steady. He joked and talked with her as they worked and she loved every second of it. This Alan Kristinsson person truly was a good addition to the school, after all. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed with a boy.
“ Good, that’s it. Put the other one there,” he directed.
“ What are you two doing?” Trisha interrupted from behind.
Alan turned with Maria on him. They stared at the resentful blonde girl.
“ Do you want me to get in trouble?” she continued. “That’s what they call PDA.”
“ Do you see us sharing saliva?” Maria argued, upset at her integrity being challenged.
“ Did you con our poor new student into holding you up? You’re going to break his shoulders, Maria.” Trisha smiled at Alan conspiringly, hoping to draw mutual agreement from him. “And anyway, there are things called ladders, you know.” Trisha pointed to one barely peeking out from behind the bleachers.
“ Well, you couldn’t have expected us to see that! Someone practically hid the thing there.”
“ It’s all right,” Alan intervened easily. But the detached calm in his voice did not go unnoticed by Maria, or Trisha who helplessly responded to the sudden tension with a hesitant quarter smile.
He let Maria down carefully and came back with the ladder a few moments later. Both of their jaws unhinged as they watched him. Alan easily picked up the large metal ladder by one of the rungs and slung it over his right shoulder as if it were no heavier than an empty suitcase.
“ Satisfied?” He shot Trisha a glower and dropped the ladder so close to her feet that she shifted back in her open-toed sandals.
The clang of the ladder’s legs upon the gymnasium floor drew everyone’s attention. Trisha wobbled for a moment and was silent for the few seconds that it took to regain some semblance of composure. She left quickly, her legs unsure and confused when she retreated.
“ Wow.” Maria was breathless. “Congrats. You’re the first person I know who was able to scare away Trisha the Terrible .”
He said nothing more about it and positioned the ladder by the wall. He held on to the sides for her and Maria steadily climbed it. She knew he was probably getting a full, unpleasant view of her ass, but that couldn’t be avoided now. He’d just have to suffer through it.
“ So, tell me more about you,” he said.
“ Me? I don’t know.”
“ Come on, come on,” he urged. “There has to be something you can say.”
No there wasn’t, nothing she could tell him about her life, anyway. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him away with details of her strange ways and her adoptive family.
“ I’m not all that interesting, really.” Her confession made her feel incredibly inept. “You’ve made friends with a dull person, Mr. Alan Kristinsson.”
“ I highly doubt you’re dull. I like you already, and I don’t like boring people.”
Liked her? Ha! She caught him. She had only needed real proof he was a ladies’ man and she just got it.
“ You like me so soon? Wow, I’m fortunate.”
“ You don’t believe me?” he seemed to ask with heightened interest.
“ Not particularly, if you want to be honest.” Thankfully the levelheaded, frank girl in her came out. “You’re probably one of those guys who...” Wait! That’s too bitchy.
“ No please, go on. You can’t offend me. It’s next to impossible.”
Next to impossible, eh? He’d have to prove that. “I was going to say you’re probably one of those guys who use that pretty smile of yours to get what you want. You probably have the King-of-the-World complex.”
“ I’m glad you like my pretty smile, Maria.”
She grimaced at the admission she had just allowed to slip out, and at the teasing grin she could only imagine he was giving her now behind her back. But for some reason she dared steal a look at him. She blushed heatedly when she realized he had been green-gazing at her again.
Well, at least he wasn’t
“ Good, that’s it. Put the other one there,” he directed.
“ What are you two doing?” Trisha interrupted from behind.
Alan turned with Maria on him. They stared at the resentful blonde girl.
“ Do you want me to get in trouble?” she continued. “That’s what they call PDA.”
“ Do you see us sharing saliva?” Maria argued, upset at her integrity being challenged.
“ Did you con our poor new student into holding you up? You’re going to break his shoulders, Maria.” Trisha smiled at Alan conspiringly, hoping to draw mutual agreement from him. “And anyway, there are things called ladders, you know.” Trisha pointed to one barely peeking out from behind the bleachers.
“ Well, you couldn’t have expected us to see that! Someone practically hid the thing there.”
“ It’s all right,” Alan intervened easily. But the detached calm in his voice did not go unnoticed by Maria, or Trisha who helplessly responded to the sudden tension with a hesitant quarter smile.
He let Maria down carefully and came back with the ladder a few moments later. Both of their jaws unhinged as they watched him. Alan easily picked up the large metal ladder by one of the rungs and slung it over his right shoulder as if it were no heavier than an empty suitcase.
“ Satisfied?” He shot Trisha a glower and dropped the ladder so close to her feet that she shifted back in her open-toed sandals.
The clang of the ladder’s legs upon the gymnasium floor drew everyone’s attention. Trisha wobbled for a moment and was silent for the few seconds that it took to regain some semblance of composure. She left quickly, her legs unsure and confused when she retreated.
“ Wow.” Maria was breathless. “Congrats. You’re the first person I know who was able to scare away Trisha the Terrible .”
He said nothing more about it and positioned the ladder by the wall. He held on to the sides for her and Maria steadily climbed it. She knew he was probably getting a full, unpleasant view of her ass, but that couldn’t be avoided now. He’d just have to suffer through it.
“ So, tell me more about you,” he said.
“ Me? I don’t know.”
“ Come on, come on,” he urged. “There has to be something you can say.”
No there wasn’t, nothing she could tell him about her life, anyway. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him away with details of her strange ways and her adoptive family.
“ I’m not all that interesting, really.” Her confession made her feel incredibly inept. “You’ve made friends with a dull person, Mr. Alan Kristinsson.”
“ I highly doubt you’re dull. I like you already, and I don’t like boring people.”
Liked her? Ha! She caught him. She had only needed real proof he was a ladies’ man and she just got it.
“ You like me so soon? Wow, I’m fortunate.”
“ You don’t believe me?” he seemed to ask with heightened interest.
“ Not particularly, if you want to be honest.” Thankfully the levelheaded, frank girl in her came out. “You’re probably one of those guys who...” Wait! That’s too bitchy.
“ No please, go on. You can’t offend me. It’s next to impossible.”
Next to impossible, eh? He’d have to prove that. “I was going to say you’re probably one of those guys who use that pretty smile of yours to get what you want. You probably have the King-of-the-World complex.”
“ I’m glad you like my pretty smile, Maria.”
She grimaced at the admission she had just allowed to slip out, and at the teasing grin she could only imagine he was giving her now behind her back. But for some reason she dared steal a look at him. She blushed heatedly when she realized he had been green-gazing at her again.
Well, at least he wasn’t
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