AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cal raises his shoulders and hands in a gesture of helpless innocence.
“I really feel that the important thing is that those kittens weren’t murdered, don’t you?”
“Not really, no!”
“So you’re saying that you are completely innocent? One hundred percent? You didn’t happen to be in the hallway, trying to break into the seniors’ trophy case to replace the awards with, shall we say, a totally unreasonable facsimile?”
“That is totally not the point,” Irving grumbles.
“You were going to get away with that,” Cal offers reasonably. “If they hadn’t coincidentally run into you, you would not have been caught. So you got in trouble for a different crime, but it is still justice of a sort, isn’t it?”
“Opal? What are your thoughts?” Irving stares at me accusingly. “You are part of this too. Which one of us is right?”
I take a sharp breath, one that sends twinges of pain-bliss through my nethers, reminding me of where we had just been. Part of this? Who, me?
“Yeah,” Cal repeats softly. “You’re a part of this. You can weigh in on who is right, and who is Irving?”
I raise my hands innocently. “Count me out of this one, you two,” I object. “I’m happy to judge things that are more current, but I can’t really weigh in on high school hijinks, can I?”
“Sounds like someone has a guilty conscience,” Irving observes wryly.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I sniff.
“Oh, don’t forget, I can read you like a book,” Cal grins. “What wereyoulike in high school, Opal? Sugar and spice? Everything nice?”
“Me? Ummmmmmmm, yeah. Sure, everything nice.”
“I think we are going to need corroborating witnesses,” Irving chuckles.
“Well, you have seen my college transcript,” I counter. “Anything on there to suggest I was anything less than the perfect student?”
Irving scowls thoughtfully. “Actually, nothing that I can recall. But perhaps you were just exceptionally good at covering your tracks like my brother, here.”
“Nope, I just followed my mother’s advice. The best way not to get into trouble is not to be there when it happens.”
Cal raises his eyebrows. “That’s pretty excellent guidance. Other than the part where that’s also when all the good stuff happens too.”
“Yeah, I think that only applies if you are really intent on staying out of trouble.”
“I was,” I shrug. “I promised my parents I would graduate college, and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. So it was all straight and narrow for little old Opal!”
Irving narrows his eyes. “All straight and narrow?”
“Certainly straighter and narrower than either of you?”
Cal laughs into his wine glass.
“She’s got us there, Irving.”
“I barely made it, too,” I mutter, practically to myself.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh you know…” I continue offhandedly. “Money was tight, and I was always on the verge of getting booted out for being late on my tuition payments. Tabby used to say my good grades were the result of 40 percent smarts and 60 percent straight-up guilt.”
“Guilt?” Cal muses. “Does that work?”
“Well, when both your parents gave you the same dying wish—to graduate college—let’s just say failure isn’t an option.”
