Shut Out(69)

“I’ll think about it,” I said, stunned that she’d actually recommended me to the head librarian. Stunned, really, that she thought I was capable of doing as good a job as she did.

Because as much as Jenna drove me crazy, the truth was, she really had kept Hamilton Public Library running smoothly. The place would have been a wreck without her.

And now that she was leaving, she trusted me.

I still wasn’t her biggest fan by any means. I wasn’t happy that she was taking my brother away from me, that Logan was jumping into this relationship so soon. But she really did make him happy, so I’d decided to keep my mouth shut and accept it. Just the same way he and Dad would have to accept Cash, in spite of the rivalry between his soccer team and the football team they loved so much.

Though I hoped that rivalry was about to come to an official end. In about half an hour, actually.

“Are you and Dad going out tonight?” I asked Logan as he shoved the box of trophies into the back of his truck.

“I think so,” he said. “He wants to go to a sports bar in Oak Hill. Watch a game together and have some fun before I leave. Why?”

“Just wondering,” I said. “But… Okay, he doesn’t have to have a salad. He can eat fried food if he wants. But tell him just one beer. I mean it.”

“Yes, Mom.”

We looked at each other for a second, and then we both cracked up. I did sound just like her. My mother had been just as bossy as I was, just as protective. I told myself that she’d be proud of Logan, though. That she’d want him to go. And even though it was scary, letting him get so far away from me, where I couldn’t always know he was safe, I knew I had to do it.

Just then, Chloe’s convertible pulled into my driveway. “Lissa!” she called. It was a little chilly, but she still had the top down. I could see Kelsey and Ellen sitting in the backseat, bundled in sweatshirts. “Come on. Let’s do this.”

“Have fun,” Logan said, reaching over and ruffling my hair. He had no idea where I was going, that I was about to put an end to a rivalry he’d seen the beginning of. I thought about telling him, but honestly, I didn’t think he’d care anymore. That was his past. He loved the game, he’d been a part of the rivalry, but now he was an adult. He’d moved on, and the rest of the boys, this generation, were about to as well.

“Be careful tonight,” I said, exercising my last few hours of control over him. “Don’t get too drunk. You don’t want to have a hangover when you’re moving in tomorrow. Call me if you need anything, and take care of Dad.”

“Relax,” Logan told me. “We’re big boys. We’ll be fine. Now go hang out with your friends.” He shoved my shoulder. “Don’t keep them waiting.”

I nodded and waved to him before hurrying to Chloe’s convertible, hopping over the edge and into the front passenger’s seat.

“Ready to go?” Chloe asked, adjusting her sunglasses. We’d be driving right into the setting sun on our way to the high school.

“Yep.”

“Cool.”

“I’m freezing back here,” Kelsey whined.

“You’ll live.”

“Why in God’s name is your top still down?”

“Hey, you’re the one who decided to carpool,” Chloe said, glancing over her shoulder as she backed out of my driveway. “No complaining, or you can walk.”

Kelsey stuck out her tongue.

Chloe laughed and faced forward again, lighting a cigarette with one hand as she drove.

It was almost like they were becoming friends or something. While totally creepy, it was also pretty cute.

“Are you excited for all this to be over?” Ellen asked, leaning forward so that her head was between my and Chloe’s seats. “Are you proud of yourself?”

I smiled. “A little.”

“You should be,” she said, leaning back again. “And you should also be excited about your date with Cash tonight. Where are you two going?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “When he called me, he said he wanted it to be a surprise.”

Cash and I hadn’t seen each other much over fall break. We’d called and texted almost every day, and of course there was work, but I wanted to hold off our real reunion until after tonight. After the rivalry was really and truly over and we could start fresh. That way I could relax and not worry so much about the rest of the world—the oath, the battle we’d had going on. Nothing. It would just be Cash and me.

Just thinking about it made me smile. I couldn’t wait to see him, to kiss him with no guilt or worry. I’d been daydreaming about it like crazy.

Chloe parked her car on the side of one of the gravel roads behind the school and the four of us walked up to the fields. A group was already waiting there, a mix of boys and girls, standing around talking until they saw us coming.

“Hi, Lissa!” Mary called, waving excitedly. She was standing by Finn, gripping his giant hand with her thin, delicate fingers. The smile she was wearing—that they were both wearing—made my heart sing.

Though I could never get the image of Finn singing ’NSync out of my head. That was burned into my brain for life.

“Hi,” I said, waving back.

The crowd began growing then, as more and more people started walking up the hill toward us. I couldn’t help grinning when I saw Cash approaching. He was walking with Adam and Shane.