Protect My Heart

by Judy Corry

  I led him down the crowded hall. “Yeah, she’s super ornery and will give you detention if she hears you whispering to your neighbor. Oh, and don’t stare at her glass eye; she hates it when people do that.”

  Arie cocked his head to the side. “Glass eye?”

  I laughed. “Just kidding! She is the nicest little old lady, and I’m sure she’ll even give you special treatment. She always goes easy on the tall, dark, and handsome sort.”

  Arie looked quizzically at me.

  I gasped, realizing I just told him how attractive I thought he was. “Umm, I mean, it’s like any other AP English class. Mrs. Hendrix is really nice, she’s been teaching forever. Right now we’re reading Jane Eyre and talking about poetry and stuff.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad. Thanks for the heads-up.”

  “No problem. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” We soon reached Mrs. Hendrix’s room. “This is it.” Arie opened the door for me, then followed me inside the classroom. I went and sat in my usual seat near the back while Arie introduced himself to our teacher. She then motioned for him to sit in an empty seat on the front row.

  As he sat down, the girls around him twisted in their seats to get a good look at him. From the expressions on some of their faces, they weren’t immune to his good looks, either. This made me feel slightly better. Rachel, the long-legged cheerleader to Arie’s left, introduced herself to him. Rachel had a way of getting any guy she wanted to ask her out, with her super short skirts and curves in all the right places.

  I smiled to myself. If she wanted him, she could have him. It would be nice to see her get played for a change. Instead of watching Rachel work her magic, I pulled out my binder and readied for class to begin. If she had her way, I wouldn’t even have to worry about keeping my defenses up around Arie because he’d never think twice about me again.

  “Did you see the new guy today?” Maya asked when we got to her mom’s van after school. Her car was still in the shop, so her mom had let her borrow the family van today so we could take some of the fliers to the college. It wasn’t the coolest vehicle in the world, but it worked a lot better than my invisible car.

  “Do you mean Arie?” I asked as I buckled my seatbelt.

  “Of course! Who else would I be talking about? He was in my psychology class this morning, and thanks to him, I had a hard time concentrating on Mr. Lund’s lecture,” Maya said as she backed out of her parking spot.

  “What’s this? You found someone besides your teacher to drool over?”

  Maya shoved me playfully. “Well, I still think Mr. Lund is handsome, but this Arie is totally gorgeous and our age.”

  “I’m glad to hear you’ve moved on to someone you can legally date.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So how do you know about Arie?” she asked as she pulled into the long line of cars waiting to exit the parking lot.

  I shrugged. “He’s in Madrigals and English with me. I walked with him to English after choir, and he seems nice.” There was definitely no reason for me to tell her how I initially met Arie. I could only hope he, too, would keep that embarrassing moment between us.

  “We need to find a way to snatch him up before the other girls do.” Maya turned in her seat, looking at me with bright eyes. “Let’s invite him to hang out with us on Friday. That will give me a reason to talk to him tomorrow in Psychology.”

  As if she ever needed a reason to talk to a guy. “I don’t know. We don’t really know much about him.”

  “That’s kind of the point of inviting him to hang out with us.” We finally made it to the edge of the parking lot and pulled into traffic, heading toward Main Street.

  I leaned against the headrest and sighed. I had watched him and Rachel interact during English and was sure she was already well on her way to snagging him. But instead of turning Maya down and seeming rude, I decided to let her try and fail. “Go ahead and talk to him. We should get Kathryn to invite Conner to hang out, too, while we’re at it.”

  “Awesome! Should I tell him we’re getting together at your house or something?” Maya asked. “I’d rather not have my brothers bugging us the whole time.”

  “Sure, we could go out back and roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the fire pit if you want.” Kathryn would probably be more comfortable with that, too, so it sounded like she was inviting Conner to something more than sitting around in my basement. We would have full reign of the house anyway, since I was the only kid living at home now.

  “That sounds perfect,” Maya said. “Then if it gets chilly, maybe Arie will offer to warm us up by the fire.”

  “He’s all yours.” I smiled at her ridiculousness.

  It only took us a couple of hours to hang up most of the fliers Maya had printed off for the auction. Once we were done, she dropped me off at my house.

  I lived in a two-story brick home that my family had built when I was young. I grew up here with my older brother, Carter, and sister, Lily, who were attending college now. It was kind of weird to be the only kid at home now, but thankfully, my parents were pretty cool most of the time, if not slightly overprotective.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said as I plopped my backpack down on the kitchen counter where my mother was cutting fabric for her latest project. She was big on crafts and currently working on a new quilt.

  “Hey, honey, how was school?” Mom glanced at me through black-rimmed glasses hanging at the end of her nose. My mom was beautiful and looked much younger than her forty-five years. Growing up, I’d always envied Lily, who’d been blessed to look more like my mom.

  My mom and sister had blonde hair, while I had brown. They had green eyes; mine were blue. They were both a little shorter than average, but I was taller. I never saw the resemblance between me and my family like I noticed in other families. When people asked where I got my darker features from, I always made a joke of saying I was switched at birth. Even though I made light of it, there was a small nagging voice in the back of my mind that wondered whether Mom might have been a little too friendly to a salesman one day while Dad was at work. I hated to think that about my mom, but it would have explained a lot.

  “School was fine.” I reached into the cookie jar that my mom always had filled with homemade chocolate chip cookies. I watched her work for a few minutes before going up to my room. As I studied her, I reminded myself, like I had so many times before, that a woman who sewed quilts and baked cookies every week would never have a secret affair. My genes had just gotten mixed up in different combinations than everyone else’s had.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ARIE

  I WAS SITTING in Psychology Tuesday morning when someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was the short brunette to my left. I recognized her as Maya, from the photos Jason and Sophie had shown me.

  “Hey, I didn’t have the chance to introduce myself yesterday.” She held her hand out to me. “I’m Maya.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I shook her hand, pretending to know nothing about her. “I’m Arie.”

  “Oh, I know,” she giggled. It seemed like most the girls who’d talked to me since coming to school yesterday had giggled constantly. If only I’d had this much attention back when I was actually in high school. “How are you liking Maplebridge so far?”

  “It seems like a nice place.” I hadn’t done much exploring of the town yet. I’d been busy getting briefed on the history of Emma’s case, reading all the notes from her previous guards. Even though she’d been watched from a distance her whole life, there weren’t a ton of close calls—mostly just notes from my superiors, Jason and Sophie, about the status of her enemy.

  “It is. I’m sure you’ll love it here. Have you made any friends yet?”

  “Not really. I’ve only talked to a few people.” I wasn’t here to make friends. I only needed to get in with Emma’s group since she was the whole reason I was here. It would be a good excuse to hang around her without looking like a stalker.

  Maya brightened at my answer. “My friend Emma and I are planning
a little get-together this Friday. We’d love to have you come.”

  That made my job easier—they were coming to me.

  I smiled at her. “That could be fun. Is this Emma in Madrigals?”

  “Yep, that’s her,” she said.

  Perfect.

  CHAPTER SIX

  EMMA

  FRIDAY, AKA day sixteen of my boy-cleanse, came fast with all the things I had going on. Only five more days until I conquered my own twenty-one-day boy fix. I was killing it!

  Maya and I had handed out the rest of the fliers, and the kids at school seemed excited about the date auction. Actually, quite a few had volunteered to be auctioned off. And Maya was still getting texts from all the college kids who wanted to be part of it as well. This whole thing was going to totally rock!

  At Maya’s invitation, Arie joined our table during lunch the last half of the week. I wasn’t so sure about it at first, worried I might get lost in those sparkly blue eyes of his as he sat across from me, but so far it hadn’t been an issue.

  After school on Friday, I went on a quick shopping trip for groceries with my friends, and then we hurried to my room for some last-minute primping.

  “I’m so excited Arie’s coming tonight,” Maya said as she sat in front of my vanity, touching up her makeup.

  “And I’m excited to hang out with Conner!” Kathryn looked like she was about to burst at the seams with excitement. “Thanks for getting me to invite him. I don’t know what I was so afraid of in the first place.” She stood behind Maya, trying to figure out which way to wear her hair, holding it up one moment and then letting it fall around her shoulders the next.

  “Lucky for Emma, he’s bringing Troy.” Maya glanced back to where I sat on my bed, already wearing my hooded sweatshirt with my hair in a ponytail. Thanks to my boy-cleanse, I had no reason to primp. “I bet he’ll be more than happy to keep you warm by the fire.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with my trusty blanket.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Suit yourself.” Maya turned back to the mirror, applied her red-wine lipstick, and then smacked her lips together. She was daring when it came to makeup. She went all out, and it looked good on her. I, on the other hand, usually focused on my eyes. I felt way too overdone if I used lipstick. To be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing it. I was always worried it would get smudged, or I’d press my lips together without thinking and end up looking like a clown and not even know it.

  Once they finished their preening, we went to set things up outside. My house was in the older part of town, so our backyard was a lot larger than the yards of the newer houses in Maplebridge. We had a grassy area right outside the back door, and to the right, there was a cement pad with a fire pit my dad had built when I was younger.

  We arranged the bags of chips, hot dogs, and buns on the patio table nearby, and then we gathered a few benches and camp chairs from the shed to set around the fire pit.

  “Do you think we should start the fire before the boys get here?” I asked, looking at the progress we’d made. I had never built a fire myself, so I didn’t know how long it would take to get it burning.

  “We should wait and let the guys show off their man skills,” Maya said.

  I laughed. “Maybe we should let them carry the firewood over, too.”

  “Of course!” Kathryn said. “Gotta let them show off their muscles.”

  “Good thinking, Kathryn.” Maya rested her hands on her hips. “I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing Arie put his muscles to good use.”

  I shook my head. I really hoped Maya wouldn’t be too disappointed once she discovered what kind of a guy Arie probably was. I should warn her, but I didn’t want to ruin her night before it even got started. She was tougher than me anyway. While I had barely been able to think of anything to say when I caught Nick and his good friend making out in his car outside his house, Maya had gone right up to him, knocked on his car window, and told him off. Maya was a firecracker, even if she didn’t look it in her petite body. If she did end up in some sort of relationship with Arie, she could handle it.

  I set one last chair around the fire pit. “I think we’re pretty much done out here. Let’s go inside and wait for the boys.”

  We’d only been inside a few minutes when the doorbell rang.

  My heart pumped with anticipation, and we rushed to the living room. “We got it,” I called to my parents before they could try to answer the door. We didn’t need them giving the guys a full-on interrogation like they always did. My parents were cool and all, but sometimes it would be nice to not be watched so closely all the time.

  Maya opened the door to find Arie holding a plate of brownies awkwardly in front of him. “Hey, Arie, come on in.”

  “Thanks.” He stepped through and held the plate out to me. “My aunt said I should bring something over. I hope you like brownies.”

  “I love brownies, actually.” I squinted at him. Was there some secret handbook guys had that told them how to weasel their way onto a girl’s good side? Because if there was, Arie definitely had it. Actually, he’d probably written it. He was too nice, and guys were only nice like that when they wanted something. “How did you know brownies are my favorite?”

  He frowned. “I didn’t.”

  Maya glared at me, and I knew she was wondering why I was acting so weird. But I couldn’t help it. Normal high school guys didn’t do sweet things like bring brownies to a cookout.

  Maya scooted up to Arie’s side. “We’re out back.” She took him by the arm and guided him to the back door. “Do you think you could help us carry some firewood over to the pit?” Maya asked, and then she turned around to wink at Kathryn and me before stepping outside.

  Conner and Troy arrived a minute later and we led them out back. As I shut the back door, I caught a glimpse of my parents spying through the kitchen window as we joined Maya and Arie. My parents were so weird.

  “It looks like we have more than enough firewood,” I commented as I set the brownies on the table. Next to the fire pit, there was a pile of wood big enough to start a bonfire. “Thanks for helping us out.”

  Arie gave Maya a crooked grin as he dusted his hands off on his dark jeans. “Maya kept telling me to get more while she sat and watched as I worked.”

  I bet she did.

  “I thought I’d let you impress me with your mountain-man skills.” Maya grinned. “Plus, you wouldn’t want me to get my new shirt dirty, would you?”

  “Now that would be a tragedy,” Arie said sarcastically and plopped down in one of the camp chairs.

  I bent over the fire to roast my marshmallow until it was perfectly golden brown. It was dark now, with only the light of the fire to see by. I loved campfires. There was something about them that made me feel happy and content. The sparks flying up in the air and away into the night, the crackling of the wood, and the campfire smell were soothing to me.

  When I turned around to go back to my seat next to Maya, Troy had stolen it and was now flirting with her. The only seat vacant was next to Arie, so even though it was against the rules of my boy-cleanse, I had to sit there or risk looking rude.

  Arie was looking around my backyard as if there was something interesting to see, so I took the opportunity to study him while he was distracted. He had been the perfect gentleman all evening, helping us carry out the salads my mom had made for us, running after napkins that blew away in the wind, and other things like that. He hadn’t shown a single symptom of being the egocentric jerk I’d made him out to be in my mind. I probably shouldn’t have been so hard on him from the beginning—even if I had kept most of my skepticism to myself.

  He turned toward me and began cleaning his roasting stick in the ashes. “So how are you getting to the All-State Choir practice tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Kathryn and I are driving down together.”

  “Oh.” He nodded. He pursed his lips as if debating whether to say something. “Do you guys have room for an extra? I still don’t
really know anyone in choir yet.”

  If I hadn’t been thinking so many bad thoughts about him all week, I probably would have already thought to invite him. I’d started my boy-cleanse as a defense against getting hurt again, but all it seemed to be doing was turn me into someone I didn’t like. “Of course. I should have invited you sooner.”

  “Awesome.” The firelight danced across his face, making it hard not to stare. Seriously, his jaw could have been chiseled from stone.

  “Should we pick you up at your house, or would you rather meet here?” I asked.

  “I’ll meet you here. My house is only a couple of blocks away.” He set his stick on the ground and then leaned back in his chair.

  “Really? Where do you live?” I leaned back in my seat as well, feeling more comfortable around him now I’d let down my guard a little.

  “Just over on Miller Circle.” He motioned with his hand in the direction of that street. “It’s the brick house at the end of the cul-de-sac.”

  “I think I know what house you’re talking about. Anyway, practice starts at nine, so we’ll need to leave here around eight. Do you want to meet a couple of minutes before that?”

  “Sure.” A gust of wind blew a cool breeze through the trees. Arie pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, casting even more of a shadow across his face.

  “Where are you from, anyway?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to ask him before now.

  “I grew up in central New York, just outside of Syracuse.”

  “Really? I hear it’s beautiful there. I’ve always wanted to visit back east where everything is so green.”

  “It is beautiful, but it sure rains and snows a lot.”

  “I don’t think I’d mind the rain, we don’t get nearly enough here in Maplebridge.” I sighed. Utah was one of the driest states in the United States, so I couldn’t understand how some people could get sick of the rain. “What brought you here, anyway? You mentioned something about your aunt earlier . . .”