finally muster is, “I’ve guess I’ve been doing for everyone else for so long, that I don’t think I know how.”
“Maybe you just need someone to show you.” He catches my eye doesn’t look away until the bell over the door, signals it’s opening, and steals his attention. A small group of teenagers enter whom I don’t immediately recognize.
Carver nervously taps the table with his fingers. “We should go.” He stands and quickly chucks what’s left of his coffee into a nearby receptacle. Turning back to me, he says, “I’m embarrassed to tell you this, but I don’t have a library card. Can you hook me up with one?”
“Sure, I’d love to.”
Really, Joy? That’s the best you can come up with?
As he walks past me, he runs his fingers through the fringe of his scarf still wrapped around my neck.
When I get home that afternoon, I see that my mom’s car is gone and I’m happy to have some time to myself. Saturdays are usually big work days for her. I make a turkey sandwich then make my way upstairs with a paperback from the library, tucked under my arm. I start to walk past the open door to Devon’s room, and see him crouched over his desk. Deciding to delay my alone time for a few minutes, I knock lightly on the door frame and enter.
“Hey, Dev…What are you doing?” I sit down on the end of his bed.
“Hey,” he replies without allowing his focusing to break away from his work. “I’m trying to hack this game for a kid from school. If I can, he’ll give me fifty bucks.”
I look at his computer set up. It makes my fairly new, slim laptop look like child’s play. His workspace is covered with a large flat screen monitor, sleek black tower and keyboard, and a mixture of tangled USB cables.
I laugh, “Does mom know that you do this kind of stuff?”
“Yeah, she said as long as I don’t cause the FBI to kick in the front door, she’s happy.”
I know that he’s a good kid and wouldn’t be stupid enough to get into trouble anyway.
“Do you ever think about Dad, Dev?”
The question catches him by surprise and he stops working, swinging his rolling chair around to face me. “Yeah, of course I do. I don’t really remember much of him. Mostly, I just go by the stories you and mom tell me. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s just something someone mentioned to me today. It made me wonder if Dad would be proud of us…if he was still here.”
“ I think so, Joy. I mean, you’re like top of your class. How could that not make him happy?”
“Yeah, how could it not,” I say, slightly put out.
Devon looks confused, thinking that what he said, would have been what I wanted to hear, but decides for a subject change on us again. “So what happened the other day with Colton? I take it he’s not coming back here again?”
“Actually, we are going to give it another shot tomorrow,” I answer, purposely avoiding his first question.
“Oh, that’s cool. He seems like an alright guy.”
“Yeah…well…” I say letting my voice trail off. What I don’t add is, people aren’t always what they seem.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BRYCE (Freshman Year)
I find Carver at the lunch table alone, not yet over run by testosterone, or should I say a handful of my new best friends, team mates .
“How’s it going with Missy?” I ask, following his gaze.
Carver grins, but continues to watch her across the busy cafeteria. “I’m getting there. What about you…any potential hotties? How about that girl, Joy?” he asks.
I pause in mid chew. “What about her?”
“She’s cute…you should hit that.”
Slightly aggravated, I sigh and put down my sandwich. “It’s not like that with her.” I silently wonder why I’m even admitting this to Carver. Maybe because he’s the only one who actually knows how I feel about her, I’ll find it therapeutic to talk to him. I decide to take the chance. “I’ve known her my whole life. We used to be really
“Maybe you just need someone to show you.” He catches my eye doesn’t look away until the bell over the door, signals it’s opening, and steals his attention. A small group of teenagers enter whom I don’t immediately recognize.
Carver nervously taps the table with his fingers. “We should go.” He stands and quickly chucks what’s left of his coffee into a nearby receptacle. Turning back to me, he says, “I’m embarrassed to tell you this, but I don’t have a library card. Can you hook me up with one?”
“Sure, I’d love to.”
Really, Joy? That’s the best you can come up with?
As he walks past me, he runs his fingers through the fringe of his scarf still wrapped around my neck.
When I get home that afternoon, I see that my mom’s car is gone and I’m happy to have some time to myself. Saturdays are usually big work days for her. I make a turkey sandwich then make my way upstairs with a paperback from the library, tucked under my arm. I start to walk past the open door to Devon’s room, and see him crouched over his desk. Deciding to delay my alone time for a few minutes, I knock lightly on the door frame and enter.
“Hey, Dev…What are you doing?” I sit down on the end of his bed.
“Hey,” he replies without allowing his focusing to break away from his work. “I’m trying to hack this game for a kid from school. If I can, he’ll give me fifty bucks.”
I look at his computer set up. It makes my fairly new, slim laptop look like child’s play. His workspace is covered with a large flat screen monitor, sleek black tower and keyboard, and a mixture of tangled USB cables.
I laugh, “Does mom know that you do this kind of stuff?”
“Yeah, she said as long as I don’t cause the FBI to kick in the front door, she’s happy.”
I know that he’s a good kid and wouldn’t be stupid enough to get into trouble anyway.
“Do you ever think about Dad, Dev?”
The question catches him by surprise and he stops working, swinging his rolling chair around to face me. “Yeah, of course I do. I don’t really remember much of him. Mostly, I just go by the stories you and mom tell me. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s just something someone mentioned to me today. It made me wonder if Dad would be proud of us…if he was still here.”
“ I think so, Joy. I mean, you’re like top of your class. How could that not make him happy?”
“Yeah, how could it not,” I say, slightly put out.
Devon looks confused, thinking that what he said, would have been what I wanted to hear, but decides for a subject change on us again. “So what happened the other day with Colton? I take it he’s not coming back here again?”
“Actually, we are going to give it another shot tomorrow,” I answer, purposely avoiding his first question.
“Oh, that’s cool. He seems like an alright guy.”
“Yeah…well…” I say letting my voice trail off. What I don’t add is, people aren’t always what they seem.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BRYCE (Freshman Year)
I find Carver at the lunch table alone, not yet over run by testosterone, or should I say a handful of my new best friends, team mates .
“How’s it going with Missy?” I ask, following his gaze.
Carver grins, but continues to watch her across the busy cafeteria. “I’m getting there. What about you…any potential hotties? How about that girl, Joy?” he asks.
I pause in mid chew. “What about her?”
“She’s cute…you should hit that.”
Slightly aggravated, I sigh and put down my sandwich. “It’s not like that with her.” I silently wonder why I’m even admitting this to Carver. Maybe because he’s the only one who actually knows how I feel about her, I’ll find it therapeutic to talk to him. I decide to take the chance. “I’ve known her my whole life. We used to be really
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