Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys (18 page)

“Hey!”

Megan paused at the end of the driveway. Sean was standing by the front door with a steaming mug in his hand. He was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans and his brown hair was pushed up into its usual spikes. Dark stubble covered his chin and cheeks.

“Hi,” she said uncertainly.

“You walking?”

“Looks that way,” Megan said.

“You're gonna be late,” he replied.

“Looks that way,” she repeated.

“I'll take you.”

“Really?” Hadn't Sean heard about the house-wide freeze-out?

“Get your helmet,” Sean said.

It was a little strange at first, straddling the bike and holding on to Sean, whom Megan had barely spoken to. But the farther
they got from the house, the more Megan relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Sean had done a killer job with his bike. He was barely opening it up, but she could both hear and feel the power of the engine. He took a turn at top speed and Megan's grip on his jacket tightened slightly.

“Sorry!” Sean yelled. “Not used to passengers.”

“No problem!” Megan replied. “What kind of shocks do you have?”

“Two under the rear and another up front,” Sean replied after a pause.

“I can tell,” Megan said. “Think you can show me your specs sometime?”

“Sure. Yeah,” Sean replied.

“What year is the engine? Ninety-seven? Ninety-eight?”

“A '98,” Sean replied. “But it's got a couple of new parts.” He sounded confused, but Megan wasn't surprised. She knew there weren't a heck of a lot of girls out there who knew motorcycles like she did.

Sean pulled his Harley to a stop in front of Baker High. A few kids were still milling around outside, defiantly ignoring the time, while a couple more raced across the parking lot to get inside before the bell.

“Thank you so much,” Megan said, lifting her helmet off as she swung her leg over the back of the bike.

“You know a lot about Harleys,” Sean said.

“Yeah, well, I helped my dad restore two of them last year,” Megan said. “He had to sell them both when he went to Korea, but they were really cool.”

“You ride?” Sean asked.

“I have my learner's permit,” Megan said, smoothing her hair back. “Well, my Texas learner's permit.”

Sean nodded and for the first time since Megan had met him, it seemed like he was really looking at her. “I'll take you out for another ride sometime,” he said.

“Yeah? You don't have to—”

“I'll take you out for another ride sometime,” Sean repeated with an amused smirk. “You better get inside.”

Megan smiled. “Well, thanks again.” She started up the steps toward the school just as the other kids by the door decided it was time to head inside.

“Hey,” Sean called out as he revved the engine.

Megan turned to look down at him, her helmet swinging from her fingers.

“Don't let my brothers get to you,” Sean said. “They're a bunch of tools.”

Megan smiled again and Sean tore off.

 *  *  *

Miller stepped away from the wall outside the cafeteria doors when Megan approached. She couldn't have been more surprised to find him waiting for her if he had been standing there naked.

“Hi, Miller,” Megan said.

“Hi,” he replied, following her into the cafeteria. “Are we sitting inside again?”

Megan paused and looked out across the room. Ria, Pearl, and Jenna were already sitting at their table. All three of them
had been pointedly ignoring Megan all day. Finn was at the other end of the room, sketchbook open in front of him, his back to the door. A couple of Hailey's friends stared her down from their table. Evan was nowhere to be seen.

“Why Evan McGowan would fool around with
her
I have no idea,” some girl said to her friend as they walked by Megan.

“Does she even own a mirror?” the second girl replied.

“Nah, let's go outside,” Megan said finally. “It's beautiful out today.”

“Yeah. It's beautiful out today,” Miller said with a nod. He led the way to the courtyard.

Megan and Miller dropped their stuff and went back inside to hit the lunch line. The two girls in front of Megan kept talking in low tones, then laughing obviously and loudly. She paid for her lunch and walked back outside with Miller.

“Why do you have that?” Miller asked, looking at her helmet as they sat down.

“Oh, it didn't fit in my locker,” Megan said, shaking her bottled iced tea. She paused and looked at Miller, wide-eyed. “Hey! You just asked me a question.”

Miller flushed and raised his shoulders, looking down at his tray. “I practiced.”

“You did?” Megan asked, filling up with pride. “Miller! That's awesome!”

“What's awesome?”

Megan and Miller both looked up to find Aimee hovering next to their table with her tray. It was the first time Megan had
seen her all day. Her hair was pinned back with barrettes and she was wearing a light blue shirt that made her eyes glow.

“Oh . . . nothing. Just a project we've been working on,” Megan said, slightly flustered. Considering no one had talked to her or even looked at her all day, she found this a pleasant surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I just thought it was so sunny out. . . . I thought I'd see what it was like out here,” Aimee said, looking around as if she had actually never seen the courtyard before. “It's nice.”

Megan's heart warmed and she and Aimee exchanged a smile. “So can I . . . ?” Aimee asked, glancing at Miller, who was very intent on arranging his tray.

“Miller, do you mind if Aimee sits with us?” Megan asked.

“Aimee?” Miller said.

“Yeah, this is my friend Aimee,” Megan said.

“Hi,” Aimee said.

“Hello,” Miller replied without looking up.

“It's okay,” Megan mouthed to Aimee.

As soon as her friend was seated, Megan reached over and arranged everything on her tray in height order. Aimee looked at it for a second, shrugged, and picked up her sandwich.

“So, how're you liking your new school?” Aimee asked Megan with a hint of sarcasm.

“Oh, I just love it!” Megan replied, playing along. “Everyone here is so
nice
!”

“Well, at least some of us are,” Aimee said. “Right, Miller?”

Miller didn't respond. He clasped his hands under the table and stared at his untouched food. Aimee glanced at
Megan uncertainly. Megan put her fork down and cleared her throat.

“Hey, Miller, why don't you ask Aimee something?” Megan said. “You can use that trick we figured out the other day. You know, with the baseball?”

Miller glanced up at Megan. He had a skittish look about him, like he was a rabbit in a cage and Megan was rattling the bars. But Megan recognized the hope behind the skittishness. Miller wanted to be able to do this.

“Go ahead, ask her anything,” she said. “She's really nice. I promise.”

Miller's back had curved into a perfect C, but he was rigid with tension as he stared down at the table. He took a deep breath. “The New York Yankees captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in 1979,” he said in a rush. “Are you in Megan's class?”

Aimee looked a little stunned but regained her composure quickly. “Uh . . . yeah,” she said. “We're both juniors.”

Megan grinned.

“The New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter won his first Gold Glove in 2004. Do you like baseball?” Miller asked.

Aimee laughed, glancing quizzically at Megan. Megan just shrugged one shoulder. Aimee was only going to learn who Miller was the way they all did. Slowly but surely.

“Actually, yeah,” Aimee answered. “I'm an Oakland A's fan. I know, it's bizarre, but my dad grew up in northern Cal, so—”

“Did you know that Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson played for
the Oakland A's for nine years?” Miller asked, looking at Aimee for the first time.

“No . . . I didn't know that,” Aimee said with a smile. “I guess you learn something new every day.”

Megan smiled too. “Yeah,” she said. “I guess so.”

 *  *  *

That night Megan walked out of her room just as Evan arrived at the top of the stairs. They both stopped. For a split second, Megan was certain that Evan was going to say something, but then he brushed right by her into his room. He slammed the door to his room so hard she could feel it in her bones.

She whirled around, her fingers curling into fists, and glared at his door. All she wanted to do was go over there and pound on it. Pound on it so hard it broke apart. He was supposed to be perfect.

There was a noise out back and Megan stalked to the end of the hall to look out the window. The door to the shed was just closing.

Finn.

He was just as bad as his brother. Finn had stranded her that morning too and he hadn't said a word to her about Spanish class, even though he never would have passed that pop quiz they had taken without her help. Megan turned and stormed down the hallway. Maybe she was too scared to say anything to Evan, but Finn . . . she was going to give that boy a piece of her mind.

“You guys all suck, you know that?” Megan shouted, flinging open the door to the shed.

Finn dropped his paintbrush on the leg of his jeans, where it left a streak of orange before hitting the dirty floor.

“Sorry?” he said.

“You! You suck!” Megan fumed.

“We've been over this. I know I suck.”

“Not your
art
. You! You . . .
guys
!” Megan shouted.

Finn blinked. “Actually, I think I'm kind of an okay guy.”

“Oh, please!” Megan said, squaring off in front of him. “I mean, what's
wrong
with you people? Were you all born like this? Because it's gotta be in your genes. Either that or you've all gotten each other in one too many choke holds over the years and you've deprived your brains of too much oxygen. Which is it?”

“Megan, I think you need to sit down,” Finn said, carefully reaching for her shoulders. Keeping her at arm's length, he steered her over to the old bench and pushed her down until she had to let her knees go and fall into the seat. “Now, is this about Hailey and Evan?”

“No! It's about you! You deserted me this morning,” Megan said. “And then I went to get my bike and the tires were flat. You guys popped my freaking tires! What is this? The McGowan Home for the Criminally Insane?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Finn said. “First of all, I did not desert you this morning. Evan said you wanted to ride your bike to school.”

“Yeah, right,” Megan said.

“He did!”

“Well, I never said that,” Megan replied, swallowing hard. Just the thought of Evan telling Finn that so he could avoid her
made her sick to her stomach. “I guess everyone around here is a liar.”

“Again, I must defend myself,” Finn said, wiping his hands on an old washcloth and crossing his arms over his chest. “Have I ever lied to you?”

Megan looked up at him. “No. Not that I know of,” she grumbled, averting her eyes.

“Okay, good. Now we're getting somewhere,” Finn said, pulling his stool over. “Now, will you do me a favor and tell me what really happened at the party on Friday night?”

“Wow. You're kidding,” Megan said. “Somebody actually wants to hear my side of the story?”

“Yeah.” Finn smirked. “I do.”

Megan took a deep breath and sat up straight. “Okay, I saw Hailey and Evan fighting and then Evan went into the pool room. Later I was looking for the bathroom, and I found him in this guest room, lying down on the bed. All I did was sit next to him and ask him what was up. We were just talking and the next thing I know, Hailey comes in and finds us lying there and freaks out. We went after her, but she disappeared out the back of the house. Then Evan left and that was it.”

“That was it,” Finn said.

“Yeah! That was it,” Megan repeated. “Then like an hour later, Aimee and I are hanging out and Jenna comes in and tells us she just saw Doug and Hailey having sex in the woods. That is all I know.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight. You
were
on the bed with Evan?” Finn asked.

“Big deal!” Megan rolled her eyes as she blushed. “For five seconds, I sat there.”

“So Hailey didn't see anything,” Finn said.

“There was nothing to see.”

“And you didn't tell her that you and Evan hooked up.”

“No!”

“I believe you,” Finn said, standing up.

“You do?” Megan said, shocked. “You don't even want to think about it?”

“What's to think about?” Finn said, picking up the fallen brush. “You're a good, honest person who is obviously distraught about all this. Evan and Hailey totally thrive on drama. It's my expert opinion, knowing all the parties involved, that you are an innocent bystander who got sucked in by the Evan and Hailey vortex.” He dipped the brush in water and swirled it around, glancing at Megan over his shoulder. “Still think I suck?”

Megan smiled. “Not so much.”

“Look,” Finn said with a sigh. “Evan will come around.”

“You think?” Megan asked.

“Yeah, I think.”

Megan wanted to believe Finn. He did, after all, know Evan a lot better than she did. But she still couldn't get that picture out of her mind—the disgusted expression on Evan's face when he told her to stay away from him. It definitely didn't seem like he was going to come around.

“Doug, however, is a little harder to call,” Finn said.

Megan took deep breath. “You know what's weird? I can almost understand why Doug did it.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, here's the hottest girl in school—a senior—throwing herself at you and telling you that she and her boyfriend are broken up. . . . And I know it's no excuse, but they were both really drunk. . . .”