by Amity Hope
I explained that she moved in with an aunt out of state.
“I’m glad she’s doing well,” Jenna said. “I’ve wondered about her over the years.” She paused. “How did this discussion even come up between you and Kylie?”
“Kylie’s parents are really strict, especially when it comes to dating. I asked her why. Turns out, it all leads back to Mike.”
“I bet that went over well with her,” Jenna said, her tone sarcastic.
“I didn’t exactly tell her…”
“Leo!”
“What? I wasn’t sure it was Mike she was talking about,” I said in my own defense.
“Now you know. Kylie needs to know, too,” Jenna said, her voice firm.
I knew she was right. But I said nothing.
She groaned. “Leo, you can’t keep this from her. If you plan on having any type of relationship with this girl, it’s going to come out eventually. Don’t you think it’ll be better if she finds out from you?”
“And what happens when she tells her parents?” I demanded.
“You are nothing like Mike. Finding out you’re related shouldn’t change their opinion of you.”
“They don’t have an opinion of me. This thing with Kylie and me, it’s new. Really new, at least on her end.” So new, I was sure her feelings were nowhere near as deep as mine were. She was already nervous about introducing me to her parents. What if she found out the truth and decided I wasn’t worth the trouble? “I don’t know if I’m ready to tell her yet.” Not until I knew she thought I was worth fighting for. And honestly? I didn’t think she was there yet. Until recently, Kylie had never been a rule breaker. Her checklist was a novelty. But if her parents told her she couldn’t see me, I had a hunch our sneaking around would slam to a halt.
I suddenly felt like the fly ball at the park was an act of fate, not an act of Colton’s stupidity. Maybe the universe had been trying to tell me to keep my mouth shut. Just for now.
“Keeping this secret is not a good idea,” Jenna said. “In fact, it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Kylie’s already nervous about telling them we’re dating,” I said. “Do you know how much worse it would be if she has to tell them this?”
“That should be her decision to make.”
“And what if she decides she wants nothing to do with me?”
What Kylie had told me was bad, but hearing Jenna’s take made it a million times worse. I couldn’t tell Kylie my brother had tormented Maddie. Not yet. Kylie was perfect for me. And I knew I was good for her, too.
But admitting I was related to Mike right now? I had to find a way to tell her that wouldn’t ruin everything.
Chapter Thirteen
Kylie
“You’re going to another movie with your sister?” Mom asked.
“There are a lot of good movies coming out,” I said. It seemed as if she wasn’t completely buying into my explanation. I forced a frown onto my face. “The truth is, Meg and Francesca are always busy with their boyfriends. I’m bored. Allie doesn’t mind letting me come along.”
Mom smiled wistfully. “I’m sure she prefers it. She gets to hang out with her awesome older sister, and she doesn’t have to have her mother carting her around. It’s a win-win for her.” She reached for her purse. A moment later she held up two twenties. “Tonight is my treat. This should cover pizza and your movie tickets. It’s nice to have someone else play chauffeur for a change. Dad has to work late. I think I’ll curl up in my pajamas and read a book.”
“Oh, I’ll take that,” Allie said as she sauntered into the kitchen. She tugged the money from Mom’s hand. I didn’t protest. I was feeling too guilty to take it. “I’m almost out of babysitting money,” she said. “I don’t want to have to watch the Edmond twins any sooner than I have to.”
“Allie,” Mom scolded.
“I know,” she grumbled. “I guess they’re not so bad.”
“You two have fun tonight.” Mom pushed away from the counter. “I think I’m going to start my alone time with a bubble bath.”
She wandered out of the kitchen, leaving us two schemers alone.
“What are you and Leo doing tonight?” she asked.
“Allie,” I growled.
“I heard the bathroom door shut. Mom can’t hear.” She stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. “If I’m covering for you again, you at least need to tell me what you’re doing.”
“Why?” I asked.
“If it’s another party, I want to come along.”
“We’re not going to a party,” I said. To placate her, I added, “I promise, if we ever go to another party, I will bring you.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Definitely.” Definitely, because I knew there was no way I was going to another party. Ever.
“What are you doing tonight?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” I tossed my hands up in frustration. “It’s a surprise, so quit asking.” It wasn’t a surprise, but there was no way I could tell Allie what Leo and I were up to. I was already in over my head with her. I didn’t want to dig myself any deeper.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, then Leo might be bringing you to a party,” she pressed.
“He’s not,” I said firmly.
“I think you know what you’re doing and you don’t want to tell me.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Did Lexie tell you everything she did when you covered for her?” I asked pointedly.
“Of course.” Allie scoffed.
I’d walked right into that one. I had no idea if Allie was telling the truth or not.
Thankfully, her cell phone burst into song. I darted up to my room while she took the call.
My heart was tapping out an anxious beat. Tonight, we were crossing another item off my list. I pulled the folded-up sheet of paper out of my desk drawer, unfolded it, and flattened it out on the desk. I was more than a little disappointed to see how close we were to completing it.
1. Skinny-dip (sort of)
2. Sneak out (but don’t get caught)
3. Prank someone (nothing destructive)
4. Go to a party (no drinking)
5. Kiss a boy (make it mind blowing)
6. Watch a sunset (so romantic)
7. Slow dance
8. Go to a bonfire
9. Fly a kite on the coast
10. First date
11. Stargaze
12. Kiss under the stars
13. ?
14. ?
15. ?
I hauled my plum-and-lavender polka-dotted backpack—a relic from my middle school days—out of my closet, then dug for my favorite sweatshirt.
The ringing of a cell phone interrupted the silence again. This time, it was mine.
“Hey, Meg.”
“You sound busy.”
I stopped digging through my closet and dropped down onto my bed. “I do?”
“Yes,” she said, dragging out the word. “Do you and Leo have plans tonight?”
“Tonight?” I echoed. “Yes.”
“That’s too bad,” she said. “I know this is really last minute, but Luke’s parents are going to be gone. They decided to take off for San Francisco for the weekend. He has this amazing movie theater in his house.”
I nodded to myself as I tugged on a clean sock. I’d heard about his home theater. It sounded phenomenal. Huge screen, popcorn machine. Awesomeness.
“He’s decided to invite a few people over. We’re keeping it low-key. He’s inviting Adam and Julia. He told me to invite Francesca and Nate. Of course, we want you and Leo to come.”
“That sounds like so much fun.”
“You’ll come?” she asked hopefully.
“We can’t.”
“Why not?” She didn’t bother to hide her disappointment. “It’s so awesome you’re dating Leo. It would be fun to hang out together.”
“It would be fun.” I reached for my other sock. “But
we have something planned.”
“What are you two doing?”
“Um…” My mind went blank. I couldn’t tell her what we were doing, and my brain refused to come up with a reasonable excuse.
Or maybe I simply couldn’t force myself to lie to my best friend.
After a few silent beats, Meg laughed and her tone turned teasing. “Oh, I see where this is going. You have something private planned.”
“Yes,” I agreed. What else could I say? At least it was true.
I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “You two have lots of fun with that.”
“I’m sure we will,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
She paused a moment before saying, “You really like him, don’t you?”
“I do,” I admitted. “We have so much fun together.”
“Once you two are done having ‘fun’ tonight, why don’t you stop by?” Meg urged. “We’ll all be there pretty late.”
“You know,” I said as I slid off my bed, “that might work.”
“Perfect. Hopefully we’ll see you later.”
We disconnected.
I slid my phone into my pocket and stuffed my arms into my favorite purple sweatshirt. Before I reached my door, it swung open and Allie marched in.
“Okay. I believe you. You must not be going to a party,” she declared. “Even you wouldn’t show your face at a party dressed like that.”
“There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing.” I’d be cozy and comfy.
She shook her head. “You’re lucky you already have the guy.”
…
“We don’t have to do this,” I told Leo. “I mean, we could probably get in a lot of trouble if we get caught.”
Though it was shadowy in the cab of his truck, I had no doubt he was shooting a concerned gaze my way. For a moment, the only sound came from his tires cruising down the dark road.
“Do you not want to?” he asked. “Because I think it sounds like fun.”
“Really?” My voice squeaked with relief. “So do I. I know I should probably feel bad. I’m about to vandalize someone’s house. But honestly? I’m excited. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
What was wrong with me?
I was enjoying this way too much. Not just the excitement leading up to the prank we were about to pull. I liked sneaking around with Leo. I liked that the two of us had this secret we shared.
My whole life I’d lived by my parents’ rules. The guilt I felt over breaking them was overshadowed by the anticipation that resulted from rebelling a little.
I knew I’d started walking a dangerous line.
I needed to tell my parents about Leo sooner rather than later. I couldn’t keep involving my sister. One of us was likely to slip up. With that realization, some of my enthusiasm started to fizzle.
The truck slowed and Leo pulled the vehicle into an approach that ended at the tree line. We were on a country road a little ways out of town. It had been at least five minutes since we’d seen another car go by.
Hopefully, if anyone happened by in the next half hour or so, they wouldn’t give much thought to his truck being parked here.
“Are you ready?” He reached for his door handle but paused when I put my hand on his arm. “Did you change your mind?”
I shook my head and he turned to fully face me.
“Leo, I think we need to talk to my parents soon,” I said.
“Why?” He reached over to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “I thought you were having fun with the way things are.”
“I am, but—”
“Didn’t you say that once your parents know about us, they’ll micromanage us? Want to know where we are at all times?” He paused but only for a second. “If they do that, then how will we have nights like this?”
“That’s true,” I admitted.
“What if they don’t like me?” he asked.
I brushed off his concern because I really didn’t think he had anything to worry about. “Don’t be silly.”
“But what if they don’t?” he persisted. “Then what? You want to finish your list, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Maybe we could wait a little longer. What would it hurt? Besides, my list was almost completed, with only a few blanks remaining. Still, my conscience tugged at me. “We’ll tell them soon though, right?”
“Sure.” Moving away, he reached for his door again. “Ready to do this?”
I sucked in a breath. “Yes.”
We hopped out of the truck. I slung my backpack over my shoulder. We didn’t bother with flashlights. The moon was out, casting a murky glow over the world.
“We can walk on the road,” Leo said. “But if we see headlights, we should maybe duck into the woods.”
“How far is the house?” I asked.
“Not far,” he assured me. “It’s the next driveway to the right.”
“Who lives there?” I asked.
“Tyler Duvall.”
My feet skidded to a halt on the tar. “The sophomore who’s taking your place on the baseball team? Why him?” I asked in surprise. “Is this your idea of revenge or something? I thought you wanted to give up your spot.”
“Yeah, it’s him.” He grabbed my hand and towed me along. “But no, it’s not about revenge. He’s the only sophomore who made varsity. This is the kind of thing the team does, kind of like a hazing ritual. It’s relatively harmless. It’ll be no big deal.”
I hesitated a moment. “Are you sure?”
My enthusiasm was fading fast. I didn’t want to do anything destructive. I did want to play a prank, though. It’d seemed like something that belonged on my list.
“Tell you what,” Leo said soothingly as we turned down the driveway, “I’ll get in touch with Tyler tomorrow. I’ll come up with something baseball related to talk to him about. If he brings up the prank, I’ll insist on coming over to help him clean up.”
Now that we were in Tyler’s yard, walking along the edge, lost in shadows, I kept my voice low. “You’d do that?”
“For you,” he said in a teasing tone, “anything.”
I nodded, feeling better about what we were going to do. “I’d help clean it up myself…”
“But there’s no logical way for you to go about doing that,” Leo said.
“Exactly.” I’d have to settle for him doing it for me.
He eyed my backpack. “How many rolls of toilet paper did you manage to cram in there?”
“I didn’t actually bring any toilet paper,” I admitted.
He glanced at the bag again, then me, then stopped walking. “Really? But that’s the whole point of the prank. What are we going to do if we don’t TP the trees?”
“I’ll show you.” We stopped, ducking behind a huge oak. I unzipped the bag. “I decided to improvise.” I pulled out a roll of fuchsia crepe paper streamer.
“Is that…?” He paused as he waited for me to pull out another, pale pink this time. “Streamers? You seriously brought streamers?” He burst out laughing.
I smacked his shoulder. “Be quiet. Someone might hear you.” He continued to laugh.
I took a length of streamer and wrapped it around his neck, using it to tug him toward me. It was a wimpy little thing and he could’ve broken away in an instant, but he let me reel him in. “Toilet paper seems so tacky. Streamers are at least fun.” Maybe cleaning them up would be a hassle either way. But streamers were much better to look at in the meantime. “Is it a really stupid idea?”
“No,” he said. “I think it’s great.”
He leaned in, expecting a kiss, but I tugged the streamer, easily breaking it. He reached for me and I ducked away, laughing. I jogged toward the house. He caught me, scooped his arms around my middle, and tugged me to a halt. His lips grazed my neck and, giggling, I ducked away again.
“There will be none of that,” I jokingly scolded, poking him in the chest. “Not until we get out of here.”
“In that case, let
’s get started,” he said.
I shoved a roll at him. He took it from my hands and headed toward the nearest tree.
“What if they come home?” I whispered, as if someone might actually hear me.
“I doubt they will,” Leo said, his voice totally normal. “But if they do, we’ll just have to make a run for it.”
“A run for it?” That sounded so criminal. What had I gotten myself into?
He nudged me. “Don’t worry. Let’s have some fun with this.”
The dark house rested against the backdrop of a thin forest. I couldn’t make out many details in the moonlight. Or maybe my mind was too scattered to pay much attention. What I did notice were more than a dozen trees around the front yard.
He unraveled several feet of the streamer. Then, holding onto the free end, he tossed the roll into the air. It tangled in the branches it was intended for, the heavy end cascading back down as gravity took hold. I followed his lead. Together, we moved from tree to tree.
I was hyperaware of everything around me. Distant vehicles, nearby frogs, every crackle beneath our feet. My own heartbeat hammering through my ears.
Leo’s finger trailing an unexpected, icy path down the back of my neck.
I let out a yelp, whirled, crashed into him, and nearly knocked us both over. His arms flew around me, steadying us both. He held me close to his chest. “Hey, I thought you said no canoodling,” he teased, his words close to my ear.
“Canoodling?” I snorted out an unladylike laugh.
He shrugged. “My sister’s word.”
“You’re right, no more scaring me. We really don’t want the neighbors running over.” I stepped out of his arms. “So many trees, so little time.”
“How many streamers do you have in there?” he asked.
“A lot,” I replied. I peeked inside and recalibrated my answer. “The backpack was full. Looks like we used most of them. Maybe we should call it good.”
Glancing around, I realized how carried away we’d gotten. Long lengths of streamers dangled in clumps from nearly every tree, fluttering in the light breeze. It was going to be quite a sight in the daylight.
