wet contented smile.

  "Feels good huh?" John swam by close and tugged at her arm.

  "Really good." Darren agreed as he did the back stroke away from them. "Right back." He dove deep and disappeared. She exchanged shy glances with John as he swam by again and brushed her for no real reason.

  She realized Darren hadn't reappeared and asked, "is he ok?"

  John looked over to the calm water where Darren had dived down. "Oh yeah, if you go deep enough you can find the hole where the water gets into here." She gave him a smile and he continued, "Gotta be able to hold your breath for a decent clip. So don't go trying it. I don't want you to get hurt." He ran his hand over his short brown crop that was black as night when wet. He looked embarrassed, like he felt like he'd said too much. "Anyway."

  "That's kinda cool. How did you all find this place?"

  John looked around reliving what must have been childhood memories because his next words were, "used to come as kids. Old man Fischer was a sucker for kids. He has a rule that any of us kids or our families are free to come and hang on the property whenever - provided we don't make a nuisance of ourselves. I bet if you read your parents lease it says something in there about it."

  "Oh, I'll check it out." Something about the fact that they might be back to hang out on the property excited her and made her hopeful for what might make for a memorable last week to what had been a dry family vacation. She wished her best friend Michelle had been able to come after all. She didn't have much experience with boys not being as sheltered as she was with no brothers for inside information. A mental laugh bounced around her head. Sara had no problem with boys and she was just as handicapped. But Sara was beautiful, the kind of girl everyone chased - boys, girls, men, women. Laura thought maybe this summer she might get a little of that confidence. She wasn't so terrible, pretty, maybe a little heavy but she was going to lose that this summer, so that wouldn't be an issue soon. She wasn't so terrible.

  "Whatcha thinking about?" John was floating nearby with a curious look. She shook her head shyly. She'd work on confidence tomorrow. "You know you shouldn't be out here with us." Her stomach fell a little. He didn't like being around her. She was kind boring. She never had interesting things to say or cool things she'd recently done. "Out here with two boys you don't know. You could get hurt." Suddenly the safe and calm she had been feeling went away and a fear prickled her because he was right. He chuckled, "don't get your hackles up. You're a little like a scared cat. I gotta remember that," he said almost to himself. "We're not going to hurt you. But don't be so trusting next time." As she nodded her agreement Darren broke through the surface with aloud gasp.

  "Crap, almost died there!" He was gasping and smiling at the same time. "It's a total rush. You want to try?" He said it to her with the enthusiasm of a child. He seemed to float between cynicism and elation pretty easily but she had a feeling he fell more on the cynical side. Something about him told her life hadn't been easy for him.

  "She's not doing that. It's too deep. And the bottom is really long before you break on the other side. Then she's got to get back up to the top. No way. Not today." He looked at her seriously and she decided she'd wait until tomorrow to start doing interesting things that she might be able impress people with over conversation. Safety first.

  "Whatever." Darren shrugged and then swam up to her quickly. He grabbed her hips again and drag her so close she thought he was going to kiss her. Oh my god, was he going to kiss her? What did she have for lunch? But he only leered in for a moment before pushing her away while he said, "when you're ready, Princess, I'll take you down."

  "When she's ready, I'll take her." John shot back with a bit of anger. Darren held up his hands in surrender but winked at her before diving again. Were they fighting over her? Whatever kind of crazy reality had taken over on this extended hike, well, she hoped it never ended.

  They were sitting outside again drying off in the late afternoon sun. She was water logged and perfectly happy. A general sense of comfort and nervousness was washing over them. They weren't friends, yet, but they might be soon. Something about that idea seemed to sit well with all of them she could tell. She knew that they had join the Marines a year ago when they were eighteen and they’d been placed together as roommates. She knew John joined because it was all he ever wanted to do and Darren joined because he didn’t think there was anything else for him to do. They were both in an elite program that they wouldn't reveal to her and they were fast friends. Finally, Darren stretched and sat up.

  "Well, Chow? Motivate?"

  She laughed and asked the question that had been lingering on her mind for the afternoon. "Why does he call you Chow?"

  John scrunched his face in a funny way and replied, "'cause I look like one, the dog."

  They all laughed but she thought it was a little mean almost, even if kind of true. John didn't seem to mind and for not the first time, as she had been told often, she thought she needed to lighten up a little, not take things so close to heart. Sometimes a joke, even if a little mean, was only a joke. She could tell they were more than only friends. They had said so themselves, brothers from another mother. That meant more than properly staged manners and words from people who only cared about what you thought of them and nothing else. The same people who would likely cut you down behind your back with joy. Those kind certainly wouldn't ever stick their neck out for you or anyone else, not like she guessed these two would for each other.

  Darren held out his hand to her and she took it to let him pull her up. "Let's go, Princess. I bet someone's getting worried about you."

  She nodded her agreement and wished she didn't care that her parents were probably quite worried at that point. "Yeah, I need to get back." They hiked downward for a few minutes of peaceful silence before she said, "I can't believe how much the weather has changed in the last hour."

  "Yup, it'll be a cold one," John agreed. "Always is, hotter the day, colder the night."

  Darren leaned closed to her face and said with inflection, "and it was hot today." She laughed at his silliness.

  "Back off dude. You're freaking her out. She won't want to hang with us again." They wanted to hang again? With her? Maybe they'd want to make this a standing date. She could make sandwiches and some cupcakes. No, no food. What was she thinking? No food. She could bring lemonade.

  "I bet she will. We're fun." Darren slipped an arm about her waist and brought her snug against him. She had never had this much male attention showered on her, well, ever. She flushed immediately. "Wanna get some pizza with us tonight? Some of the guys go down to the pizza place on Fridays. Not much else to do in this nowhere town."

  "Hey!"

  "Well now, Chow, you know I love you man. But there's nothing here. If we died right now, nobody would find us. Not even Sarge."

  "You're knocking paradise. Right Laura?" John looked back at her with a smile. He had the kind of smile that brought you in and made you loyal.

  "It been pretty wonderful so far." She somehow checked her disappointed sig
h as Darren's arm slipped away from her and he walked up a few steps closer to John.

  "You and that puppy dog face. They always fall for that face." Darren shook his head as he paced well ahead. Still he called back over his shoulder, "you coming for pizza or what?"

  She laughed, finding her confidence with them, "what kind of invitation was that?"

  "I asked nice and then you went and took Chow's side."

  She wished she could say yes, but she knew it had to pass her parents litmus test first. "Where's it at?"

  "Down the mountain, in town." John was offering her his hand again as they all slipped down the steep grade.

  "I have to check with my parents. In-in case they have plans for us." She added quickly hoping they didn't think she was a baby that needed to check in with her parents for everything, even though she did. She was only sixteen. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind and her hand slapped her right bottom. "Oh no." Both guys turned to look at her. "I lost my phone. Must have been when we were swimming."

  John squeezed her hand sympathetically. He still had a firm grasp as she had almost taken him and Darren out with her last slip. "Shoot sorry."

  She was quiet for a bit before she said very softly, "I'm not." Somehow John didn't hear her but Darren did because he half turned to give her a thumbs up and a lopsided smile.

  The house loomed up and as soon as it did her face and mood fell exponentially. Out front were Jenna and Sara. Jenna was no problem. But Sara. She felt a puss coming over her face even though she was trying to be cool, stay friendly and happy because she was sure guys liked that more than cat fights. But Sara. Everything was about to change. She couldn't get mad at them. They wouldn't be able to help themselves. It was just the way it was. They walked up as a group still joking about something. Jenna noticed them first.

  "Holy cow, there you are. Mom and Dad are flippin'." And then she did a back flip for effect. She was always practicing her tumbles.

  Sara was swinging on the lazy rope swing under the live oak. She stopped in mid swing and turned once then did a double take. She clearly had not expected Laura to show up with two strange men. She sized them up quickly and Laura could tell she had set her sights on Darren. Something about that bothered Laura but it was the obvious choice to someone who led their life by the surface and only the surface. She did that thing where she straightened up her spine in that pretty way and tossed her mane of hair over one shoulder. The smile came next. No teeth. Teeth made you looked desperate. No, slow spreading almost Mona Lisa-ish. These were all tips Sara had given Laura that Laura thus far had been incapable of affecting.

  "Hi Laura." If Laura didn't know that everything in Sara's brain was firing with the word 'boys! boys! boys!', she would have been confused by the friendly greeting. They were unfortunate enemies. Cordial but calculating - like Kim and Beyonce, Katie and Tom, the US and Russia.

  "Hi, where's Mom?" Laura looked at the ground and swallowed her disappointment as Sara bounced up to greet them. She made a point of putting her hands on her slim waist and cocking once of those ‘thigh gap’ legs of hers to drive home the point that she looked better in a bikini than just about anyone they might ever see again. They were goners. Laura knew they were probably mesmerized already and she refused to look over to see how much.

  "She's inside. You going to introduce your friends?" She was the sort of girl that looked as if she sparkled even if it was only the sunshine reflecting off her golden hair.

  "Oh, this is John and Darren." Laura finally forced herself to look over. In the brief seconds it took to scan from John to Darren she went from crushed to elated. John was floored, star struck, which was the natural reaction to Sara, the reaction everyone expected. But Darren was smiling at Laura before he turned his attentions to Sara to nod his greeting. Her heart raced a little at that unexpected reality. John was quick to rebound and hold out a hand.

  "Good to meet you, ma’am." He said but instead of smiling at Sara he smiled at Laura, as if he realized his mistake. Her eyes shifted down shyly. Were these the first two guys not lost to Sara's powers? "We found your sister hiking and thought we'd bring her back before the night fell."

  "Wow, very gallant of you," Sara half smiled at John but her eyes kept flitting over to Darren who seemed disinterested in the whole the scene.

  Laura gave the guys a shy glance before mumbling, "right back." She reluctantly walked away as Sara's voice chimed out in a melodic aphrodisiac that men simply couldn't resist. Even if they hadn't' fallen prey to her yet, they would soon. She hurried her shuffles taking the porch steps two at a time to meet her mom as that lady was walking out of the front door.

  "My god! Laura. Do you know how worried we have been? We just called the police.”

  "You did?" Laura tried to hide her shock. She didn't think she'd been gone that long.

  "Yes, young lady. It's after four. You left after lunch. You need to go inside and get cleaned up for dinner." Her mom's eyes floated over her shoulder obviously taking in the scene in her front yard.

  "Laura, who are those boys?" Her mom's horrified eyes suddenly started sizing up Laura's half wet state of dishevel. "What have you been doing?"

  "Calm down. I met them on my walk, Mom. They actually saved me from a rattlesnake. They are stationed at the base but one of them grew up here. He comes to the house occasionally. He said Mr. Fischer has a standing rule about it." She could see by her mother's reaction none of this was news to her.

  "Oh, oh ok, well, I should thank these young men." Before Laura could stop the embarrassing steam roll of acknowledging that she had parents, her mother was heading down the stairs calling out loudly. "Hello!"

  The guys looked over immediately and she noticed how Darren's eyes locked on her and stayed there, however appropriate or not. John the obvious diplomat of the group smiled broadly and held out a hand to her mother. "Hello, ma’am."

  Well, that was all it would take. Laura knew it. Her parents were painfully old fashioned and manners like that we're all they needed even if it was Hannibal Lector shaking their hand. "Hello, and you are?"

  "I'm John, ma’am. And that's Darren."

  Darren shifted his eyes from Laura seconds before her mother turned to him. He put on a megawatt smile that as of yet that day Laura had never seen. It lit up his face and made those eyes of his shimmer. He had a dimple in his chin that had to be irresistible to anyone. He said in that harmlessly flirtatious way, "pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Now I see why beauty runs in the family."

  Laura started to cringe at that corny line until she heard her mother giggle and offer, "why thank you? Aren't you charming?” He followed up with what was an even wider, more beaming smile. Laura gave him a lopsided smile. She didn't think he had it in him. "I hear we owe you some thanks."

  Darren shrugged keeping that smile. Laura could see it pulling her mom in and making her comfortable with the idea of these two guys suddenly in her daughter's life. He was the movie star of the duo, the one who made the women sigh. “It was nothing. Just glad we were there to help."

  "Well we're very grateful."

  "What happened?" Jenna flipped over to them and stopped upright, flushed, with her hair wildly about. The look on her face was curiosity tinged with concern. Sara was staring down Darren shamelessly and to Laura's total delight he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

  "Your sister came up on a snake out there." John said. "You gotta be careful when you're outside around here. Lots of rattlers. Don't go wandering." Her warned her seriously and chuckled when she nodded back just as seriously.

  "We were talking to Laura about getting some Pizza tonight at Pizzarella's. Down the mountain." Darren broke in again. He pointed in a direction as if her mother had any idea of direction. If they had to rely on her mom to get them out of there, they would have to become mountain people. She had no sense of direction.

&
nbsp; Her mother gave a flicker of a frown. "Well.."

  "We'll have her home by 11. Promise." He flashed that smile again and Laura could almost swear he flexed those biceps that were bulging under his t-shirt.

  "I-I," her mom stuttered. Was she nervous? This was hysterical. None of Sara's boyfriends ever made her mom nervous. In fact, her mom was a stone cold one to all the guys Sara brought home probably because they were likely future felons. These guys couldn't look more all American. And she guessed there was something about a guy in uniform. "I guess. If Sara can go as well."

  Laura died a little inwardly, but she knew this was about as good a deal as she would get. It was a miracle she was even being allowed to go. They kept a tight lock on them, not that it helped with Sara. She was boy crazy. She chanced a look at Sara who was beaming triumphantly and staring down Darren. Laura's reluctant eyes flashed over to confirm her fears that Darren had finally succumbed to her sister's charms. A small breath of joy filled her when she found his eyes locked on her and not Sara. As she processed this unfathomable reality, she shifted back to Sara who looked angry, confused, jealous and a little murderous.

  Sara regrouped quickly, tossed that mane of hers and smiled her second most powerful smile, the Victoria Secret model smile, soft, pretty, pouty. "Sounds like fun."

  Darren looked ecstatic. "Ladies," he said as they started backing away. "We'll be back around seven?"

  Both sisters nodded their agreement and Laura couldn't help but wonder what sort of image they presented side by side: Sara petite and lean, she average and not so lean. She knew she should move away so that the guys didn't try to form the obvious conclusions about the more desirable sister, but she was rooted by Darren's relentless attention to her and the fact that John couldn't seem to make up his mind which one he wanted. She never stood in contention with any guy in any way when Sara was around. This was all so new. And that the one with the face and eyes and height and hair and body and everything all of her teeny romances told her she should like, and that she agreed she liked, seemed to like her back - well, it was blissfully confounding to say the least. She gave a small hand wave down by her side and Darren gave her the slightest inclination of a wink before putting that smile of his on Sara. She could feel Sara beam back and it crushed her a little inwardly to see his small insignificant gesture of kindness to her sister and it sapped away most of the confidence she had built up that afternoon, like water evaporating in the dessert sun, replaced again by the dry sands of her unworthiness.