sorry. I didn’t know you couldn’t hear,” I admitted.
She waved her hand, “No big deal. No one knows. It’s not like I go out and tell everyone I meet. But once I become your friend, you sort of need to know,” she paused. “I guess it’s not really a big deal for most people. I can hear pretty well with the hearing aids in, and I can read lips like a champ. If I don’t have them, forget it, I can’t hear you at all.”
“Do you sign?”
“No. I never needed to. I read lips instead. When you need to tell me something, make sure I’m facing you, ‘kay?”
I nodded, fascinated with this beautiful girl who didn’t let anything stop her.
The local band went off the stage and Kyleigh clapped and whistled for them. We had a while before the next band, so we talked about school. She told me she thought Dorian Gray was a jerk and I agreed. “He’s so not what I thought he would be,” she told me. “He’s like every other guy in the world. He wants to possess beauty.”
It was so true. “I know, right?”
We laughed about how terrible the writing assignment would be for this project and somehow got on the subject of Nash.
“I saw you two getting pretty cozy last night by the dock,” she teased. I blushed because things like this usually embarrassed me, but I don’t know why I was shy about it. We weren’t doing anything besides tickling. It wasn’t like I was on a kitchen table half naked with him.
That reminded me. I needed to know more about Oliver and what type of guy he was. Nash wasn’t opening up to me, maybe Kyleigh would.
“What do you know about Oliver Kasen?”
She froze and eyed me suspiciously. “Uh, I thought you liked Nash. Am I wrong? Do you like Oliver?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t like Oliver. He’s sort of with Lily, and I’m just looking out for her,” I explained.
“Thank God! Because all of the girls know the douchebag award goes to Oliver Kasen. I don’t really listen to school drama, especially when it comes to boys, but I do know about him.”
My heart sank at the news. Why couldn’t he be as sweet as he was suave? Why did he have to be a jerkbag? She got closer to me like a person would who had fantastic news to share, except her news was awful.
“He’s just about dated our whole school female population, except for me, and he isn’t exactly the best boyfriend. Last year he dated Gwynnie Myers for a few months. The first month they were so in love and everything was perfect. Then Gwynnie started acting weird.” She paused.
“She came to school wearing big sunglasses and always wearing scarves. We all thought it was to hide the bags from staying up to late and hickeys on her neck. Well, mid-year they broke up. People said they argued a lot. I never really saw it because Gwynnie stopped hanging out with us. She was always with him or at home because he wouldn’t like her out without him.”
A guy came on stage to announce Arms of Chance, but I couldn’t care less. I wanted to know what happened to Gwynnie and Oliver. Finally the guy left the stage and the band came on playing softly.
“Go on,” I urged.
“Well,” she said louder as the music turned up. “She never came back to school after they broke up. She went to the private school in Dixon and didn’t return our calls. She ditched everyone.”
“Why would she do that?”
“My friend Alyssa said she heard Gwynnie had to put a restraining order on Oliver. I guess he was so obsessed with her he couldn’t stay away.” Kyleigh turned and faced the stage and started singing along with the music. I tried to focus on the banjo and guitar melody being played in front of me, but all I could think of was the fact that Oliver Kasen was dangerous for Lily.
** *
We walked the park after Arms of Chance played their thirty minute set. My stomach ached, and I needed to see Lily. I wanted to tell her what I’d heard and wanted to see if she was okay. I glanced at my watch and saw it was
She waved her hand, “No big deal. No one knows. It’s not like I go out and tell everyone I meet. But once I become your friend, you sort of need to know,” she paused. “I guess it’s not really a big deal for most people. I can hear pretty well with the hearing aids in, and I can read lips like a champ. If I don’t have them, forget it, I can’t hear you at all.”
“Do you sign?”
“No. I never needed to. I read lips instead. When you need to tell me something, make sure I’m facing you, ‘kay?”
I nodded, fascinated with this beautiful girl who didn’t let anything stop her.
The local band went off the stage and Kyleigh clapped and whistled for them. We had a while before the next band, so we talked about school. She told me she thought Dorian Gray was a jerk and I agreed. “He’s so not what I thought he would be,” she told me. “He’s like every other guy in the world. He wants to possess beauty.”
It was so true. “I know, right?”
We laughed about how terrible the writing assignment would be for this project and somehow got on the subject of Nash.
“I saw you two getting pretty cozy last night by the dock,” she teased. I blushed because things like this usually embarrassed me, but I don’t know why I was shy about it. We weren’t doing anything besides tickling. It wasn’t like I was on a kitchen table half naked with him.
That reminded me. I needed to know more about Oliver and what type of guy he was. Nash wasn’t opening up to me, maybe Kyleigh would.
“What do you know about Oliver Kasen?”
She froze and eyed me suspiciously. “Uh, I thought you liked Nash. Am I wrong? Do you like Oliver?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t like Oliver. He’s sort of with Lily, and I’m just looking out for her,” I explained.
“Thank God! Because all of the girls know the douchebag award goes to Oliver Kasen. I don’t really listen to school drama, especially when it comes to boys, but I do know about him.”
My heart sank at the news. Why couldn’t he be as sweet as he was suave? Why did he have to be a jerkbag? She got closer to me like a person would who had fantastic news to share, except her news was awful.
“He’s just about dated our whole school female population, except for me, and he isn’t exactly the best boyfriend. Last year he dated Gwynnie Myers for a few months. The first month they were so in love and everything was perfect. Then Gwynnie started acting weird.” She paused.
“She came to school wearing big sunglasses and always wearing scarves. We all thought it was to hide the bags from staying up to late and hickeys on her neck. Well, mid-year they broke up. People said they argued a lot. I never really saw it because Gwynnie stopped hanging out with us. She was always with him or at home because he wouldn’t like her out without him.”
A guy came on stage to announce Arms of Chance, but I couldn’t care less. I wanted to know what happened to Gwynnie and Oliver. Finally the guy left the stage and the band came on playing softly.
“Go on,” I urged.
“Well,” she said louder as the music turned up. “She never came back to school after they broke up. She went to the private school in Dixon and didn’t return our calls. She ditched everyone.”
“Why would she do that?”
“My friend Alyssa said she heard Gwynnie had to put a restraining order on Oliver. I guess he was so obsessed with her he couldn’t stay away.” Kyleigh turned and faced the stage and started singing along with the music. I tried to focus on the banjo and guitar melody being played in front of me, but all I could think of was the fact that Oliver Kasen was dangerous for Lily.
** *
We walked the park after Arms of Chance played their thirty minute set. My stomach ached, and I needed to see Lily. I wanted to tell her what I’d heard and wanted to see if she was okay. I glanced at my watch and saw it was
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