Ache Read Free Page A

you’re — no one would believe that you helped someone like me.  People would think it would have been the other way around.”
    “Why’s that?  Oh yeah, the hood thing.  Tell you what, I won’t make fun of your name or money anymore if you won’t think of me as a hood.  Think of me as a time-displaced pirate instead.”
    “Time-displaced pirate?” she asks through a smirk.
    “I read science-fiction, among other stuff, so sue me.”
    “You can read?  Will wonders never cease?”  She grins.
    “Keep it up, I’d rather people not be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal ,” I say.
    She pauses.  “What was that?”
    “Jane Austen, she wrote some clever shit.  So, what say ye?”
    “Okay, okay.  I’m sorry.  But does that mean I’m supposed to be more or less agreeable?”
    I give her my own serious look and say, “I think I’d like to be very troubled by you.”
    She takes a deep breath and steps away from the tree and then turns, wearing just a wisp of a smile.  “You know, I don’t live far.  You could walk me home; it’s only a couple of blocks over on Oak.  If you want to, that is...”  She looks up sheepishly.
    I pretend to ponder the idea over, like I have pressing business somewhere else, but I can think of nowhere I’d rather be than escorting Bethany home, it’s like something out of the books I read — sort of.  “I can do that, but only on one condition,” I say as I push my hair back over my shoulders.
    “What’s that?”
    “Help me find my hat.”
    She laughs and steps out into the street, looks around for a moment, disappears behind Meat’s pick-up and then returns with my fedora.  She starts to hand it to me and then flips it back, rolling it up her arm and puts it on her head in one quick, stylish move.
    “What was that?  You on the spirit or dance team or whatever you call it?”
    “Something like that,” she says as she runs her fingers along the brim.
    “Fine, it looks better on you anyway, but then I figure most things would.  So, Oak Street?”
    “Yes, please.”  She grins.
    I push off the tree and stagger.  “Maybe you should walk me home?”
    She puts her arm around me and it feels warm, comforting, and different than when I hugged her a minute ago — not brotherly at all, or sisterly for that matter.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks.
    “Yeah, I’m fine, let’s go,” I say.
    We cross the street and as we step up onto the sidewalk, she takes my hand, lacing our fingers together.  I squeeze back, assuming she needs the reassurance, the connection with safety and hope she’s forgiven me for being a prick earlier.
    It’s really nice.
    “Kyle is going to be in so much trouble,” she says.
    I’m also guessing she needs to babble about whatever to take her mind off of what just nearly happened, so I go along.  Besides, I like to hear her talk, I like her voice.
    “So?” I ask.
    “Karen, she’s Kyle’s sister, she’s having her Sweet Sixteen party next weekend.  His parents are out of town and when they get back, they’re going to be pissed.  Kyle’s going to have to clean everything up.  It’s kind of funny, but it’s going to be awful for him too.  He should have known better.”
    “Sweet Sixteen?” I ask.
    “Yeah, it’s a big fancy party, all the girls have them.  Do you live under a rock, you’ve never heard of a Sweet Sixteen party?  And no jokes!”
    “No jokes.  I never get invited to parties, sweet or otherwise, so I wouldn’t know.”
    “If I knew you then, I would have invited you to mine.”  She squeezes my hand.  “It was last year, it was wonderful.  I felt like Cinderella.”
    “Yeah, I can see Cinderella.  It’s probably that beautiful thing you have all over your face.”
    She just grins and then watches her feet.
    “You said, ‘last year,’ so are you going to be a Senior?” I ask.
    “No, I graduated early.  I just turned