“The short version? Garret didn’t believe me because Keira made it look like it was my fault, suggesting I was trying to steal her. Then Izzy banished me for being a crap friend, which sucks because…” I stop for a second, wondering if I should say it. I haven’t told anyone about Daphne yet, but hey, Trent knows everything else, so why not? “Well, Daphne and I want to be together, and Izzy’s banned her from talking to me.”
His eyebrows disappear behind his hair. “Took you long enough.”
“I’m pretty slow, huh.”
He smiles. “You two were basically a couple, minus the romantic stuff.”
I sigh. “Trent, I know I’m asking a lot, but is there any way you could talk to Izzy about this? I mean, you were there with me, you know I’m not lying.”
He leans on the fence and stares at his feet. “Sorry, man, I can’t face her, not that it would help. If she doesn’t believe her own brother she definitely won’t believe me.”
“Why not?”
He runs a hand through his hair, revealing more of his face than I’ve ever seen. There’s pain there. A lot of it. “I thought me and Izzy were friends, you know? She was the first person to ever take my art seriously. Yeah, I had a huge crush on her, but I didn’t think I was doing anything creepy.”
I tilt my head. “What are you saying?”
“At the Halloween party I just asked her to dance. She blew up and told me to stop stalking her because it creeped her out. She called me a
stalker
, Russ, like I was this awful person ruining her life. I wasn’t her friend, I was just her art lackey, expected to draw for her whenever she wanted.” He shakes his head. “I never want to see her again.”
I stand there, stunned. Trent’s a decent guy and Izzy stepped all over him. She could have let him down nicely, but she hurt him. I never thought of my sister as a mean person. Kooky, yes. But outright malicious? Maybe I chose to ignore it because it was never directed at me before. “Dude, and she says I’m a bad friend?”
He glances up at me. “Seriously.”
“You are
not
a stalker. Sure, it was obvious you liked her, but you didn’t do anything out of line. She shouldn’t have said that.”
He nods. “Thanks, man. That means a lot.”
“Anytime.” I’m surprised how much I mean it. Trent isn’t just some guy I kind of know anymore. He’s a friend. Hell, lately he’s been a way better friend than some of my closest friends.
He pulls away from the fence. “Now, how about we go make my dad’s day?”
I laugh. “Sure.”
The moment I enter the kitchen, everyone smiles and comes to greet me. It’s nice having a few people who are happy I’m around. Feels like it’s been a long time. Old Man Parker really does look like he’s about to cry. “It’s so good to see you, Russ. Can you start today?”
“I can start right now if you want. I don’t have football anymore, so I have a lot of free time.”
“Son, we are elated to have you back.” He puts his arm around me.
So he has adopted me. “Glad to be back.”
“Does that mean I can finally quit?” Trent says.
Old Man Parker shoots him the death glare. “No, it means you’ll have more time for cleaning and cashier duties and we’ll have fewer catastrophes in the kitchen.”
Trent’s shoulders slump.
“Sorry,” I say.
He shrugs. “Eh, it was worth a try.”
I work through the afternoon on “dress up,” the time flying by in a flurry of burgers and fries. Pickles on that one. No onions on these. Extra tomato. It’s much busier during the day, and the energy in the kitchen makes me feel alive again.
Charlie comes in for his late shift, and when he sees me he laughs. “Did the Old Man cry?”
“Almost,” Buck says.
“It was the smoke!” Old Man Parker says, and we all bust up laughing.
Since Charlie’s here, Trent gets to go home. But before he does, he stops by my station. “You know, I was thinking.”
I smile. “What about?”
“I have Spanish with Daphne.”
I stop what I’m doing. “Oh?”
“Maybe I could tell her about our new employee, in case she wants to come see him. I mean, there’s no harm in you taking your break and saying hi to her, right?”
“Who?” Charlie jumps between us. “This sounds interesting.”
“What’s up?” Buck asks. Now even Old Man Parker is listening in.
My face warms. “It’s noth—”
“Russ likes this girl, but they’ve been banned from seeing each other,” Trent says. “I thought we could watch his back while they talk here.”
I’m so embarrassed I almost put my hand to my face before I remember I have nasty, food-covered gloves on.
“That’s a great idea!” Charlie rubs his hands together like this is some complicated scheme. Actually, it might be. I’m not sure how Daphne will be able to get here without Izzy finding out.
“Really, you guys don’t have to do that,” I say.
“Yeah, we do,” Old Man Parker says. “If you can get her here, talk to her all you want, you hear?”
My throat tightens. “Thanks.”
Trent puts his hand on my shoulder. “Leave it to me. I’ll have Daphne here tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
I swear when the hot oil hits my forearm. It’s the fourth time today, but I can’t seem to keep my eyes off the clock and on the food. Trent should be here any minute, and with him my fate. I don’t know what I’ll do if he says Daphne can’t come. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since yesterday.
“Russ, take the grill,” Old Man Parker says.
If anything can take my mind off how nervous I am, it’s working the grill. It demands total concentration. Grateful, I grab the spatula from him, and he goes to the back where there’s a small break room and bathroom. There are ten burgers on the grill right now, two that’ll be done in seconds.
“Fred! What’s the next order up?”
“Two bleus and rings,” he calls from dress-up.
I let out a breath. “Coming up. Will you read me the others?”
He reads off the eight remaining burgers, four of which belong to doubles. Those need to be done at the same time.
“Order!” Mrs. Parker calls from the front. “A number one and a kid’s!”
After I throw those on, I outfit the four with bacon patties and cheese, flip the next four, and grab buns. It’s crazy. Every inch of my mind has to focus on cooking. Four more orders come in before Old Man Parker comes back, but he takes over without missing a beat. I go back to the fryers, and the jitters start again. I hear the back door slam and Trent comes in. He’s smiling.
“What’s the news?” Fred asks. “Is the lovely Daphne coming?”
“Yeah, she is.” Trent heads over to me, and I have to restrain myself from hugging him. “She said she’d drop by after Judo. I told her to knock at the back.”
“Okay.”
“You’re glowering,” he says. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Just…Izzy usually takes her to Judo and picks her up. I’m wondering how she’ll pull that off.”
“Well, she said she could do it.” He leans on the table as I cut more potatoes into fries. “Actually, it was the first time I’ve seen her smile in a while.”
I can’t hold back my own smile. “Cool.”
“Trent!” Old Man Parker yells. “Work!”
He lets out a long, weary sigh. “Yeah, yeah.”
So the countdown begins. It’s three. Daphne has Judo on Tuesdays and Thursdays until five. The earliest she could get here is probably half an hour after that. The afternoon has never felt so long.
“Russ,” Old Man Parker says.
When I turn around, he holds out the spatula for me. I smile and take it. Grilling is just enough to distract me, though I still check the clock whenever I have a spare second. By the time five hits, I have to hand off the spatula. I’m so nervous I can hardly work, but no one rides me for it.
At 5:16 there’s a knock at the back door. My heart stops.
“I think that’s for you, lover boy,” Fred snickers.
I pull off my gloves and the bandana I wear to cover my hair. Suddenly, I’m aware of what a sweaty mess I am. Running my fingers through my hair, I head for the door.
It’s just Daphne,
I tell myself. Except it’s not just Daphne anymore. It’s
Daphne.
I grab the handle and pull. She’s there. Her hair is up in a ponytail, which for some reason is incredibly sexy. She’s still wearing her Judo uniform under a leather jacket.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi?
Hi
?” I laugh, mostly because I can’t believe she’s really here.
She raises one eyebrow. “What?”
“Come here.” I grab her arm and pull her into me, letting the door shut behind her. She puts her arms around my waist, and all is right with the world. “You don’t have to be all nervous.”
She looks up at me with relief. “I started to worry I made it all up.”
“Nope. I’m crazy about you.”
She bites her lip, and I wonder if it’s too early to kiss her. “You smell like bacon,” she says.
“Isn’t it great? How’d you get here, by the way? Doesn’t Izzy drive you everywhere?”
Her eyes light up. “Oh, you will never guess. Wanna see?”
“Sure.”
She takes my hand and we go outside. There, parked by Puke, is a gleaming new motorcycle with purple flame detailing.
“Shut up,” I say. Daphne’s probably the only teen I know whose father demanded she get a motorcycle permit along with her driver’s license. In the summer they go on weeklong drives up the California coast.
She bounces with excitement. “Isn’t it amazing? It’s an early Christmas present. My dad brought it back from his ride. Said he saw it in Phoenix and it screamed my name. So now I have a little freedom.”
I nudge her. “Get on.”
“Why?” She walks toward it, looking shy.
“Because.” When she gets on, I almost double over at the sight. She totally belongs on a bike. “You look so hot.”
She looks down, shaking her head. “You’re crazy.”
“Whatever.” I take a deep breath, reality hitting for a second. “So, how long do you have?”
“Maybe a half hour before Izzy starts texting me.” She gets off the bike and comes back to me, this time taking my hand without reservation. “But I’ll come after practice every time. I miss you so much it hurts.”
“Me too.” I squeeze her hand. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Well, the least I can do is feed you.” I take her inside, and all the Parkers introduce themselves. “Is it okay if I make her some food? She just finished Judo class.”
“It’s on the house,” Old Man Parker says.
I tie my bandana back on and wash up. Daphne hangs at the edge of the kitchen while I make her food. Just having her there puts me at ease. It’s almost like it used to be in the kitchen at my house. I put together her burger, get some fries, and ask Trent to grab me a soda. He winks when he hands it over the pass.
Daphne and I sit at the card table in the break room. “Sorry our first date is so lame.”
“It’s great. I love watching you cook.” She takes a big, sloppy bite. “Mmm, you’re so good at this.”
Watching her enjoy my food does something to me. I can’t explain it, but it feels incredible. “I guess I like cooking, and Old Man Parker thinks I’m good, too. I don’t know for sure yet, but I’ve kinda been thinking about culinary school.”
She smiles wide. “You’d be so good at that!”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah!” She eats a few fries. “You totally light up in the kitchen, like you’re in your element. And men who cook are hot.”
“Well, if you think it’s hot, then I’m sold.”
She laughs, but then her phones chimes and we both deflate. She pulls up the message and sighs. “Guess who?”
“It feels like you just got here,” I say.
“I know. I don’t want to leave.”
This is stupid. I know there are reasons we can’t be together, but none of them seem like good ones. “I’ll talk to Izzy.”
Daphne’s eyes go wide. “Russ, I don’t know…”
“Look, she’s way out of line. She doesn’t own you, and she shouldn’t threaten to withhold her friendship just because you don’t agree with her.” I take her hand and run my thumb across her skin. “It’s not just you, either. She treats Colin like her personal manservant, and she hurt Trent for no reason. She’s acting like a tyrant.”
She takes a long drink. “You better wear a helmet.”
“And a bullet proof vest.” I laugh, but only to cover up how scared I actually am to face my sister.
Chapter Thirty-Five
I wait until Izzy’s gang is gone. Her Japanese punk music floats down the hall from her room, so I know she’s still awake. Taking a deep breath, I set down my pencil, shut my math book, and prepare for battle. If I show any signs of weakness, she’ll eat me as a tasty midnight snack.
I can tell my parents are asleep. No light under their door. Soft yellow shines from Izzy’s slightly cracked door. She never did like closing it. As a kid she worried it would impede her escape from monsters.
I creep toward her room, my heart pounding louder than the music. I’ve never confronted Izzy about anything, and the thought of telling her she’s an evil dictator makes my chest tighten. So much for not fighting. I guess we saved it all up until it boiled over and burned. But it has to be done. Her reign of terror needs to end right here and now.
She jumps when I shut her door. Her eyes go wide when she sees me, but then she turns back to her book without a word.
“We need to talk,” I say.
Silence.
Not that I expected her to be chatty. I have been banished, after all. “You’re being ridiculous, you know. I didn’t do anything wrong. I tried to help Garret. He’s the one who yelled at me and told me to leave him alone.”
She turns a page.
I sigh. Fine, I can do worse. “I know you like Keira, but she’s a cheater. I saw her—Trent saw her. Just because she feeds your ego doesn’t make her innocent. You’re hurting Garret by letting him think I’m the one who’s lying.”
Izzy pauses. That did it. Slowly, she pulls herself from the bed. When she stands straight in her Totoro footie pajamas, it feels like she’s looking down on me even though I’m taller.
“You
are
a liar,” she says.