what she wants! Let her have eleven boyfriends! Let her dance with fifty-nine other boys. Let her—
The red Corvette ahead of him only half stopped at the stop light before making a right turn on red. Arrest him, Matt thought grimly, there’s never a cop around when you—
Emily stepped out of the car.
The car was still moving, and she simply opened her door and stepped out, gracefully not getting caught in the door as it swung back, not falling on the pavement as the car kept going, and not looking back at the car either.
The Corvette screeched to a full stop, and Matt, who had forgotten he was driving while he was staring at Emily’s exit, nearly drove right through the sports car. The driver jumped out, equally furious at Emily and at Matt. “Hey! What’s your problem, Emily?” the guy bellowed, and then immediately turned to scream at Matt, “You practically stove in my rear end, buddy, watch where you’re going.”
Emily walked swiftly down the sidewalk without looking back.
Matt yelled, “I’ll stove in your face, never mind your rear end!” He jumped out of his car and shouted, “Emily!”
Emily turned on the sidewalk, saw Matt in his old wagon about six inches away from Christopher in his shiny Corvette. How had this happened? Like someone watching a tennis match, Emily stared first at Matt and then at Christopher and back again. “Emily, don’t do that,” Matt said impatiently, “you look dorky. Come on, get in, what’s happening?”
“Oh, Matt,” Emily whispered, as she raced into the street to fling herself on top of him. The force of this banged Matt backward into the door handle.
Matt had never been hugged so hard. He thought she might crack his ribs but didn’t say so. “What, were you kidnapping her or something?” he said to the handsome guy.
“Women,” the guy muttered, who got into the red Corvette, stepped on the gas so hard the tires screamed on the pavement, and spun around the corner, going back the way he had come.
“Oh, Matt!” Emily cried, her face buried against him. “Matt, I’ve been so dumb. First I got in the car with this kid who offered me a ride—it’s the boy Molly used to go with, Christopher Vann—and then I got all panic stricken. Over nothing, Matt! I’m so embarrassed. I don’t know what scared me. I was trying to be polite, it’s important to be polite, but I got more and more scared, and finally I just jumped out of the car. How did you find me? Were you following me? Oh, Matt, I adore you.”
He stuffed Emily in the passenger side, hopped in the driver’s seat and pulled over into the parking lot of a little doughnut shop.
Matt’s family solved a great many problems with food. Matt felt that with a few jelly-filled doughnuts and orange juice to wash them down, he’d have it all under control. Then a nice kiss to finish off the snack and they’d be off for Rushing River, happy as could be.
But Emily’s family, alone among all the families he knew, did not use food to solve difficulties. In fact, the Edmundsons rarely tried to solve difficulties at all. Emily didn’t want a jelly-filled doughnut any more than she wanted Christopher Vann. She pushed it away, far enough that Matt was afraid it would fall behind the counter and nobody would get to eat it. That would never do. Matt rescued the doughnut and ate it himself. “Would you rather have a lemon-filled one?” he asked, trying to be sensitive.
“Matt!” Emily’s whisper was a cry of pain. It frightened him, but he didn’t know what to do about it. “Don’t you understand?” she said desperately.
“No, I don’t.” This seemed to require an apology, so Matt apologized. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to tell me, M&M.”
“I was afraid of him.”
“You said that. I just don’t know what you were afraid of.”
“But Matt, I don’t know either! Maybe…maybe….
Matt squashed lemon filling all over his hand. “He didn’t try…” Matt sputtered. “I’ll kill
The red Corvette ahead of him only half stopped at the stop light before making a right turn on red. Arrest him, Matt thought grimly, there’s never a cop around when you—
Emily stepped out of the car.
The car was still moving, and she simply opened her door and stepped out, gracefully not getting caught in the door as it swung back, not falling on the pavement as the car kept going, and not looking back at the car either.
The Corvette screeched to a full stop, and Matt, who had forgotten he was driving while he was staring at Emily’s exit, nearly drove right through the sports car. The driver jumped out, equally furious at Emily and at Matt. “Hey! What’s your problem, Emily?” the guy bellowed, and then immediately turned to scream at Matt, “You practically stove in my rear end, buddy, watch where you’re going.”
Emily walked swiftly down the sidewalk without looking back.
Matt yelled, “I’ll stove in your face, never mind your rear end!” He jumped out of his car and shouted, “Emily!”
Emily turned on the sidewalk, saw Matt in his old wagon about six inches away from Christopher in his shiny Corvette. How had this happened? Like someone watching a tennis match, Emily stared first at Matt and then at Christopher and back again. “Emily, don’t do that,” Matt said impatiently, “you look dorky. Come on, get in, what’s happening?”
“Oh, Matt,” Emily whispered, as she raced into the street to fling herself on top of him. The force of this banged Matt backward into the door handle.
Matt had never been hugged so hard. He thought she might crack his ribs but didn’t say so. “What, were you kidnapping her or something?” he said to the handsome guy.
“Women,” the guy muttered, who got into the red Corvette, stepped on the gas so hard the tires screamed on the pavement, and spun around the corner, going back the way he had come.
“Oh, Matt!” Emily cried, her face buried against him. “Matt, I’ve been so dumb. First I got in the car with this kid who offered me a ride—it’s the boy Molly used to go with, Christopher Vann—and then I got all panic stricken. Over nothing, Matt! I’m so embarrassed. I don’t know what scared me. I was trying to be polite, it’s important to be polite, but I got more and more scared, and finally I just jumped out of the car. How did you find me? Were you following me? Oh, Matt, I adore you.”
He stuffed Emily in the passenger side, hopped in the driver’s seat and pulled over into the parking lot of a little doughnut shop.
Matt’s family solved a great many problems with food. Matt felt that with a few jelly-filled doughnuts and orange juice to wash them down, he’d have it all under control. Then a nice kiss to finish off the snack and they’d be off for Rushing River, happy as could be.
But Emily’s family, alone among all the families he knew, did not use food to solve difficulties. In fact, the Edmundsons rarely tried to solve difficulties at all. Emily didn’t want a jelly-filled doughnut any more than she wanted Christopher Vann. She pushed it away, far enough that Matt was afraid it would fall behind the counter and nobody would get to eat it. That would never do. Matt rescued the doughnut and ate it himself. “Would you rather have a lemon-filled one?” he asked, trying to be sensitive.
“Matt!” Emily’s whisper was a cry of pain. It frightened him, but he didn’t know what to do about it. “Don’t you understand?” she said desperately.
“No, I don’t.” This seemed to require an apology, so Matt apologized. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to tell me, M&M.”
“I was afraid of him.”
“You said that. I just don’t know what you were afraid of.”
“But Matt, I don’t know either! Maybe…maybe….
Matt squashed lemon filling all over his hand. “He didn’t try…” Matt sputtered. “I’ll kill
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