the road a bit. “Stay in your car, Zara.”
“We’re not going to be able to get it unstuck. You’ll have to give me a ride to my grandmother’s house.”
“It’s better if you stay in the car.”
I glare at him. Things shift inside me. What a bossy jerk. “I can decide if I should stay in my own car or not.”
“Let me try to push you out. It’s better for both of us if you can drive your car home,” he says, looking up the road again.
This time I follow his gaze. My gasp rips through the quiet. A shadow leaps off the road and disappears into the trees. Oh my God “Was that a man up there jumping into the woods?”
Something Hashes in Nick’s brown eyes. Anger? Will? I don’t know. God, I don’t know anything. “It was nothing. Put up your window. Put your car in neutral. I’m going to try to push you out.”
“But the man up there. He could help us?”
“There was no man up there.”
His jaw tightens.
I swallow. “And if he wanted to help he wouldn’t be jumping into the woods, right?”
“Right.”
“Okay,” I say. “Fine. But there was a man.” My voice comes out angry and raw and then I add, “You aren’t strong enough. This is a heavy car. It’s a Subaru.”
“I know it’s a Subaru, Zara. Just let me try.”
He glances up at the woods again. The tension in his shoulders eases a bit and then he reaches into the car and touches my cheek. His voice comes out much softer. “You were crying?”
I jerk my head away, late, just a little too late. His fingers feel like electricity against my cheek, like a magnet I can’t be near.
“I don’t cry,” I lie, and start to put up my window.
His voice stops me. “It’s okay to cry. It’s frustrating getting stuck, and you’re probably not used to ice.”
“I wasn’t crying.”
He shakes his head, obviously not believing me, and then walks around to the back of the car and yells.
“Now. Put it in forward.”
“Okay, just don’t hurt Yoko.”
“Yoko?”
“My car.”
“You named your car Yoko? As in Ono?”
“You have a better name?”
“How about Subaru?”
“I’m shifting!” I shift the gear and the entire car lurches up and onto the road. I press the brake, amazed. The car is not tilted anymore. I’m not stuck. Yay!
Nick trots up to the car, wiping his hands on his jeans. He bends down and smiles all cocky. “Told you I could do it.”
His eyes aren’t so hard.
“Thank you,” I say. I bite my lip and look away and then look back. The center of my palms tingle. Why does he have to be so handsome? “You didn’t get hurt or anything, right?”
“Do I look hurt?”
He looks good but I’m not about to say that.
I keep my foot pressed down on the brake and put the car in park.
I manage to pull myself together. I pivot as best I can, putting my hands on the windowsill, and face him. He’s so cute. He helped me. I have to try to be nice.
“Thank you,” I say. “I wouldn’t have wanted to abandon Yoko and walk home.”
His eyes shift again.
“Zara,” he says. “You ever need a ride you can call me, or lssie. Okay?”
His hands move so they are on top of mine, completely covering them. They’re really huge and warm but they make me shiver somehow. I don’t move away, though. I don’t want to.
“I don’t have your number.” My words come out slow, stunned.
“I’ll give it to you. It’s my cell.”
He writes it out on an old gas receipt and hands it to me with a flourish. I take it.
“What are you? Mr. Protector of New Students?” I laugh when I say it so it doesn’t come out sounding mean.
“Not all new students.”
I try not to melt inside. “Just me?”
He cocks his head.
“Maybe?” His voice trails off. He’s searching up the road. “You really saw someone go into the woods up there?”
I nod. “Didn’t you?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he wipes his hand through his hair.
I suddenly remember how to be polite, like the semi-Southern lady I am. He [_did
“We’re not going to be able to get it unstuck. You’ll have to give me a ride to my grandmother’s house.”
“It’s better if you stay in the car.”
I glare at him. Things shift inside me. What a bossy jerk. “I can decide if I should stay in my own car or not.”
“Let me try to push you out. It’s better for both of us if you can drive your car home,” he says, looking up the road again.
This time I follow his gaze. My gasp rips through the quiet. A shadow leaps off the road and disappears into the trees. Oh my God “Was that a man up there jumping into the woods?”
Something Hashes in Nick’s brown eyes. Anger? Will? I don’t know. God, I don’t know anything. “It was nothing. Put up your window. Put your car in neutral. I’m going to try to push you out.”
“But the man up there. He could help us?”
“There was no man up there.”
His jaw tightens.
I swallow. “And if he wanted to help he wouldn’t be jumping into the woods, right?”
“Right.”
“Okay,” I say. “Fine. But there was a man.” My voice comes out angry and raw and then I add, “You aren’t strong enough. This is a heavy car. It’s a Subaru.”
“I know it’s a Subaru, Zara. Just let me try.”
He glances up at the woods again. The tension in his shoulders eases a bit and then he reaches into the car and touches my cheek. His voice comes out much softer. “You were crying?”
I jerk my head away, late, just a little too late. His fingers feel like electricity against my cheek, like a magnet I can’t be near.
“I don’t cry,” I lie, and start to put up my window.
His voice stops me. “It’s okay to cry. It’s frustrating getting stuck, and you’re probably not used to ice.”
“I wasn’t crying.”
He shakes his head, obviously not believing me, and then walks around to the back of the car and yells.
“Now. Put it in forward.”
“Okay, just don’t hurt Yoko.”
“Yoko?”
“My car.”
“You named your car Yoko? As in Ono?”
“You have a better name?”
“How about Subaru?”
“I’m shifting!” I shift the gear and the entire car lurches up and onto the road. I press the brake, amazed. The car is not tilted anymore. I’m not stuck. Yay!
Nick trots up to the car, wiping his hands on his jeans. He bends down and smiles all cocky. “Told you I could do it.”
His eyes aren’t so hard.
“Thank you,” I say. I bite my lip and look away and then look back. The center of my palms tingle. Why does he have to be so handsome? “You didn’t get hurt or anything, right?”
“Do I look hurt?”
He looks good but I’m not about to say that.
I keep my foot pressed down on the brake and put the car in park.
I manage to pull myself together. I pivot as best I can, putting my hands on the windowsill, and face him. He’s so cute. He helped me. I have to try to be nice.
“Thank you,” I say. “I wouldn’t have wanted to abandon Yoko and walk home.”
His eyes shift again.
“Zara,” he says. “You ever need a ride you can call me, or lssie. Okay?”
His hands move so they are on top of mine, completely covering them. They’re really huge and warm but they make me shiver somehow. I don’t move away, though. I don’t want to.
“I don’t have your number.” My words come out slow, stunned.
“I’ll give it to you. It’s my cell.”
He writes it out on an old gas receipt and hands it to me with a flourish. I take it.
“What are you? Mr. Protector of New Students?” I laugh when I say it so it doesn’t come out sounding mean.
“Not all new students.”
I try not to melt inside. “Just me?”
He cocks his head.
“Maybe?” His voice trails off. He’s searching up the road. “You really saw someone go into the woods up there?”
I nod. “Didn’t you?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he wipes his hand through his hair.
I suddenly remember how to be polite, like the semi-Southern lady I am. He [_did
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