Somewhere in the Middle (15 page)

I frowned at him. "I won't bite."

"I know." But he still didn't sit.

"Would you like to watch TV or a movie?"

"Yeah, sure. Anything."

I scooted so that my back rested against the headboard and reached for
the remote. Roone just stood there, looking at me. "You can sit right
here." Now I patted the side of the bed I wasn't sitting on.

He cleared his throat.

"It's okay."

"But your parents..."

"They're used to it. Besides, there's nowhere else for my friends to
sit but on this bed."

He walked around the foot of it, once again hesitating instead of
sitting.

Good grief. "Haven't you ever watched TV from a girl's bed?"

"No, and I'm surprised that you want me to now."

Huh? My cheeks began to heat. "I'm not going to jump your bones if
that's what you're thinking. Oh my God.
Is
that what you're
thinking?" As incensed as I was shocked, I leapt off the bed. "There,
feel better now?"

"I should go."

"Maybe you should."

With a short nod, Roone turned on his heel and left me. I heard him
thanking Mom and Dad before the front door opened and then firmly shut.
Two seconds later, Mom was peeking through my door. "What happened?"

"I have no idea," I told her, an answer straight from the heart.
Realizing I was near tears and not about to give in to them, I grabbed my
bag and a light denim jacket. "I'm going for a drive."

"Use the back door. Your dad will waylay you if you pass the den."

Knowing that the game was all that kept him from doing that now, I
took her advice and escaped through the deck door. Shortly after, I was
in my Trans Am, headed to my lookout, a surefire refuge when I felt like
crap, which I definitely did at the moment. Though my rock was damp, I
sat on it anyway. A heavy mist fanned my face, thanks to a chilly winter
breeze. I wished for the stars, but the skies were too overcast for any
tonight.

Had Roone seriously thought I was going to go bimbo on him and attack?
I couldn't think of another reason he'd say what he did, and that told me
I must've been acting like a lovesick fool tonight. Why else would he
presume such a thing? Clearing having him over for dinner had been a bad
idea. In retrospect, I wasn't sure why I'd done it. Was I that desperate
to be near him?

Oh how I wished I'd told him off. In truth, if any other guy had said
what he'd said, I definitely would've. So what made Roone so special?
Love? I snorted at the idea, which had definitely been planted inside my
brain by Dayna. Sure I liked him--no doubt the reason I was sitting there
with tears streaming down my face--but the day had not come when any guy,
especially an un-boyfriend, could make me feel bad for simply being
myself.

The sudden crunch of pebbles behind me broke into my reverie. I jumped
up with a gasp and spun to see Roone, standing just a few feet away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, turning my back on him and sitting
again. Surreptitiously, I wiped stray tears from my cheeks.

I heard him step closer. "May I sit down?"

"Sure you want to risk your virtue?"

"I'm thinking it'll be safe enough."

You got that right, dude.
I crossed my arms over my chest and
didn't look as he joined me on the rock. His thigh brushed mine in the
process. I scooted over until it didn't.

"I'm sorry you're upset, Everly."

I didn't answer.

"I swear I'd never purposely say or do anything to hurt you."

"Honestly, I don't know how you did," I told him after a second's
thought. "It's not like we're in love or anything. And when have I ever
cared what some guy thinks?" I caught Roone's wince from the corner of
his eye. "Sorry. That was harsh."

"I probably deserved it."

I exhaled in a long, tired whoosh. "Actually, you didn't. I'm
unusually touchy tonight, which must be why I didn't explain to you that
it's perfectly acceptable for friends to sit on a bed together and watch
TV. At least in McAlister. I don't know about NowhereNear. What's allowed
there?"

"First I should explain that women are treated very differently there
than they are here. Being the fairer sex and so vital to procreation,
they are naturally respected and cherished by men."

I couldn't believe my ears. "So you prefer your women barefoot and
pregnant?"

"No, no, no. There are actually way more female leaders there than
here."

"Leaders as in mayors and, say, councilwomen?" What other kinds could
there be in a city?

"Those and CEOs of businesses, as well as directors of law
enforcement, public health, and environmental safety. Women have long
since proved they're more conservative than men, more thoughtful, and
much less aggressive, which means the job gets done more
efficiently."

Was he lying to me? Though I hated to think he might be, I really had
trouble believing men anywhere on Earth had that much sense.

"So if I seemed shy about sitting on the bed with you, it wasn't
because I thought you wanted to have casual sex."

Had he really just said
casual sex
? I could easily think of
several other words a teenage boy might use.

"It was because I didn't want to disrespect you."

Wow. I honestly didn't know how to respond. "I'd never think that.
You've been nothing but polite and protective toward me since day
one."

"Then we're cool again?"

"I...guess." He'd given me a lot to consider, and while it all sounded
very nice, I had to wonder if something else was behind his reluctance to
sit on my bed. We'd kissed a time or two, but that really meant nothing.
What if I actually repelled him physically, as in I just wasn't his type?
Or maybe I had bad breath or something.

"What's running through that head of yours?" He'd turned and bent down
slightly to look into my eyes.

"I was just--"

"--thinking that I don't want you?"

"Oh God no. Well, maybe. I mean it did cross my mind. Not that I want
to have sex with you or anything. I don't. I was just wondering if there
was something wrong with me."

He huffed his exasperation. "We've talked about this before and what
you're worrying about is stupid. Stupid, crazy, and freakin' ridiculous.
You're absolutely amazing, and I'm a guy. So of course I want you. But
some things are worth waiting for, and--"

"We're just friends anyway."

Roone caught his breath and then exhaled it slowly. "Riiiight."

The way he said it made me wonder if he'd forgotten that little
detail. I knew
I
was struggling to remember it. No less confused
about Roone, but feeling better all the same, I hugged myself and looked
over the valley. The clouds that hovered pretty much hid it now, but I
could still make out dim lights from distant scattered houses. I felt
Roone get up, but didn't immediately glance over my shoulder at him.

When I did, I saw that he'd scooped up some snow that somehow hadn't
melted yet and begun forming it into a small ball. Only he did it without
his cupped hands touching the snowball that hung in midair. I laughed as
it got bigger and bigger. He stopped when it was about the size of a
softball.

"Catch!" Roone unexpectedly pushed it at me, all without actually
making contact, of course. The orb sailed in my direction, stopping a
millimeter from my nose.

I reached for it, but the ball dodged my fingers. "I don't believe
this." Before my eyes the ball became a flower--a daisy with petals and
even a stem. I held out my hand. It gently floated into my palm. What
could I do but laugh my delight as it melted to nothing. "Show off."

That made him grin. He started toward me, but then stopped midstride,
his body now tense.

"What?" I asked, suddenly weirded out.

"Did you hear something?"

"What kind of something?" As in four legged? I thought of Alabama's
bears, wolves, and coyotes, which had just as much right to wander these
hills as we did, if not more.

He stood in silence for a moment, clearly listening. "It's about to
rain. Maybe we should go."

I didn't question him. If anyone's instincts could be trusted, Roone's
could. Besides, I was freezing. We hiked the short distance to our cars
where we parted with oddly awkward goodbyes considering we'd kind of just
made up. Did I want to kiss him? Of course. But we were back to square
one, as in friends without benefits, so that wasn't even an option.

When I got home, everyone pounced on me, wanting to know why the heck
he hadn't hung around for a while after dinner. I told them we'd had a
misunderstanding but worked it out.

My dad's response? "Roone's a keeper, Everly. Don't mess this up."

* * * *

On Monday, it was crazy at school for two reasons--semester tests and
the impending holiday. Roone, actually wearing clothing that fit, seemed
oddly distracted and not, I decided, because of all the admiring female
glances he kept getting. I assumed it was because of the physics test
he'd be taking on Thursday. If he didn't flunk that baby, it would be
nothing short of a miracle.

I volunteered several times to help him study that afternoon. Every
time I did, he declined, saying I had tests of my own to prepare for.
Doubting that last-minute cramming would help in his case, I finally quit
offering. At this point it was probably wiser to use my time praying for
that miracle he would need to scrape by with a D.

More than once that day, I felt someone's stare and turned to find Teo
watching me. That creeped me out a little. Though tempted to tattle to
Roone, I didn't. Teo never actually said anything, which probably meant I
was attaching way too much importance to his stare or maybe even
imagining it.

The next three days dragged on forever, a jumble of cramming for
upcoming tests by night and then actually taking them by day. For that
reason I felt a little numb by the time the final bell rang on Thursday.
Roone and I walked to my car without talking. I handed him my keys and
started around to the passenger side, stopping at the last second so he
could open the door, one of his habits I still wasn't used to. Roone shut
my door and soon slid behind the wheel on the driver's side.

I tipped my head back and exhaled a sigh of relief that our holiday
had finally started. "Before you get out of this car at your house,
please remind me to pick up Eli on my way home. I don't usually do it,
and I'm so brain dead I might forget."

"May I go with you instead?"

I smiled in pleased surprise. "Sure. He'd love it." As in a lot. Ever
since Roone had dinner with us, he was all my little brother could talk
about. Roone this. Roone that. Clearly the short while they'd spent
together had made quite an impression. Since I'd fallen under Roone's
spell ages ago, I couldn't fault Eli for that.

It took almost half an hour to get to Play and Learn Daycare, thanks
to some crazy traffic and winter-mix precipitation that made
intersections a little slick. I figured everyone must be getting off
early since Friday was Christmas Eve. We barely found a place to park,
and when we went inside to get Eli, we had trouble getting through all
the moms and dads packing up their children's belongings.

Eli's teacher sent us outside, where he and a bunch of other kids his
age were playing under one of those portable metal covers that some
people used as carports. Bundled up and with pink noses and cheeks, they
appeared to be oblivious to the cold. Their teachers, however, were not.
All three women on playground duty huddled together talking.

Catching movement from the corner of my eye, I glanced in that
direction and saw a little girl near the jungle gym, which looked wet and
maybe even icy. Unnoticed by the teachers in charge, she began to
climb--an accident waiting to happen. I heard Roone catch his breath and then
felt him leave my side. He jogged toward the child, but she slipped
before he got there. As I watched in horror, she fell but never hit the
ground, instead hovering above it just long enough for Roone to get to
her. One quick scoop had her safe in his arms.

With a gasp that was one part relief and one part dread, I shifted my
gaze to the teachers, who'd surely seen what I'd just seen. But they
stood as before, and from there would've had their view blocked by
Roone's massive body anyway. Two of them glanced up when Roone headed
back to them with that precious little girl. Just as he got to the
shelter, his passenger threw her arms around his neck and kissed his
cheek.

Click!

"You lost one, ma'am," he said, handing her over to the nearest
teacher.

"Shannon Marie Alexander, you know the rules." That teacher set her on
her feet and lightly swatted her behind. "If you want to play outside,
you've got to stay out of the rain."

Shannon, who wore pink jeans, green rubber boots, and a fuzzy white
jacket, didn't seem a bit bothered by the scolding that really wasn't
one. She simply giggled and joined some of her friends. That's when Eli
saw us. With a yelp of joy, he came running, but not to me. He went
straight to Roone, who picked him up as if they belonged to one another.
"Hey, sport. How are you doing?"

"Fine. Are you gonna eat at our house again?"

"Nah. I just came with Everly to pick you up." Roone bounced Eli a
couple of times, which made my brother's little legs fly all over the
place. "I've missed you."

Eli grinned so big it had to hurt.

Roone drove us to his house, but I noticed he took the scenic route,
which gave him a little more time with Eli, who hadn't shut up since we
left the daycare in my Trans Am. Once at Roone's place, we both got out
of my car. I skirted the front of it and caught Roone's arm before he got
away, managing to sneak in a quick hug.

"What's that for?" he asked, giving me a half smile.

"You know very well."