bedroom. I wave a polite hello to her mother as we blow through the family room. Mrs. Horton smiles at me. “Nice to see you again, Ellis.”
A moment later, we’re safely ensconced behind Cara’s closed door.
“Let’s get out of these suits,” she says, stripping to the waist. I get an eyeful of small perky breasts and a flat stomach before I turn away to give her privacy.
“Sorry. I’m not very modest,” Cara says. “I won’t look while you change.”
“I have to go to the bathroom anyway,” I say, throwing the towel over my arm and grabbing up my clothes in one fist.
“Down the hall.” She points, but I remember.
I let myself out and turn down the hall, only to find myself face to face with Evan. He’s just stepped from his room into the hallway. He does a kind of multitake, where he sees me, sees my suit, recognizes me, analyzes my overall look, and comes to a conclusion. I see it all pass over his face, because apparently he’s as surprised as I am.
Then he smiles, and I want to look over my shoulder because this is the way guys smile at Abby. Never at me.
“Ellis Baldwin,” Evan says, “I was just thinking about you.” Which is an obvious lie if ever I’ve heard one.
“Oh, hi.” I blush. It never occurred to me that I might run into him here, at his house. Duh.
“Going for a dip?”
“Already dipped.”
“Too bad. I would’ve come down to hang.”
“Maybe next time,” I say, to be polite. Evan nods like we’ve just made a plan.
“So…,” he says, grinning and leaning his forearm on the wall in a weird way. Is he flirting with me?
Cara pokes her head out of her room. “Bug off, jackass.” To me: “Is he bothering you?”
“Naw. We’re friends,” Evan says.
“I have to pee,” I say, dodging Evan and the ugly glares the two are shooting each other. I close the bathroom door soundly behind me.
23
Touch
So simple and yet so rare.
EVAN’S NOWHERE to be seen when I come out of the bathroom a few minutes later. I’ve changed back into my tank top and long shorts, so even if I do see him, I’ll be able to handle it better.
I scurry back to Cara’s room, let myself in, and close the door. Home base. No tags. I breathe, relieved.
Cara stares at me sullenly from her little desk stool. She uses her toes against the foot rung to turn herself in slow circles. On each pass I get a dark Look. I wonder what I did wrong.
“What?” I say, wanting to peer over my shoulder again, except I know there’s nothing behind me but door.
“Are you into my brother?” she says, looking piqued.
“Um … no. I don’t know.” It’s nice to be looked at. “I don’t think so.”
“Is that why you came over? Are you using me?”
I frown. “No. Definitely no.”
She relaxes a bit. I feel like maybe it’s okay to come a little closer. I sit cross-legged on the carpet and lean against the bed.
“This’ll sound stupid, but I actually forgot he might be here.”
Cara smiles a bit. “So, you don’t want to date him?”
I consider. “No. I mean, no offense, but he can be kind of a jerk. Anyway, I don’t like his crowd.”
Cara gives me a funny look. “It’s kinda your crowd, too.”
“Yeah, I know.” I tangle my fingers in her dust ruffle, while she turns on the round stool slowly, eyeing me. We leave the rest unsaid.
* * *
“LET’S WATCH a movie in here while we eat dinner,” Cara says. She has a decently large flat-screen monitor attached to her laptop, and the computer can play DVDs. “You can pick the movie.” She shows me her collection, then rattles off the titles we’ll find in the family room, in addition to those she’s willing to steal from Evan.
“Are you allowed to eat in your room?”
Cara tilts her head, thinking. “I guess so. It’s not a rule or anything. Anyway, my mom will probably let me do anything I want while I have someone over.”
“Oh.” Maybe that’s because Cara doesn’t have many people over. “Well,
A moment later, we’re safely ensconced behind Cara’s closed door.
“Let’s get out of these suits,” she says, stripping to the waist. I get an eyeful of small perky breasts and a flat stomach before I turn away to give her privacy.
“Sorry. I’m not very modest,” Cara says. “I won’t look while you change.”
“I have to go to the bathroom anyway,” I say, throwing the towel over my arm and grabbing up my clothes in one fist.
“Down the hall.” She points, but I remember.
I let myself out and turn down the hall, only to find myself face to face with Evan. He’s just stepped from his room into the hallway. He does a kind of multitake, where he sees me, sees my suit, recognizes me, analyzes my overall look, and comes to a conclusion. I see it all pass over his face, because apparently he’s as surprised as I am.
Then he smiles, and I want to look over my shoulder because this is the way guys smile at Abby. Never at me.
“Ellis Baldwin,” Evan says, “I was just thinking about you.” Which is an obvious lie if ever I’ve heard one.
“Oh, hi.” I blush. It never occurred to me that I might run into him here, at his house. Duh.
“Going for a dip?”
“Already dipped.”
“Too bad. I would’ve come down to hang.”
“Maybe next time,” I say, to be polite. Evan nods like we’ve just made a plan.
“So…,” he says, grinning and leaning his forearm on the wall in a weird way. Is he flirting with me?
Cara pokes her head out of her room. “Bug off, jackass.” To me: “Is he bothering you?”
“Naw. We’re friends,” Evan says.
“I have to pee,” I say, dodging Evan and the ugly glares the two are shooting each other. I close the bathroom door soundly behind me.
23
Touch
So simple and yet so rare.
EVAN’S NOWHERE to be seen when I come out of the bathroom a few minutes later. I’ve changed back into my tank top and long shorts, so even if I do see him, I’ll be able to handle it better.
I scurry back to Cara’s room, let myself in, and close the door. Home base. No tags. I breathe, relieved.
Cara stares at me sullenly from her little desk stool. She uses her toes against the foot rung to turn herself in slow circles. On each pass I get a dark Look. I wonder what I did wrong.
“What?” I say, wanting to peer over my shoulder again, except I know there’s nothing behind me but door.
“Are you into my brother?” she says, looking piqued.
“Um … no. I don’t know.” It’s nice to be looked at. “I don’t think so.”
“Is that why you came over? Are you using me?”
I frown. “No. Definitely no.”
She relaxes a bit. I feel like maybe it’s okay to come a little closer. I sit cross-legged on the carpet and lean against the bed.
“This’ll sound stupid, but I actually forgot he might be here.”
Cara smiles a bit. “So, you don’t want to date him?”
I consider. “No. I mean, no offense, but he can be kind of a jerk. Anyway, I don’t like his crowd.”
Cara gives me a funny look. “It’s kinda your crowd, too.”
“Yeah, I know.” I tangle my fingers in her dust ruffle, while she turns on the round stool slowly, eyeing me. We leave the rest unsaid.
* * *
“LET’S WATCH a movie in here while we eat dinner,” Cara says. She has a decently large flat-screen monitor attached to her laptop, and the computer can play DVDs. “You can pick the movie.” She shows me her collection, then rattles off the titles we’ll find in the family room, in addition to those she’s willing to steal from Evan.
“Are you allowed to eat in your room?”
Cara tilts her head, thinking. “I guess so. It’s not a rule or anything. Anyway, my mom will probably let me do anything I want while I have someone over.”
“Oh.” Maybe that’s because Cara doesn’t have many people over. “Well,
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