Read Online The Color Of Grace by Linda Kage - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Linda Kage
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snorted
behind him. Both Todd and I swiveled around. He seared me with a bitter smirk
before he lifted his eyebrows Todd’s way. “Don’t you know? She’s not interested.”
My jaw dropped. What had crawled into his Wheaties and died? He was the one who had a girlfriend,
who’d flirted with me while his perky cheerleader had been across the gymnasium
doing back flips and playing around with their stupid Barney mascot. I was the
one who was supposed to be bitter here.
Todd didn’t seem to appreciate his smart-mouthed comment
either. He scowled at Ryder as if he wanted to choke him.
I politely cleared my throat and sent my own small glare to
Ryder before turning back to Todd and lifting my chin. “What time?” I said
before I could stop myself.
And there came my mistake number two. One being the fact
that I turned down Ryder Yates the first time he asked for my name. Two being
that I did not turn down his friend.
But honestly, how could I say no? Ryder Yates had just issued
me the ultimate challenge. This seemed like my way to get back at him. He had
to have a girlfriend, so I felt forced to go hang out with his friend. Plus, if
I wanted to be totally honest with myself, a part of me wanted to be around him
just a little longer. I had to know what I was missing by initially telling him
I wasn’t interested: a total jerk or my dream come true? And if a bunch of them
were going to hang out, then I had to guess Ryder would be included in that
number, so I should be able to aptly appease my curiosity.
At my response, Todd’s eyes briefly flared in surprise. Then
he smiled—or maybe preened would be a
better word to describe the expression that crossed his face. Glancing mockingly
at Ryder, he said, “Game starts at seven. It’ll probably go on ’til nine or
nine-thirty. So ten o’clock? We meet out behind the gymnasium at the benches
and then usually go somewhere and stay out until midnight or so.”
I bit my lip. “My mom usually doesn’t like me out any later
than eleven.” Actually, my curfew was eleven on weekends only, ten on a weekday
night. But I couldn’t mention that and look like a complete dud.
Todd shrugged. “I could take you home whenever.”
“Okay.” I shrugged too like it was no big deal, when all the
while, my pulse kept pumping faster and my palms kept growing sweatier. My skin
went all pale and cold as I hoped and prayed my mother didn’t say no, yet hoped
and prayed that’s kind of exactly what she’d say.
Did I really want to go to a Southeast basketball game and
hang out with a bunch of people I didn’t know? Heck, no. But could I risk
turning them down and being an outsider for another year and half before I
graduated? Heck, no.
Rock and hard place. Guess where I stood?
The bell rang and I nearly shouted in relief. Thank goodness
I could finally get out of this class so I wouldn’t let someone talk me into
donating a kidney or something.
I leapt to my feet and hurled myself toward the exit. Todd,
curse him, kept pace, entering the flooded hallway right behind me with Ryder
piling in behind us.
“Let me introduce you around,” Todd offered, setting his
hand on my shoulder and redirecting me with a nudge. His familiarity with me
was shocking, but I didn’t shrug off his uncomfortable arm. Didn’t want to be
rude.
“That’s Cory,” he started, pointing toward a dark-haired boy
walking hand-in-hand with a longhaired girl. Cory paused to slap a high-five
with Ryder.
“And that’s Melinda,” Todd continued, motioning toward the
pretty girl with Cory.
She smiled at me and held out a hand. “Call me Mindy.”
We shook, and I felt comforted by her presence. Had I
perchance just made another friend? I hoped so.
“Those two are Wendi and Vance. And—”
“ Ryder !” A shrill
squeal blocked out anything else Todd was about to say.
I looked up and spotted the cheerleader with number forty-two
stenciled on her cheek sprinting toward him. When she was a foot
behind him. Both Todd and I swiveled around. He seared me with a bitter smirk
before he lifted his eyebrows Todd’s way. “Don’t you know? She’s not interested.”
My jaw dropped. What had crawled into his Wheaties and died? He was the one who had a girlfriend,
who’d flirted with me while his perky cheerleader had been across the gymnasium
doing back flips and playing around with their stupid Barney mascot. I was the
one who was supposed to be bitter here.
Todd didn’t seem to appreciate his smart-mouthed comment
either. He scowled at Ryder as if he wanted to choke him.
I politely cleared my throat and sent my own small glare to
Ryder before turning back to Todd and lifting my chin. “What time?” I said
before I could stop myself.
And there came my mistake number two. One being the fact
that I turned down Ryder Yates the first time he asked for my name. Two being
that I did not turn down his friend.
But honestly, how could I say no? Ryder Yates had just issued
me the ultimate challenge. This seemed like my way to get back at him. He had
to have a girlfriend, so I felt forced to go hang out with his friend. Plus, if
I wanted to be totally honest with myself, a part of me wanted to be around him
just a little longer. I had to know what I was missing by initially telling him
I wasn’t interested: a total jerk or my dream come true? And if a bunch of them
were going to hang out, then I had to guess Ryder would be included in that
number, so I should be able to aptly appease my curiosity.
At my response, Todd’s eyes briefly flared in surprise. Then
he smiled—or maybe preened would be a
better word to describe the expression that crossed his face. Glancing mockingly
at Ryder, he said, “Game starts at seven. It’ll probably go on ’til nine or
nine-thirty. So ten o’clock? We meet out behind the gymnasium at the benches
and then usually go somewhere and stay out until midnight or so.”
I bit my lip. “My mom usually doesn’t like me out any later
than eleven.” Actually, my curfew was eleven on weekends only, ten on a weekday
night. But I couldn’t mention that and look like a complete dud.
Todd shrugged. “I could take you home whenever.”
“Okay.” I shrugged too like it was no big deal, when all the
while, my pulse kept pumping faster and my palms kept growing sweatier. My skin
went all pale and cold as I hoped and prayed my mother didn’t say no, yet hoped
and prayed that’s kind of exactly what she’d say.
Did I really want to go to a Southeast basketball game and
hang out with a bunch of people I didn’t know? Heck, no. But could I risk
turning them down and being an outsider for another year and half before I
graduated? Heck, no.
Rock and hard place. Guess where I stood?
The bell rang and I nearly shouted in relief. Thank goodness
I could finally get out of this class so I wouldn’t let someone talk me into
donating a kidney or something.
I leapt to my feet and hurled myself toward the exit. Todd,
curse him, kept pace, entering the flooded hallway right behind me with Ryder
piling in behind us.
“Let me introduce you around,” Todd offered, setting his
hand on my shoulder and redirecting me with a nudge. His familiarity with me
was shocking, but I didn’t shrug off his uncomfortable arm. Didn’t want to be
rude.
“That’s Cory,” he started, pointing toward a dark-haired boy
walking hand-in-hand with a longhaired girl. Cory paused to slap a high-five
with Ryder.
“And that’s Melinda,” Todd continued, motioning toward the
pretty girl with Cory.
She smiled at me and held out a hand. “Call me Mindy.”
We shook, and I felt comforted by her presence. Had I
perchance just made another friend? I hoped so.
“Those two are Wendi and Vance. And—”
“ Ryder !” A shrill
squeal blocked out anything else Todd was about to say.
I looked up and spotted the cheerleader with number forty-two
stenciled on her cheek sprinting toward him. When she was a foot
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