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She laughed lightly, “Boys are so confusing.”

“Right?”

The rest of lunch we discussed the pros and cons of dating Peter. The list was evenly matched, much to my surprise. For the first time, I considered what it would be like to spend actual time with him, time that counted. The thought didn’t repulse me as much as I assumed it would.

Boy, was I fickle or what?

Peter shared most of my class schedule so although I didn’t see him at lunch, I saw him right after in chemistry. He sauntered in, making jokes with his buddies. Funny, but I never noticed before how the guys followed him or how they seemed to admire his ability to control a room when he entered it. I always thought of him as a follower, but now I saw he was actually the leader of their little trio. Beckett and Shane seemed to follow the other three most of the time.

This was weird. How did a simple kiss make me see him so differently?

Peter’s eyes sought me out almost immediately and he winked. Great. Was he going to make a scene? “Hi Rae,” he took his normal seat next to mine.

“Hi,” I responded, then turned my back to him on purpose, to talk to Hayley.

I felt an arm drape across the back of my seat. What was he doing?

Hayley giggled, “Um Rae,” I didn’t dare turn around. “Peter wants you.”

She could hardly hide her laugh but did so behind a strained cough. I narrowed my eyes at her. Slowly I turned around, meeting Peter’s confident grin. Did he think we were a couple now or something?

“What do you want Peter?” I asked, wary of his agenda.

“Rae,” he pretended innocence, “I’m just saying hello. Calm down.”

Oh, he was so irritating. I frowned. What did I get myself into now?

The chemistry lecture started and I had a reason to ignore him, as difficult as it proved to be. He paid no attention to the teacher, his eyes darting to my face often. The more he stared, the angrier I became. By the end of the day, I was ready to rescind my offer to give him a chance.

“Rae,” I heard a roar – the pretty purr – of Peter’s olive-green Nova. “Hop in. I’ll give you a ride.”

I shook my head, unable to speak in my frustration.

“Please, Rae?”

I started walking faster and turned the corner. Avoiding him proved impossible. He followed me until I walked up my driveway, which was sweet if I hadn’t been so aggravated with him.

“Bye Rae!”

Ridiculous headstrong boy. I refused to answer him and let myself in the front door, resisting the urg

e to glance back over my shoulder.

Chapter 4

The house was quiet and empty, as usual. Mom wouldn’t be off work until five. My glorious stepdad – insert heavy sarcasm here – would be home late as usual. Not until after seven. I had the house to myself for a couple of hours until mom came in the door with my little sister, Leah, around six.

I tossed my backpack in my room and flopped down on my cherry striped bedspread. A gentle rumble filled the air as my cat Felix, a Calico, wrapped his furry body around my legs.

“Hi Fee, Fee,” I greeted him, picking his fat body up and nuzzling him against my cheek. “Did you have a good day?”

He purred loudly in response, “I had an interesting one too. You boys are so exasperating.”

I set him down and headed downstairs, sliding the glass door shut behind me. This was my favorite spot, my big backyard. As a child, when my dad was still alive, he built a huge wooden treehouse in the large California redwood trees that bordered our property. Even now I still go there in the afternoons, surrounded by my magazines and favorite drawings from childhood. It was a happy place. Serene and innocent. Memories of my father and his gentle kindness seeped into the wood and took over. It was an unspoken rule that no one followed me here. Not even my mother, or especially her new husband.

I climbed up the wooden boards toward the top and opened the trap door. Slipping inside, I shut it with a small click. Inhaling, it was almost as if my father’s essence lived in this room and for just a moment I could still see his smiling face and smell his aftershave. Maybe that was why I came here, each day was a couple of seconds of nostalgic memory, and I clung to those precious fleeting moments like a lifeline.

Spreading a blanket on the floor, I leaned back and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, inserted the earbuds, cranked Halestorm and bobbed my head to Mayhem.

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