Blind Fury Read Free Page A

Tia’s mom put the car in gear and turned left onto Center Street. “Your bags are in the trunk. You can change at the church. Wakara, your dad sent along wool socks and a warm jacket. It’s going to get cold again tonight.”
    Tia sniffed. “Hey, food!”
    â€œSuperburgers!” Ryan hefted a white bag over his head. “I get one too.”
    His tone dared anyone to say otherwise, and Kara laughed along with the rest. She couldn’t say he’d ruin his dinner, because she knew it wasn’t true. Her little brother ate like a linebacker and stayed skinny as a twig.
    Colin met them at the church. He seemed really glad to see her, but was kind of quiet on the two-hour bus ride to the game. Who can blame him ? Kara thought. It’s not like he knows anybody but Tia and me . And Tia was no help. She sat across from them chattering a hundred miles an hour with her boyfriend, Devon. Most of the others were just as hyper. Kara heard more than she wanted to know about Brian—“Slip and Slide”—Coleman. The new quarterback was supposed to be a superstar. According to most of thekids, he was meaner than a rattlesnake and faster than a cobra.
    â€œI’ll believe it when I see it,” Colin muttered. “If he’s that slippery he probably won’t be able to hang on to the ball.” He flashed Kara a grin, scooted down in the seat, and pulled his hat over his eyes.
    Kara steamed silently. Fine, if Colin Jones wants to be rude, I can just ignore him .
    Colin was quiet for most of the game. He kept getting up to buy food, or just walk around behind the bleachers. “You don’t need to come,” he told her at least five times. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
    By the last quarter, everyone was huddled together on the bleachers, shivering from the icy wind that blew through the outdoor field. Wakara wished the game would end so they could take off. “Slip and Slide” Coleman had just fumbled for the second time, and the scoreboard showed 14 to 0 against Lariat with five minutes to go in the game.
    Colin snorted, washed down his hot dog with the last of his Coke and gathered up the trash. “I’ll bag this stuff and meet you at the bus,” he told Kara.
    Kara bit her lip and held back the tears. He’d been a first-class jerk all evening. What had happened to the cool guy who had asked to be her escort for the game? “It’s not like I forced him to come,” she muttered to herself.
    Tia nudged her. “Colin’s got the right idea. Let’s go back to the bus. At least it’ll be warmer in there.”
    Kara practically jumped up the three steps into the bus. Colin was in the back talking to Mr. Andrews. Scratch that. Mr. Andrews was doing the talking. Colin was listening and nodding with the strangest look on his face.
    She’d seen that look before, but on Dad’s face, not Colin’s. Dad had been standing on the deck at Eagle Lodge, staring out over the meadow past the river, his mouth twistedin a weird half-smile, like he was listening for something. “Pensive” Anne had called it. She knew without a doubt Dad had been dreaming about her mother. Who, or what, was Colin thinking about?
    Kara’s anger melted as fast as an April snow. Colin had definitely been acting weird tonight, but he wasn’t being deliberately mean. Something was bothering him. He’d lost both his parents to alcohol and divorce; maybe he was thinking about them. She could tell his ribs and shoulder were hurting from the cold. Sitting on those hard bleachers must have been torture. She should have realized he’d be uncomfortable, not to mention bored out of his mind.
    â€œPenny for your thoughts.” Colin pulled off his gloves and laid a hand against her cheek. “Whoa. You’re really cold.”
    Act like nothing’s wrong, Wako, or you’ll just make it worse . “I’m fine.”