The Promise (sneak Peak)

The Promise Prologue – Olivia

Wiping the dust off the black trunk I haven’t opened in over thirty years, I stare at the chasm that contains all of my memories of a time in my life too painful to resurrect until now. Afraid if I open the chest, I’ll feel Tony slipping through my fingers again, the pain becomes unbearable as it forms a tight knot in my chest. I suck in a deep, ragged breath. With shaky fingers, I pull the brass latch off. The second I open the lid there will be no turning back. My past will seep through the cracks and every skeleton in the closet will come back to haunt me. Am I ready to battle my demons or is this a mistake coming up here? Rolling in my bottom lip, I remain on my knees beside Matt. Glancing around the attic, I see Matt’s blue Schwinn bicycle leaning against the wall. The day he learned how to ride a two-wheeler was a massive achievement. Fondly, I recall the smile on his face when Tony released his hand and sent him coasting down the grassy hill by himself. He took off pedaling as fast as he could go, receiving an approving nod from his father. My eyes travel to another wall where I find Nick’s first catcher’s mitt and baseball. Inhaling, I close my eyes and can see the gleam in his eyes as he ran after the ball when Tony taught him how to catch. Nick had a powerful arm on him and would hurl the ball over his shoulder and spend a good hour playing with his father in the back yard while I prepared dinner. Life was perfect back then. I had everything I wanted. A man I was head over heals in love with and two beautiful boys who at one time sought comfort in my arms. Now, four walls of solitude surround me. The laughter died years ago. The smiles morphed into looks of fear. Clenching a tight fist, I beat my knee. I’m no happier now than I was when I first stepped on the emotional rollercoaster thirty-three years ago. I have to break free not only for myself but for Matt, Nick, and even Tony. As we speak, my second-born is with his father, most likely hearing his version of the flip side of the same coin. Matt notices my scrutiny as I take out a shoebox and unwrap the white tissue paper. “I’m proud of you.” Placing a steady hand against the center of my back, he weakly smiles. “Remember, no matter what you’ve done in the past, I won’t hold any of it against you.” I can’t lose sight of the present, but it is linked to three decades of mistakes I’ve made. Drawing air into my lungs, I remove an old pair of pink ballerina slippers. “My dream,” I whisper, hugging the shoes against my chest. Praying to a higher being, I hope what I’m about to say doesn’t ruin any chance I have to redeem myself. For the first time since Matt was a young boy, he is willing to start over and have a relationship with me. Digging deeper, I pirate a snow globe and shake it. Purple glitter falls around a pair of ballet shoes like the ones on my lap. Winding it up, I listen to a song I haven’t heard in years. Once Upon A Dream. Tony had given this to me after I received my acceptance letter from Julliard.

As if I can feel his arms around me again, I feel like that seventeen-year old girl for a brief moment, dancing on a bridge that overlooked a waterfall as I sang him the classic ballad. It is time to reconnect with her. Taking Matt’s hand, I faintly smile. “Once upon a dream it is the summer of nineteenseventy-six…”

Olivia

A gentle summer breeze blew through the white lace curtains as blue jays communed to each other in the dogwood tree outside my bedroom window. It was the birth of a new day in the quiet neighborhood nestled in Sparks, Maryland. I slowly opened my eyes and stretched. I loved mornings like these when the sun danced across the sky, the air smelled like crisp, clean laundry hanging on the clothesline, and the water at Gunpowder Falls was just warm enough to dip my toes in. My ten-year old sister, Katy was asleep in the other twin bed across from me. With one arm flopped across her forehead, I saw her left leg dangling over the mattress. How that girl slept in such oddball positions boggled my mind. I’d wake up stiff as a board. Tiptoeing out of the room, I snuck down the hallway and darted into the bathroom. The hardwood floor creaked beneath my feet as I swiftly trotted past my mama’s bedroom. It was Saturday, but this day in particular held special meaning for me. In a couple hours, I was off to dance class to choreograph my classic ballet routine I’d perform in front of Julliard instructors for my audition in September. My role model was Mikhail Baryshnikov who was innovative for his use of distinctly modern movements melded with the use of pointe shoes and classical ballet. With a gigantic leap on stage, I’d make my daddy proud. Like any typical teenage girl, I wasn’t happy with my appearance. My hair wasn’t platinum blonde like the Barbie dolls Katie played with and I didn’t have the electric blue eyes that hooked a boy’s attention from across a classroom. Gripping the sink with my right hand, I leaned over, swinging my left leg behind me. Grasping my ankle, I arched my spine and stretched. An idea stole through my mind. Killing the light, I ran downstairs and burst out the back door. My brown hair caught the breeze and blew off my shoulders as I galloped through the yard like a wild filly with nothing holding me back. The sleeveless white cotton nightgown hung midway down my calves and was practically see-through, but it wasn’t as if anyone was outside during this hour of the morning. There was a stream in the woods behind my house where I loved to spend my days, sitting on the rock and listening to the water gurgle as it trickled into the Gunpowder River. It became my refuge and safe haven, untouched by man and mine to come to when I wanted to commune silently with my daddy. I felt his presence with me wherever I went. The tall grass tickled my feet as I approached the stream with the sun heating my face. In an hour, Laura Lee would awaken and whip out her list of chores for me to do, but until then I was free. A smile rested on my lips. A doe and its fawn drank the cold water and didn’t spook as I drew near. Even the wildlife wasn’t frightened of me. Exuding a calmness uncanny for a seventeen-year old, I set myself aside from my peers. Guess you could say I wasn’t boy crazy. There was only one guy who captivated me, but he most likely didn’t even know my name. Setting aside the normal teenage things like movies, fast cars, and all-things-male, dancing became my passion. You have to remember, I didn’t want to remain enslaved in the provincial ways of my mama. Bunching the nightgown around my waist, I waded into the stream and felt the chilly water rush around my thighs. In seconds, I lost sensation in my toes. It was only mid-June, and the water hadn’t awakened from its winter frost. A school of tadpoles danced across my feet, creating extra ripples around my legs.

The only enemy in my world was something I didn’t understand. Mental illness ran deep in my family, but it was the face of a monster I couldn’t quite make out. My struggling relationship with Laura Lee was one for the record books. Since I was born, I came in second to my schizophrenic aunt, Rosa. It was embarrassing to some extent how Mama developed such a warped sense of responsibility to her sister. I couldn’t recall the last time she and I had more than five minutes of uninterrupted time together. Not that she knew I was two steps away from Julliard. My life didn’t matter unless she needed me to raise my little sister. It was the same mundane routine played daily: chores, take care of Katy, partake in Rosa’s fantasy world, and act as if nothing about it was abnormal. I sat on the rock and pulled my knees against my chest. Nothing about my life was normal. When would Mama open her eyes and be a mother instead of a drill sergeant? Our home became an army barrack. God forbid if something was out of place. Ruler across the knuckles would have felt like a static electricity shock compared to the blows I received. “Olivia!” Laura Lee stood on the back porch with her hands against her face calling for me. Groaning, I rolled my eyes and leaned back. She wore her customary beige dress that reminded me of something an army wife wore. Her style was as unoriginal as her parenting skills. Too bad, she could wait a minute longer. The only times she snapped out of her delusional world and remembered she had a daughter was when there were household chores to be done. Cinderella wanted a day off. Picking up a stick, I wagged it in the air. Nag, nag, nag, then a dramatic sigh with a hand against her chest, and then whine, whine, whine. Conducting Mama’s performances was secondhand nature. I could do this in my sleep. Counting backwards from ten, I watched her take a cigarette to her lips and light it. Five more seconds and… “Where are you, girl?” Precisely, right on cue. Emerging from the woods, I gamboled towards the house with dirt up to my knees and an equally filthy nightgown. Five, four, three, two, one… “Look at you. That scrap of cloth is transparent. For God’s sake, you aren’t a child anymore. Suppose a boy saw you?” Oh no, not a boy. Not the devil in sheep’s clothes that goes around impregnating defenseless women, turning them into enslaved housewives while they moved on to their next victim. It wasn’t long ago when Laura Lee smacked me across the face when I got my period and congratulated me on becoming a woman; a woman who would be soiled by a man’s impure touch. Sex was for the devil. History 101 – this was the 1970’s not the caveman era. “Oh Mama, no one saw me.” I swung my hand out and opened my fingers to show her my peace offering – a baby bullfrog. “Isn’t he cute?” “Good lands!” she shrieked, backing up a few steps. “Put that thing down and go inside. Wash your hands and don’t touch anything. You and those gila monsters.” Mama must not have read the fairytale about the princess and the frog. The screen door clattered behind me as I stepped into the kitchen. Aunt Rosa’s head bobbed as she tried to play the part of a sober woman, but her acting skills were piss-poor. “Morning,” I announced, watching her try to pry her left eye open. “You let her out of the house like that?” Rosa asked over a loud hiccup. Mind you, my aunt didn’t think girls were allowed to be seen in public without a pretty dress with a sash tied neatly in the back. Can’t tell you how many times she threatened to send me to debutant school. Mama started a kettle of water. “Heavens no, she sneaks out and runs off like a wildchild.”

Discreetly slipping out of the kitchen, I ran upstairs to avoid the hourly gab session about how Rosa was destined to marry the Prince of Whales any day now. It didn’t occur to me that he was in dire need of a forty-year old American nutcase. The UK must be extremely desperate. Humming to myself, I peeled the nightgown over my head and tossed it in the blue clothes hamper. Tugging the closet door open, I groaned. None of my outfits had any pizzazz. Heaven forbid I left the house without my white gloves and ballroom dress down to my ankles, and lets not forget the perfect sash tied evenly in the back. Basically, I was a life-size doll Rosa could dress up and prance around for show-and-tell. Fuck it, this was the me generation. I pulled a black and white-checkered sleeveless button down shirt off a wire hanger that perfectly matched the bright red patent leather platform shoes I wanted to break in. As I slid my legs into a pair of black shorts, I admired myself in the full-length mirror. Hell yeah, I had major cleavage. Bring on the boys. “Are you going out?” Katy asked, emerging from a ten-hour slumber. She was my minime, straight down to her innocence. The seven-year age difference between us often made me resent the fact Laura Lee waited so long to conceive again. I was stuck at home changing diapers, preparing bottles of formula, and making sure Katy didn’t interrupt Rosa’s tea parties. “I have dance class this morning.” My dream was months from taking flight. Nothing stood in my way – clear for takeoff. I spun my hair in a tight bun and twirled around in a circle. “This time next year, I will have everything I always wanted.” Katy clutched a tattered brown teddy bear against her chest. “I love to watch you dance.” I sat on the edge of the bed and took her hair in my hands. As I braided it, I leaned closer. “I will send you a train ticket so you can visit me in New York.” Only Katy understood me. One day she’d figure out why I had to break free from the penitentiary. “Olivia, to the steps this instant.” My warden stood at the bottom of the stairwell, striking her nails against the wooden railing. “Rosa and I are going to Martin’s Airport to pick up the French Ambassador. You are to fix Katy breakfast then put in a load of laundry.” Marching into the hallway, I angrily stomped my foot. There was no French Ambassador and Laura Lee damn well knew that. It was one thing to go along with Rosa’s insanity, but to toss her in the car and waste the gas to drive there was over the top. “Mama, I have ballet class this morning and need the car.” “I don’t care. There are more important things besides your stupid dance obsession.” Didn’t surprise me. It wasn’t like Mama ever cared about anything other than her sister. The voices inside Rosa’s head drove her to erratic hallucinations and crazy outbursts. It was only a matter of time before the men in white jackets showed up to haul her to an insane asylum. Follow the yellow brick road, Dorothy. Toto will lead the way. “But you know today Missis Winslet is going to help me choreograph the routine I want to perform for my Julliard audition.” “Like you have a snowball’s chance in hell to get in. Quit wasting your time, Olivia Nicole Carlton. You have as much talent as a flea.” I swallowed and felt myself deflate. Unsure why I let her constantly degrade and control me, I withdraw to my room. Ladies didn’t belong on stage throwing themselves in a man’s arms in a provocative way unless she’s a trampy courtesan. Sex is for the devil. Sign me up. I’d dance for him if it could remove me from this madhouse. Even better, I’d sleep with him and birth the baby devil spawn. With an aggravated moan, I threw myself on the bed. “I hate it here.” Rolling on my side, I beat my fist into the pillow.

Katy sat up. “Want my teddy bear?” I shook my head miserably. “I want to run away and never come back.” A sigh of defeat tore from my throat. Desperate to break free from the padded cell, I wanted to take my life in a new direction. Posters of movie stars adorned most teenage girls’ walls, but not mine. The soft pink walls held photographs of ballerinas. A pair of pink satin ballet shoes were draped over the white lamp sitting on the nightstand separating the twin beds. My dream carried me to far mystical places. Often, I imagined myself on a stage in London with its balconies and terraces surrounding a large theatre. This was my first step in a long road to achieve everything I wanted since I saw the Nutcracker Suite in New York City with my father for my sixth birthday. Since that day, I knew what I was destined to become. Katy tugged on my hand. “Can you fix me pancakes for breakfast?” My eyes blew open. Back to reality. With defeated exertion, I got out of bed and took her downstairs. Walking into a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, I gagged and tore open the kitchen window. Directly ahead was the stream. Our home was once an old farmhouse that my daddy gutted and turned into a two-story rancher. I had fond memories of him, but they were cut short too tragically. Scott Carlton was a colonel in the US Air Force, shot down and killed in Laos during the Vietnam War two years ago. It was as if once he died, he became out of sight, out of mind to Mama. She refused to discuss the war whenever a question arose. I prepared batter for the pancakes as my mind drifted to my earliest childhood memory. Daddy and I were close. He was gone a great deal of the time, but when he returned from combat, he brought me a souvenir from the country he was in and told me background information about the different cultures and lifestyles of the children he encountered. Mama hated this and swore it frightened me, but I was fascinated. World cultures and US history became two of my favorite subjects in school. I took great pride knowing my daddy lived, served, and died for his country. If and when I found a man I wanted to have children with, I hoped he’d be half the man my father was. Katy ran to the screen door and pushed it open when she heard something whimpering. In her hands, she held a tiny black lab pup. “Can we keep him?” she asked in a jubilant voice. At least it wasn’t an amphibian. My eyes shot over my shoulder. The puppy couldn’t have been any older than eight weeks old. “Mama won’t allow it. You know how Aunt Rosa is allergic to pet dander. It might set off the voices inside her head.” I crouched on the ground and whistled for him. There were no identification tags on him or a collar. I bet he came from a house down the street. Stray dogs ran wild around here since everyone assumed there isn’t much traffic in stuck-up horse country. Katy filled a bowl with cold water and sat it on the floor. “He was sitting on the back porch.” Studying the puppy, I didn’t think he looked dehydrated or malnourished. Wherever he came from, he was well taken care of. He rolled on his back and barked. “He is cute,” I admitted, but I had to get him back to his owner before Mama came home. She wasn’t pet-friendly. Katy remained on the floor playing with him while I flipped pancakes on the cast iron griddle. The sweet buttery aroma spiraled through the kitchen. With spatula in midair, I turned to my sister. “While you eat, I’m going to walk down the street and see if anyone is missing their dog.” “Do you have to?” Katy’s voice dropped and a pouty lip emerged. “I want something to love me.” “What did you say?” It hadn’t occurred to me that my little sister felt unwanted too.

In her pale blue nightgown, she tucked her chin against her chest and released the curtain of brown hair to conceal her face. “Mama doesn’t have time for me.” Made two of us. “Your breakfast is ready.” I helped her up and sat the plate at the table with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Tearing a pancake in half, I fed it to the dog. Katy squirted maple syrup and started eating. “Can you turn on cartoons?” The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour was a Saturday morning ritual. I sat at the table, gazing out the screen door. No doubt, my fellow classmates weren’t trapped inside, chained to a lifestyle not fit for a child. It didn’t surprise me why I wasn’t in the cool clique. Girls my age were interested in the dreaded males that cohabited the planet. Boys rarely noticed me unless they wanted to dive their eyes down my shirt. The one thing I had going for me was my figure and a chest that guys gawked at. Well, let me clarify that – most guys except for one. Clearing the dishes, I ran cold water on the griddle and watched steam rise. “Stay here and finish eating,” I told Katy. “I’m going to take the dog for a walk.” Tapping my thigh, I had him follow me out the front door. He walked beside me and stopped to whiz on a nearby tree. I heard deafening music blaring in the distance followed by the loud roar of an engine. Coming up the hill was a candy apple red Mustang convertible. The muscle car slowed down. A tall brunette wearing a pair of Ray-Ban’s peered at me from underneath the shades. A peach silk scarf kept the hair off her face. She snapped her fingers and pointed at the lab. “That’s my dog.” I recognized her immediately. God didn’t create many women who looked like her – Victoria Leyden. She graduated high school two years ago and attended Dartmouth. Every boy in school chased her as if she were the forbidden apple hanging from Eve’s tree. The Leyden’s owned a huge house on Belfast Road, complete with roaming acres of farmland and million-dollar-winning thoroughbreds. “He should have a license on him,” I said, handing the puppy over the door. Victoria revved the engine. “I’m sorry, did you say something?” She flashed a perfect set of teeth then sped off. Rude, but no one in that family were known for their manners. Her little brother was no exception. He was my age and in several of my classes. When we were in elementary school, he use to throw spit wads at me and even went as far as putting gum in my hair to catch my attention. I think he lived to torture me, but once we hit middle school, he developed a taste for something blonder. I returned home and hustled Katy upstairs to get her dressed before Mama and Rosa came home. Some days I felt as if I was the girl’s mom. Instead of spending my summer at Beaver Dam Swim Club, I was stuck inside taking care of a child. As I ran a brush through her hair, I thought about how different next year would be. I wouldn’t have any family burdens tying me down. “Teach me how to dance like you.” Katy turned her head and offered me a smile. “I want my hair like yours too.” Taking her hair, I spun it in a bun and fastened a pretty pink ribbon around it. “All that’s missing is a leotard and tutu.” I found my old set and gave it to her. Katy changed her clothes and eagerly awaited her first ballet lesson. “I’m ready,” she announced, with both arms swung open. “Let’s go downstairs. We can practice in the living room since it has the hardwood floors.” I ran down the steps and pushed the coffee table against the sofa. With both heels touching, I held my arms in front of my chest and showed Katy first position. “Raise your right leg up, touching your toes to your knee.”

My sister giggled and tried to remain balanced. “This is fun.” “Lower your right leg, go back to first position, and repeat the same thing with your left leg.” In many ways this was like watching my displaced childhood through her eyes. “Slowly bring your leg out to the side and pirouette around.” Just as Katy swung her leg out, I noticed the antique wooden spindle in the corner. I went to move it out of the way when her foot knocked me off balance and kicked me into the spindle. I heard a loud crack as it fell apart, sending a sharp piece into my ribcage. Go figure, Mama chose that moment to walk through the door and found me lying on top the antique. “I can’t leave you alone for an hour without you breaking something.” Such as a rib perhaps? Don’t mind me, I loves sharp, pointy pricks and I didn’t mean men. Hovering over me, she kicked me aside. “Do you have any idea what this thing was worth, you ungrateful child?” Wincing, I glanced at my stomach to make sure the wood didn’t pierce my skin. “I was showing Katy a dance move.” “The spiders made her do it,” Rosa chimed in, perching her hands on her hips. “Kids, always getting into no good trouble. I told you to use the cackle belt on her if you want her behaving properly.” Mama stepped forward and smacked me across the cheek. “You had chores to do. You purposely break things and take my attention away from Rosa. How dare you. How dare you be so selfish.” Prodding me as if I was cattle, she dug her foot into me again. “Go upstairs and change Katy out of that ridiculous clown costume. I won’t have you corrupting her too.” Soundlessly, I ran out and chased my sister to our room. Closing the door, I sunk to the floor. “I’m sorry,” Katy mumbled, her expression dropping. She tore off the tutu and flung it on the bed. I raised my eyes. “It’s not your fault,” I said in a lifeless voice. My head jolted forward when I felt Mama open the door. “Why aren’t the beds made?” She briskly pushed me aside and stood in the middle of the room doing her daily inspection. “Are the spiders asleep?” Rosa cautiously asked, peeking her nose over the doorframe. She flickered cigarette ashes on my rug, annoying me to an immeasurable degree. “Enough with the stupid spiders,” I hissed. “They are in your head. And don’t smoke upstairs. You know I can’t stand the smell.” Mama stiff-armed me. “Don’t speak to your aunt that way. Apologize now.” “This is my room. Can’t she smoke downstairs or outside?” “Kids these days have no respect,” Rosa huffed, the cigarette loosely hanging off her lips. It was no use. My pleas went unheard. Rosa would come first no matter what. “I’m sorry,” I grumbled. “May I take the car now?” Aghast, Mama shook her head. “Absolutely not. You have laundry to do and the kitchen floor needs mopping.” I threw my arms up. “Right, just call me Cinderfuckinrella.” Kicking off my shoes, I threw them in the closet. “What did you say?” Mama grabbed me by the ear. “You need your mouth washed out with pesticide.” “Did she say the F-word?” Rosa jammed her finger in her ear to turn up the hearing aid. “No, the spiders did,” Katy answered.

Score one for the good guys. “If I get done my chores early enough, may I please go to Beaver Dam? I want to apply for a lifeguard position.” Bewildered, Mama went tongue tied and stupid. Girls weren’t supposed to work. It was a man’s job. The rumor mill would really start up and she wasn’t having it. “You can’t get a job this summer. I need you to stay home and watch Katy.” I heard that every summer since my sister was born. “I can take her with me. Please, Mama. This is the summer before my senior year. All the kids hang there.” “No,” she deadpanned. I felt like a child-slave and tore downstairs to grab the mop and bucket from the pantry. As I cleaned the beige linoleum floor, I hummed a song from Cinderella. Dancing around the kitchen, I had the floor cleaned in less than ten minutes. My bare feet swiftly moved into the hallway. Mama and Rosa were playing tea party, leaving me with a few minutes before my next assignment. Racing outside, I ran around the house and cut through the back yard. The real world at play. I watched pink shirt girl hold hands with blue shirt boy. Would that ever be me? I might as well join a convent because at this rate, I’d be the last virgin standing. I reached the creek and dipped my toe in the water. And then I froze when I sensed a pair of eyes watching me. Turning slightly, I saw a tall, dark-haired boy perched on the rock in the middle of the pond. The power of his Pacific blue eyes knocked me off-balance. Tanned from head to toe, he was shirtless and his body was made of solid, hard muscles. Our gazes collided and instantly I felt him throw me into a hypnotic trance. Stupidly, I stared at him in total fascination. Male. The sheer beauty of the opposite sex. He remained stationary and bit into a ripe apple, and as he chewed, I could imagine the juices sliding down his tongue. A partial grin snuck across his lips. He gave me one of those thetaste-of-you-would-do-my-body-better looks, causing my cheeks to blush a dozen shades of red. Women weren’t foreign territory to him. Pitching the core over his shoulder, he wiped his hands and got to work. “Hello.” He spoke first, breaking the silent barrier. His eyes absorbed every subtle move I made. Without hesitation, he laid across the rock and reached a hand to me. Crap, he wasn’t a deaf mute and expected communication out of me. If I touched him, I wouldn’t turn to stone. He was only a boy. The instant our hands touched, something new and strange stirred inside of me. “Thanks,” I said, smiling shyly when I reached the rock he sat on. “I didn’t think anyone was out here.” “I come here to escape,” he simply answered, rocking back on his arms propped behind him. His eyes roamed down my neck and lodged on my cleavage. “Do you need help climbing up?” Gripping the rock, I was beside him in seconds. “Close your jaw. I may be female, but I can climb.” As I glanced at him again, I practically took a tumble backwards when I realized who he was. This was the notorious player and I didn’t mean football. The wild-card that went after anything with a pulse. “You’re Tony Leyden.” The shock in my voice caused him to smirk. “In the flesh.” What in the hell was the varsity quarterback doing alone in the woods behind my house? Last thing I heard was he got involved with Nancy LeBoutillier, a blonde in our grade. She and I were acquaintances and I did listen to her ramble nonstop about what a catch Tony was. Afraid he’d sacrifice me on the rock in broad daylight, I went to slide off. “I should be going.” In a sly move, he hooked his arm through mine. “You just got here.” Swaying into me, he attempted to downshift from badass to good boy. A chameleon changed colors. A leopard changed

spots. And he changed roles when he could get his raging teenage hormones in check. “Are you enjoying your summer so far?” I had to laugh. It was a dumb question, but he wasn’t accustomed to the role of a saint. I’m sure he doesn’t remember the night he ended up on my front porch, drunk off his rocker and declaring I could be his love eternal. It was the same evening he whipped out his pecker and relieved himself in a bush. When I saw him the next morning at the bus stop, he blew me off. Wouldn’t it shock him if I told him he made a total ass out of himself two years ago? “It’s okay.” I jumped out of my skin when he reached for my hand. The boy had a lot of static electricity. “Are you ready for senior year?” And all those college girls he had lined around the block. It was no secret how he slept with several of his sister’s friends. If he had a notch in his headboard for every girl he slept with, he’d be lying in a pile of cinder. He expelled a harsh sigh. “Hardly, but I should get college applications out.” “Any idea what you want to do?” He intrigued me more than anything. It wasn’t every day a boy like he noticed me, much less take a few minutes to speak. It didn’t occur to me that he was already undressing me with his eyes. Squinting, he forced himself not to drag his gaze any further down my shirt. “I’d eventually like to get my medical degree.” He scratched the side of his nose. “I’m in no rush though. Don’t want to think about school until September.” I mutely nodded. “I didn’t think jocks had brains.” Realizing how that must sound to him, I wanted to shoot myself in the foot. “Whoa, I have a few working brain cells.” His chin rested on top my shoulder. And then he twisted his face into my hair and deeply inhaled. Okay, he sniffed me of all things. What the hell? I didn’t know if I should laugh or be horrified. Inching away before his stubble tickled my neck, I blurted, “I didn’t mean to insult you.” “You didn’t,” he reassured me, running his fingertips down my arm. “I sat behind you in English last year.” “You did?” Of course I knew that. He constantly kicked the back of my chair, aggravating me to the point I wanted to turn around and poke him in the eye with my pen. “You were the only one who could answer the sphinx riddle from The Odyssey. I think I got a C on that essay.” The dreaded male Mama warned me about had me shaking each time he touched me. “I’m impressed you remember that.” “You’d be surprised how much I pay attention when I’m interested in something.” Closing the distance between us, he curled his arm around my back. I made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His clear blue eyes were inviting like a mountain lake. “Your interests have nothing to do with me.” He threaded his fingers through mine and raised our arms in the air, staring at our hands clasped together. Leaning back, he brought me down to rest my head against his chest. “I’d like us to spend some time together.” Pausing, he saw my chin raise a fraction. “I mean, if you want to.” Was he crazy? Of course I wanted to. If this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up. “I’d like that.” Curiosity ran through me. He went against everything the Leyden’s represented. I thought they were a stuck-up family that thumbed their noses in the air at people who didn’t measure up. But Tony proved to be different. “I love it back here.” He stared at the sky and watched the clouds soar by. “Why are you in seclusion?” He pointed at a white shingled house, two down from mine. “My grandma lives there. She and I are very close.”

Janet De Luca. She was renown for her homemade chocolate chip cookies. This struck me as odd. Tony was a homeboy. “Olivia!” Mama shouted, her voice bouncing off every tree. “Get in here, girl.” Back to the dungeon. Changing of the guards as I called it, but I couldn’t possibly explain this to Tony. I sat up and moaned. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” “Come back here tonight.” It was as though he sensed I didn’t want to leave his side. “Olivia,” he said in a smooth, velvet tone, “I really hope you come back.” I should have avoided him entirely after the way he speed dated his way through each grade in our school and then hit the local college campuses when he got bored with his vast assortment of high school girls. I was well aware my league and his league were poles apart. So I shouldn’t be anxious to return tonight and discover he said it on a whim and had no intention of showing up. With a quick smile, I set across the stream, not giving Tony Leyden a second glance even though his face was forever burned in my subconscious.

Tony

I threw down a quick bowl of Frosted Flakes and drank from the carton of orange juice I found sitting on the kitchen table. If I had to be honest with myself, seeing Olivia Carlton this morning jarred me from my self-indulging universe and dropped me in a heap of confusion. She’s the only girl at Hereford High that spent the past three years avoiding me. I’ve done everything remotely possible to get her attention from purposely forgetting a textbook and asking her if she’d mind if I share hers, kicking her chair only to have her slam her seat into my desk without giving me the slightest glance, or how about my ultimate fumble; tossing my backpack across the hall to trip her and a roll of condoms tumbling out. The hostility in her hazel-brown eyes boiled and left me tongue-tied whenever I got up the nerve to get close enough to catch a whiff of the magnolia shampoo she used. This morning was the first time she didn’t cripple me with a cold shoulder. Whipping the rolled up Baltimore Sun on the table, my mother, her royal highness, Queen Amanda began her round of assaults. “You didn’t feed the horses this morning.” Granted she had waited for me to show my face after I spent the past two hours down the road at my grandma, Janet’s house. Every Saturday I stopped by and ran her to the grocery store since she didn’t drive. Not that Amanda remembered her mom lived alone and had no means of transportation. Thank goodness she was only a five minute drive. The good child wasn’t home yet. Victoria bought a black Labrador Retriever last week because God forbid her best friend, Shelly get a dog but my sister goes without. Never understood the rivalry between those two girls until I declared my own with Brian Lewis the start of freshman year. Now there’s a kid who’s the most simple-minded individual whom I’d take a fair guess and say he won’t ever move out of Maryland. He’s a lifer just like his older brother, Derek. I use to call D the fridge or tank because the boy was large-n-in-charge. Brian took an instant disliking to me because I constantly stole the girls he liked. Wasn’t my fault they fell for me when farm-boy publically humiliated himself in geography class and announced that Greenland is a continent. Hello, doofus, you belong on the short bus. I reached for the carton of OJ and took a swig, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Not paying my mother a lick of attention, I scooped another mouthful of cereal and flipped the page of the Road And Track magazine I read. “It’s Vic’s turn,” I eventually mumbled when I felt her breathing down the back of my neck. “She has the weekend shift.” Dressed conservatively in a navy blue sundress, she wore a strand of pearls around her neck with matching earrings. Even if she didn’t leave the house, she made sure she had a fresh coat of ruby red lipstick on and the pearl necklace. I knew I’d bury her with it or she’d haunt me from the grave. Her coal-black hair hung down her back in a long French braid. Everything about Amanda stood out and wasn’t a percentage less than perfect. Some would say I was born into a tradition; groomed to inherit my father’s estate and become a famous thoroughbred trainer like the great Edward Leyden. It was the last thing I wanted and shunned away from equine after taking a nosedive over the horse’s neck when I was thirteen. The fall almost left me paralyzed. My ambitions clashed with the ones pre-made by Amanda and Edward. In their eyes, I was a joke – a failure – a disgrace to the Leyden name. Victoria played the game, but she too was misdiagnosed as a burden simply because she was female. In my father’s

eyes, women were second rate citizens and belonged behind closed doors unless they were needed to host parties and play the part of a dutiful wife. “Victoria is driving around looking for the mutt she brought home.” Queenie frowned and unfolded the newspaper, searching the sports section for the article mentioning the winning thoroughbred my father trained. You think Olivia and I had a loveless marriage – Eddie and Mandy took the gold. I took the bowl to the sink and rinsed it. “He ran away?” I shot over my shoulder. “Smart dog.” Wished I could do the same. “I’m going to take a shower.” My mother didn’t understand why I spent every possible second away from home. It was no secret how I became the great Houdini and found ways to sneak out. She would have crated me like a dog, but I would have found a way to pick the lock. “Wait just a minute.” Turning around, I leaned against the marble pillar that separated the sunroom from the kitchen. “Since you hate it here so much, why don’t you move to the servant’s quarters and live with the other low-lives and muck stalls for a living? You aren’t one of us. Now get down to the stable and check on Jasmine. She foaled last night.” My face froze in an icy mask of shock. “That mare is the one that almost killed me. Are you forgetting that?” Colliding her fist against my cheek, her diamond ring sliced a half-inch gash open. She hit me, hard, but I didn’t see it coming. Usually, I got out of the way in time. “I’ve had it with your condescending attitude.” Ever fall off a horse going around a racetrack at thirty miles per hour? When a horse clips hooves, you better say a silent prayer because nine out of ten times, the result is a fatality with horse and rider. I rolled down Jasmine’s neck, my head cracked against the rock-hard turf and then I felt something solid collide into my spine. The mare stumbled and swung her head against my back. It felt like I was coughing up rocks as blood spit from my mouth and my body lay limp on the track. What I was doing on a thoroughbred at that age remained a mystery. Edward and Amanda were more concerned about Jasmine and told me to get back in the saddle. “You lived through it, didn’t you?” Amused, Amanda waved me aside. “I’m finished with you. Get out of my sight before you blind me.” It was a tossup. Either bow to her or shoot her the finger. I didn’t ask to look like a shorter replica of my father. Rotating on my heel, I ran straight into my sister. Noticing Franklin in her arms, I grinned and scratched his scruff. “I see you found pup-snot. May want to invest in a collar and tag in case he runs off again.” Vic put the puppy down and scowled at me. “You sound like the girl who found him this morning. I had to drive up and down all the residential roads until I found him on Gram’s street.” Fascinating, Olivia lived there. Allowing my libido to guide me, I pressed forward. “Was it the girl with the illegally hot body and the big boobs?” Amanda shot her chin up. “Off to confession you go.” Yeah, yeah, say ten Hail Mary’s and go drink your bubblies, woman. Did I mention Amanda’s a closet drunk? What would God say about that? Damn Roman Catholics and their double standards. Tapping Vic’s shoulder, I smirked. “You didn’t answer my question.” Vic perched both hands on her hips. “When will you get it through your thick head, I have more important things to do than waste my time talking to you?” She pushed me aside. “All you do is follow me around, it’s why I hate coming home for the summer. Get your own life and stay away from me.”

Ow, that hurt. Giving up, I snatched my keys off the table and went outside. All I received from my family was expressions ranging from disapproval to disgust. The only one I was close to was Amanda’s mother, Janet. Swinging open the door, I leaped in my black 1968 Corvette and sped down the windy driveway, hanging a left on Belfast Road. With the radio blasting, I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel and cruised past Sparks Elementary School. Cops loved to hang there and nab speeders as they came around the bend. I knew exactly when I had to drop down to 35 miles per hour to avoid their radar. Shutting the engine off, I stepped out of the car and knocked on Gram’s door. “What a pleasant surprise, sweetheart. I didn’t expect you back today.” She wiped her hands on the white apron fastened around her pink and green floral dress. “I’m making a fresh apple pie. You got here just in time.” There was no artifice to Janet, only a staggering, natural kindness, which her only child lacked. Her gray hair was shiny and cut right above her shoulders. She’d been widowed for five years. My grandfather, Bradley died after battling lymphatic cancer for three months. I joined her in the kitchen and pulled out a metal chair. “What is so wrong with me?” I grumbled, crashing my head on the table. Janet stood at the counter peeling granny smith apples. “What makes you ask that?” Umm, lets see. Amanda wanted me to shovel horse dung until I passed out from the stench and Vic thought I’m a prick-on-a-stick. Summed it up nicely. I expelled a harsh sigh and sat up. “I can’t wait for school to end so I can get out of here.” “I know. You only have one year left. Have you decided if you’re going to Harvard?” Edward’s alma mater, no thank you. Once again, I was supposed to follow the path of gold and attend the Ivy League school pre-chosen before I was born. “I don’t want to go there.” Janet glanced at me and caught my forlornly expression. “What is it you’d like to do?” She was the only person who spent any time listening to me and took me seriously. I picked up a banana and unpeeled it. I loved my fruit. Apples, berries, nuts and cherries. Survival of the fittest. Damn dyslexia got me discombobulated so frequently, I couldn’t tell you the last time I stuck to one topic and stayed on it for more than five minutes. Harvard? I think not. Set brain for recourse: “I think I might take a year off after school. I’m burned out. I want to figure out where I’m headed in life before I make a decision like that.” She joined me at the table, rubbing a gentle hand overtop mine. All the love she felt for me reflected in her blue eyes. “There’s no written rule that says you have to go to college straight out of high school.” “I’ll let Mom and Dad down again.” I sounded discouraged and rightfully so. Regardless how hard I tried it wasn’t good enough. “It’s not their life to live, it’s yours. How happy will you be if you don’t follow your dreams?” I took another bite and leaned against the chair. “I’ve wanted to drive cross-country for a while. Maybe see California.” “What’s stopping you?” A girl. Janet had lost track how many female names I’ve shot off my tongue. I did change relationships faster than her dentures fell out. Now there’s a sight you don’t want to see. She scared the bejesus out of me one morning when she didn’t have her teeth in. Loved her to death, but put your chompers in before you smile. She returned to the counter to slice the apples and placed them in the pie crust. “Is there a particular girl you like?”

I chewed the corner of my lip for a second. Who was the last one I mentioned? Ah yes, Nancy LeBoutillier. She left for Nags Head a few days ago. I think she expected me to make things more serious when she came home the end of August, but no can do. I had my eyes on a new prize. But if Olivia redirected her focus on Brian Lewis, there was always Victoria’s friends to quench my thirst while I waited. It was an all-you-can-eat-smorgasbord when she brought the girls to the house. A little beer, some eye contact, and bam-bam-pow, bikini off and girl in arms. “There is one girl left in my grade but she likes BL.” “Who?” Janet asked, placing the pie in the oven. “Born Loser.” I had a name for every punk in my class. “I meant the girl’s name,” she said under a chuckle. My face softened. I needed a girl like Olivia. Deep down I was a homeboy who would only gel with someone compatible on all levels and able to keep my attention because as you can tell, the dyslexia thing kicked in more often than not. “The Carlton girl,” I nonchalantly mentioned. “I saw her by the stream earlier.” “What a delightful young lady. Her family has lived here for years.” She came over to me and placed her finger under my chin. “Remember what I said about your dreams? Enjoy this summer. It’s the end of your childhood. You don’t know what’s on the other side of the door unless you knock it down.” It wasn’t as though I lacked female attention; simply was bored with the dull selection. I wanted someone who stood out and casted herself apart from the norm. “When you met Grandpa, what made you decide he’s the one?” “It was when my heart took an acrobatic leap inside my chest. You are still young. The special girl is out there and you will know once you find her.” “Do you think Mom fell in love for the wrong reasons?” I pondered that a lot. Love was a word holding no meaning. It came with so many strings attached. Amanda’s version of love was a payoff and Edward’s version was I-spare-thee-my-whip. She checked on the pie before answering. “Amanda has always marched to the beat of her own drum. Ever since she was knee-high, she wanted to be in control of everything and everyone around her. Image and wealth are two things that mean the world to her. When she met Edward, she didn’t love him, but she loved what he stood for if that makes sense. She and I fought when they became engaged. I begged her to think about it, but she told me if I couldn’t support her decision, she didn’t want me at the wedding.” “Did you go?” Janet shook her head sadly. “I couldn’t watch her marry into that family knowing she didn’t love him. It broke my heart because I knew he had no respect for her and I wanted so much more for my daughter.” My lips pulled in a flat line. “When I get married it will be for the right reasons. I see how much damage she and Dad have done trying to control Vic and I. There’s no way I’ll do that to my kids.” “I know you won’t. You’re a good kid, my Anthony. You will make an exceptional father.” She pulled the pie out of the oven and sat it on the stove to cool. “Would you like to invite the Carlton girl over?” My jaw went slack. “Are you setting me up?” Playfully, she smacked my arm with the pot mitten. “I don’t have my cattle prod to coax you off the chair so apple pie is the second best thing.”

Instantly, I was out the front door and on my way two houses down. Standing on Olivia’s front porch, I was about to knock when I was attacked with a sudden case of nervousness. Normally I could sweet talk any girl, but she wasn’t budging. What to say? My fist hit the door. “Are you hear to kill the spiders?” a short, pudgy brunette asked. She opened the screen door a smidgen and cocked one eye open. What in the blazin’ hell was that creature? I swallowed a laugh. This wasn’t what I expected. The woman had on a cheap sandy blonde wig with dark roots hanging out and her nude knee-high stockings were unevenly rolled up, not to mention she reeked of mothballs. “No, I’m here to see Olivia.” “Olivia, you say?” She stuck her finger in her ear, setting off the hearing aid. A shrill ring made her cringe. “Do you hear that, deary?” Her hand swung in the air and batted at an imaginary object. “Watch out, there’s one over your head.” I walked into the Twilight Zone. “Is Olivia here?” I repeated impatiently. “The aliens abducted her.” I nodded. This tested my psychology knowledge. “When they return her to planet Earth, can you tell her Tony Leyden stopped by?” “Leyden? Are you captain of the starship?” Moving the slightest bit, I stumbled backwards when she nearly deafened me with the most glass-shattering scream. Olivia appeared a few seconds later when she heard the ruckus. “It’s okay, Aunt Rosa. He’s not Spiderman.” Acknowledging me with her eyes, she mouthed a silent I’m sorry. A swell of sympathy swept over me. I sat on the step and waited. Once I heard the door close, she came to sit beside me. “Let me guess, your aunt is schizophrenic.” “I believe so.” She tried to sound as friendly as possible, but I could tell something troubled her. “Does she live with you?” I peeled apart a stick, stripping the bark down to the green skin. “Unfortunately. Mama’s only priority is her sister.” Her voice held an edge of derision. “Has anyone bothered getting Rosa checked out by a professional? If she has a high level of dopamine she should be put on an antipsychotic medication to suppress the activity. I don’t mean to pry, but it may help.” “We’re suppose to act like nothing is wrong and turn a blind eye as if she doesn’t have a mental illness. That’s how my family deals with things.” Diving my eyes into hers, I saw so much hidden pain she tried to hide. “People with schizophrenia are more likely to have additional conditions like major depression and anxiety disorders. It’s a disease of the mind and usually kills a person ten years before their average life expectancy because of higher suicide rates and increased physical health problems.” Surprise flickered across her face. “How do you know so much about it?” Her eyes zoomed to my bare feet. For some reason she refused to look me in the eye, but was fascinated in my toes of all things. Feeling safe to be myself for once, I showed her a side of me few people knew existed. “I’m going to sound like a medical junkie, but mental illness has always fascinated me.” Her beautiful face turned unexpectedly vulnerable. “This time next year, I’m hoping to be far away from Sparks.” “Me too,” I hoped. “Where are you headed?” “I want to go to Julliard,” she answered with a million and one dreams sparkling in her bright eyes.

“Do you dance?” I could easily imagine her body sliding against mine with her head resting on my shoulder. I’d hold her all day if she’d let me. “I’ve been taking ballet since I was six. It’s the one thing I’m good at.” We were interrupted by a car horn. A white Jeep CJ5 pulled up to the curb with none other than Derek Lewis at the wheel and his sidekick little brother. “Leyden, leave that poor girl alone,” Brian shouted, blowing Olivia an air kiss. A maddening pulse throbbed at my temples. Wordlessly, he and I glared at each other. We made an agreement the night of junior prom. He knew I wanted a chance with Olivia and swore he wouldn’t get in my way. Seems he needed a reminder of the treaty, but that big baboon in the driver’s seat was twice my size and if I slugged his dweeb of a brother, my Corvette would be keyed. “Brian’s been pushing love notes inside my locker since freshman year,” she told me, blushing ever so slightly. Tension shot down my arms. No, that was me who shoved one-liners through the breathing holes of her locker every day for the past three years. Goddamn, I knew that would come back and bite me in the ass. Stupid me, didn’t sign them. Why, you might ask? Because at the time, I wanted to do something spontaneously romantic and see if she’d know it’s me. “You sure about that?” No way I could hide the rising surge of anger in my tone. Brian could barely spell his name right let alone come up with an original phrase three hundred and sixtyfive days for three consecutive years. Tard bag was asking for an ass whooping. “Olivia,” he called, “do you want to go to Beaver Dam with us?” Alright, Mr. Schmuck-the-fuck, back off. Leaping to my feet, I turned to her. “I was hoping you’d go with me.” She loosely clasped my hand and stood next to me. “You’re asking me out?” Damn right, I’d show Lewis who the alpha male was. I slid my arm around her waist and thrust her against me. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.” “Let me go inside and put on a bathing suit.” She darted through the front door, leaving me with the Lewis boys. Slamming my fist against my palm, I whirled around and felt my temper flare. Glaring defiantly at my linebacker, I strode over to the Jeep. “We had a deal, asswipe.” “What did you call my brother?” stock boy bellowed. Imagine the class bully. That was Derek Lewis. Roughly 6’9, he was four inches taller than me. I’m not a small guy, but compared to him, I’m a welterweight. The elder brother had a crush on my sister. She’s what saved me several occasions when I’d instigate a fight. When he went off to college peace reigned until summertime. “Don’t have big sis to protect you,” Derek instigated. Brian laughed. “You need your sissy to come to your rescue. What would the guys on the team think if they knew a girl is fighting your battles?” “Shut the fuck up. I don’t need anyone fighting my battles for me.” There was a lead pipe in the trunk of my car. If Olivia weren’t on her way out, I’d grab it and bust Derek’s headlights. She came up from behind me. “I’m ready.” “Wait till I get you at the dam,” Derek smugly said, giving Olivia a broad wink. Gassing the accelerator, he sped off. His tires spun and the exhaust pipe spit out a thick cloud of black smoke. I pulled my keys from my pocket and walked her to my car. Derek better leave me alone if he knew what was good for him. Brian couldn’t fight. Hell, the kid was scared shitless of me on the football field. Only when his oaf of a brother came around would he find his balls and mouth

off. We’ll see who walked away with the girl. I will be victorious, mark my word. Senior year was the dawn of a new revolution. My turn to rise up and take what I want. Olivia was mine even if she didn’t know it yet. “Have you and Derek always hated each other?” she asked, clasping the seatbelt. “He made an enemy out of me the night of his senior graduation party. Not only did he force himself on my sister, he also made several racist remarks that pissed me off.” That’s the night I hung him on a coat hanger. Since then, he’s wanted retribution. I couldn’t stand ignorance and that man defined it. “Brian’s nice though.” She squirted suntan lotion on her hand and rubbed her legs. The scent escalated my naughty thoughts into motion. Stopping at the light at York and Shawan Roads, my eyes cruised up each slim thigh as she rubbed her fingertips against her skin. She had no idea how badly I wanted her at that very moment. A dangerous blend of erotica and sexual must-have. “He’s alright,” I stammered, quickly changing the subject. “Thanks for coming with me.” A steady smile snuck across her lips. “I’d only go out with you.” Side-glancing at her, I had to find a way to drag my eyes off her once the light changed. “Does this mean you don’t have a boyfriend?” She gulped and shook her head. “But I hear you’re dating Nancy.” I laughed, mostly because I didn’t know what to say. “I have a rule I stick with. If the girl goes on hiatus for longer than a week then it’s grounds for a breakup. Besides, she and I were nothing serious. I wasn’t into her.” “Oh.” Ridiculously, she looked stunned as if she didn’t expect that answer. “I thought she really liked you.” “I didn’t like her.” Wait, that sounded crass. “I mean, she was okay, but more of a fill-in.” I decided to shut up because the harder I tried to find the right words, the worse it sounded. “Do you have lots of fill-ins?” “Women are like sports. You rush in, shoot, score and when the game is over, you hit the shower and leave.” Drowning out my stupidity, I turned on the radio. My mouth must have short circuited. Usually, I constructed my sentences better, but she had my tongue tied in a knot. I pulled into the lot and parked. Reaching behind the driver’s seat, I retrieved a black duffle bag and swung the door open. Maybe I could blame my brain inactivity on the sun. If I wanted a second date, I had to make a solid good first impression. After purchasing two tickets, I entered the swim club with her on my arm and found us two beach chairs. “I’ll be right back. Gotta go change.” I walked inside the men’s locker room and low and behold, there was Brian Lewis straddling the bench. “What?” I barked. “Where’s your bodyguard?” Brian slung a navy blue towel around his neck and grabbed the ends. “He’s eating.” But of course, any man who eats a pack of wieners in one sitting was bound to make a stink, pardon the pun. My head disappeared under the sleeveless gray workout shirt I peeled off. “Why are you in here?” “Because I wanted to talk to you for a sec.” Brian stood up and closed his locker. “Are you really into Olivia or is this all for show?” I slid my sunglasses on and stuffed my bag inside the locker beside his. “You already know the answer to that.” “You hurt her, she’s mine,” he warned me. Leveling my eyes on him, a hard edge crept into my voice. “She will never be yours as long as I have breath in my lungs.” Quickly, I stepped forward with my arms flung to the sides, causing him to jump back. A crooked smile appeared over my lips. “Without big bro, you’re a pussy.”

me?”

I returned to Olivia and found her laying a towel over the chair. “Mind getting my back for

She blinked and caught the sunscreen I tossed her until it registered in her mind what I asked. Scooting back, she straddled the chair and allowed me to sit on the end. Rotating my neck in tiny circles, I felt her fingertips brush over my skin. A moan vibrated from my throat then I slowly glanced over my shoulder and saw the way her lips faintly parted as I removed the Ray-Bans and locked eyes with her. “Keep staring at me like that and I’m going to kiss you.” Rearing back, she practically crawled over the chair. Timid thing, guess she wasn’t use to abruptness. “W-what?” I turned around and caught her hand. “You aren’t getting away that fast. Chest now.” A strange blanket of silence fell over us. Remaining a mere two inches from me left her nervous as hell. I reached for her chin, gently moving my fingers around her face. Teasing her, I zeroed in on her lips then moved my mouth to her ear. “Relax, baby. Allow your body to control your mind.” Her jaw tightened underneath my palm. Wide, startled eyes stared at me in bewilderment. “I’m trying to figure out where you sent my heartbeat.” “Inside of me.” I angled my head, my lips hovering over hers. “You’re trembling.” “You have that effect on me.” “Are you having any luck over there?” Brian interrupted, keeping his smile in place as I raised my eyes. The nerve of him. Forcing myself to keep my cool in front of Olivia, I pretended I didn’t hear him. Coiling my hand around the base of her neck, I drew her towards me and pounded her lips against mine. The innocent kiss made my heart race faster than a thoroughbred. If she could arouse this strong an urge, I could only imagine what a full-blown, tongue twining kiss would taste like – feel like. Disconnecting our lips, I watched her eyes slowly open. “Wow,” she gasped. Dragging her into my arms, I hooked my chin over her shoulder, slid my arms behind her and shot my middle finger in the air, indicating Brian lost any possible chance he had against me. He didn’t seem as if he cared and turned to leave. A shadow crossed my line of vision – Derek Lewis headed my way. Grabbing Olivia’s hand, I pulled her off the chair and ran for the pier. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him charging down the grassy hill after us, but managed to keep several paces ahead. “Tony!” she shouted as we ran across the dock. “What are you doing?” “Jump!” My foot lifted off the ledge and we were airborne. I kept my fingers fastened to hers as we dove in the water. Escaping Derek, we swam over to a floating barge in the middle of the quarry lake. “That was an adrenaline rush,” she breathlessly said once we were out of range from the beluga whale. “I never ran so fast in my life.” No kidding, neither had I. Falling on my back, I laid there with my hand against my chest, concentrating on filling my lungs with air. Walking my fingers up her arm, I pulled her on top of me. “I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to get to know each other.” She bit her bottom lip and smiled. “I could get use to all this attention.” “You can’t tell me you haven’t had boys knocking down your door.” “Only you.” Gently laying her head on my shoulder, she gazed up at me. “You aren’t the guy I thought you’d be.” “What did you think I’d be like?” I ran my fingers through her spirally golden brown hair that felt like liquid silk.

Tracing my bottom lip with her fingertip, she lifted her chin a notch. “I don’t know. I suppose I thought you’d blow me off.” “Hmm, are you saying I have a reputation?” “Slightly.” I kissed her forehead. “Want to break me of it?” “Would you let me?” My eyes fixed on her beautiful face. “What do you think?” Just then her stomach growled. Hunger pangs of another kind exploded. Guess that meant I had to make my way to shore and feed the damsel but that meant the stalking Lewis brothers would tag-team each other in for another round of instigating. “Have you eaten today?” She shook her head. “I am a little hungry.” Animal, vegetable or male? Shit, the wolves were prowling the shoreline making it impossible for me to sneak her back without getting bitten. I shouldn’t have made an enemy out of Derek, but he rubbed me the wrong way each time he salivated over Victoria. She’s the only girl who gave him the brush-off so he has made it his mission to sleep with her. How did I get stuck in the middle? I got Olivia safely to dry land and walked her to the food area. “Take your pick of the wide selection of pore-clogging grease.” “Like Italians,” Derek said, standing behind me. I spun around and hijacked insanity, slamming my fist into his gut, knowing damn well I was going to get pummeled by the towering inferno. “Shove it where the sun don’t shine.” Startled, Olivia ducked behind me. Derek’s brown eyes hardened into craters. “That was a stupid thing to do.” A crowd gathered around us, anticipating an outdoor wrestling match. Widening my stance, I held up my fists ready to take a swing at his jaw. Balling his hand, he lifted his arm over his shoulder. I shoved Olivia out of my way and went to block the punch when a whisk of air blew past me and my bionic-woman-sister spread her arms to the sides, body blocking me. How utterly humiliating. “Excuse me, step aside,” I growled. Victoria crossed her arms and shook her head. “Tony, what have I told you about making a scene? If you think for one second this is chivalry, you should repeat dating one-o-one.” Derek pointed at me and laughed. “You were saying, you don’t need big sissy protecting you?” Royally embarrassed, I had half a mind to gut-punch him again to shut him up. “Damn you, Vic.” “What did I do?” “I can handle Lewis on my own. Why did you have to interfere?” “Now you know how it feels when a sibling shadows you.” She grinned and looked satisfied. “Next time, think twice before you upstage me around my friends because as you can see, I just gave you a dose of your own pain you’ve caused me.” My life ended that day. Thanks to the fridge and the ice princess, my reputation went down the shitter. Anyone catch the license plate of the truck that ran over and demolished my ego? Olivia curled her hand over my shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re a bigger man than Derek.” Alright, so I had a smidgen of pride left. Glancing at her, I weakly raised the corner of my lip. “Still hungry?” “I’ll take a cheeseburger and coke if you don’t mind.”

Scooting my roadblock aside, I stepped up to the counter and ordered lunch. Vic shimmied her way close to Derek and neutralized the oversized cyborg, showing me up. “Want a bite of my wiener?” I asked Olivia as we sat down on the beach chairs. She took a sip of Coke and hiccupped. “I may hurt you. How’s your pain tolerance?” “Extremely high.” Did that mean she was a biter and had a steel lock jaw? “Tell me more about Julliard. Have you seen the school yet?” “Not yet. I’d like to go there in September and spend the day in the city. All I’ve seen is the pamphlet they’ve mailed me.” “New York can be intimidating. Are you scared living there by yourself?” The thought of her being there alone was unsettling. I’d only been to Manhattan once when I was eight. Edward took me to Belmont for the last race of the Triple Crown and we ended up at the Plaza Hotel for the night. His majesty couldn’t stay in Brooklyn because God forbid he didn’t have his five-star hotel room overlooking Central Park. She took a sip of Coke and watched me lick the mustard off my finger. “A little bit. I haven’t given it much thought. I know I can’t stay in Sparks. Mama doesn’t understand me and I’m not sure she even knows what I want to do with my life once high school is over.” Easing against the chair, I found it comforting how much alike we were. “I can relate. I don’t get along with my parents at all. They’re control freaks and had my whole life planned out since the day I was born.” The unfamiliar bond we were forming left me wanting to hear more about her. As she curiously stared at me, a smile shadowed her lips. “You said you want to go into pre-med?” Uh-huh, I wanted to discover female anatomy – hers in particular. My eyes were glued to the red bikini top that barely covered her breasts. While most teenager girls hadn’t blossomed into the body of a mature woman, Olivia had that mastered and then some. She was an ingénue and had no idea how stunningly beautiful she really was. “My dad is a thoroughbred racehorse trainer and so was my grandfather. He wants me to follow in their footsteps, but it’s not for me.” “You don’t like horses?” She took another sip of soda. “I like to ride but as a leisurely sport. When I was thirteen, I got thrown off a mare and messed up my lower back. I slipped a disc and spent a week in the hospital. While I was in physical therapy, I met a boy who was a paraplegic. He had spina bifida and told me he’d never walk. The strength and willpower of that kid inspired me and got me thinking maybe one day I could be that doctor who can restore mobility to a paraplegic or quadriplegic with the use of regenerative medicine.” “That’s a lot of schooling. Internship, residency, fellowship. I’m not sure of the proper order except by the time you’re finished, you are in debt up to your eyeballs and totally burned out.” It wasn’t like I had anything else to do with the rest of my life. Medical school would keep me busy while I studied my ass off, dreaming about her on a stage, dancing her heart out and pursuing a dream of her own. Just my luck to finally have a chance with Olivia and we were headed in two separate directions. Life of a senior. “I would like to travel before I subject myself to med school.” “Anywhere special?” she asked. Balling the aluminum foil, I pitched it overhead and dunked it in the trashcan. “New York. If you’re there it will give me a reason to visit the big apple.”

She turned towards me. “Maybe you can take me there when I audition.” The words tumbled from her lips before either of us realized what she had said. Suddenly it dawned she was already forming an attachment to me. I stared at her, stunned but overjoyed. “I’d like that. We still meeting at our spot tonight?” Without hesitation, she drew her arms around me and gave me a light hug. “It’s a date.” I drove her home, disappointed our afternoon came to an end, but this was only the start of something mind-blowing. As I parked out front of her house, I leaned towards her and brushed my lips against hers, dwelling my eyes on her one last time. “I’ll see you tonight.” Returning to Gram’s, I found her curled up on the sofa watching I Love Lucy. “Is there any apple pie left?” Janet chuckled. “It’s in the kitchen. Did you see Olivia?” I gave her a thumbs up. The pie wasn’t on my mind. The only thing consuming my thoughts was the girl next door.