a kissing sound against the phone. “I love you, Calvin.”
“Yeah, love you too. Bye.”
He hung up. Too abruptly. He was unconvinced, angry, maybe thinking she was suddenly too much drama. Her cell phone pressed to her lips to stifle a sob, Stacey rolled her shoulder against the wall then slid down to the floor. Zoe waited in her room, her parents were downstairs, and Renee was … somewhere. At this momentwhen she wanted to weep for everything that was going wrong with her boyfriend, someone was sure to ask questions. Calvin would never understand. Never. And what right did he have to judge her for anything when he was planning to hang out with another girl? So what if Flannery was a total tomboy. So what if Tyler was going to be there too? He’d probably say Flannery was a better fit for Calvin because they both rode those stupid, scary, dirty motorcycles.
“Stace? You okay?” Zoe stood at the bedroom door, looking down at her.
She sniffed, dragged her voice out of the hollow cavity of her wretchedness. “Not really. Calvin’s in a bad mood.”
“What’d he say?”
“Nothing much. His bike isn’t running and … we need to talk about some other stuff tomorrow.” Like how she could keep him in her life and out of her business at the same time.
Zoe knelt down and stroked her arm. “He doesn’t get it, does he?”
Stacey puffed out air, as close to a laugh as she could manage. One person did understand what she was going through. Zoe shared her secret, felt her desperation, and helped her through the wickedest temptations. Barely a word had to be said. Zoe
knew
.
“I don’t know what to say to him.” Stacey hugged herself and rocked away from the wall.
“Know what? If he can’t accept you for who you are, then—”
“I don’t want to lose him. I love him.” Fear and pain bashed through the well holding her tears.
But Zoe smiled. “Eww.” She draped her arms over Stacey’s shoulders. “But if that’s the way you really feel, we’ll work on it. I’m here for you, girl.”
Stacey pressed her face into Zoe’s tiny shoulder and cried.
Chapter 5
A breeze channeled through the front porch, ruffling Calvin’s shower-damp hair. The crisp air that was so welcome that morning as he worked with his father in the cotton field now made him shudder. Still limping from his riding mishap yesterday, he paced the porch from one rocking chair to the other, trying to get his emotions in check before Stacey’s arrival.
He couldn’t bring the exact words of their phone conversation back to his mind; they’d been lost as heat flared in his head. He remembered her voice, sharp, offended, both defensive and accusing. But he’d done nothing wrong! Why should she be so ticked because he was concerned about her? It wasn’t like he’d been hounding her with the questions. He was asking for the first time. And what right did she have to tell him who he could or couldn’t spend his free time with during spring break?
He remembered going up to his room and punching the air and growling at Tyler—though the guy would never know it—for being right about Stacey. Suddenly, after seven months of dating, Stacey decided to be jealous of Flannery. It didn’t make sense. And there
was
something going on besides female problems. She hadn’t gotten dizzy and passed out before. Not in seven months. So why now?
Five paces between one rocking chair and the other, passing thefront door again. Did anyone inside notice? And how was he supposed to act now? Pretend the conversation never happened or confront her with it? Calvin pivoted again and smacked the side of his fist into a post.
Michael hadn’t been around long enough to tell Calvin how to deal with this weird girl stuff. The Army took him to Afghanistan last summer, and God saw fit to take him to heaven. Calvin’s already anxious heart constricted at that thought.
He squatted down on the porch steps and clenched his head between both hands. So not
“Yeah, love you too. Bye.”
He hung up. Too abruptly. He was unconvinced, angry, maybe thinking she was suddenly too much drama. Her cell phone pressed to her lips to stifle a sob, Stacey rolled her shoulder against the wall then slid down to the floor. Zoe waited in her room, her parents were downstairs, and Renee was … somewhere. At this momentwhen she wanted to weep for everything that was going wrong with her boyfriend, someone was sure to ask questions. Calvin would never understand. Never. And what right did he have to judge her for anything when he was planning to hang out with another girl? So what if Flannery was a total tomboy. So what if Tyler was going to be there too? He’d probably say Flannery was a better fit for Calvin because they both rode those stupid, scary, dirty motorcycles.
“Stace? You okay?” Zoe stood at the bedroom door, looking down at her.
She sniffed, dragged her voice out of the hollow cavity of her wretchedness. “Not really. Calvin’s in a bad mood.”
“What’d he say?”
“Nothing much. His bike isn’t running and … we need to talk about some other stuff tomorrow.” Like how she could keep him in her life and out of her business at the same time.
Zoe knelt down and stroked her arm. “He doesn’t get it, does he?”
Stacey puffed out air, as close to a laugh as she could manage. One person did understand what she was going through. Zoe shared her secret, felt her desperation, and helped her through the wickedest temptations. Barely a word had to be said. Zoe
knew
.
“I don’t know what to say to him.” Stacey hugged herself and rocked away from the wall.
“Know what? If he can’t accept you for who you are, then—”
“I don’t want to lose him. I love him.” Fear and pain bashed through the well holding her tears.
But Zoe smiled. “Eww.” She draped her arms over Stacey’s shoulders. “But if that’s the way you really feel, we’ll work on it. I’m here for you, girl.”
Stacey pressed her face into Zoe’s tiny shoulder and cried.
Chapter 5
A breeze channeled through the front porch, ruffling Calvin’s shower-damp hair. The crisp air that was so welcome that morning as he worked with his father in the cotton field now made him shudder. Still limping from his riding mishap yesterday, he paced the porch from one rocking chair to the other, trying to get his emotions in check before Stacey’s arrival.
He couldn’t bring the exact words of their phone conversation back to his mind; they’d been lost as heat flared in his head. He remembered her voice, sharp, offended, both defensive and accusing. But he’d done nothing wrong! Why should she be so ticked because he was concerned about her? It wasn’t like he’d been hounding her with the questions. He was asking for the first time. And what right did she have to tell him who he could or couldn’t spend his free time with during spring break?
He remembered going up to his room and punching the air and growling at Tyler—though the guy would never know it—for being right about Stacey. Suddenly, after seven months of dating, Stacey decided to be jealous of Flannery. It didn’t make sense. And there
was
something going on besides female problems. She hadn’t gotten dizzy and passed out before. Not in seven months. So why now?
Five paces between one rocking chair and the other, passing thefront door again. Did anyone inside notice? And how was he supposed to act now? Pretend the conversation never happened or confront her with it? Calvin pivoted again and smacked the side of his fist into a post.
Michael hadn’t been around long enough to tell Calvin how to deal with this weird girl stuff. The Army took him to Afghanistan last summer, and God saw fit to take him to heaven. Calvin’s already anxious heart constricted at that thought.
He squatted down on the porch steps and clenched his head between both hands. So not
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