“You misinterpreted what you saw,” he said. “She was hanging on me, not the other way around.”

“Whatever. I don’t care. And besides, that’s not the issue, Nash. You missed the whole point of this party,” I said to him. “It was about our friends. It was about meeting other people. It definitely wasn’t supposed to be about Heidi Rosen.”

Fortunately the partygoers were focused on their own conversations — except for one person. Brandon was hanging by the foyer and overheard everything.

“Celeste, don’t go,” Ivy said, running up to us at the door. I pushed past Nash.

I was briskly marching to my car when I sensed someone behind me.

“I’m not staying, Nash,” I said.

It wasn’t Nash trailing me. It was Brandon.

He stood by my car, the moonlight shining on his face. He was so alluring, my heart raced and I was breathless. It was one thing to see Brandon from across the classroom or hallway, before he saved my life. But since I’d spent so many hours obsessing about him and imagining him kissing me, I was suddenly embarrassed being in his company — as if he knew the romantic thoughts I’d been thinking.

“Leaving so soon?” he asked.

“Uh… yes. I just…”

Now I felt torn. I was the one who put Nash up to inviting Brandon. Nash was ignoring him and now I was leaving.

“Funny. You were the reason I came,” he said as if the words had slipped from his lips.

I didn’t know what to say. I felt so flattered, awkward, and nervous. I knew I should say something witty back, but all my words escaped me.

I saw Nash looming by the front door.

“I better go,” I said. As I got into my car, Nash went back inside.

Brandon watched me as I put the gear into reverse.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I was pulled in two directions. I might have been leaving Nash, but I didn’t want to leave Brandon.

I turned off the ignition and got out of the car.

“Did you forget something?” Brandon asked.

“I never properly thanked you,” I said.

The moon twinkled above and the stars shined brightly. If I were the star of a Hollywood movie, I would have thrown myself into his arms and we would have shared a steamy kiss. But my life was far from a movie. I didn’t move, and neither did Brandon.

“Celeste!” Ivy called. She and Abby were running toward me.

Brandon retreated into the darkened shadows of the front yard.

“I thought you already left,” Ivy said. “I’m so glad you changed your mind.”

“I just forgot something,” I said.

“What did you forget?” Abby wondered.

“To thank someone who saved my life.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she said.

“That’s okay.” I sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Please don’t leave,” Ivy begged. “Nash was just being foolish. He’s in there sulking. You left him in front of everyone.”

I smiled. Normally I didn’t seek revenge, but Nash deserved a time-out. He wasn’t doting like Jake and Dylan, or chivalrous like Brandon. I didn’t want to be anywhere near him and remind myself of his behavior.

“Next time I have servants for a day,” I said to Ivy, “I won’t waste it on him.”

Chapter Twelve Skating Partner

That night all I thought about was Brandon. I wondered what would have happened if Ivy hadn’t interrupted us. Would I have gotten to talk to him more? I didn’t know anything about him. Why did he move to Legend’s Run? Did he really live with his grandparents? And most important, now that I was apart from Nash, would he ever kiss me?

I imagined what that moment would have been like gazing up at him as the stars glimmered behind him. I’d ask about his wound and he’d assure me it was nothing, all the while knowing that he was hiding his pain from me. And while no one was watching, he’d lean into me and kiss me so intensely I’d feel dizzy.

* * *

It was time to officially thank Brandon. I’d been putting it off perhaps for the wrong reasons — Nash, school, or just being shy. Brandon hadn’t hesitated to save me, and I needed to move beyond any more hesitating in thanking him.

I didn’t know much about Brandon, but I knew he liked Jeeps and the WWF.

The next day, I scanned the internet for images of pro wrestlers. When I found one I thought was beefy enough, I printed it out and glued it to card stock. I folded the card and wrote inside, Thanks for wrestling the wolves. You are a true hero.

I struggled with how to sign it. Sincerely? Best? Love? XOXO?

Just to be safe, I simply wrote Celeste. Before I put it in the envelope, I sprayed it with sweet perfume and stuck it into my purse.

I ran downstairs to check on the brownies I had baking in the oven. I took the hot dessert out and was sprinkling powdered sugar over it when Juliette and my mom entered the kitchen. It was cool to have my sister home for a few days, even if was just because my mom glowed having her two girls under her roof again.

“Why are you baking more desserts when we have pecan and pumpkin pies coming out of our ears?” Juliette said.

“Those smell delicious,” my mom said.

“Why are you doing that to me?” Juliette complained. “You know I’m on a diet.”

“You are always on a diet,” I said to my stick-thin sister.

“Well, I have a date,” she said, hugging my mom. “See you later.”

“In the middle of the day?” I charged.

“The university is having a fund-raiser. And I’m helping Dan out.”

“Who’s Dan?” I asked.

“I can’t keep them straight either,” my mom said as Juliette flew out the back door.

“Are you taking those to the nursing home?” she asked. “Are they for Mr. Worthington? You might want to get it approved first. I think the residents there are on a strict diet.”

“In that case, it sounds like Juliette is years ahead of her time,” I said, and followed my sister out the door.

“So much for having my girls home,” I heard my mom say as the door closed.

I wasn’t sure where Brandon lived, but I did know someone who might. Even though it was winter, snowflakes and cold temperatures didn’t keep the die-hard skaters from their outdoor skate.

I pulled into the lot and headed over to the ramps. Piles of snow lined the fences, but the ramps and rails were clear. Several skaters were flying down the half-pipe as if they were performing for a competition.

Hayley Phillips appeared as surprised to see me arrive as one could imagine.

“I didn’t know you skated,” she said. A few of the other skaters gathered around her.

I was only partially intimidated.

But it did look like fun. The skaters appeared as if nothing in the world mattered to them as each one sped down the ramps or did one-eighties at the top of them.

“Can you tell me where Brandon Maddox lives?” I asked. “It’s around here somewhere and I figured you might know.”

“Because we live in Riverside, you mean? We must all eat together and breed together?”

“No. Because I’ve seen you talking to him,” I said in a nonconfrontational tone. “That’s all.”

“I didn’t think your type would be seen in our parts,” she said.

“I don’t have a type.”

“What’s this about?”

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