“Yeah.” He tried to think of something else to hold Sarah there, but nothing came to him. It might be for the best. I should cut my losses instead of making matters worse.
“Sarah seems nice,” Dad said after she walked away.
“Yeah.”
“So, when are you going to ask her out?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“You could have cut the tension between you two with a knife.”
“That’s the problem. There’s too much tension. Anyway, I don’t think Sarah likes me.”
Dad gave him a playful shake. “I like seeing you making the moves for a change. It takes some getting used to, doesn’t it? Enjoy the chase—that’s part of the fun.”
“I don’t know about fun, Dad.”
“Oh, but it makes the capture that much more rewarding.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it. I’m not sure I’m going to catch the prize.”
He laughed. “Nothing worthwhile comes easy.”
“Any more advice?”
“That’s it for now. I’m here if you want to talk.”
“Thanks.”
Derrick had a great game and they won, 24–7.
“Dad!” Derrick raced off the field and hugged his father. “Listen, Pat and I don’t have to go to this party. She doesn’t like those football parties anyway, and she’d love to see you.”
Dad shook his head. “Go to the party. We’ll talk later.”
“Okay, then. Later.” Derrick headed off to the locker rooms.
Dad turned to Seth, grinning. “I guess you’re off to meet Corin and the others.”
“Don’t remind me.”
SARAH
Seth looked handsome, dressed in khaki pants with a black button-down shirt, which hugged his muscular physique. Sarah supposed he wanted to impress Corin. Apparently, like so many other boys, Seth found her irresistible, in spite of being a high school girl.
Who can blame him? Corin was beautiful and a cheerleader. Her family was one of several who had founded the town forever ago; thus their reputation, as well as their opinions, wielded respect—and a little fear.
“Old money,” Mom would whisper when they arrived at church and sat in a pew dedicated to the Nelson family, who had provided funds to build the original church and its subsequent renovations.
Yep, the Nelsons had money and displayed it any chance they got. They gave their only daughter anything her little heart desired, including a cell phone, which was so rare for teenagers Sarah wondered who Corin called on it.
Katie couldn’t wait to tell Miranda and Diane that Seth had a date with Corin at the diner later.
“Did you know they were dating?” Katie asked Sarah.
“No.”
Miranda pressed on. “You didn’t notice anything between them in Home Ec?”
“No, I mean, Corin always flirts with Seth, but who doesn’t? I guess she got to him. They make a cute couple.”
“You’ll have to let us know if Corin shares the juicy details with you,” Diane said.
“I’m sure if there’s anything to tell, Corin will broadcast it all over school,” Sarah said.
“Well, it’ll give us something to look forward to on Monday,” Katie said, and they nodded in agreement.
All except Sarah. Monday. Ugh!
DRAG RACING
SETH
Seth actually looked forward to school after his horrendous weekend. He hadn’t thought things could get worse after Sarah, thanks to his father, had found out he was meeting Corin at the diner after the football game. He was wrong.
Johnny, Matt, and Kyle showed up drunk and made a scene. Much to everyone’s surprise, especially his own, Seth dragged them out to the parking lot and insisted they act like gentlemen. Crazy, right?
Eager to prove he was himself again, he picked up a girl named Carly at a party Saturday night, but that ended badly too. He couldn’t get Sarah out of his head. She kept whispering in his ear. He tried to silence her, but her voice was as unrelenting in his ear as Carly’s mouth was on his neck.
To make matters worse, he woke the following morning to see the evidence of his tryst: a hickey he would once have worn as a badge of honor but now tried to hide from Sarah. And Carly? Sarah must have possessed her too. Seth ended up holding the poor girl’s hair back while she vomited in the toilet the rest of the night.
Hence, he sauntered into school, eager to be there for a change. Mrs. Holcomb had scheduled a field trip to Horton’s Supermarket, which included a tour of the store along with shopping for an upcoming project. This meant he would have Sarah’s undivided attention, giving him a chance to make a good impression.
After preliminary instructions, they boarded the bus. That’s where his plan fell apart. Corin sat with him while Sarah sat in the seat across the aisle. Fate dealt him another cruel twist once they took their seats.
Corin tugged on his jacket. “Why are you wearing a jacket? You’re going to have a heat stroke.”
Wiping the sweat off his brow, he said, “I’m good.”
Sarah’s expression resembled his mother’s when she knew he was lying.
“What?” he asked. Big mistake.
Sarah leaned across the aisle. “I know what you’re trying to hide.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Okay, fine. I thought you’d be proud to show off a hickey…or are you afraid Corin might see it? Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Busted. Unable to think of a comeback, he leaned back in his seat and remained silent for the rest of the bus ride.
Sarah pulled him aside once the class gathered inside the store. “I’m sorry I upset you. I was only teasing.”
He scratched his head in frustration. “You’ve got the wrong idea.”
“It’s none of my business. Mrs. Holcomb’s coming.”
Seth absently followed the class on the tour, preoccupied by his conversation with Sarah and upset at her indifference.
Afterward, Mrs. Holcomb gave each group a list of ingredients. “Remember, you’ll be expected to prepare your dish on your own time.”
Seth retrieved a shopping cart and met Corin and Sarah in the produce section. “I’ll drive.”
Sarah pretended to wave a checkered flag. “Ready, set…”
“Let’s be serious,” Corin scolded and proceeded to give orders. “Seth, you get the mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheeses. Sarah, get the pasta and sauces. I’ll get the fresh vegetables. Okay?”
“Yes, boss.” Seth took off but, instead of heading for the dairy section, he waited for Sarah to pass. When she reached the third aisle, he skidded the cart to a halt just inches from her feet.
“Want a ride?”
Without waiting for an answer, he picked Sarah up and put her in the front of the cart.
“Are you crazy? You’re going to get us in so much trouble!”
The panic in her voice enticed him to have her remain at his mercy. “Come on, Sarah, where’s your sense of adventure?”
He rounded the corner so fast the wheels of the cart briefly lifted off the floor, forcing Sarah to lean over, and she almost fell out. He grabbed her by the waist to hold her safely in the seat while regaining control of the cart.
Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, “Are you having fun?”
Sarah looked both terrified and exhilarated. “I’ll admit you make grocery shopping an adventure.”
When they reached the end of the aisle, he rounded the corner slowly to avoid unwanted attention. Once they were safely in the next aisle, he smiled and braced himself against the cart.
“Ready? Hold on.”
Without waiting for an answer, he took off again. Sarah giggled and reached out to hold on to him. He went faster, hoping she would tighten her grip. She did, causing him to lose his concentration. He swerved and almost hit a display rack.
“That was close.” He peered past her to see what lay ahead. “Oh, shit!” He brought the cart to a
sudden stop. Sarah toppled forward into his arms.
“Seth and Sarah, this isn’t the Indy 500.” Mrs. Holcomb headed toward them.
“Mrs. Holcomb.” He struggled to catch his breath. “We’re looking for the dairy section to get some kinda cheese.”
“And what made you think you’d find those items in this aisle?” She pointed to the sign hanging at the end of the aisle that read Feminine Hygiene.
“Great,” Sarah said. “You better pour on the charm to get us out of this one.”
Seth looked down at her beautiful blue eyes and that nervous twitch he found irresistible. “I’ve got this under control.” He turned to their teacher. “You see, Mrs. Holcomb, Sarah isn’t herself today. She’s quite irritable, in fact. I thought she might need a little medication, if you know what I mean.” He gestured to the PMS medicines on the shelves. Sarah jabbed his ribs. He feigned pain and rubbed his side. “See what I mean?”
Sarah scowled at him. “You’re incredible.”
“Thanks. You’re incredible too.” He turned his attention back to Mrs. Holcomb. “It’s best not to make her angry when she’s in this condition.”
“Mr. Mathis, I have a feeling Sarah’s an innocent victim in this escapade. Because the store doesn’t seem to have suffered any damage, I’m going to let you slide on this one, but one more mishap and both of you will get detention.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sarah sighed. “Thank you, Mrs. Holcomb.”
“Now, the dairy section is against the wall to your right. Get your ingredients and find Corin.”
With that, she left. Seth grabbed Sarah and the cart and went in the opposite direction. Sarah jerked away from his grasp and stomped off ahead of him. He ran to catch up to her.
SARAH
Seth came behind her and whispered, in a singsong voice, “Sarah, admit it. You were having fun. I saw it in your eyes.” He placed a hand on her hip. “Help me find the cheese we need for our recipe,” he pleaded and released his hold on her.
“Wait!” she nearly shouted to keep him there. “I’ll help you.”
“I owe you.”
She punched his arm. “Don’t push it, Seth.”
He feigned pain. “Do we need to pick up that medicine after all?”
“You might, if you keep this up.” She went to look for the cheese.
To her delight, Seth followed. “You know, Sarah, this is what it would be like if we were married.”
She reveled in his flirtation, but kept a cool exterior. “If we were married, I’d be grocery shopping and you’d be home watching football.”
“You’re probably right, but look at what you’d come home to.” He flexed his biceps and grinned sheepishly.
“What’s up with you today?”
“You know the answer to that question.”
“You exhaust me.”
Seth drew closer. “Oh, I’d like to try.”
Is he flirting or trying to provoke one of our verbal battles? It has to be the latter with that hickey on his neck.
Corin’s voice bellowed from afar, thwarting a rebuttal. “I’ve been looking for you two. There’s nothing in your cart.”
Seth shrugged.
“We don’t know if we need grated or shredded cheese,” Sarah said. “What does the recipe call for?”
“Let me see.” Corin checked the recipe card. “We need shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan. Good catch, Sarah.”
After finding the cheeses and other ingredients, they went through the checkout and boarded the bus.
“When are we going to get together to cook?” Corin asked. “I have a football game Friday, and have plans for Saturday night.”
Seth looked at Corin. “I have to work Saturday and have plans after.”
With each other? “Yeah, I have plans too,” she lied.
“How about Sunday afternoon?” Corin asked.
“That works for me, as long as it’s after two,” Sarah said.
“I have to work until three,” Seth said. “I can make it after four thirty.”
“Okay, then, four thirty on Sunday,” Corin confirmed. “We can cook at my house.”
“Sounds good,” Seth said.
Sarah nodded. “Me too.”
They arrived at school, unloaded the groceries, and placed them in the refrigerators and pantry. She and Seth worked in silence, which made Corin suspicious.
“Are you guys okay? You didn’t have another fight?”
“No,” they answered in unison.
The bell rang. Sarah muttered a quick “see you later” and darted off to lunch. She’d had a Seth overload and needed a respite.
ESCAPE & CAPTURE
SARAH
Sarah sped away from Corin’s house like the getaway driver on a bank heist. While she hadn’t broken the law, she had aided and abetted Corin in holding Seth hostage, a plan Corin had concocted while she and Sarah waited for Seth to cook their meal for Home Ec class.
“It’s my only chance to be alone with him.”
“I don’t know, Corin. Seth might be suspicious, and I don’t want to make him mad.”
“Why would Seth be mad?”
Sarah understood her confusion. Corin looked especially pretty in a light blue printed blouse that emphasized her ample cleavage, a pair of tight blue jeans, and heels. Any boy would be willing to be kidnapped by her.
How could she deny Corin this opportunity? On the other hand, how could Sarah let Corin have Seth so easily? Even though she knew she didn’t have a chance with him, she didn’t want to hand him over either. Her thoughts made her cringe. Seth shouldn’t be fought over like a possession and, frankly, he didn’t seem interested in either of them.
Let Corin make a fool of herself. At least I kept my dignity.
Now, driving down the road, she forced back tears and decided to drown her sorrows in a double chocolate chip sundae at the Dairy Queen.
While she switched radio stations, a bright light saturated her rearview mirror. Someone was driving behind her with his high beams on. She angled the rearview mirror to divert the reflection and turned her attention back to the road.
The car’s horn honked incessantly. She sped up but the honking continued, so she decided it prudent to get out of the way and eased over to the side of the road to let the car pass. It didn’t. Instead it pulled over and stopped behind her truck.
“Oh no.”
Shielding her eyes from the glare of the headlights, she saw it wasn’t a car after all but a truck like hers. The door opened, and a tall figure got out and stormed toward her, waving his arms and yelling. Panic set in and she froze.
Sarah had often wondered how she would handle dangerous situations. Would she scream or open her mouth only to have nothing come out? Would she run or freeze? Well, she had the answer. She froze like the proverbial deer in the middle of a road with a tractor-trailer barreling toward her.
A loud rap on the window jerked her head back. “Sarah, get out of the truck. I want to talk to you. Now.”
“Seth…” She smiled, a smile of relief, which seemed to infuriate him more.
“Sarah, did you hear me?” He tried to open the door. “Unlock this door!”
As soon the lock clicked open, Seth flung the door open and grabbed her hand. Reluctantly, she scooted out of the truck.
“What the fuck happened back there!”
“Don’t talk to me like that.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stepped away from him.
“How could you leave me alone with Corin?”
“Oh, please, you should be thanking me.”
“So you did leave me there on purpose.”
“Well, yes. Corin wanted to spend time with you alone. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“Oh, Sarah, please. You know I don’t like Corin that way.”
“That’s never stopped you before. Actually, I thought you’d be grateful. I was sure she’d throw herself at you.”
“Maybe so,” he whispe
red, his eyes landing on hers.
“Most guys would feel lucky to be in such a position. You don’t even have to ask a girl out.” She smiled, pleased with her logic.
“That’s the problem. Sarah, can’t you understand sometimes I might like to chase the girl, flirt with her, ask her out.” He let his arms fall to his sides. “Never mind. I’m sorry I yelled at you, and hope I didn’t frighten you.”
“I’m sorry, Seth. I know you’re not interested in dating.”
Seth rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Not ’til now. Sarah, will you go out with me?”
It had happened so fast, Sarah didn’t comprehend what he’d said. A look of doubt and embarrassment fell on his face. He dropped his arms again and moved away from her.
“Sarah, I know this isn’t the proper way to ask you out…forcing your truck off the road, but I’m new at this. Say something—the suspense is killing me.”
“Wait, I need a minute.” She danced on the inside, her head spinning, her stomach doing flips. She wanted to scream and jump up and down. Instead she smiled and turned to get her purse out of the truck.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Sarah pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, jotted her phone number on it, and placed it on his palm.
“Here’s my number. Call me and ask me out…properly.”
“I will.” He flashed a devilish grin before opening the truck’s door for her to get in.
“Don’t keep me waiting,” she teased and watched him race back to his truck.
SETH
Seth couldn’t believe what had just happened, but his body affirmed it. Although he hadn’t intended to ask Sarah out yet, the opportunity had presented itself and he took it.
When Sarah had handed over her phone number and said, “call me,” he had struggled to hold himself back. He almost kissed her right there but stopped himself. He wanted to do this right. Apparently, that meant calling Sarah at home.
He raced into the house, but Mom’s cheerful laugh stopped him dead in his tracks. To his dismay, she held the receiver in her hand.
Seth’s shoulders slumped. “Mom, how long are you going to be? I need to make a call.”
Then & Now Page 4
