“You know how scatterbrained Laina is,” I say. “She probably started talking and lost track of time. I’m pretty sure Shane has a cell phone, so if they had some kind of car trouble, you know she’d call. And I haven’t heard anything from her.”
Jarod scowls. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“What?”
He looks at me and raises one eyebrow.
I shake my head. “No way.”
“Crawford is really good at getting what he wants. And he wants Laina.”
“He has a girlfriend, remember? Rachel? Head cheerleader and second most popular girl in the senior class?”
“Yeah, like that’s going to stop him.”
“It would stop Laina.”
“Yeah, but Crawford’s devious. He’ll try something, and she won’t even know it’s coming. I should never have let her go. I can’t protect her if I’m not there.”
“Okay, that’s it.” I jump up and grab my coat from the front hall closet, and then I grab Jarod’s hand to pull him outside. “Let’s go.”
He hesitates. “Do you really think we should? I don’t want her to think I don’t trust her.”
“No, you moron.” I shiver and wrap my fuzzy pink scarf around my neck. “We’re not looking for Laina. She’s a big girl, and she can take care of herself.”
“But what if …”
“No.” I walk to Jarod’s car and wait for him to unlock the door. Laina may be semi-clueless when it comes to real life, but she’s not stupid. “We’re not sitting around here while you imagine all kinds of worst-case scenarios. Before you do something dumb and totally ruin your friendship, we’re going to a movie. Something with plenty of action and shooting and not a hint of romance.”
Jarod opens the door for me. “Yeah. She’ll call when she gets home, right?”
I shake my head and hold out my hand. “Give me your phone. You can’t come running the second she calls. You have to give her a chance to miss you.”
He reluctantly hands over his phone, and I silence it before slipping it into my purse. “Trust me, we’ll have fun.”
“I guess so.” Jarod shrugs and turns on the car. “Maybe we can see Superheroes in Space?”
“Perfect.”
I insist that we go to the Cinema Twelve Theater on the other side of town, because everyone always goes to the Super Seven at the mall. There won’t be any Laina-related memories associated with The Twelve. Besides, it’s far enough from our house that I should have plenty of time to work my magic. After a twenty-minute drive and my very best attempts to distract him, Jarod is actually smiling by the time he buys our tickets.
I claim the perfect seats, right in the center of the fourteenth row, while Jarod waits in the concessions line to buy popcorn and Junior Mints. As soon as I sit down, I slip his phone out of my purse and check for missed calls. Sure enough, there’s a call from our home phone number that came in less than five minutes ago.
Jarod’s password isn’t hard to guess. Of course he would choose Laina’s birthdate. I glance over my shoulder to make sure Jarod isn’t sneaking up behind me as I listen to the voicemail.
“Jarod, I’m not feeling well. Can we study tomorrow night instead?” Laina sniffles in her my-life-is-falling-apart-and-I-need-you-to-rescue-me voice. Which probably means that she’s realized once again how stupid it is to harbor a smoldering crush on someone else’s boyfriend. She obviously wants her best friend to remind her that she’s beautiful and perfect and to tell her she deserves better than a guy like Shane Crawford. And the second Jarod hears this message, he’ll go running straight to her rescue.
But I worked too hard to put a smile back on his face.
I delete the voicemail and erase our phone number from the missed calls list, and then slip the phone back into my purse seconds before Jarod finds me in the semi-darkened theater.
Jarod hands me a soda and a giant bucket of popcorn as he slides into the seat beside me. “Did I miss any good previews?” He tears open a box of Junior Mints and dumps them on top of the popcorn, giving the tub a little shake to mix it together.
I nod and grab a handful of the salty-and-sweet popcorn mix. “Oh yeah. There was this one about a dancing candy box and his love affair with a giant cup of soda. Totally a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. I didn’t catch the name of the movie, but we should definitely plan to see that one next time. I think it was called ‘Visit our Concession Stand’ or something.”
Jarod laughs. “Only if they play it in 3-D with smell-o-vision technology.”
“Oh, look. It’s playing now.” I toss a handful of popcorn at him, and instead of ducking, he opens his mouth.
“Yum! Best movie of the season. Two thumbs up.”
The lady behind us kicks my seat and clears her throat loudly as the opening credits play. I lean over to whisper in Jarod’s ear. “I guess she doesn’t agree with your review of the feature. She must not be a big fan of foodie films.”
Jarod laughs and angry lady shushes us again. I bury my face in Jarod’s shoulder to stifle a giggle. He squeezes my hand and grins at me.
When he releases my hand, he doesn’t pull away completely, and for the rest of the movie, whenever I shift in my seat, our fingers brush against each other. I’m afraid he’ll hear my heart pounding, even over the sound of the exploding planets and laser blasts as the Superheroes in Space battle the evil forces of C.O.D.E. (the Confederation of Dastardly Evil).
When the movie is over, I excuse myself while the closing credits roll and race to the bathroom to check Jarod’s phone again. There’s only one missed call.
From Shane Crawford.
I check the messages, but there are none. Shane had to know that Jarod won’t call him back without a really good reason. I hesitate briefly, wondering why Shane would call Jarod at all. It might be an innocent question about the school play that only Jarod could answer, but Jarod might think that the call was from Laina, and I’m not about to let one phone call ruin all my hard work.
Delete.
Jarod is waiting for me when I emerge from the bathroom, so I smile and reapply my carefully constructed carefree attitude. “Did I miss anything funny at the end of the closing credits?”
“Just cranky lady storming out of the theater in a huff when I asked her if her movie-going experience was a pleasant one.”
I laugh. “I wish I’d been there to see the look on her face!” I loop my arm through his and pull him out of the theater. “See? I told you this was a good idea.” Jarod doesn’t ask for his phone, and I’m careful not to mention my sister’s name. He doesn’t need any reminders.
Jarod unlocks and opens the door for me. When he smiles, I have to remind myself that this is not a date, only two friends hanging out on a random afternoon.
But that’s a start.
“I’m not really ready to go home yet,” Jarod says as he slips behind the wheel. “Want to go out for ice cream or something?”
I watch the snow swirling around the parking lot and shiver. This is totally not ice cream weather, and I know he’s only suggesting it because he and Laina have this crazy tradition about eating ice cream when it’s really cold outside. Laina says ice cream in warm weather is too cliché.
“I could go for something sweet,” I say, “but how about a piece of warm apple pie at Mona’s instead? Or we could go to Eileen’s Cookies and see if they have any that are fresh out of the oven.”
Jarod starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. “I know the perfect place. You don’t mind taking a little drive with me, do you?”
I shake my head. He grins and my stomach flips. I don’t know how Laina can possibly stand to spend so much time in close proximity to that smile and not fall completely head-over-heels in love with him. Sure, Shane is totally charming, and he has that sexy, gravelly voice that makes everyone swoon, but he’s nothing compared to Jarod.
We pull onto the highway and head south, away from town. Jarod cranks up the heater and the radio, and I le
an back in my seat to watch the snow silently rushing by outside.
“Where are we going?” I ask half an hour later, as we drive past the last sign of civilization and into the nothingness of a Wyoming interstate highway. The sun sets behind the mountains, and the only light for miles is the light coming from our headlights. There aren’t even any other cars on the road. “Is this some elaborate scheme to get me alone so you can take advantage of my innocence?”
“Of course it is,” Jarod says with a smirk. “That’s the kind of guy I am.”
“And what kind of a girl do you think I am?” I can’t suppress a grin, so my attempt at a serious, scolding voice is totally lost.
“Well, you know, I was hoping …” By the dim light of the instrument panel, I see Jarod wiggling his eyebrows, and he gives me a look that might be a feeble attempt at “seductive,” but he can’t keep a straight face either, and he ends up laughing instead.
My heart thumps, and I clasp my hands in my lap so I won’t reach for him. We’re only joking, but he’s never looked at me this way before. Suddenly, I don’t feel like Laina’s awkward little sister anymore.
“Is this because I didn’t model that black, lace thingamawhatsit for you last weekend?” I tilt my head slightly and look at him thoughtfully. “You’ve been fantasizing about it ever since, haven’t you? And now you think you can lure me out here to the middle of nowhere under false pretenses and the promise of a sumptuous dessert, so you can have your way with me.”
Jarod inhales sharply and gives me a look I can’t quite interpret before he chuckles. “You figured it out. I guess you’re too smart for me. I’ve been fantasizing about ravaging you ever since we got interrupted last Saturday. You’re all I can think about. You fill my every thought. You are my one and only desire.”
For a moment, I forget that he’s kidding around. I hold my breath, waiting for him to reach for me, wondering if I should make the first move.
“Well, you and these incredible hot fudge brownie sundaes, of course.” Jarod pulls off the interstate and into the completely empty parking lot of a run-down hole-in-the-wall truck stop with a broken neon sign flashing “Yes, we’re open” in the window. Except, every other letter is burned out, so it really says “Ys er pe.”
It’s not exactly a romantic destination. More like a hangout for serial killers. But I can’t imagine Laina ever willingly eating here, which means I’m not sharing the experience with her memory.
“Are you sure?” I clutch my seatbelt and sink into my seat. “It’s a little … scary, isn’t it?”
Jarod squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” He jumps out and rushes around to my side of the car to open the door for me. “Trust me. You’ll love it.” He pulls me from the car, and I hold his hand tightly as we walk through the snow to the run-down diner.
A rusty cowbell on a string clangs to announce our arrival as we walk in, and I blink in the slightly-too-bright florescent light. I take a deep breath, savoring the aroma of greasy fries and chili, mixed with warm apple pie. With the cracked red vinyl booths and chipped Formica tabletops, combined with the soft strains of “Help me, Rhonda” playing in the background, I feel like I’ve stepped through a time warp to the fifties. I feel like I should be wearing a poodle skirt and a ponytail.
Jarod smiles and waves at the waitress. “Hey, Amy! Can I get the usual? And one for my girl here, too.” He winks at me. “She’s a first-timer, so let’s make it extra special, okay?”
Amy, a slender brunette with a mischievous twinkle in her brown eyes that matches the glint in Jarod’s, laughs and ducks behind the counter. “Anything for my favorite guy,” she says. “Sit anywhere you want, and I’ll have that right out for you.”
Jarod doesn’t let go of my hand until we’re sitting on the cushioned seat of a corner booth. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”
I slide closer to Jarod and shiver slightly. “Well, not yet, but I reserve the right to jump into your lap and cower in terror if Amy suddenly morphs into a flesh-eating creature from another planet.”
“My lap is ready and waiting for you whenever you need it,” Jarod says. “As long as you don’t try to take my ice cream, we’ll be fine.”
Amy appears and sets two gigantic dessert dishes on the table. A brownie nearly as big as a dinner plate is piled with a mountain of cookies ‘n cream ice cream and drenched with hot fudge, then topped with whipped cream, nuts, and a maraschino cherry. It’s the kind of dessert usually advertised as a “sundae for two.” Laina would have a heart attack at the thought of eating even a quarter of this monster sundae. I love that Jarod doesn’t even bat an eyelash when I polish off the whole thing before stealing a few bites from his dish.
“Here, I saved this part for you,” he says, scooping up a small pile of candied pecans and whipped cream. I open my mouth and he feeds them to me, and then he traces my lower lip with his thumb. “You had a little bit of whipped cream right there.”
If it was anyone else, I’d definitely say he was flirting with me, but my guy-reading abilities get totally scrambled when Jarod is involved. I pull away and scoop up the last bite of his brownie to give my mouth something to do.
Jarod doesn’t like nuts, so of course he would let me eat them. And he wouldn’t want me to walk around all night with a glob of whipped cream stuck to my lip. He’s not flirting. The last time I thought Jarod was hitting on me, he was only working up the nerve to ask for my help with Laina.
I refuse to get my hopes up again.
We chat casually on our way home, discussing favorite ice cream flavors and science according to Superheroes in Space. (Who knew regular humans could breathe normally in the vacuum of space, as long as they were holding hands with a superhero while flying between planets?)
Laina’s name doesn’t pop up even once.
When we pull up in front of my house, I can see that her car is in its usual space, but the house is dark, so I’m guessing she went to bed early. She won’t be sitting around, ready to ask Jarod why he didn’t call her back. And by tomorrow, she’ll be too embarrassed about the call to bring it up, so he’ll never know I messed with his phone.
Jarod walks me to the front door, steadying me when I slip on a patch of black ice. He doesn’t pull away when I’ve regained my balance, and I can feel his heart thumping in rhythm with my own through our heavy coats. I stare up into his soft, green eyes and when he smiles, I can’t help imagining the way his lips would feel against mine.
“Do you want to come inside for a little bit?” I ask, hoping both that he’ll say yes and that he won’t. I want him to want to spend more time with me, but everything I’ve worked for tonight will be ruined if Laina isn’t asleep yet.
Jarod shakes his head. “I’d better get home. I already kept you out past your curfew.”
I glance at my watch. It’s only ten, which would be fine on a weekend, but it’s Tuesday, and my dad has this crazy idea that Laina and I should be ready for bed by eight-thirty on school nights. But Dad’s car isn’t in the driveway, and I don’t see a light in their bedroom window, so Mom and Dad must have gone out.
“I think we’re okay,” I say.
Jarod glances from the door to the driveway and back at me. He’s thinking about it. But then he shakes his head. “I’d better go.” He bites his lower lip. “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I slip my hands around his neck, burying my fingers in his hair. Before I can stop to think about what I’m doing, I lean in for a kiss.
Jarod turns away a fraction of a second before our lips meet. “We can’t.”
He glances toward the house, and I close my eyes, cursing my impulsiveness. I’ve totally ruined everything I worked so hard for tonight. But then he touches my cheek and I open my eyes again. He smiles. “We shouldn’t,” he says, and brushes his lips against mine, so quickly I almost don’t feel it.
He traces the contours of my lips and my cheek with his thumb. “You’re so beautiful.” He catches my lower lip bet
ween his teeth, and his tongue traces my upper lip.
I let out an involuntary moan, and he pulls me close, the kiss deepening. His lips move across my cheek to my neck, and he nibbles playfully as he pushes me up against the front door, his body tight against mine. I run my fingers through his hair and take a gasping breath as I recapture his lips.
After an eternity, we break apart and Jarod takes a staggering step back. “Wow,” he says. “That was … wow.”
“Yeah.” I press my hand to my chest to still my racing heart, waiting for him to kiss me again. When I can’t stand it anymore, I take a step closer and he reaches out to caress my cheek, but then headlights wash over us as Dad’s car pulls into the driveway.
Jarod stumbles down the porch steps and races across the street to his car. He unlocks the door, then stops and turns back toward me. I raise my hand to my lips to blow him a kiss, and I freeze that way when he calls, “Good night, Laina! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
I stagger into the house and down the hall to my bedroom, where I lock the door and crawl into bed without even undressing. I ignore the knock when Mom and Dad come to say goodnight, and I bury my face in my pillow so that no one can hear my sobs.
Laina mopes around the house for the next week. Other than school, which she wouldn’t miss even if she was legitimately dying, because it might damage her perfect GPA, Laina refuses to go anywhere or talk to anyone. She spends most of her time curled up in bed, scribbling furiously in her diary. She won’t talk to Kendra. She even stops trying to micromanage my life.
I haven’t seen Laina this depressed since the State Marching Band Tournament last year, when she tripped on the stairs and tore her uniform right before we had to perform. She blamed herself for ruining the formation and killing our chance to win the trophy, even though everyone knew we only lost because that jerk, Anthony, totally bailed and left a gaping hole in the line.
Twleve Steps Page 4
