Her Teen Dream (7 page)

“You think?”

“Yeah, but don’t get any ideas. We don’t need
to be where they are to attract guys. Or lose them. Besides, I’ll
bet we’d whip their butts in tennis or running.”

“You’re so right,” chuckled Karin, liking the
idea.

The players took the floor and jockeyed for
position. Reese looked at Karin with a crooked, but confident,
smile and she felt her heart flutter.

“If they lose this game, I think I’m going to
die!” exclaimed Lesley.

“They won’t,” Karin declared. Somehow she
just knew that the team would find a way to pull this one out,
especially if willpower had anything to do with it.

Reese threw the ball in from the sideline to
the center, Johnnie Freeman. Double-teamed, he faked throwing the
ball to Marcus at the top of the key and instead flung it like an
arrow to Reese in the corner. He lofted the ball high over the
outstretched arm of the defender. It seemed to stay up in the air
forever as the crowd held its collective breath, before hitting
nothing but the bottom of the net as time expired.

The crowd erupted into cheers. Lesley and
Karin hugged, appreciating the game like never before.

Karin waited outside the boys’ locker room
for Reese. Marcus had already come out and he and Lesley had taken
off.

When Reese emerged, he had changed into
street clothes and smelled of a fresh shower and spicy cologne.

“Hey,” he said, smiling.

“Hey, Reese.” Karin tried to stifle her
nerves. “That was a great finish to a good game.”

He shrugged. “We dug ourselves a hole and
nearly got buried in it. I was lucky that I got a good look at the
basket and was able to put the ball in.”

“Your ‘luck’ turned out to be their loss,”
she uttered lightly.

“Yeah, guess so.” After a moment or two of
awkwardness, he asked, “So are you ready to go get some grub?”

“I’ve been ready,” she answered, knowing that
this was another dream come true.

CHAPTER TEN

Reese drove a black BMW. Karin was impressed.
She wondered if it was his or if he had borrowed it from his
parents. Not that it mattered. She was just happy to be with him.
He played an Usher song on his iPhone.

“Got these wheels for my seventeenth
birthday,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I think it was my old
man’s way of buying the affection he was never there to give. And
you know what? I’ll take it. I understand he had to do what he had
to do for my mother and me. I’m cool with that.”

Was he really?
Karin wondered, trying
to play armchair psychologist.
Or does he have some underlying
resentment?

“Are you and your father close?” Reese asked
from behind the wheel.

“Probably closer than me and my mother,” she
answered truthfully. “But not close enough that I can expect him to
buy me a BMW anytime soon.”

Reese laughed. “Yeah, I heard that. Well, you
can borrow mine sometime if you ever need to.”

“Really?” Karin couldn’t believe her
ears.

“Yeah.” He looked over at her. “You do drive,
don’t you?”

“Not as much as I’d like to. But I got my
driver’s license last summer,” she said proudly.

“Great! And I’m serious about the car,” he
reiterated.

Karin smiled. “I’ll remember.” How could she
forget? No guy had ever offered to let her drive his car. Most guys
were more protective of their precious cars than they were of their
girlfriends. Reese was obviously different. She suspected Cheryl
Green had driven his BMW on more than one occasion, which made her
want to drive it even more.

“Where are we going?” she asked, noting that
they seemed to be leaving the neighborhood.

Reese gave her a mysterious look. “You’ll
see.”

* * *

They ended up at a restaurant called The
Great Steak Place. It was just blocks from downtown Crestview,
where Karin rarely ventured. They were shown to a booth and sat
across from each other.

“You come here a lot?” Karin asked after they
ordered. What she really wanted to ask was:
Have you come here a
lot with other girls?

“Not really,” Reese said coolly. “My old man
used to have an office across the street. He would meet my Mom and
me here for a quick lunch or dinner sometimes, before going back to
work.”

“What does your Dad do for a living?”

“He’s an advertising executive. Probably not
as interesting as practicing law, but he started at the bottom and
is now at or near the top.”

Karin sensed some pride there and perhaps a
measuring stick by which Reese could one day gauge his future
success.

“Does your mother work?” she asked.

“Only on her hair, house, and plants, but not
necessarily in that order,” he said.

Karin laughed. “Sounds like my mother. Except
she’s also a part-time Pilates instructor after a friend introduced
her to it.”

“That’s cool. Maybe I can get my Mom to give
it a try. She belongs to a health club, but never goes. Don’t ask
me why.”

“I think that would be great if she tried
Pilates,” Karin said. “Some people are intimidated by it, but it
really works to tone and shape your body.”

He regarded her with interest. “Spoken like a
true expert on the subject.”

“More like the daughter of an expert.”

Their food arrived and Karin still couldn’t
believe she was actually having dinner at a nice restaurant with
Reese McKenzie. Maybe heaven really did begin on earth.

“So, do you plan to go to college?” Reese
asked, slicing into his steak. “I never did get my answer to that
the other night.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure where though.”
Maybe I’ll go wherever you go.

“And study what? Or don’t you know at this
point?”

“Right now, I’m thinking about majoring in
either English literature or creative writing,” she said
matter-of-factly.

“You want to be a writer, huh?”

“Either that or a college professor teaching
literature.”

Reese’s eyes lit up. “I’m impressed with both
possibilities. Most girls I’ve hung out with haven’t even thought
about college.”

You mean like Cheryl?
“I guess
everyone’s different in what they want to do in life.”

“Yeah, I guess. But I like where you’re
headed anyway.”

“I like your plans, too,” she admitted.

He grinned. “I like
you
, Karin
Blanch.”

“That’s nice to know,” she said, embarrassed.
“I like you, too.”

Reese peered at her over his glass of water.
“So there’s no one else in the picture?”

Karin raised the brow over her left eye. “You
mean like a boyfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

He smiled. “Good.”

“Is there any other girl in the picture?” she
countered, and held her breath waiting for his answer. Cheryl Green
immediately came to mind.

“Not anymore,” Reese said pointedly.

It made Karin feel better to hear him
actually say it. She knew there would always be girls coming on to
Reese, but as long as he said no, she would be okay with it.
Assuming she was his girlfriend now.

* * *

It was nearly ten-thirty when Reese pulled up
in front of Karin’s house. She half expected to see her parents
waiting on the porch, but they weren’t.

“Do you want me to come in and meet your
parents?” Reese asked. The car was still running.

Karin thought about it for maybe two seconds.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Why not?”

She paused, hating to ruin what had been the
perfect date. But she had to be honest with him. “My parents think
you’re too old for me to date.”

He frowned. “I’m only eighteen.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said guiltily.

“And you’re sixteen going on seventeen,
right?”

She nodded.

“So what’s the big deal?”

“No big deal to me,” Karin made clear. “It’s
my mother mainly who’s making an issue of it.”

Reese looked at her with concern. “Is that
going to be a problem?”

Not if I can help it.
“No, it won’t
be. I’m sure once it sinks in that I like you and you’re a really
nice guy, they’ll come around.”

He grinned. “Well that’s good to know.
Because I do like you, Karin.”

She felt a tingle inside and wondered if he
would lean over and kiss her. Or would he miss the moment that
seemed just perfect for doing so?

He didn’t disappoint her. Reese leaned over
like a pro and pressed his lips lightly onto hers, moving them in a
circular motion. Karin felt as though she were right in the middle
of a fairy tale. She closed her eyes and mused that he was
everything she ever wanted in a boyfriend. And now it had come
true. At least she hoped that was the case.

When Reese pulled back, Karin still felt the
twinge of his mouth on her lips.

“I’d better go,” he said.

“Okay.” She wished they could just stay there
all night, but knew that wouldn’t happen.

“See you in school tomorrow.”

“Bye, Reese.”

Karin opened the car door and, acting
impromptu and courageously, leaned over and gave him a quick
kiss.

She got out and watched him drive off.
Karin’s heart was still beating ferociously when Lesley drove up
next door. She parked in her driveway and Karin noticed that
Shelly’s car was not there.

“Hey, you.” Karin walked up to her friend.
Lesley staggered a bit, as though having too much to drink. “Are
you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Lesley claimed. “How about
you?”

“I’m good. Reese just left.”

“Cool. Did you have a nice dinner? Or did he
spring a few bucks for some cheeseburgers and fries?”

Karin laughed. “We went to a nice restaurant
and talked. How about you?”

“Nothing much. We were just hanging out,”
Lesley said. “I’m starting to like him a lot.”

“I know the feeling. Reese is beginning to
work on me, too, like a magic potion.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t wear off anytime
soon for either of us,” Lesley slurred her words. “Not sure I could
bear to go back to being Lesley nobody.”

“Who says you have to? Not to say that you
were
ever
a nobody.”

“I was where it concerned guys,” Lesley
reminded her.

“That was their problem, not yours.”

Lesley clutched her stomach. “I think I had a
little too much to drink. I better go inside.”

“I’ll help you,” Karin offered.

“No, I’ll be okay. I just need to lie down
for a little bit. Since Mom’s spending the night at Edgar’s, I
won’t have to dodge questions and compare notes.”

Karin glanced at her house and saw a lights
come on in the living room. “Guess I may not be so lucky. See you
tomorrow.”

“Bye, Karin.”

She watched Lesley make it safely inside,
wondering if it was alcohol or something else that she took. Was
Marcus leading her down the wrong path?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Karin was happy to see that Lesley showed no
ill effects the next day in school. They were in P.E. class doing
stretching exercises in preparation for calisthenics.

“My Mom came home sometime during the night,”
Lesley said. “I remember her kissing my forehead. Then, this
morning, she told me Edgar has a part-time opening on weekends at
his bookstore. She wants me to take the job.”

“Do you want to?” Karin asked, stretching her
left leg out in front of her.

“Not really. But she says we could use the
extra money, no matter how little it is.”

“Bummer. There must be something else that
could be done other than give up your weekends.”

“Like what?” Lesley asked.

Karin stretched her other leg. “Maybe my
parents could help out.”

“My mother would never want that,” Lesley
said, raising her arms straight up, then lowering them slowly.
“Besides, it’s not like we’re in the poor house or anything. I
would only work for three hours on Saturday and Sunday. I could do
my homework and read during breaks, so it shouldn’t be that
bad.”

It didn’t exactly sound inviting to Karin,
but she understood and tried to be more supportive. “I could come
there sometimes and just hang out with you.”

“That would be great, Karin.” Lesley smiled
appreciatively. “Maybe Marcus could do the same.”

“I hope so.”

Karin turned her thoughts to Reese. She
wondered what he was doing at this precise moment and if he was
thinking about her as well. Their perfect kiss stayed on her mouth
as though permanent lip gloss. She imagined that it could only be
replaced by another kiss from Reese.

During lunch period, Karin sat with Marilyn
Chamberlain, since Lesley was sitting with Marcus and some other
members of the team. But Reese was nowhere to be found. Since he
was now her boyfriend, more or less, Karin thought it would be nice
to be seen with him anytime and anyplace. Starting with the
cafeteria.

Maybe he would show up yet, she hoped, and
wondered if she was starting to become possessive. Much like Cheryl
had been.

“I’m thinking about trying out for the girl’s
track team,” Marilyn interrupted her thoughts.

“You are?” Karin pretended to be interested,
even if her mind was elsewhere. In truth, she believed Marilyn
would be good at track. They had run together a few times and
Marilyn was one of the few who could keep up with her.

“Yeah. My brother was on the boy’s team last
year. He thinks I have a good shot to make the team.”

“I agree. Good luck.”

“Maybe you should try out too,” Marilyn
suggested, then scooped up some applesauce with a spoon.

“What?” Karin looked up from her tuna salad
as if she had misunderstood.

“If I can make it, so can you.”

“Not sure I’m up for being on the team,”
Karin stated honestly.

“Why not?” Marilyn’s eyes widened.

Karin shrugged. “Don’t know,” she admitted.
“Guess I just like running for the fun of it.”