Read Online When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt - Free Book Online

short white cutoffs. Now is a good time to get up, but I stay there, stretched out on the ground like some corpse. “Yeah, kind of tired. Rough day at the office.” My ears are
on fire. All the words in Webster’s dictionary and I choose those.
    Finally I sit up. “Do you come here often?” I ask. Each second I approach dork eternity. But she doesn’t seem to notice.
    â€œNot that often. Only when I break up with a guy.”
    â€œYou broke up with Juan?” I try not to sound too excited, but my words come out squeaky. If I stay calm, I’ll have this voice thing under control. Though it’s hard to stay calm.
    â€œYeah, looks that way.” Her voice quivers, and she chews on a long strand of hair. She’s just inches from me. I want to reach for her, pull her toward me, and tell her it will be all right. I want to smooth her hair, massage her neck, kiss her toes. Instead I wrap my arms around my knees.
    â€œWhy’d you break up?”
    â€œHe stood me up. He said he’d go with me to my great-grandfather’s birthday in Amarillo. We gave him a big fancy party for turning eighty.”
    â€œMan, that’s old.”
    Scarlett sits next to me. A shiver runs through my body. “For two months Juan kept saying he was going. Then at the last minute, he backed out. He didn’t even give me a good reason.”

    â€œWhat a jerk,” I say in a deep voice.
    â€œDo you have a cold?” she asks.
    I skip a rock across the water, thankful that it’s dark because my face feels red.
    I’m feeling guilty for all the things I’m thinking about, but I know I would be in heaven just holding Scarlett Stalling’s hand.
    We sit there together in silence, listening to the music from her transistor radio.
    â€œI love this song,” she says, turning up the volume. “Close to You” by the Carpenters plays, and I bob my head to the music, wishing I had enough nerve to ask her to dance. If I only knew how to dance, I probably would.
    â€œWould you dance with me?” she asks.
    â€œSure.” I stand, feet planted firmly on the ground, arms glued to my sides.
    She giggles. “It would help if you put your arms around me.”
    A huge lump slides down my throat. I circle her shoulders, wishing I had taken a Fred Astaire class or something. Wherever people learn to dance. Once Mom tried to teach me the two-step in the kitchen, but I was a complete klutz.
    Scarlett pushes my arms lower until they surround
her waist. Her hands lock together behind my neck, and she starts to move slowly in a circle. I follow her lead.
    Even standing in bare feet, she’s a few inches taller than me. My forehead tingles from barely touching her chin. Her skin is smooth as powder. I try to breathe in her scent, but I suddenly become aware of my sweat. If I knew I would have ever had a chance at dancing with Scarlett Stalling at Gossimer Lake tonight, I would have worn deodorant. I would have rolled a whole bottle over my entire body. Because just the sight of Scarlett Stalling makes me sweat. And now being this close to her, I’m sweating buckets.
    â€œThis is nice,” she says. The way she says that in her sweet voice makes me remember to breathe. And in this moment I actually enjoy dancing with her to that song. Heck, we are that song. Why do stars fall down from the sky every time you walk by? Just like me, they long to be close to you.
    â€œOuch!” She releases me and jumps back.
    â€œDid I step on your toes?”
    â€œNo.” She slaps her arm. “Mosquitoes! When are they ever going to spray around Antler?”
    Suddenly I feel them biting my ears, my cheeks, every inch of my exposed skin.
    â€œI better go,” she says. “Thanks for the dance, Toby.
You’re great!” She leans over, kisses me on the cheek, picks up her radio, and dashes off.
    I’m great. Me, Toby Wilson. Great. She said it. She even sealed