soundtrack of the whole thing too. I leaned my head against my locker. Did surveillance tapes ever end up on YouTube?
“You obviously knew those guys. Who are they? Friends from New York out here to visit you in the hick town?” I ignored him, pulled my books out of my backpack, and put them on my locker shelf.
“Why the swords?” he asked. “What are they trying to prove?” I hung my backpack on its hook, then took my history book from the shelf. I went to shut my locker door, but Hudson put his hand on it to force me to look at him. “If you cared about those guys, you would help us stop them before a few get shot. That’s how a lot of armed robberies end up: with the bad guys leaking blood onto the pavement.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you what I knew.” I pulled my locker door away from him and shut it. “And I was trying to reason with them, trying to get them to stop robbing places. But I can’t do that anymore, thanks to you. My father is keeping me under lock and key from now on.”
Hudson ignored my complaints. “What wouldn’t I believe?”
“I just need a little time to take care of them,” I said. Surely, Chrissy would check in on me today. I still had two wishes left. She had to come back sometime to grant them. “Could you talk to your father and make sure the police don’t shoot anybody before I can get rid of them?”
“What wouldn’t I believe?” Hudson asked again.
91/356
I hesitated, then told him. “It’s Robin Hood and the Merry Men.”
“Robin Hood?” Hudson ran a hand across my locker door, tapping it in annoyance. “Sure he is. But what did I expect from you? You girls all think the guy is dreamy.”
“I wouldn’t exactly describe him as dreamy.” I tucked my book under my arm. “Buff, yes. Handsome, I suppose. Daring …” I thought of the way he’d kissed me. It made me smile. “Okay, he’s dreamy.” Hudson shook his head in disbelief. “Your taste in men is pathetic.”
Only if you believed what the pathetic-o-meter said.
Without saying good-bye, Hudson turned and went down the hallway, weaving between the rest of the students with a purposeful stride. I watched him go and my spirits sank. They shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have cared what he thought—he was the guy who tricked me at the police station.
Hudson was right, really. My taste in men was pathetic.
As I made my way to class, I thought of Hudson’s phrase. You girls all think the guy is dreamy . What did he mean by that? I wondered about it until I sat down in first period and three girls descended on my desk like birds landing for bread crumbs.
A wide-eyed blonde pulled up the chair next to me. “Is it true you were with Jessica Wilson and Hudson Gardner at the Walgreens when it was robbed?”
I nodded. Jessica must have been the teenage girl who was with us.
The second girl sat on the corner of my desk. “Did the robber really say the only thing he wanted to steal from you was a kiss, and then”—she waved her fingers dramatically—“and then he kissed you?” I nodded again.
92/356
This made the girls squeal. “I Googled his composite sketch,” the third said. “He’s a total babe.”
“Were you afraid?” the first asked.
“Do you think he’ll try to see you again?” the second put in.
“Is Bo upset about it?”
That question I could answer. “Bo and I broke up Friday night.” Now all three girls oohed like they had learned a great secret.
“Good timing,” the first one said.
The second girl put her elbow on my desk and rested her chin in her hand. She smiled wistfully. “You must attract the dangerous type.”
“I’m going to hang out in convenience stores until I run into him.” The third let out a sigh.
The other girls trilled in agreement, then speculated where the bandits might strike next.
My mind drifted back to Hudson. I couldn’t help being curious about him, and this was as good a time as any to get information about him.
“You obviously knew those guys. Who are they? Friends from New York out here to visit you in the hick town?” I ignored him, pulled my books out of my backpack, and put them on my locker shelf.
“Why the swords?” he asked. “What are they trying to prove?” I hung my backpack on its hook, then took my history book from the shelf. I went to shut my locker door, but Hudson put his hand on it to force me to look at him. “If you cared about those guys, you would help us stop them before a few get shot. That’s how a lot of armed robberies end up: with the bad guys leaking blood onto the pavement.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you what I knew.” I pulled my locker door away from him and shut it. “And I was trying to reason with them, trying to get them to stop robbing places. But I can’t do that anymore, thanks to you. My father is keeping me under lock and key from now on.”
Hudson ignored my complaints. “What wouldn’t I believe?”
“I just need a little time to take care of them,” I said. Surely, Chrissy would check in on me today. I still had two wishes left. She had to come back sometime to grant them. “Could you talk to your father and make sure the police don’t shoot anybody before I can get rid of them?”
“What wouldn’t I believe?” Hudson asked again.
91/356
I hesitated, then told him. “It’s Robin Hood and the Merry Men.”
“Robin Hood?” Hudson ran a hand across my locker door, tapping it in annoyance. “Sure he is. But what did I expect from you? You girls all think the guy is dreamy.”
“I wouldn’t exactly describe him as dreamy.” I tucked my book under my arm. “Buff, yes. Handsome, I suppose. Daring …” I thought of the way he’d kissed me. It made me smile. “Okay, he’s dreamy.” Hudson shook his head in disbelief. “Your taste in men is pathetic.”
Only if you believed what the pathetic-o-meter said.
Without saying good-bye, Hudson turned and went down the hallway, weaving between the rest of the students with a purposeful stride. I watched him go and my spirits sank. They shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have cared what he thought—he was the guy who tricked me at the police station.
Hudson was right, really. My taste in men was pathetic.
As I made my way to class, I thought of Hudson’s phrase. You girls all think the guy is dreamy . What did he mean by that? I wondered about it until I sat down in first period and three girls descended on my desk like birds landing for bread crumbs.
A wide-eyed blonde pulled up the chair next to me. “Is it true you were with Jessica Wilson and Hudson Gardner at the Walgreens when it was robbed?”
I nodded. Jessica must have been the teenage girl who was with us.
The second girl sat on the corner of my desk. “Did the robber really say the only thing he wanted to steal from you was a kiss, and then”—she waved her fingers dramatically—“and then he kissed you?” I nodded again.
92/356
This made the girls squeal. “I Googled his composite sketch,” the third said. “He’s a total babe.”
“Were you afraid?” the first asked.
“Do you think he’ll try to see you again?” the second put in.
“Is Bo upset about it?”
That question I could answer. “Bo and I broke up Friday night.” Now all three girls oohed like they had learned a great secret.
“Good timing,” the first one said.
The second girl put her elbow on my desk and rested her chin in her hand. She smiled wistfully. “You must attract the dangerous type.”
“I’m going to hang out in convenience stores until I run into him.” The third let out a sigh.
The other girls trilled in agreement, then speculated where the bandits might strike next.
My mind drifted back to Hudson. I couldn’t help being curious about him, and this was as good a time as any to get information about him.
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