My Best Friend's Brother

by Chrissy Fanslau

  It echoed.

  I covered my mouth to contain my laugh. I lightly tugged on his pant leg, not wanting him to lose his balance and slip. “Sit before you fall!”

  “I want the world to know!” He grinned down at me. “Besides, I’m not afraid of heights!”

  I gave him a look, still nervous.

  “But I’ll do it for the sake of my hood.” He sat himself down again and wrapped his arm around me. “Hey, I still owe you ice cream, don’t I?”

  I nodded. But I was just growing comfortable. There was nobody else out there—just me and him and maybe Sasquatch—it was actually kind of romantic. I nuzzled up to him. “We have time, it’s nowhere close to eight yet.” Though the sun was beginning to set.

  He pulled me close. “So you like this, then.”

  I hate being wrong about stuff. “I like being with you.”

  He grew quiet. After a minute he said, “If I ask you something, promise you won’t slug me?”

  I eyed him curiously. If he thought I might slug him, I figured it was probably something bad. “I won’t slug you,” I promised.

  “Okay, I know I haven’t known you all that long, but I really, really, really like you.”

  I thought he said he loved me? But I didn’t want to sound corny. Or desperate. Or paranoid.

  “After we graduate, I’m getting my own place. And I was wondering if you want to move in with me—if we’re still together. I’ll move wherever you go to college if you want to go, as long as there’s snow. I could be an alpine skier anyplace cold.”

  “Wow, my parents would not approve of me living with you without being married!” I blurted.

  And cringed.

  “Well, I heard sometimes people get married and find out they can’t live together. Like, they don’t like the way a person holds a toothbrush or positions the toilet-paper roll.” He looked at me briefly. “So you can tell your parents there’s time. I mean, we’ll have like seventy years…”

  I giggled. “I’d like that.”

  He smiled. “Really?” When I nodded, he kissed me.

  Things were really heating up, but he pulled away. “Hey, I wanna show you something, get in.”

  “It’s not a steeper cliff, is it?” I asked stiffly.

  He laughed. “No worries!” He crawled across the hood to the passenger side door, dragging his coat behind him. He crept through my door into the driver’s seat and waited for me to get in, which took forever.

  He held a small velvet jewelry box. “I got this for you this afternoon.”

  Breathlessly, I took it, dying to see what it was! It was a ring box—a ring box!—and given the conversation we’d just had, and the fact it was a ring box, you know what I was thinking!

  I popped it open. And felt my smile vanish. I tried to hide it immediately. My heart sank. “Oh!”

  Our eyes met. He looked confused.

  I must be confused, too. Or delusional. Or both. Who the hell expects an engagement ring a few weeks into a relationship?

  It was a silver necklace with a diamond heart pendant.

  I like it—it’s pretty and everything—but it’s not an engagement ring.

  I suppose it’s not his fault I’m unrealistic. But my throat began to hurt from the sobs stuck within it. I felt bad that I ended up disappointed about such a sweet gift.

  “Do you like it?”

  I stared at it like I lacked even basic brain function. I finally whispered, “I love it.”

  He took it from me, peeled off the sticky tag and fastened it around my neck.

  I pecked his cheek.

  “You seemed upset for a moment, are you sure you’re okay?” He looked concerned.

  “I’m fine!” I assured him. I’m just completely out of touch with reality.

  “Is it something I did? Is it the wrong color?” His voice sounded a bit shaky.

  I shook my head no. “Trust me,” I blurted, “it’s just PMS!”

  Then I felt awkward.

  He looked out the windshield. “Oh,” he uttered, clearly confused.

  My head fell into my hands. I am so awkward!

  He started the Jeep and backed off the edge of the cliff. We didn’t speak for a while, though he looked my way every now and then.

  I wondered what he was thinking, until I realized I shouldn’t be wondering what he was thinking, I should be wondering what I was thinking. I think I was thinking,

  Why do they sell necklaces in ring boxes?!

  Again my mind began to wander. I started rethinking my life, like this was an appropriate time, or place. Why do I have to decide on my life in one school year? And when I kind of decide, why does everyone have a problem with it?

  I heaved a sigh.

  I don’t get it. Lilly never has these problems. Luke knows what he wants and he doesn’t have these problems. Anna is a genius—she could get into Yale with her eyes closed, her ears plugged and her feet tied—so she doesn’t have these problems.

  Who was I to talk to about this? Dad wouldn’t want to hear it. Mom’s leaving on Thursday, and she definitely won’t hear it. And Mr. Bias… he’d just nod at that Hawaii poster.

  I really needed to get my mind off it all—it was giving me a headache.

  Luke didn’t look at me. His jacket was spread across the back seat, his arms bulging out of his shirt. He was hot, and seemingly nervous. I felt so bad about my reaction.

  I shifted in my seat, mulling things over.

  Then, maybe on a whim, I made up my mind. My heart pounded, I could feel it.

  He glanced my way, then back at the trail. A moment later, he flashed a flirtatious smile—mind-bogglingly hot. “Drama queen,” he whispered, making me grin.

  Feeling myself tremble, I took a deep breath. “Luke? Stop the car.”

  ~ ~ ~

  I don’t think he even believed it happened! When he got me home at 7:55—five minutes till curfew—he was still kind of shocked. His hair was a disaster, and my lipstick was smeared all over his neck. Did he realize his shirt was on backwards?

  God, we were so lucky Dad didn’t come out there!

  “I love you,” he breathed, nudged my cheek, and met my lips. Another breath-stealing kiss. Like I’m going to want to leave after that!

  I opened the door and peeked back at him. His mouth was hanging. “Um, night…?” he mumbled, and licked his lips.

  I giggled at the sight.

  In the foyer, I glanced out the window. His Jeep was still there, though I couldn’t see him well. I hurried upstairs just as Dad turned the corner.

  “Is everything all right?” Dad called from the bottom of the stairs.

  “Just great, Dad!” I yelled, trying to hide the quiver in my voice.

  I trembled as I dialed the tiny buttons on my cell phone. I’d closed and locked my bedroom door, and turned on the stereo so no one could hear my impending confession.

  It was midnight in Florida. I’d wake Lilly. She’d be mad.

  Oh well.

  I let it ring. Seven times.

  Someone sleepy answered.

  As if I had a fraction of a second to say it, I demanded, “Is Lilly there?”

  “What?” asked an irritated, accented voice.

  “This is Mrs. Jacobson?”

  “Yes. Who’s this?”

  “This is Adonia,” I said breathlessly “You know, from Alaska?” Yeah, ‘cause Adonia is such a common name…

  “Hi, honey, how are you?”

  “Okay. I need to talk to Lilly, it’s important.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, in a very motherly, suddenly-awake tone.

  “Nothing, nothing,” I said instantly. I didn’t need her calling my parents. “I just really, really need to speak with her… about… school.”

  I’m a lousy liar.

  “She’s not back yet,” her mother said. “She’s up late with her cousin Fay.”

  I stomped my foot in frustration, shaking the room.

  “Honey, are you sure you�
��re okay? You sound shaken up.”

  “I’m fine. Can you tell her to call my cell as soon as she gets in? It doesn’t matter what time. As soon as she can… call my cell.”

  “I’ll do that,” she said. “You have a good night, honey.”

  I hung up.

  I knew full well I wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep. I needed something to do. I had plenty of unread books on my dresser, but it’s not like I could concentrate on anything. He was lurking in my mind!

  I was actually worried. Don’t guys brag? The whole school might know by morning! And Lilly was still not there for me!

  That girl seriously needs a new cell phone! She dropped her third phone on ice this past summer, it cracked and her parents are in no rush to get her a new one. I guess after three times I can’t blame them.

  I was so tempted to call him. But I just stared at my cell, willing it to ring. I couldn’t miss Lilly’s call. Something drastic had happened—she needed to know, ASAP!

  He’s still suspended. I groaned. I couldn’t wait another day to see him! His cologne was all over; the smell was driving me crazy.

  XII

  I didn’t oversleep, I intentionally walked through the school doors a minute before the warning bell. I took off my coat and tossed it in my locker, looking about nervously. It fell off the damn hook twice! God, I can’t even hang a coat! Even with an hour of sleep, a moron should be able to at least manage that!

  I guess I was looking for him. Him and others I expected to be talking about it. But to my relief, nobody even noticed me. I grabbed my home economics notebook and slammed my locker shut.

  “Adonia!” I jumped and turned eagerly. It was just Mr. Bias. “We have an appointment today! Two o’clock, sharp!” He walked toward the guidance office, tapping his watch. “Don’t forget!”

  I cursed under my breath.

  My head hit the locker.

  That was a bad idea. Now I had head pain and ear pain. Ear pain because I wore large silver hoop earrings that froze to my earlobes outside. Silver sucks in sub-zero temperatures, especially when it’s attached to your body—it stings like a dentist’s drill.

  Inches from my heart rested the necklace Luke gave me. I hoped it wouldn’t be my last memory of him. You know, in case he really was only after something, and well, now he got it.

  I headed to class, past hundreds of noisy, whining people. But traffic was stalled. The warning bell rang. I had exactly four minutes.

  Someone pulled my ponytail. I kept inching forward. That happened every now and then, it was probably just Jake. But just as I realized Jake wasn’t in school, it was pulled again. I turned around, all defensive.

  “Hey, Beautiful!” It was Luke. His eyes twinkled. He was beaming. And gorgeous! “Going to a funeral?” he asked, pointing to my outfit.

  I giggled. “No! It’s just something I tossed on,” I lied. I wore all black, so I wouldn’t stand out. Relief swept through me, like the weight of the world was just lifted off my shoulders just by him talking to me. “Um, shouldn’t you be in prison?”

  He laughed. “I have until the late bell rings. I just… I needed to see you. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m just going to class.” I bit my lip. We were awkward, like pretending nothing happened when something did. That’s how I felt, anyway. He just looked really, really happy to see me, and that’s definitely a good thing! “I was going to call you last night, but I figured you were asleep.”

  He cleared his throat. “No, you should’ve. I couldn’t sleep.” He moved aside and nodded at a dark-haired guy wearing a black leather jacket—definitely Italian—a jock from the look of him. “Hey Gino, how’s it going? See you in art tomorrow!”

  Gino waved, looked me over and kept walking.

  So Luke couldn’t sleep either, huh? My lips formed a smile I couldn’t prevent.

  Luke flashed me those pearly white teeth. “What?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said cheerfully.

  He looked flushed. “Tired,” he breathed.

  “Me, too,” I said, blushing. I moved my hair out of my face.

  Our eyes locked. He looked at me, adoringly. His eyes said it all. And at that, I was getting giddy.

  My cell phone vibrated. I reached into my pocket quickly and unfolded it. “Hi, Lilly.”

  Luke bit his thumbnail, planted a kiss on my cheek and nuzzled my free ear. “Meet me by your locker at three,” he whispered, “I love you.” He winked and looked me over with those god-like eyes. I waved and he walked away, as every girl in the hall swooned.

  I nearly swooned myself.

  “Hello?!” Lilly screamed into the phone.

  I snapped out of it and headed for class. “I’m here.”

  “What happened?” Lilly demanded. “My mom fell asleep last night, and I just got your message.”

  I groaned. “I can’t tell you now! I’m in school!”

  “Well, give me a hint and I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay…” I said, looking about warily. “I lost something last night.”

  She was silent for a bit. “Uh, okay… like…? Your keys? Driving privileges? Your mind?” She giggled.

  I walked into home economics and sunk into my seat. “None of the above. And I’m in class now, so I’d love to say it, but I can’t.”

  “What else could you possibly lose?”

  I giggled. “I’ll call you later. Or you can call me.”

  “No, now it’s killing me!” Brief silence. “Wait, wait, wait! Did you lose…? You know!” Her mom was in the room—guaranteed!

  I giggled again.

  “Oh my God! And you have to go?! Oh my God! You so have to tell me! Cut class and tell me! What happened!”

  I think the whole class heard her freak out in the phone. I looked around awkwardly. “Can’t, I’m already sitting here,” I noted.

  “Okay, look, I’m gonna take my mom up on the offer to come home early. You need to tell me tell me tell me! Oh my God!”

  My eyes widened. I could not believe my luck! Things were really looking up! “You can come back early?” I practically squealed.

  “I’m gonna ask and call you back, okay? Mom’s bored as hell down here anyway, she hates my chain-smoking aunt.”

  “Okay.” I hung up and looked around self-consciously.

  Behind me, Jenna was doing her make-up. Our eyes met. She blotted her lips and gave me a hint of a smile. I turned back around and waited for Ms. Sanderson to arrive.

  We waited for about twenty minutes. The guys in back started throwing spit balls across the room. To pass the time, I thought about Luke and last night. When I began blushing uncontrollably, I thought about Luke and this morning. About the seductive look in his eyes. About how obvious it was he adored me. About how happy I made him, and how incredibly happy he made me.

  And about how I couldn’t wait until three.

  I inhaled my sweater, because it smelled like him. It was driving me crazy, and I loved it.

  But people were staring. So I stopped.

  Soon bored, I thought maybe I should carry around ten pounds of makeup, so I could have something to do at times like this.

  Mr. Bias and I have an appointment at two. Maybe he could help me figure out what got into me last night, because Luke didn’t exactly initiate it.

  A woman walked in holding a platter of cheese and crackers. She was tall and slender—I swear, like a praying mantis. At about six-foot-five, she was the tallest woman I’d ever seen. Even the guys were stunned as she practically bent over to fit through the frame of the door. Her face was expressionless.

  She moved a desk forward and placed the platter on it. “My name is Maria Long, and I am your new home economics teacher. Today we will be discussing the principles of food design. How creative can you get with cheese and crackers?”

  People exchanged looks. I’ll bet she was just out of college. She sounded like she was talking to chalkboard people, like she rehearsed for an hour before driving t
here. I wondered if she even did drive to work. Can someone that tall even fit in a car?

  “What happened to our old—and I mean old—teacher?” a guy in the back asked.

  Ms. Long sat at the teacher’s desk and looked at us. I think she was as tall as most of us when she was seated! “She will not be teaching this class anymore.”

  “Why not?” asked Jenna. “Did she quit?”

  Ms. Long’s hazel eyes moved around the room, finally resting on her. She cleared her throat. “Your teacher has passed away,” she said bluntly. “And if any of you need to see a guidance counselor to get through this, just let me know and I will get you in touch with one.”

  We stared hard. I wondered if I was in some kind of dream, because it was just surreal! This may sound stupid, but I never realized a teacher could die. Kind of like in elementary school, when you think your teachers live at the school, and when you see them at the grocery store it’s this big shock!

  “Yes,” she said, pointing to a guy in back.

  “Can you tell us about yourself? All teachers do that before they start.”

  “I just graduated from college with degrees in nutritional science and ceramics. I’m twenty-eight and single. I have a Great Dane. I’ve been riding a unicycle since I was twelve, since cars pollute and exercise is essential for a healthy life. And I enjoy yoga. If you want, we can try that in this class. Yoga is excellent meditation and can lengthen your lifespan.”

  “Why a unicycle? Why not a bicycle?” Tom asked.

  Ms. Long smiled. “A unicycle is all about balance, control over the body and the mind. Much like yoga.”

  Well, I see why she’s single!

  She seemed nice enough, though I was still wrapping my mind around my teacher being dead. I guess that appointment with Mr. Bias could come in handy.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Miss Morrison!” said Mr. Bias with his undying smile, motioning to the empty interrogation seat. “How are you doing this afternoon?” He leaned back in his leather office chair.

  “I guess I’m okay. I’ve had a really tough week.”

  He nodded. “Want to talk about it?”

  “No.” I wanted to get to the point of why I was there and leave. The sooner, the better.

  “I’ll listen if you talk.” His grin widened. “I’ll listen if you don’t talk.” He folded his fingers and waited. “Did you decide on a college?”