Foolproof Read Free

my phone wakes me up. I try to blink the sleep from my vision and reach for the phone. It’s a text from Cyn.
    Meet me at Meridian Park at one .
    I text back, As in tonight?
    Yes.
    The house is quiet. I pull on some jeans and a hoodie and close the door softly behind me. I put my shoes on outside. The night air feels cold. I jam my hands in my pockets and walk fast to keep warm.
    The lot at Meridian Park is empty. I stand in a circle of light.
    She’s not there. Wind creaks in the trees. I check the time—1:00 AM . Where is she? I hear a car and step back into the shadows, imagining a guy with a chainsaw. But it’s her.
    She parks, jumps out of the car and gives me a hug. “I hope it’s not too late for you.”
    I lie. “I was just doing homework.”
    She takes my hand and pulls me through the darkness to sit on a bench a short distance from the parking lot. A light over the bench makes a yellow island in the night. There’s enough light that I can see her, but it feels private. Cyn is wearing the same clothes she had on at school—jeans and a little T-shirt. I take off my hoodie and wrap it around her. I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do, but I put my arm around her too. She smiles and snuggles in close to me. She says, “I couldn’t wait a whole night to see you.”
    With what she is saying, and how she presses herself against me, the cold night air is gone, and all I feel is heat. I can’t trust my voice, so I just nod. She pulls me closer. I shift a bit so she maybe won’t feel what she’s doing to me. She reaches up and runs her fingers against my lips. Her touch courses through me. I kiss her before I can think about it, before I can doubt that she wants to kiss me. And she kisses me back.
    Her lips are soft and firm at the same time. She tastes like honey and salt. When we finally stop, she says, “I’ve been thinking about doing that since the first time I kissed you.”
    “Me too.”
    I don’t know how long we are on the bench, but it’s like no amount of time is enough. She pulls away first. She says, “You probably need to get home.”
    If anyone knew I was out this late with school tomorrow, I’d hear about it. But no one knows. I wonder how she gets away with being out so late. I say, “No, I’m fine.” But the night feels suddenly cold, and I shiver.
    She laughs. “Come on. I have something for you.”
    We walk to the car. She reaches
into the backseat and pulls out a shopping bag. It’s from the same store where she bought her runners.
    “You went shopping again? I thought you didn’t like shopping.”
    “I like shopping for you.”
    I must look like I’m stunned, because she says, “It’s okay, Daniel. Look in the bag.”
    It’s a jacket—a nice jacket, the kind you wear on a date.
    “Wow.” It’s all I can think of to say. It looks expensive.
    “Put it on.”
    The jacket is lined with satin that slides over my arms. The sleeves fall to exactly the right length on my wrists.
    “It’s perfect on you.”
    I find my voice. “You shouldn’t spend your money on me.”
    “It was a deal. Plus I’ve been making great tips at work,” she says. “I tried to buy a dress, but they didn’t have my size. They’re bringing one in from another store.” She strokes the front of the jacket with her hands. “You look drop-dead gorgeous in it, Daniel.”
    I feel my face flush with her compliment. “It’s way too much.” I go to take off the jacket.
    “You tell yourself whatever you like.” She pulls the jacket back onto my shoulders and hands me the bag. “But I’m not taking it back. And anyway, you gave me your hoodie, so it’s fair.”
    I didn’t actually give her my hoodie, but if she wants it that makes me really happy.
    She drops me at home, and I creep to my bedroom. Using just the light from my phone, I check out how I look in the jacket. It is a great jacket. It makes me look different. It makes me look good, almost. The price tag, though, makes my heart