A Fine Line by Courtney Brandt Read Free Book Online Page A

shows up one day and there’s Wes in your yard, what then?
    So, my parents hired him to work—
    Did you learn nothing from last year?!
    I guess you’re right.
    Sam’s voice brought Lucy’s thoughts back to her boyfriend, “Hey I gotta go, talk to you soon?”
    Lucy replied brightly, “Sounds great!”
    I’ll tell him next time…
     
    * * *
     
     

CHAPTER SIX: Say Goodbye
     

    The next morning, Lucy walked downstairs close to noon – her traditional waking hour after a long week of school and staying out after the game. Her mom was busy working on the computer. Craig and her dad were at her younger brother’s soccer game.
    “So…Mom?” Lucy grabbed a carton of yogurt out of the fridge.
    “Yes, honey?”
    “It would’ve been nice if maybe you had asked me about Wes yesterday.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “For all you know he could be some crazy psycho that doesn’t even go to my school.”
    “Nonsense, I remember reading an article about him recently in the paper. He just transferred here from the U.K.”
    “And so that makes it okay for him to just start working around our house instead of paying off the damage like a normal human being?”
    “Well, I figured he probably doesn’t have citizenship or time to get a job with being on the team and all. Plus, Lucy, he really did want to make things up to us. I thought it might be a good lesson in integrity for Craig.”
    “Hmph,” Lucy stabbed her spoon into her yogurt cup.
    “You don’t have to see him, so I don’t even see why you’re getting so bothered about it.”
    “I have to go study.”
    Lucy went up to her room, still frustrated with the situation. She was about to sign online and maybe talk to Cartwright about the recent developments, when she remembered her silly promise to Tom the night before. She went to her closet and changed. Heading downstairs, she called to her Mom, “I’m going to have lunch with Tom.”
    “Have fun!”
    “I will.”
    “Oh, and Lucy, if you want to avoid Wes, he just called, so be sure to find something to do tomorrow afternoon,” Mrs. Karate added, watching her daughter walk out the door.
     
    The next day, Lucy got out of bed, strangely sore. Thinking back to yesterday’s events, she knew the results were totally going to be worth it. Hearing Sam’s familiar ring tone, Lucy smiled and picked up the phone. As much as the whole long distance thing sucked, at the end of the day it was still fun to say, “My boyfriend? He’s in college.” Whether or not Sam was technically her boyfriend, remained to be seen.
    “Hey, Luce.”
    “What’s up?” Lucy detected something in his voice that seemed off somehow.
    “Not much, how are things with you?”
    “Good enough. Anything going on with you?”
    “Well actually, there’s this girl on my hall…”
    A girl? He’s only been there less than a month! Doesn’t our relationship mean anything to him?
    When did you think it was going to happen? You didn’t exactly give him the most solid, ‘we’re going to be together forever’ speech when he went away.
    “…and she has this thing for her sorority and has to bring someone. We’ve been talking and she was wondering if I would go with her, you know, as friends.”
    As friends? Do you honestly think anyone sees Sam ‘as friends’? Fight for him!
    Why? This day was bound to happen. I just wish I was better prepared for it.
    “…what do you think, Luce?”
    Shaking the negative thoughts from her head, Lucy said cheerfully, “You should go and have a good time. I mean, who can pass up free food, right?”
    Sam, who, after close to a year of dating Lucy, knew her moods a little better than she wished he did, responded, “Lucy, it really is just as friends. I promise.”
    “I know it is, Sam. I think you should go…and I appreciate you telling me about it.”
    “Yeah.”
    They both paused as an extreme awkward silence fell over the conversation. Lucy said lamely, “Well, I have to go and