"Unless you're canceling on me," Laura said.
"No! I wouldn't do that. I just wanted to make sure we were still on."
"I've got your name in my date book. In ink." Laura could practically hear Buck blush on the other end of the line.
"Date? I, uh…"
"It's just an expression, Buck. I wouldn't be so presumptuous." She glanced over at Shelby, who was listening to Laura's end of the conversation with wonder. "It'll be you and me and Shelby. Can you come by around nine tonight?" Laura gave him their address, said good-bye, and hung up.
"I think he likes me," Laura told her sister. Shelby rolled her eyes as if to say, "Yeah, right." Laura ignored her. "And you know what else? If he does, I think that would be okay with me."
This time, Shelby pretended to gag.
* * *
After cleaning up the dishes, Shelby went to Laura's room to help her choose an outfit for the party.
"This isn't a royal ball!" sighed an exasperated Shelby. By now, Laura had tried on four outfits — and rejected them all.
"I know," Laura told her. "But I want to look nice for Buck. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"If you're looking for a long-term relationship, make yourself look like you do first thing in the morning," Shelby suggested facetiously. "If he likes you like that, then you know you have a chance."
"You're awful, Shelby!"
Shelby shrugged innocently. "I guess. But now you know why I don't go out. Too much trouble."
"It can be worth it," Laura insisted.
"Like the way Chester was worth it?" Shelby asked. She meant the comment to be funny, but Laura suddenly lost her sense of humor.
"You really are awful," Laura said, turning away. Shelby was on her feet instantly.
"I didn't mean it that way, Laura." They both understood that Laura was overreacting, but that still didn't excuse using the dreaded C-word.
"I know, Shel," she sighed. "It's not your fault he's a jerk."
"And not your fault, either!" Shelby added quickly. Then her eyes narrowed conspiratorially. "Is that why you're so excited to take Buck to the party tonight?"
"What do you mean?" Laura asked, as if thoroughly stumped.
"Well, won't it be nice to show up looking your best, and with another guy? Chester is bound to be there. That would be so in-your-face."
Laura stared at her sister, who had delicious revenge written all over her face. Sometimes Shelby's nasty side surprised Laura.
"He would be jealous, wouldn't he?" Laura pondered out loud.
"It'll serve him right!" Shelby stated emphatically.
"You ain't just whistlin' Dixie!" Laura concluded decisively, and both girls broke into a fit of giggles.
Laura decided to wear comfortable jeans and a fuzzy sweater. "Now your turn," she told Shelby.
"Nah," Shelby replied disinterestedly. "It doesn't matter what I wear anyway. Guys don't like bookworms."
"Gee, for a girl who knows so much, sometimes you don't know a thing!" Laura took her sister by the arm and steered her to her closet. "Here. Pick anything."
Shelby hemmed and hawed, but eventually she picked a denim skirt and pink blouse. Just as they were both putting on the finishing touches — gold bauble earrings — the doorbell rang. Laura clutched her sister by the shoulders as they both stared into the mirror.
"He's here! Wow. I can't believe how nervous I am." Releasing Shelby, Laura headed for the door. Shelby grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Jeez. Haven't you learned anything about playing hard to get?"
"Uh, then will you get the door for me?" Laura asked. "Tell him I'll be ready in a couple minutes."
"At least five minutes, I think," Shelby advised.
"Right," Laura agreed. "Be down in five minutes." From downstairs, the doorbell rang once more. With a wink, Shelby ran down the stairs to answer it.
Laura sat on her bed, fidgeting. This waiting game was silly, she thought. On the other hand, maybe she needed to learn to go slower. She could hear the front door open, then some muffled voices. Laura stood and almost raced down the stairs, but then sat herself back down. Finally, after four torturous minutes, Laura could wait no longer.
Laura found Buck sitting on the living room couch. Shelby was nowhere in sight. Buck didn't hear Laura approach, so when she said hello, he almost jumped out of his seat.
"I didn't mean to scare you," Laura giggled.
"You didn't scare me," Buck said, a little breathlessly. "It was your beauty that shocked me!" He extended the compliment rather boldly. A small wink acknowledged that even he realized the line was a bit hokey. Nevertheless, Laura blushed.
"Oh please!" was all she could say. She noticed his well-worn Levi's and dark purple oxford shirt. Around his neck he wore a leather thong necklace strung through several clay beads. He looked handsome. And the nervousness from the earlier phone conversation was gone. Laura found herself staring. Shelby's entrance broke the spell.
"There you are. I was just going to come up and get you." Shelby looked at her watch. "In a minute," she added in a stern tone. In one hand she held a vase with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. These she handed to Laura. "Look what Buck brought for you."
Laura took the flowers and buried her nose in them. "They're beautiful! Thank you, Buck." Before she knew what she was doing, Laura kissed Buck on the cheek. Now it was Buck's turn to blush.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them." A hint of his earlier nervousness returned, but then, the kiss was probably unexpected.
"Before you get too excited," Shelby said, "he brought some for me, too. I just couldn't carry both vases."
"Oh, well," Laura stammered, somewhat embarrassed. "That was very nice of you," she told Buck. "Let's get to the party."
"Sounds good to me!" Buck said brightly. He led the way out to the car.
On the front doorstep, when Buck was just out of earshot, Shelby whispered into Laura's ear. "Your bouquet is much bigger than mine, by the way."
Laura looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow. "Sweet, isn't he?"
* * *
Buck drove a beat-up Datsun he introduced as Wilma. "It's practically a Stone Age car!" he exclaimed.
Laura told him a carefully cut version of "the movie," then Buck described his own situation.
"My mother died when I was very young. I miss her, though I barely remember her. My father never remarried."
"What brought you to Springwood?" Shelby asked.
"My father lost his job. He's an accountant. He found a new position here." He paused. "How about you?" he asked Laura. "You hear about any jobs?"
Laura shook her head. "Not since I talked to you after dinner."
"Oh, right," Buck said, shaking his head. "Wish there was something I could do for you."
Laura thanked him. "I wish there were something you could do, too," she said, throwing up her hands in defeat.
"Maybe I'll think of something." Buck's eyes seemed to lose focus, as if he was in deep thought. Laura became worried that he wasn't paying enough attention to his driving.
"Uh, Buck?"
"Sorry," he said, snapping out of his trance. "Was just thinking. You know, some of those places you applied to have a pretty high turnover. Maybe something will open up."
"I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath."
"Just you wait and see," Buck told her, the wheels in his mind spinning faster and faster.
Chapter 3
Once they turned onto Doug's street, his house was easy to find. It was the one where the loud music was blaring out of the windows, all of which were open on this mild summer evening. Doug's parents were out of town, and this was the kickoff to a week of freedom from parental restraints.
Laura entered the house without knocking, Buck and Shelby immediately behind her. Doug was upon them immediately.
"Laura! I'm glad you're here," he said, instantly wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "I can't believe I'm doing this!" He was a wreck. Hyper. Th
e house was filled with other teens, hanging out, talking, drinking soda and beer, listening to music. The stress of doing something his parents would kill him for was practically killing him.
"It'll be all right," Laura said, hugging him back. They kept their arms around each other as Laura introduced Buck. "I met Buck at the hospital today. He's new to Springwood." The two boys shook hands, but Buck seemed strangely bewildered. Laura tried to reassure him. "I told you about Doug. He's my best friend."
Buck smiled then. "Good to meet you."
"You, too," Doug replied, and then turned to Shelby. "What the heck are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to have you," he added quickly. "Just surprised."
"Laura dragged me out. She thinks this is my debutante ball or something."
"Well, I'm glad you came out," Doug told her, sincerely pleased to see her. "There's stuff to eat and drink in the kitchen. Help yourself." Then he leaned in to Laura and whispered, "I should tell you, Chester's here."
Laura decided to play it cool. "Not a problem," she whispered back, glancing at Shelby, who gave her a thumbs-up sign.
"Okay, then I've got to go look for Rayne." A sour expression wrinkled his face. "She's on the warpath tonight." With that, he took off for the rear of the house.
"Who's Rayne?" Buck asked as they made their way through the crowd toward the kitchen. "He doesn't seem to like her much." Shelby and Laura exchanged an amused, knowing glance, then burst into laughter.
"Rayne's his girlfriend," Laura told him. "But you're right. He doesn't like her much. That's what's so funny."
"Then why are they dating?"
"Because Rayne asked him out on one date," Laura explained. "Next thing he knew, she considered them boyfriend and girlfriend. At the time, Doug didn't see any reason not to just roll with it."
"Basically," Shelby added, "he had nothing better to do."
Buck just shook his head. "Weird."
"Not really," Laura told him. "It worked for both of them for a while. But now Doug is too much of a chicken to tell her that it isn't working for him anymore."
"Well, I think…" Buck started to say, but Laura cut him off with a look. Allison Heath, the assistant manager at Fair Warning, sat at the dining room table not far away. Even though they did not get along, Laura thought this might be her opportunity to feel Allison out about the clerk position at the mall.
"I'm sorry," she told Buck, her eyes focused on Allison. "Why don't you guys go get some drinks."
Shelby frowned, aware of what her sister was up to. "That's a lost cause, Laura, and you know it."
"Maybe," Laura said defensively. "Or maybe not. I have to try."
"Come on, Buck," Shelby said, taking him by the arm. "When Laura starts banging her head against a wall, it's not something you want to watch."
"You sure?" he asked Laura.
"Go ahead," Laura insisted. "Ignore Shelby. She's just being melodramatic. It'll only take me a minute."
Reluctantly Buck let Shelby lead him to the kitchen. Laura took a deep breath and entered the dining room.
"Hi, Allison," Laura said, knowing that her chumminess sounded entirely artificial.
"Laura," Allison said simply, with an arrogant smile.
"Um, I, uh," Laura stammered. "I was wondering about that job at the mall."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Laura," Allison purred, obviously not the least bit sorry. "The managers decided on somebody else today."
Laura tried to hide her frustration. Allison knew why Laura was looking for a job, and how desperate she must be to be kissing up to her.
In a tone totally devoid of sympathy, Allison said, "There were so many applicants for just one position. You know how that is."
"Yeah," Laura said dully, and began to turn away. Then, in a weak effort to pretend the job wasn't the only reason she had approached Allison, she turned back. "Well, anyway… who are you here with?"
Allison's left eyebrow arched evilly. "Oh, you don't know? I'm surprised Doug didn't tell you. I came with Chester. Hope that doesn't bother you."
"Not at all," Laura answered. Actually, she was far from bothered. If anyone deserved a creep like Chester, it was Allison. "In fact, I need to talk to Chester. Do you know where he is?"
"He went that way," she said, gesturing languidly toward the back of the house. "But that was a while ago."
Laura thanked Allison and went to look for Chester. She ran across Buck, who was talking to Rayne Wilcox, Doug's erstwhile girlfriend. Laura had a brief desire to join their conversation, to clue Buck in on her. But no one who spent more than a few minutes with Rayne could miss the fact that she was a very jealous girl trying to guard her territory. Laura continued searching for Chester.
She went out the back door, and found the backyard strangely empty. On a night as pleasant as this, she would expect more people to be outside. Maybe this was one of those midparty lulls, she thought.
Next to the garage stood a small, screened-in gazebo. Laura could see a single citronella candle burning in it, but could not tell if it was occupied or not. As she approached the gazebo, the sweet oily smell of the candle reached her nose. Laura half expected to discover two or three kids hidden just beyond the candle's weak yellow glow, tangled in a drowsy discussion of life, the universe, and how it all changes once you get to college. But the gazebo was empty.
Beyond the gazebo was another short stretch of yard, then a tall, vine-covered fence. But right now, the back area, far beyond the reach of the citronella candle's feeble light, was an infinite black space. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, however, lighter spots began to stand out from the black field. The vine's flowers. They reflected what little light was available and began to look like a dim freeze-frame of a fireworks show.
Wanting to get a closer look at the flowers, Laura walked completely out of the flickering sphere of the gazebo's light. Taking one bloom in hand, careful not to pull it from the vine, Laura bent to take a whiff. Just as she did so, a hand grasped her by the shoulder and spun her around. Panicked, Laura shrieked, but another large hand clamped hard over her mouth. A long, muscular arm quickly wrapped itself around Laura, and she found herself lifted and pressed against a strong chest. At the same time, the strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes threatened to overpower her. Thinking quickly, she kicked one foot backward and connected with a leg.
"Ow!" grunted a deep, familiar voice. The arms let go and she dropped a few inches to the ground.
"Chester! What the hell is your problem!" She swatted ineffectually at one broad shoulder. It was like smacking a concrete wall.
Chester's nickname was "The Chest." He was a gymaholic, whose rigorous workout schedule had produced a body of Olympian proportions. But along with the well-sculpted body came the conceit which had time only for those who admired him. Laura had been an admirer for a brief time. But not anymore.
"Hey, stop that!" Chester whined. He rubbed the spot where Laura had hit him, though clearly, he had felt no pain. With a dangerously smug look, he said, "I heard you were looking for me. Does that mean you're ready to kiss and make up?" He stepped forward and opened his arms. Laura stepped back quickly.
"Not a chance," she said, her voice quivering. She was still recovering from his surprise attack.
"Then why were you waiting back here for me? Aren't you ready to apologize? It's not too late, you know."
Laura's hands clenched in rage. His audacity was almost beyond comprehension. "Me apologize to you? You must be as drunk as you smell!" Chester crossed his arms as if offended. Not fully in control of herself, Laura jabbed a finger right into his chest. "You fired me, remember?"
Chester's eyes lit up with anger. "I gave you a choice."
Laura was almost speechless. Three weeks ago, she had been a lifeguard at the pool where Chester was the head lifeguard. "Listen, Chester. You had no cause to be so jealous. Doug is a friend. I told you that. You need to get the muscle out of your ears so you can hear better."
"I gave you a choice," Chester
said again, as if to prove how dense his brain was. "Listen, I didn't decide on that budget cut. One lifeguard had to go. I let you decide. I thought it was pretty nice of me."
"Yeah. Some choice. Me or Doug. What was I supposed to say? It was completely unfair. I could get you fired for what you did."
"Why don't you try?" Chester replied.
"Because I've got better things to do than waste any more time on you, you moron." She was breathing heavily, with anger — and a little fear. Chester had reared up to full height. "You had no right to accuse me of cheating on you. Doug and I were friends long before I met you. And we'll be friends long after your muscles squeeze the last of your tiny brains out of your head. So stay away from me. Or I will go to the Bureau!"
Instantly Chester's eyes narrowed into slits. A large hand came down and grasped her shoulder. "I don't like the way you're talking to me, you know that?"
His grip was firm, and painful. He leaned down and breathed alcohol and smoke into her face. To keep from gagging, she turned away. "Let go of me," she whimpered. But Chester didn't move.
"Let her go," commanded a new voice. Chester and Laura both turned toward the silhouetted figure standing before the light of the candles. She recognized the voice — it was Buck.
"Oh, and who's gonna make me?" Chester glowered, puffing up and making Buck look even more like a stick figure by comparison.
Buck sighed with exaggerated boredom. "Couldn't you come up with something more original than that? Look, if we're gonna fight, shouldn't we just get to it?"
Chester laughed. "I'll crush you!"
"Every other supervillain from the dawn of comic books has used that line," Buck yawned. Then his body tensed and in a low, commanding voice, he said, "Make your move, buddy, or take off. Either way, make it snappy."
At first, Chester was too shocked to be angry. Then, blinking as if clearing his mind, he nodded. "Right. Sorry. I don't know what came over me." He started past Buck toward the house.
Laura knew Chester was faking, but she didn't have time to warn Buck before Chester's powerful fist was streaking toward his face.
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