Fusion

“Hmm. Let me think. You spotted the shark that’s been swimming in the Sound close to the shore?” she asked.

As the blood drained from my face, my eyes widened. I’d just come from the gazebo at the end of our neighborhood that led to the Sound. “There’s a shark down there?!” I gasped, momentarily forgetting all about my new neighbors.

In all of my years—yep, all eight of them—I’d never seen a shark before. The thought of one being so close was frightening. Not that I’d admit that out loud though. I shuddered as I thought of the movie Jaws.

Mom had been pissed when she’d found out Dad let Je

Mom laughed just as Dad walked into the kitchen, surveying the room. He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in close to give her a kiss on the lips. I wrinkled my nose, letting out the usual, “Eww!” which was followed by fake puking sounds. I always thought it was gross when my parents did that lovey-dovey stuff, but the truth was I kinda found it cool at the same time. A lot of kids at my school had parents who weren’t married anymore, and knowing that my mom and dad were still together made me happy. We were still a happy family. When I grew up, I hoped I could be happy like they were. But, for now, I was content pretending it was gross. Because it’d be a long darn time before I ever liked a girl that way.

At least, that’s what I’d thought before that day.

Dad laughed and gave Mom another smacking kiss. When he pulled back, he leaned across the counter and ruffled my already-mussed hair. “I could hear you all the way from the garage. What’s with all the excitement?” he asked as he loosened his tie and rolled his sleeves up before taking a dish from Mom and drying it.

They were both still watching me curiously while they worked in perfect unison. When I didn’t answer, Mom raised an eyebrow and looked at Dad.

“I have no idea, Jay. Jeremy was out playing then ru

Dad’s smile grew as both of my parents watched me expectantly, waiting for me. But, before I could answer, Je

“Jeremy and Sierra sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I—”

I slapped my hand over her mouth. She giggled then bit me so I’d let go. Freaking bit me!

I’m not even ashamed to admit that a girly yelp escaped my lips as I pulled my hand away and shook it to try to stop the pain from her stupid teeth. “Dammit, Je

I didn’t get it. It was just a word. What made it so much worse than any other one? Why was dang better than damn? Shoot better than shit? Or the F word that really riled Mom up? Why was that so much worse than freak? At the time, I thought grown-ups had just made it all up to punish us kids. Stupid rules.

“Sierra?” Mom asked, sounding all too interested.

I groaned when my sister nodded with enthusiasm. Mom’s interest had clearly been piqued.

“Yep. She’s—” Her voice was muffled as I slapped my hand over her mouth again, chancing another bite while I tried to shut her up. Sisters could be so a

“Shut up, Je

“Jeremy, let go of your sister. Je

I dropped my hand as ordered even though I didn’t want to. Je

I ran a hand through my hair. “You know the new family that moved in next door? They have two daughters. One is our age, and she’s going to be in my class!”

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?” she asked.

I nodded, humming my answer. “Mmm hmm! And I’m the first friend she’s made in Navarre! She’s cool, too. She was wearing a Michelangelo shirt and everything. He’s her favorite, just like mine! Isn’t that so rad?”

“Wow,” Mom responded, smiling. “It is, indeed, rad. Sounds like you’re going to be good friends.”

My cheeks warmed up at the memory of us being best friends, but I wasn’t going tell Mom that. After all, she was going to be my first girl friend, and Mom was already amused by it. Instead, I changed the subject. Well, at least a little bit.

“Hey, Mom?” I asked.

She twisted to look at me. “Yeah, Jer?”

“What’s an R.O.U.S.?” I asked, frowning at the memory.

Before she could answer, Dad barked his laughter.

“Where’d that come from, Jer?” he asked, his eyes shining with amusement.

My brow wrinkled, and I frowned when Je

“It’s from a movie, Jeremy. It means rodents of unusual size,” Mom informed me, chuckling. “It’s called The Princess Bride. Maybe we’ll have to invite this Miss Sierra over for a movie night. In fact, why don’t we go over after di

“Can we?” I asked, a little too excited at the thought even though I’d just seen her a few minutes ago.

“Well, Lydia,” Dad said, gri

My cheeks turned red with a hint of warmth. “Eww, no. She’s a girl, Dad. I’m not smitten,” I protested, practically choking on the word. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but the last thing I wanted was my dad thinking I had a crush on the new girl next door. Je

What I didn’t tell my parents was that Sierra was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. Or that her big, blue eyes were the color of the sky over the ocean. Her smile was as white as the sand, and so friendly, too. Something about it warmed me right up, so much more than the sun ever had.

“Just friends?” Dad teased with an eyebrow raised and a half-cocked smile.

“Yep. And I think she’s going to be my new best friend.” I didn’t tell them we’d spit on it. Mom might have scolded me for that one.

“Well, then,” Mom said, smiling at me. “We better get on over there. I need to meet this girl who you already know is going to be your new best friend after just one afternoon.”

I was antsy all through di

By the time we finally went next door, I could barely contain my excitement. I rocked back and forth on my heels, only stilling when the door swung open wide as tall man answered our knock. My parents made their introductions, and I peered around the house once we had been invited inside, waiting for a glimpse of her. Her dad called for the family, and another round of introductions happened as her mom, Lexi, and Sierra came in.