Read Online Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel - Free Book Online Page A

were in a movie.  “Right now?”  I wanted nothing more than to go with him, but I was also afraid of getting grounded for the rest of my life.
    Avery looked to Melody.  “You’re not going to say anything, are you Mel?”
    “Not if Zellie gives me her allowance for the next two weeks, I won’t.”  Melody spit on her hand and stuck it out to me.
    I spit on my hand and shook Melody’s.  “Deal.” 
    The excitement of what I was about to do was thrilling.  I grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet and pulled them on under my night shirt. I debated for about two seconds whether I should put a bra on, but decided I couldn’t be incognito enough to get it on with Avery standing right there.  I was thankful for my nice little B-cups for once in my life. I slipped on my flip flops and then went to the window, trying to figure out the best way to climb through it without making too much noise.
    Avery held the window all the way up while I stepped up onto my and Melody’s desk.  I slung my leg over the sill and ducked under the window pane. He put his arms around my waist, helping me out the rest of the way. 
    I let the window slide closed with a soft thud and mouthed “thanks” to Melody. Avery took my hand and led me around the side of the house down the driveway to where his bike was. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you at the lake, my dad made me help him stain the deck.”
    I smiled. It was a relief to know that I wasn’t the only one whose parents forced them to do chores.  I think Claire would have to look the definition of chores up in the dictionary.  “Yeah, well I was in weeding hell all afternoon and couldn’t get away either.”  I put my arms around his waist, hugging him to me.  “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.  So, where are we going?”
    Avery took my hands from around his waist.  “Let’s walk over to the park across the street.  I have some things I need to talk to you about.”  He took hold of my hand and started walking.
    This couldn’t be good.  Had he decided that I was a dork after all?  Had he realized that I was not worth his time? Was I too freakishly tall?  Melody said guys didn’t like it when you were the same height as them. Did I not know how to gauge his feelings at all?  No.  I knew him.  I already knew him.  It had to be something besides me that was getting in the way of us.
    We sat down on a bench underneath a street light. I could hear the water spilling from one level to the next in the fountain behind us. If what he was going to tell me was really bad I could always go drown myself in it.  Let the cherubs take me down.
    Avery turned to me, still holding my hand. “My dad doesn’t want me to start seeing you. He says that it’s for my own good, to keep me safe.  Do you have any idea why he would say that?”
    My hands began to tremble. Before I was kinda kidding about the fountain, but now maybe not.  I’d been with Avery not even two whole days and now his dad was making him break up with me? And was he going to obey him and do it? “So your dad knows about us?  What did you tell him?”
    “I didn’t tell him anything.  He saw us both coming into church late and put two and two together I guess.”  Avery scooted closer, wrapping his arms around me to quiet the trembling that was taking over my body.
    I searched his eyes, he was telling the truth. Of course he was.  This was something our parents were doing to us.  Avery still wanted to be with me. “My mom must know too, that’s why she kept me from meeting you today.  I honestly don’t know why they would be trying to keep us apart.”
    He nodded. “You know they were engaged?  Your mom and my dad?”
    “Yeah, but for like a minute.” Could that be why? That didn’t seem fair at all and it was so long ago. I shook my head.  “They were high school sweethearts.  My mom said they broke up when she went away to school in St. Louis. They’ve been over for