by Linda Palmer
Click!
Mesmerized, I slipped through the gate and into the yard, stopping a couple of feet just inside it. It was then that I realized Roone wasn’t really touching that orb thingy when it got to him. He was simply punching the air, which made the ball of light change direction and zing back to Jon, who had to actually slam it to accomplish a return. Stunned, I blinked a couple of times to clear my vision. Maybe the falling snow was simply distorting things. Or maybe—
“Shit!”
Before I could react, Roone was right in my face. “Everly, hey. What are you doing here?” As he spoke, he pulled on one of his oversized tees he’d snagged from somewhere. It wasn’t easy. The garment stuck to his skin, which was somehow sweaty even though the temperature was below freezing. Or was the moisture merely melted snow?
Instead of answering, I went with the obvious. “Why are you hiding that incredible body?”
He hesitated and then sagged just a little. “It seems to have an odd effect on Earth girls.”
I burst out laughing. “As opposed to, say, Martian girls?”
Roone’s face flushed from his messy wet hair to his scruffy chin and possibly down his muscled neck. “That came out wrong.”
“No kidding.” I couldn’t stop laughing.
By then Jon was nearby and also wearing a shirt, though his actually fit. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Why are you here?” Roone asked me again.
Since that was the second time, I tried to explain myself. “I brought over the original of your dad’s paper. I hope that was okay. I, um, forgot to give it to him before.” Dead silence followed my words. “Sorry I didn’t call first—” After a glance toward the yard to see if the magical net was still there—it wasn’t—I thrust the papers at Roone, cleared my throat, and began to back toward the gate to leave.
“Wait!” Roone shot a decidedly desperate look at his brother.
Jon immediately shifted his attention to me. “Yeah, you should wait.” He repeatedly tossed the ball up and caught it.
“For…?” Baffled, I glanced from one to the other.
Roone shot another look Jon’s way.
“Something warm to drink,” Jon said. “You must be freezing.”
“No, you guys must be. But you aren’t.” I pressed the palm of my hand to Roone’s flaming face. He closed his eyes as if, well, cherishing my touch or something. That surprised me so much I yanked my hand back. “Why is that?”
“We run a little warm as a rule,” said Jon, elbowing his brother.
Roone came out of his trance with a start. “Yeah. Just like I told you last night.” He swallowed so hard I heard it. “You, um, can’t leave without Dad seeing you.”
Finally. Something that made sense. “Okay, but I can only stay a minute.”
Chapter Seven
Roone softly exhaled. “Good. Excellent.” He grabbed my wrist and led me to the deck, up all the steps, and through his back door. We walked into their den which was just to the right, where his dad was reading the paper. Thorsen set it aside when he saw us and jumped up. “Everly! What a nice surprise.” His tone said the opposite.
“I forgot to give back your original.” I motioned for Roone to hand it over. He did it without meeting his father’s hard gaze.
“Thank you.”
“Any luck with NASA?”
Thorsen gave me his attention. “Nothing yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.”
I nodded. In the silence that followed I began to feel a little unwelcome—so unwelcome that I wanted only to escape. “I really should go. The roads are getting worse by the second, and I don’t have chains.”
Roone gave me a blank look.
“Some people put them on their tires for traction?”
“Right! Of course. I’ll, um, walk you out.” Neither of us said a word as we left the house and cut a path through the pristine white lawn. Ever the gentleman, Roone opened my door, but his gaze was on the street. “So it’s hard to drive when the roads have a lot of snow on them?”
“Actually, the snow is fine. It’s the ice underneath that’s dangerous.” Abruptly, I shifted gears. “Would you please tell me where you’re from?” It couldn’t be from up north where it snowed more days than it didn’t.
Roone rested his arms on the top of my open door, which was between us. “Nowhere—”
“Near. So you’ve said.” I huffed my exasperation with him. “Can you be more specific? I’d really like to now.”
“I could, but I’d have to—”
“Kill me?” I was starting to get a little peeved. Why all the secrecy? Were they in the witness protection program or something?
“That’s a little drastic. I was thinking of a memory spell to make you forget.”
“Are you telling me you’re a wizard?” After what I’d seen today, I could actually believe that was true.
Roone laughed. “Nah, though that Harry Potter dude is freakin’ awesome. Been reading the books for a couple of weeks. I’m on the last one now.”
“About that game you were playing with your brother…”
He went all tense again. “Yeah?”
“Where’d you get it?”
“I… A friend. His dad is a, um, game developer. Sometimes we test stuff.”
“How long will it be before I can buy one just like it? Cory would totally wig out over something that cool.”
Roone shrugged, his eyes everywhere but on me.
I gave up. “I’m leaving now.”
Roone just looked at me.
“Move, please.”
“You’re pissed.”
“Yes, if you have to know. But I shouldn’t be. It’s not like we’re really dating. You don’t owe me any of the secrets you’re keeping.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. I just can’t.”
“Fine. Now move, please. It’s snowing harder, and I’m getting cold.”
Roone touched his warm hand to my chilly cheek, but only for a second. After a quick glance toward the windows of the house, he stepped around the door and gave me a swift kiss on the forehead. “Thanks for coming by. I’m very glad to see you.”
“Really?” It was hard to believe.
“Yeah, really.”
Click!
I had no problem getting to Roone’s house Monday morning even though there was still snow in the streets. I honked instead of going to the door. He came right out, his backpack dangling from one shoulder. As he approached, I got out of the car. I handed him my keys when he got to me.
He stared at them in obvious horror. “No way. The roads are too bad.”
“If I didn’t think you could do it, I wouldn’t ask you to, okay? No one is more careful with their car than me. The sooner you learn how to drive in this kind of weather, the better off you’ll be. Unless you’re planning on moving to a tropical island, that is.” I laughed, but only until I remembered his dad saying something about them not being in McAlister very long.
Roone didn’t crack a smile.
“You’re not moving, are you?” Suddenly I was assailed with visions of the Thorsens relocating to Huntsville to be closer to NASA and that job dear-old-dad wanted. My sinking heart told me that wouldn’t be a good thing.
“Not anytime soon.”
Was that supposed to reassure me? Pressing the keys into Roone’s unwilling hand, I walked around the back of the car and got in on the passenger side. He stood there for several seconds, staring at them. I finally slid out again and looked over the top of the vehicle.
“You do have a driver’s license, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then get in.”
Roone tossed his backpack onto the rear seat and slid behind the wheel. “I hope you don’t regret this.”
“I won’t.” But I did have a couple of second thoughts on the drive to school since Roone once again negotiated the streets like a blue hair. “Where’d you get your driver’s license? AARP?”
&nbs
p; Deadly serious, he shook his head without taking his eyes off the road. “I’ve never heard of that. What I did was go to the police station. They have this test—”
I started laughing, which cut him off. “I was kidding, okay?”
“Am I a bad driver?”
“Not bad. You’re just very careful for a teenager. How old are you anyway?”
“Eighteen. You?”
“Seventeen for three more weeks.” I turned on the radio, but not too loud since it was classic rock and I had no idea where his tastes fell. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re different?”
“Noooo.”
“Well, you are. In fact, you’re a complete unknown to me.”
“Is that bad?”
“No. I actually like it. A lot, in fact. Until you, every high school boy I ever knew except Sid and Gavin came in one flavor—idiot. You’re more layered, or maybe you’re a twist. Anyway, you constantly surprise me, and I’m really liking it.”
Roone spared me a brief grin. “I like you a lot, too.”
As usual, we parted ways at the door of my first class. That started the routine we’d set up the week before with one minor change. I didn’t fight him over my backpack anymore. I mean, he clearly had enough muscles to easily handle two. But I always took it away from him when we got where we were going since it would be ridiculous for him to have to keep up with both all day and, believe me, he’d have done it.
During third period graphic arts, the principal brought a new guy to class. Our teacher introduced him as Teo Liu. As tall as Roone if not taller, he had way less bulk and long dark hair that he’d pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. I realized he also had decidedly Asian eyes. I think every girl in the room perked up except me. What I did was breathe a silent sigh of relief that the unwanted attention Roone had been receiving just might end. Why? Because Teo was the most exotic teen male I’d ever laid eyes on.
And it wasn’t just his good looks. He had an air of confidence that no new kid on the block should have, as in no worries about not knowing anyone. His jeans and plain white T-shirt, which were really nothing special, looked fantastic paired with his black leather jacket. I easily imagined him on a GQ cover, striding down a Paris runway, or singing lead at a rock concert with screaming girls in the audience.
As it turned out, I had fourth period English with him, too. Teo walked into the portable building with as much strut as before and mere seconds before the bell rang. From my seat near the wall opposite to Roone’s, I waited to see what my un-boyfriend thought of the new guy. Nothing could’ve prepared me for his reaction.
He sat straight up in his chair, hazel eyes wide with what could only be shock. I could’ve sworn he stopped breathing. Did they know each other? It almost seemed like it, but if so, they couldn’t have been friends. Roone’s body language told me that. Enemies, then? I looked back and forth between them, trying to figure things out. That meant I didn’t miss Teo’s response when his gaze pounced on Roone. He didn’t seem shocked at all. In fact, his lips spread in an insolent smile.
My blood ran cold and for no real reason but my guy’s negative reaction. My guy? Well, not exactly. But if the fierce protectiveness consuming me was any indication, he might as well be. No one, especially Teo, was going to bother Roone Thorsen, at least not while I lived and breathed.
My mind going crazy with what-ifs, I barely heard anything Mrs. Collins said as she picked up where she left off talking about Romantic Period poets. As for Roone, he kept his eye on the clock mounted over the whiteboard. My gaze automatically shifted to it, too. I could imagine him counting off the minutes until the bell that would send us to second lunch, when seniors ate. Did I plan to find out what the heck was going on? Of course. And I could only hope it wasn’t another secret he couldn’t share.
Mrs. Collins droned on and on. The seconds ticked by.
“Out! Everyone out!”
Me and the other occupants of the room jumped and then swiveled to stare at Roone, who’d clearly lost his mind. Standing and frantically motioning toward the classroom’s only exit, he tried to spur us out of our dazes.
“Up! Hurry!”
Seeing the stark fear on his face, I deliberately leapt to my feet, too, and at the top of my lungs yelled, “Move it now!”
That started a stampede of screaming students that rushed the door, none with a clue why. Mrs. Collins stood glued to the floor stammering protests until only we three were left indoors. Roone, just behind me, quickly manhandled her through the doorway. Not a nanosecond after the three of us stumbled outside, a school bus smashed into the flimsy metal building, completely flattening three-quarters of it.
Every single student gaped at what used to be our classroom but was now a tangle of metal with a school bus on top of it. The silence was deafening. Only when the back door of the bus opened and a male driver stumbled out did everyone come to life again.
Screams. Gasps. Hysterical laughter. All of us babbling at once. Several guys ran forward to help the poor man. I turned to Roone, who was breathing as hard as a marathon runner, his eyes a little wild. I touched his cheek. Our gazes locked. He threw his arms around me in the hardest hug I’d ever gotten in my entire life from anyone. “You’re okay.”
I had to tip my head back to breathe. “Thanks to you.” His shirt muffled my reply a little.
Suddenly we were surrounded by noisy teens, each and every one of them ready with high fives, slaps on the back, and exuberant embraces. Even Mrs. Collins got into the act, giving Roone a big hug that thoroughly embarrassed him if his pink cheeks were anything to go by. As for that bus driver, he staggered a little. Though I’d naturally assumed he’d been hurt, he wasn’t bleeding as far as I could tell, so maybe he was all right. Those buses were tough as tanks.
Principal Morris and most of his office staff came running, clearly horrified. I saw other teachers and even some students spilling from nearby classrooms, all rules apparently forgotten for the moment. In the distance, I heard the wail of a siren. We all waited while Mr. Morris squatted and checked out the bus driver, who was now seated on the ground. When the school nurse knelt beside them, Morris stood and went to Mrs. Collins, who began talking excitedly and gesturing. I saw him glance over at Roone several times and knew she’d told him who’d saved us.
The siren got louder and louder until we saw a county patrol car wheel into the lot. First on the scene? Deputy Ethan Sayers. He bolted from his vehicle and came at a run, a dedicated law enforcer determined to make things right if he could. I saw he had his radio receiver in his hand and was talking nonstop into it. Did he have a clue I was involved? Couldn’t have, and since I was okay, I didn’t distract him from what he had to do.
Dad went straight to the principal to get the scoop. By then we could hear other sirens. A fire truck. An ambulance. I could always tell the difference. Daughter of a deputy, here. I saw my dad glance around, obviously looking for the hero of the day, while he asked if any students were hurt. He didn’t see Roone or even me, and I chose not to wave. In no time the place was crawling with rescue professionals. In the distance a bell rang, signaling first lunch, which started twenty minutes before second.
“All you seniors go eat now,” yelled Mr. Morris, pointing toward the cafeteria. “Everything is under control here. I’ll make an announcement later about other classes usually held in this building.”
Only then did my dad notice me. His jaw dropped. “Everly!” As he put two and two together, his face drained of color. Suddenly I was engulfed in another hug. “My God. Are you all right?”
“Fine. Roone saved us.”
“So I heard.” Now Roone got a hug. For several seconds they simply looked each other in the eye. Then my father cleared his throat rather awkwardly and patted Roone’s back. “I may need to talk to you later.”
“Sure.” Roone didn’t seem thrilled at the prospect.
With a nod, Dad moved on.
“Let’s get out of here.” Roone gr
abbed my arm, clearly intent on leaving.
“But my backpack, and my purse…”
He eyed the wreckage of our classroom. “I don’t think you’re going to get either of them back today.”
“I don’t have lunch money.”
“I do.”
The cafeteria was buzzing by the time we got there. Several other students who’d been involved had apparently already told their stories. Boy, did we get some looks. Roone hung back, a reluctant hero to the nth degree, until new guy Teo stood up and began to applaud loudly and deliberately. Naturally, everyone else did, too.
There was no escaping now. My un-boyfriend stopped in his tracks, staring at them all in horror.
“Smile and wave to everyone,” I whispered through a fake smile.
Roone did.
“Now turn around, go out that door, and wait for me on the bench under the biggest oak tree.”
He did that, too, but only after slapping a ten-dollar bill into my hand. I made my way to the salad bar since I’d seen him eat one in the past and filled two paper bowls with fresh spinach, veggies, croutons and cheese. When I tried to pay, the woman at checkout wouldn’t take it. “My son Jeff told me your boyfriend just saved his life. So I’m buying today.” She took four dollars out of her pocket, showed the bills to me, and then stuck them in the cash box.
I thanked her and headed outdoors, where I joined Roone on the bench. He was watching some maintenance men find a way into what was left of our building, perhaps to get our stuff. Four city cops had arrived, but the ambulance was gone.
I told Roone who’d bought our meal as I handed him his food and money. “If I asked how you knew that bus was coming for us, would you tell me?”
“Everly, I—”
“Never mind.” Trying not to be hurt that he still didn’t trust me, I deliberately changed the subject completely. “What does the Thorsen family do for Christmas?”
“That I can tell you. We get a tree and decorate it. And we get presents that we open Christmas night.”
“You wait that long? My little brother would never make it if we did that.”
“Eve. I meant Christmas Eve. For dinner we have traditional American food.”
