Dark River Road by Virginia Brown

looking at Chantry as if he should know why. “I don’t hardly see her, what with her schooling and the extra work I been doin’ for the Sheridans.”
    Chantry nodded. He felt awkward. And guilty. He didn’t know why he should feel so guilty except maybe because he still had those dreams about Tansy, only worse now. Sometimes he didn’t want to go to sleep even when he was really tired after school, his job at the vet’s, and doing homework. He wanted the sleep, but he didn’t want the dreams.
    “Somethin’ goin’ on I should know about, Chantry?” Dempsey looked at him, and he had to look away.
    “I just wanted to know if she’s going to the Fall Festival. I’m helping Mama set up for it.”
    “Um hm. All right, then. I’ll tell her you came by.”
    It was the first time he could remember that he hadn’t been honest with Dempsey, but it wasn’t all his secret to tell.
    The day of the Fall Festival, he woke up with a cold. His head hurt, his throat felt scratchy and he kept sneezing. Mama told him he could stay home since he was sick but he’d already taken off work to help her and said he’d be okay. She gave him some cold medicine and told him to be in her sixth period class as soon as the bell rang. There were tables to set up, bunting to hang, and decorations to put on the gym walls.
    The cold medicine eased his symptoms but made him feel like he walked around in a daze. By his third period science class, all he could think about was taking a nap. He sat in the back of the room and tried to focus on the principles of chemical reaction. His eyes burned and he rubbed at them. When he took his hand away, a folded piece of paper lay on the surface of his desk.
    He blinked in surprise. He looked around, but no one looked back at him and he didn’t know who’d thrown it. It probably wasn’t even for him. The teacher, Mr. Winstead, still droned on about the properties of sulphuric acid. He put the note down in his lap and unfolded the top of it to look inside.
    Chantry, it read in girlish script, will you go with me to the festival tonight? It was signed Cinda . He read it twice to be sure it said what he thought. Then he looked up.
    Cinda Sheridan had her head bent over her open book, but she slanted him a sideways glance real quick. He didn’t know what to do, so just nodded even though he had no idea if he meant it. Mama was counting on him. And he had this damn cold.
    After class she came up to him when he got up from his desk. “Are you sure? I mean, I know it’s the last minute and all.”
    He stacked his books together to give himself time to think, and then said, “I thought you were going with Justin Dawson.”
    “I was. He has the chicken pox. And I need a date.”
    That was pretty blunt. He must have looked funny because she said real quick, “And I figured you’d never ask me to go anywhere so I’d just have to ask you.”
    That was true enough.
    “What about your cousin?” he asked after a minute, aware that the room had emptied and they were alone. “We don’t exactly get along.”
    “Chris is a jerk.”
    “Yeah, I know. But that doesn’t answer my question.”
    She smiled, and her green eyes nearly took his breath away. “He’s taking Mariah. Besides, he doesn’t have any say about who I see or where I go. He’s only my cousin.”
    Right . He didn’t say anything, only lifted his brow and after a second she shrugged. “I’ll worry about Chris. He won’t say anything to you while I’m with you.”
    “I’m not worried about him saying anything to me.”
    “Look, the bell’s gonna ring. Do you want to be my date tonight or not?”
    “Sure. I just don’t want any trouble.” He had no idea how he’d manage it. “Do you, uh, want me to pick you up or anything?”
    “No, I’ll just meet you here at seven. Out front. Okay?”
    She flashed him a smile and headed for the door, leaving him staring after her. He should feel pretty good right now. But he was scared half