The Stillburrow Crush

"You got a better score than you ever have before, didn't you?"

I showed him only the hint of a smile. "Maybe." I closed my locker and strolled away. Knowing he was following, I pulled my test results out of my binder. Within moments, it was snatched out of my hand.

"Ninety-eight percent!" He sounded insulted. I paused and glanced back at him. He'd stopped walking and was holding my test with both hands, staring at it with a gaping mouth. Students streamed around him, heading down the hall in the opposite direction. A few jocks slugged him in the shoulder as they passed.

203

The Stillburrow Crush

by Linda Kage

"I know, I know," I said with a sigh. "You're right. I could've done better."

"Done better?" He glanced up at me. "I only got a ninetyfour." I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Stealing the paper back, I spun away and started down the hall again.

"Maybe you should've studied more, Carter," I called over my shoulder.

A moment later, I felt a slight jostle at my shoulder. He'd caught up with me again. He was striding quietly beside me and staring straight ahead. His jaw was tense. "Don't even think about rubbing it in," he said.

I shrugged and kept up the brisk pace beside him. But after a few moments of silence, I couldn't take it anymore.

"You know, if you start falling behind enough to make Underthe-hill sic a tutor on you, I'll be more than willing to give you a hand."

He glared. "Shut up," he said, then turned away. But he couldn't keep in the laugh. We'd just made it to my next class and he stopped us by the door. He examined my face and then reached up and tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"Good job," he said, and his blue eyes glittered with pride. I glowed. "Thank you."

"Meet me here, next hour?" At my nod, he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on my lips. I felt my face heat. Glancing around to see if everyone nearby had stopped to gawk, I couldn't stop myself from lifting a few fingers to my still-tingling mouth. But the only two people that took notice of me were trying to walk around me to get into the 204

The Stillburrow Crush

by Linda Kage

classroom. For a moment, I was paralyzed. Why was no one flipping out and staring at me for kissing Luke Carter?

And for the first time, I thought maybe I wasn't such an oddball in school after all. Maybe everyone didn't think I was a freak of nature. Maybe it wasn't so misplaced for me to be seen with Luke. And I couldn't seem to hold back a huge grin. The lake party took place that Friday. I heard through the grapevine that Abby had asked some basketball player to go with her. It irked me. Sure hadn't taken her long to get over Marty, had it? So I must say I was wickedly pleased when, by the end of the week, Liz Curry had wrapped the basketball player around her finger and snagged him out from under Abby's eager grasp. Abby was forced to go stag with Jill Anderson.

Luke asked me to go with him but I reminded him I was grounded.

"Still?" he said. But he already knew that. He'd been calling every night, asking whichever parent answered the phone if he could come over and see me. And every night, either Mom or Dad would tell him no. I was grounded. On Thursday, he asked, "How long is this grounded thing going to last?" Then he moved closer and whispered. "I need to read my poem to you."

I gri

"We have to be alone."

My eyebrows rose. "Is it that good?" Again he shook his head. "No."

205

The Stillburrow Crush

by Linda Kage

I punched him lightly in the arm. "You wrote me a bad poem?"

"Shh." He leaned down to my ear. "It's not the best I've written. But it is the most important." Now I was getting antsy. "Just show it to me so I can read it."

"Nope," he said. "I have to read it to you." I didn't know whether to be impressed by this stubborn streak of his or to despise it.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Whatever. I'll see you when I'm released from Paxton Prison."

But when I asked my parents that night when I was going to be set free, neither gave me a definite answer. I think they pla

On Friday morning, Nate wanted to know if Luke was riding to the party with him since it seemed obvious I wasn't going. But Luke remained uncertain. I could tell he didn't want to go without me. And that made my heart go a little wild. I never heard what he finally told Nate. He found me at the end of school, taking my arm and falling into step beside me.

"I'm walking you home," he declared. We were quiet most of the trip. Other groups of kids, young and old, walked with us for a while. The air was still, but cold. It hadn't snowed yet and the ground looked brown and barren. But with Luke next to me, I couldn't complain. Our hands were locked together and our co

The Stillburrow Crush

by Linda Kage

which were slung over our shoulders, would bump into each other. Luke looked tall and gallant in his letterman's jacket. As we moved on, fewer people walked with us. We were a block from home before it was finally just the two of us. He moved closer. I knew because I could feel his heat warm me. He bent his head slightly and spoke quietly as if he were talking to the sidewalk:

"Fourth of July in the sky. / Oasis for the night." I glanced up and was about to ask if I'd heard him correctly, when I realized what he was doing.

"Light explodes like a weeping willow / or a blanket drapedover the ground." His walking pace began to slow. My lips parted as I watched his eyes grow cloudy.

"Bottle rockets and sweet red juice. / Goodbye toi